From-scratch Enchilada Seasoning Blend at Home

Worth keeping enchiladas. Actually, my whole family loves them and it’s also one of the few things we all can agree on for dinner. Enchiladas are one of those meals that can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. With that said the filling options are endless as are the toppings.

I’ve made my own enchilada sauce in a home kitchen before using fresh tomatoes. I have also made a more simple 15-minute version (which I use more often than not). While making it recently, I casually thought to myself ‘I make this sauce so often I should bottle the spices to make it easier’ queue the lightbulb above my head. The same thing happened when I made chicken shawarma.

Having a pre-made spice blends on hand will aid in using up the spices in your cupboard so they don’t only sit there waiting to expire.

Furthermore having them on hand will no doubt speed up your weeknight (or weekend for that matter) meal making. No more searching for spices and measuring each and every one.

But this from-scratch enchilada seasoning blend isn’t only for sauce making. Sprinkle it over chicken, rub it into beef or only toss it with a mess of vegetables and grill OR maybe you have a recipe calling for enchilada spice mix? Use it similarly as you would taco or fajita seasoning. I still have a few recipes that I want to try it in, and with any success, you can bet I’ll be sharing it here asap.

For this From-scratch Enchilada Seasoning Blend Gather:

• chili powder
• paprika
• cumin
• light brown sugar
• kosher salt
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• Mexican oregano
• chipotle chili powder
• coriander
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper

There’s no right or wrong brand. I will first say, buy what you can afford. However, not all spices are created equal as you tend to get what you pay for. Currently I use Morton & Bassett (not sponsored) because I find their spices to be top notch in texture, color and flavor. A regular here and respect what their company stands for not only with charitable work but also quality control. With that said some other welcome brands I’ve used over the years are Simple Organic, Frontier Co-op and Penzys.

You simply measure and add 1 tablespoon (mild) chili powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin (I used roasted), 2 teaspoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano (crushed in the palm of your hand), 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper into a jar or container.

I recently found these squatty, wide-mouth jars on amazon and I’m in love. Finally the dependable jar!! They are simply the thing for big batch spice blends and are easily stackable, maximizing my cupboard space.

Next stir the spices, the sugar likes to clump and doing so will break it up and is evenly throughout the kitchen-made enchilada seasoning mix.

One of my (many) regular kitchen tools is this mini whisk. My sister Julie got it for me one Christmas and I use it for allthethings! It’s great for mixing small batches of things like dips, spice blends or salad dressings.

This method yields 6 tablespoons, but you can certainly double to have a larger jar on hand. Store this in an air-tight container for up to 1 to 2 years! After you make this kitchen-made enchilada seasoning blend, check out my other kitchen-made seasoning blends!

I’ve always wished I had good writing for labeling. I do not. I also wish that I could find only one black sharpie that wasn’t about to run out.

Enjoy! And if you give this From-scratch Enchilada Seasoning Blend recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!