What Is The Best Canned Enchilada Sauce?
It’s hard to really choose the best canned enchilada sauce. There are a number of delicious sauces available, and it’s hard to say which is objectively best: after all, everything is a matter of taste. At the end, we had to choose Rosarita’s enchilada sauce, but we aren’t going to lie: it was close. It would still be a fantastic idea to try the others.
Rosarita has been making enchilada sauce for decades, fine-tuning its traditional recipe and making a high quality, delicious sauce.
Rosarita makes red and green sauces, so you can choose the best one, but we rated the red sauce particularly highly for its complex flavor.
As a ready made sauce, Rosarita’s enchilada sauce can be opened up and poured directly on enchiladas to impart its flavor, as well as being mixed with other ingredients.
Rosarita’s enchilada sauce is available in mild, to make it suitable for any type of meal. You can add more spice if you want it, or let the flavors individually shine.
Not only is it an affordable option, but you can also purchase it in bulk so you can cook large meals.
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5 Top Canned Enchilada Sauce : Our Picks & Recommendations
- Best Pick: Rosarita Enchilada Sauce
- Best Canned Green Enchilada Sauce: Old El Paso Green Enchilada
- Best Canned Red Enchilada Sauce: Ol El Paso Medium Red Enchilada Sauce
- Best Canned Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce: La Costena Green Tomatillos
- Best Canned Mild Enchilada Sauce: Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce Mild
How to Choose Canned Enchilada Sauce?
You’ve got your enchiladas done, but now you’ve got to find the right sauce. How do you select the enchilada sauce that’s right for you?
Enchilada sauces aren’t just used for enchiladas, they’re also used in things like tacos, nachos, and even salsa.
Since both red and green enchilada sauces can look fairly similar, it can be difficult to determine the best option. Here are a few ways to choose the right one.
Taste
First: it usually comes down to taste. You may need to taste multiple enchilada sauces before you figure out the right one for you, and taste-testing enchilada sauces may really be the only way that you can tell which one is best.
Some enchilada sauces are more traditional, while others are a little more “single note” because they’re intended to be used as an ingredient rather than a full sauce.
Brand
Many enchilada sauces are made by the top Mexican brands. If you generally like one brand, such as El Paso, you’re more likely to like the flavor profile of their enchilada sauce.
While you still need to choose things based on the general taste, it’s an easy way to figure out which sauces you should probably try first.
Quality
The quality of ingredients matters a lot when it comes to enchilada sauces, especially green enchilada sauces which tend to have fewer ingredients.
Some brands, such as Hatch, have a long history of collecting and working with their major ingredients, which can bring a lot to the flavor and versatility of their blend.
Ingredients
Green chiles and red chiles have different flavor profiles, and some people prefer green chile enchilada sauce to red chile enchilada sauce.
Consequently, the ingredients really matter. You may also have a recipe that calls specifically for green chile or red chile, and that’s good news: it’ll make it easier for you to find the right sauce.
Related: Best Canned Chili
Spice
Spice level is one of the most important aspects of choosing a sauce, because many people just can’t handle higher levels of spice.
A mild sauce can always have more spice added to it, but it’s very hard to cut the spice level of something that is too spicy. Most people some spice but don’t want it hot enough that the spice level hurts.
Cost
If you’re cooking a lot, you may be particularly concerned about the cost of your ingredients. Some enchilada sauces are very affordable, while others may be a little more expensive.
If you’re looking fo an artisanal sauce or a small batch sauce, you’re more likely to have to spend more money, but if you’re looking for one of the more popular ones, it should be fairly cheap.
Quantity
If you’re going to be cooking for a large number of people, look for a sauce that you can purchase in bulk. Purchasing a large quantity of sauce at once makes it easier for you to cook large family-style meals, as well as saving money over time.
All of these things are something you can consider when you’re purchasing enchilada sauce, but it really will come down to taste.
We’ve made a comprehensive list of some of the best enchilada sauces available: you can test them one at a time to find the right option for you.
Red vs Green Enchilada Sauce- What’s the Difference?
If you’re looking for enchilada sauces, you’re first going to need to decide between red and green sauces.
While both red and green sauces are frequently used for enchiladas, they’re different in terms of taste and ingredient.
Green enchilada sauces are based on green chiles, jalapenos, and other similar ingredients, often having a bright and fresh taste. Red enchilada sauces are made from red chiles, and often they’re mixed with a tomato base (but not always).
The spice level of your enchilada sauce is not controlled by green or red chile. Green and red sauces can range from being fairly mild to being extremely spicy, with the spice level being completely independent of the type of chile.
Red enchilada sauces tend to be a little more complex, as they usually include ingredients such as onions, vinegar, and more.
