Introducing the world’s easiest enchilada sauce! This pumpkin enchilada sauce comes together in a blender (no cooking required!) in just 5 minutes with 9 pantry staple ingredients.
It’s rich, smoky, spicy, and a beautiful vibrant orange color (hello, antioxidants!). What’s not to love!? Let’s make this thing!
Origin of Enchilada Sauce
The word enchilada comes from “enchilar,” which means “to season with chile.” And chilies are at the heart of enchilada sauce (a.k.a. the most essential ingredient in making enchiladas).
Enchiladas may have evolved from a similar Mayan dish and date back to at least 1831, with the first published recipe in a cookbook called El Cocinero mexicano (source).
The following is a fall-inspired take on enchilada sauce made with chili powder and similar flavors, but with a pumpkin-y twist.
How to Make Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce
This started as an attempt at a 5-minute version of a more traditional red enchilada sauce but quickly became PUMPKIN enchilada sauce, and we have no regrets! It comes together fast without skimping on flavor.
Simply add a handful of pantry staples to a blender and give it a whirl until it becomes a smooth, creamy sauce.
This sauce gets its bold, smoky flavor and spiciness from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, while pumpkin contributes a vibrant orange color and balances out the flavor of the tomatoes. No overly tomatoey enchilada sauce here!
Then for the remaining ingredients, we include cashews for creaminess, cumin for smokiness, chili powder for classic enchilada flavor, and vegetable broth as the liquid that gets it blending. Lastly, we add sea salt to enhance all the flavors.
We hope you LOVE this pumpkin enchilada sauce! It’s:
Creamy
Rich
Smoky
Spicy
Quick & Easy
& Lick-from-the-spoon delicious!
It’s a versatile sauce ready for enchiladas, bowls, chilaquiles, and more.
More Savory Pumpkin Recipes
- 1-Pot Pumpkin Yellow Curry
- Creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese
- 1-Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
- Pumpkin Sage Biscuits
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
5-Minute Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin purée (or sub homemade // we like Libby’s)
- 1/3 cup raw cashews*
- 1 cup vegetable broth (or store-bought)
- 2 tsp chili powder (or store-bought)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo
- 2 Tbsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth, stopping to stir a few times to encourage blending.
- Taste and adjust as needed, adding more adobo sauce for smokiness and heat or salt for overall flavor.
- This sauce is delicious on enchiladas, in bowls, or on chilaquiles.
- Leftover sauce will keep stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Loosely adapted from the lovely Ambitious Kitchen.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Emma says
Can you recommend a replacement for the cashews? I am not vegan, nor do I have a high-speed blender. Thanks very much!
Hey Emma! Cream should work here. Just be sure to lower the vegetable broth to about a third to avoid the sauce becoming too runny! You can always add more as needed!
Kathleen says
I love this recipe! I want to make this for a friend that is nightshade free. Any ideas of how to sub some of those ingredients?
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Kathleen! Nightshade-free is tricky on this one because it would require replacing the tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and chipotle peppers + adobo sauce, which are all providing a lot of flavor. You’d need ingredients that are bringing acidity, spiciness, and smokiness and nothing nightshade-free is coming to mind!
Hi Kathleen, we thought of something else! It’s not an enchilada sauce, but our Butternut Squash Lasagna sauce (https://minimalistbaker.com/butternut-squash-lasagna-vegan-gf-optional/) is somewhat similar and your friend might be able to have it. Hope that helps!
Kathleen Morton says
Oh my gosh! You are the absolute best! Made this tonight with the butternut squash sauce and it was excellent :) I told everyone how amazing you were to write me back and find a substitute
Oh my goodness, you’re so sweet, Kathleen! We’re so glad we were able to help! xoxo
Ana says
Can I use chicken broth instead vegetable broth? Thanks in advance
Hi Ana, we haven’t tested that, but we think it should be fine! Let us know how it goes!
S Binder says
I made some changes (I am not a fan of chipotle peppers.) but I used your recipe for the most part. It was a huge hit. Finally, a good enchilada sauce that is easy and tastes authentic! I love that it uses pumpkin puree. I just got a bunch of free pumpkins and am planning to make a freeze a lot of this.
We’re so glad you enjoy it with some modifications! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Abby Cannon says
Would love to make this but I’m worried it will be too spicy for my little kids. Would you just omit the peppers and chili powder completely?
