Bright, tangy, and just the right amount of heat, this Fresh Green Enchilada Sauce is what canned sauce wishes it could be. Roasted and fresh chiles combine with tomatillos for a sauce that actually tastes like something, not just green.
Why Make Your Own Fresh Green Enchilada Sauce?
- Big, fresh flavor – tomatillo tang + real chile heat
- No junk – no cornstarch, sugars, or fillers
- Balanced – not all tomatillo, not all chile
- Versatile – enchiladas, stacks, casseroles, eggs, grilled chicken or fish
The Making of Green Enchilada Sauce
Canned green enchilada sauce works in a pinch, but it’s usually thin, a little flat, and padded with ingredients you don’t need.
I use green sauce a lot, so I went looking for something better. Most recipes leaned too far one way or the other, all tomatillo and no depth, or all chile and no brightness. And the green bell pepper additions? Hard no.
What I wanted was a true green enchilada sauce: fresh, balanced, smooth, with just enough heat to wake things up without taking over.
So I made it myself.
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Fresh Green Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound Anaheim, California, or Hatch Chiles fresh
- ½ pound Poblano chilies
- 1 pound tomatillos papery husk removed, washed
- 1 ½ cups onion, preferably white diced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic about 8 cloves
- 2 - 3 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon oil I like to use avocado oil here
- t tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 cups water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
Roasting the Peppers
- Position your oven rack to the highest position and set it for broil.Place a piece of foil on the rack and set the Anaheim and poblano peppers between the grates on the oven rack. Broil until well charred on all sides, turning with tongs as necessary.Remove the peppers to a bowl; place foil over the top and allow them to steam for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the stems, skins, and seeds. Roughly chop and set aside.
Preparing the Tomatillos
- Remove the papery covering from the tomatillos and wash quickly in warm water to remove the stickiness. Dice.Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Chop the Jalapeno removing seeds and membranes if a milder sauce is desired, leaving some on for heat, if desired.
Making the Sauce
- Heat the oil in a deep saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeño, and tomatillo. Sauté until soft, but not browned to maintain the bright flavor.Add the roasted chopped peppers, cumin, oregano, water, and a large pinch of salt. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.Let the mixture cool slightly before blending.Carefully ladle the vegetables with some of the liquid into a blender. DO NOT overfill the blender. Blend in batches as necessary. Place a folded towel over the top to prevent hot liquid splashing out, and process until smooth.If a smoother texture is desired, pass the sauce through a food mill or sieve. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Storage and Serving
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze until needed.Use as a base for enchiladas, as a topping for eggs, or as a sauce for grilled meats.
Notes
- The heat level can be adjusted by varying the amount of jalapeño seeds and membranes included.
- This recipe preserves the natural acidity of the tomatillos for a bright, authentic flavor.
- For Hatch chile season (late summer), use fresh Hatch chiles for the most authentic flavor.
Nutrition
Ingredients Needed to Make Fresh Green Enchilada Sauce
- Chiles - Use a mix (Anaheim, New Mexico, California, poblano, jalapeño)
- Tomatillos - The backbone. Bright, tangy, and not interchangeable with tomatoes.
- Onion & Garlic- Build the flavor base
- Cumin and Oregano - Keep it classic, don't overdo it.
- Oil - Keep it neutral. I like to use avocado oil.
- Water - To bring it all together.
Key Technique Notes
- Do not brown the tomatillos - you want bright flavor
- Roast the chilies well - that's where the depth of flavor comes from
- Blend carefully - hot liquids expand, do not overfill
- Adjust the heat at the jalapeno - seeds and membranes control it.
Variations
- More heat - leave seeds in or add a serrano
- Hatch Version - swap in Hatch chilies when in season
- Milder - reduce jalapeno or remove all seeds
Video
How to Make Fresh Green Enchilada Sauce
What is a Tomatillo?
First things first, tomatillos are not baby green tomatoes.
They’re in the nightshade family, like tomatoes, and are widely grown in Mexico (and now in the U.S. because they’re hardy and easy to grow).
Often called “husk tomatoes,” they look like small green tomatoes wrapped in a dry, papery husk. Peel that back and you’ll find a bright green fruit that softens in color once cooked.
Flavor-wise, they’re tangy, not sweet, with a fresh, slightly vegetal bite. They’re also firmer and less watery than tomatoes, which is exactly what gives this sauce its body.
Prepping is easy: remove the husk, rinse off the natural sticky film, and they’re ready to go.
Visual Guided Instructions
Char your Anaheim and Poblano peppers, when cool, remove the stem, skin, and seeds. Chop into pieces.
Chop the Jalapeno, garlic, tomatillos (papery skin removed), and onion.
Heat a small amount of oil and saute the raw vegetables over medium-low heat until soft.
Simmer the peppers until very tender, about 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 - 15 minutes to cool.
Once the vegetables are soft, add the roasted peppers along with the water, cumin, oregano, and some salt and pepper.
Using caution, blend in batches as necessary, until you have a smooth sauce.
My KitchenAid blender does a fine job of making a smooth sauce. If your blender is not as powerful, you may want to pass the blended sauce through a sieve or food mill to achieve a smooth sauce.
Variations
- Make it Spicier- Adjust the spice by adjusting the peppers. Leaving the membranes and seeds in the Jalapeno adds heat. You could also add a Serrano or two.
- Use Hatch Chilies in place of Anaheim -Hatch Chilies, native to the Hatch region of New Mexico, have a flavor that is close to, but hotter than, an Anaheim (California) chile.
- Omit the Poblano - I think the poblano chilies add a depth of flavor, but you could make this Fresh Green Enchilada sauce with just Hatch or Anaheim chilies.
FAQs
The easiest way is under the broiler.
Line the top oven rack with a piece of foil and lay the peppers right on it. Broil, turning occasionally, until all sides are well charred, about 15 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let them steam for 15 minutes. Then peel, seed, and move on.
You can also roast them over a gas flame or on the grill if you prefer.
No.
Rinsing washes away that roasted flavor you just worked for. A few seeds or bits of skin won’t hurt anything.
You can, but I don’t.
Most dishes you’ll use this sauce with already have cilantro. Adding it here can take over and blur the flavor of the chiles and tomatillos. Keeping it out makes the sauce more versatile.
Not exactly.
They share some of the same ingredients, especially tomatillos and chiles, but they are used differently. Salsa verde is usually served as a table salsa, with a brighter, sharper flavor and often a chunkier texture.
This green enchilada sauce is made to be a sauce: smoother, pourable, and balanced so it can coat tortillas, bake into enchiladas, or work as a base for other dishes without taking over.
Same green family. Different job.
Equipment
Other than a good chef's knife and a deep saucepan, you will need some of these other pieces of equipment:
A blender - a heavy-duty blender is best, but any blender, including an immersion blender, will work to get the sauce to a saucy consistency. If the sauce is not smooth enough, you can put it through a strainer to remove any chunks.
If you don't have a blender, you could use a food mill to process the solids.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to a week, freeze for longer storage. Thaw in the refrigerator or the low setting of your microwave.
Denise says
I've always roasted the tomatillos when making salsa verde. I'm assuming by not roasting them it gives this sauce a more tangy taste? I'm definitely wanting to get the ingredients to make this.
Lorain Knight says
Just finished making this and it is awesome! Very authentic I love it! Thank you for the recipe.
Linda Baker says
You're welcome. 🙂
Linda Baker says
Hi Denise, YES - exactly right. Not roasting the tomatillo gives it a brightness you loose when roasting and then most recipes need to replace the acidity with something else which I think defeats the purpose. Try it and let me know what you think. Cheers ~ Lindy