Green enchilada sauces tend to be a little more simple, which means that they’re often better ingredients for larger, more complex meals.
Ultimately, it often comes down to taste. If you love green chiles and jalapenos, you’re going to love the green chile taste of green enchiladas.
If you love red chiles, vinegar, onions, and other similar ingredients, you’re more likely to like red enchilada sauce.
High quality ingredients also matter: the higher quality the ingredients, the better the sauce.
A high quality green sauce will be better than a low quality green sauce, and vice versa, so you really want to choose the sauce companies that take particular pride in the development of their food.
You can try both green and red enchilada sauce to see which type of sauce is naturally better for you, just keep in mind that you need to check the spice level independently!
5 Best Canned Enchilada Sauce Reviews:
To find the best enchilada sauce out there, we compared the most popular enchilada sauces in terms of budget, taste, spice levels, and current reviews.
We found the best enchilada sauces based on the type of sauce, the amount of spice, the quality of the ingredients, and the ease of use.
These are all enchilada sauces that can improve any meal, ready to use and easy to pour. Explore our list now.
Best Pick:
1. Rosarita Enchilada Sauce
What You Will Love: If you want the best enchilada sauce out there, you can’t go wrong with Rosarita’s mild tomato-based sauce. We love how versatile this enchilada sauce is: it can be used in everything from 7 layer dip to a classic enchilada dish. Rosarita’s enchilada sauce isn’t overly spicy, but it’s still extremely flavorful, and Rosarita has been making this sauce for seven decades.
Rosarita’s enchilada sauce is made in a traditional style, perfect for making traditional Mexican dishes. A fairly mild spice level makes this an excellent all-around sauce, which can be used for those with any taste.
This is a versatile sauce with high quality ingredients, giving you everything you need to pack a large punch of flavor within a single sauce.
Even better, the sauce has only 20 calories per each serving, making it a healthy way to make a meal.
If you’re cooking for an entire family, you can purchase Rosarita’s enchilada sauce in bulk — or just buy it by the can to make appetizers and dishes such as 7-layer dip.
Rosarita’s enchilada sauce can be included as an ingredient in a number of Mexican foods, or as a covering over chicken or cheese enchiladas. Dense and flavorful, this sauce is all that most dishes need.
Rosarita has been making this enchilada sauce for over 70 years, refining it for the most powerful and authentic tastes.
As a tomato-based sauce it’s extremely versatile, and it has a number of sister products, ranging from refried beans to other Mexican sauces. You can create an entire Mexican meal from Rosarita’s high-quality line up.
Since Rosarita’s sauce is a little more complex, it’s best used as a pour on sauce rather than a single ingredient in a larger recipe.
However, Rosarita has a number of different sauces and ingredients available depending on what you’re cooking up in your kitchen: you can find the perfect sauce for you in this affordable brand.
Best Green Sauce
2. Old El Paso Green Enchilada
What You Will Love: Get the best in green enchilada sauce with Old El Paso Green Enchilada, an affordable, canned sauce that’s made in traditional style. We love that Ol El Paso makes an entire line of Mexican and Mexican-inspired products, ranging from seasoning to tortillas and taco shells. You can create an entire feast with Ol El Paso products, which flavors that blend fantastically well together.
Are you interested in green chile enchilada sauce? Trust one of the biggest brands in the game: Old El Paso.
An affordable sauce that you can purchase in bulk, the Old El Paso green enchilada sauce makes it easy to make delicious enchiladas every single time. A traditional blend of sauce, Old El Paso can be used for a variety of Mexican meals.
Green enchilada sauce is made with flavorful green chiles, packing a lot of flavor without a lot of spice.
This Old El Paso Green Enchilada sauce has a fairly mild taste, along with being available in a large, value size for large meals. You can use the Old El Paso enchilada sauce in practically anything and it’ll come out fantastic.
Old El Paso has a comprehensive line up of Mexican products, including taco seasoning, taco shells, tortillas, spices, and more: you can create an entire Mexican buffet with the products in the Old El Paso line.
And while Old El Paso is most known for providing high quality, affordable products, it’s also got a tremendous variety of products.
Ol El Paso does tend to be a bit of a common “grocery store” brand, but that shouldn’t be held against it: this is a highly rated product that has been fine-tuned over the years to impart the best traditional, authentic Mexican flavor.
Best Red Sauce
3. Ol El Paso 10 oz Can
What You Will Love: A tomato-based red enchilada sauce that will elevate any Mexican meal to traditional status, Ol El Paso Medium Red Enchilada sauce is great for those who want a meal that has taste, spice, and presentation. We love the deep red color and spice level of this red enchilada sauce, which has enough of a kick to it but isn’t incredibly overpowering.
If you’re interested in a red, tomato-based enchilada sauce, Ol El Paso’s red sauce is the perfect ingredient for your next dish. Ol El Paso’s red enchilada sauce is made with high quality ingredients, with a consistent, bright red color that will kick any meal up a notch.
Made with the same quality and consistency of the rest of Ol El Paso’s products, Ol El Paso makes it possible to make the perfect meal in a few minutes.
A medium-spiced sauce, this Ol El Paso sauce is perfect for those who like spice but don’t necessarily want their meal to hurt.
Many people want more spice than a mild sauce, but they don’t want so much spice that they can’t taste their meal. A rich, authentic sauce, Ol El Paso’s red enchilada sauce provides both of these things.
With Ol El Paso, you’re able to create the perfect enchiladas in just a few steps.
Rather than having to make your own enchilada sauce from scratch, you can instead pour over this sauce, which has a subtle and complex flavor that also has a lot of authenticity behind it. Get everything you need in a single can, and even order it in bulk if you want to.
And, of course, you can choose any level of spice with Ol El Paso. Ol El Paso has medium levels of spices and higher levels of spices depending on what you wat, and the core ingredients and taste are still the same.
You can also add additional chiles to the Ol El Paso spice line, to add more spice while also adding fresh, unique flavor.
Best Tomatillo Sauce
4. La Costena Green Tomatillos
What You Will Love: Tomatillo sauce has a special, unique flavor, and the La Costeno Green Tomatillo sauce is no exception. We love how easy it is to use this Green Tomatillo enchilada sauce, the easy open can offers ready-to-serve sauce that you can just pour directly over your enchiladas for additional flavor. This sauce is neither too mild nor too spicy, giving you everything you want in a ready to use sauce.
Make your Mexican food night easier with this ready to serve, easy open La Costena Green Tomatillo enchilada sauce.
This enchilada sauce lets you cut out a few time-consuming steps in the process of making and serving enchiladas, letting you pour your sauce directly over your enchiladas to impart spicy, traditional flavoring.
If you want an additional twist on a standard enchilada, you can use La Costena. Green tomatillo sauce is unique, with a special flavor, and it can be used for everything from enchiladas to a quick salsa.
If you want to make chile verde or you want to make a different type of sauce from scratch, you can use the La Costena Green Tomatillos as a major ingredient.
Order these tomatillos in bulk if you’re making large meals, or just get them by the can to have a necessary kitchen ingredient at hand.
La Costena Green Tomatillos is a high quality, flavorful canned sauce that is ready to serve and delicious every single time.
It’s also a healthy addition to salsa as it’s low calorie. Tomatillos are unique: they are similar to tomatos but brighter and smaller, making them an interesting and unique ingredient.
Naturally a bit of a more mild sauce, the tomatillo sauce is a good idea for those who want the rest of their meal to really shine.
The bright, green appearance of the sauce also adds attractiveness to a dish, especially when the sauce is used to accent other ingredients in the meal.
Best Mild Sauce
5. Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce Mild
What You Will Love: If you want a mild enchilada sauce, Hatch Enchilada Sauce Mild is what you want. Available in large cans that can be used for big dishes, Hatch’s enchilada sauce is made with red chile peppers. We love that this sauce is just spicy enough to have a lot of flavor without being too spicy: it can be integrated into virtually any Mexican dish. It’s hard to find better than Hatch’s enchilada sauce.
Hatch’s enchilada sauce is made in Hatch, New Mexico, by chile farmers who are able to replicate a traditional, classic taste.
Hatch’s enchilada sauce can be used as a marinade or poured over enchiladas in a single, flavorful step.
As a mild sauce, it can be used in virtually any recipe, and it’s available in large cans and in bulk to make it one of the most versatile ingredients for a large kitchen.
With a lot of history and development behind it, the Hatch Enchilada Sauce is a great choice for those who want something that’s flavorful, packed with ingredients, and complex, without it being overly spicy.
It’s made from ground, red chile peppers and only the highest quality of ingredients, making it one of the best and most highly-rated enchilada sauces available.
If you want to grill some meats, make some tacos or nachos, or shave some time off of your enchilada preparation, Hatch’s enchilada sauce is the right choice.
Not only is it affordable and easy to use, in addition to being ready to pour from the can, but it’s extremely close to a homemade sauce. You can save time and avoid having to make your sauce from scratch by investing in Hatch’s chile.
Hatch’s enchilada sauce is perfect for those who want a little history with their meal, as well as those who want to support farmers.
As a red chile sauce, it has a number of complex flavors, and comes very close to tasting completely homemade: perfect for those who are whipping up a meal for the guests.
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