Hi Abby, a mild chili powder (from Guajillo or New Mexico chiles, for example) should just add smokiness and not much heat! You could omit the adobo peppers and taste test. If it doesn’t have much flavor, we’d suggest adding the adobo sauce and not the peppers. They usually add more smokiness vs. spiciness! Hope that helps!
Darcie Clark says
I love the addition of pumpkin in this recipe! I didn’t have chipotle peppers or adobo sauce so I simply added an extra teaspoon of chili powder, 1 tsp of smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp of cayenne, and a little extra cumin. It turned out super flavourful and mildly spicy. I love how quickly this came together! This sauce made your Pumpkin Black Bean Enchilada recipe a new staple in our house. :)
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Darcie. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Terra says
I’ve been meaning to try this recipe forever! Thinking of giving it a go this week. I happen to have cashew butter on hand. Do you have a sense of how much I would use to sub for the 1/3 cup whole? Thank you so much! MB never misses. :)
Hi Terra, you could use 1-2 Tbsp of cashew butter! Also be sure to omit the water. We hope you enjoy! xo
Alejandra Quintero says
I very loosely followed this recipe, I used 5 chipotles in adobo sauce because I like things spicy. I didn’t have a can of tomatoes but i did have roma tomatoes and onion so i sautéd those then simmered them in the veggie stock for a few minutes and used that instead, but the finish was incredible. I love this idea, great way to get in a variety of veggies in during the week.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Alejandra!
Violet says
Delightful inspiration for a new sauce to try! It turned out nicely when I made this. I did modify the recipe to add some garlic cloves and a half bundle of cilantro. It was an elegant way to use up the excess pumpkin puree we had at home.
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Violet!
Lorena says
Delicious! Needed to use up pumpkin puree and this was perfect. I subbed coconut milk for broth and left out cashews. Also, added a squeeze of honey to tone down the heat.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Lorena!
Stacy says
I LOVE this sauce. So simple and adds so much flavor. I use it in your black bean cornbread skillet recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Stacy! That sounds like SUCH a good use for it. Thank you for sharing! xo
Catherine S says
Great sauce. Packs a great punch. I made with my own cooked pumpkin and it was delicous. This will be a staple sauce for me now.. yum and thank you.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Catherine! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Jessica Robbins says
I made this for sweet potato enchiladas, AMAZING! Now looking to serve it to someone with cashew allergy. What is the suggested ratio of hemp heart as a cashew substitute? Is it 1:1?
Hi Jessica, we think the same amount would be worth trying.. thought it will probably taste a bit different!
Kari Collins says
This is delicious! I absolutely love it. I could eat this plain! So good!
We know the feeling =) Thank you for the lovely review, Kari!
Jessie says
I made this sauce and it was very flavorful and yummy! I found my texture to be far less fluffy (much thinner) than y’all’s—Any idea why?
So glad you enjoyed it overall, Jessie! Did you make any modifications or substitutions?
Jessie says
Nope; recipe was followed exactly.
It could be the brand of pumpkin was thinner. We like Libby’s for best texture!
Andrea says
Delicious and easy to make! I used hemp hearts instead of cashews. Going to put it on enchildas tonight!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Andrea. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Yasi says
First time at making this enchiladas sauce! It was soo easy ro follow and make. Used my Ninja blender :-)
Thank you !!
Yay! Thanks for the review, Yasi!
Casey says
Cannot wait to try this! Question, what would you sub for chipotle in adobo? Found a few options on Google but curious which you would pick. Thanks!
Hi Casey, if you can find chipotle powder that would be best for keeping the flavor similar. If not, you could use some smoked paprika for smokiness and a bit of cayenne for heat. Let us know how it goes if you try any subs!
Melissa says
This is a delicious pumpkin recipe–wow! So flavorful! I used sunflower seeds due to nut allergy, and it was very creamy! I also made the black bean & kale enchiladas–also great! Ate much of this enchilada sauce on its own with a spoon too!
Woohoo! So glad you had success with sunflower seeds, Melissa, thanks for the great review!
Cara says
Hi! My husband is allergic to tomatoes. What would be a good replacement for them in this recipe?
Hi Cara, maybe roasted red peppers? Let us know if you try it!
Bakingbikingmom says
So yummy and spicy! Can’t wait to make the enchiladas and use this sauce!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe! xoxo
Elise C says
This looks amazing but I have a bad cashew allergy. I’m wondering if there’s another nut or something else you’d use to substitute for cashews? Love your stuff and thanks in advance!
Hi Elise, we haven’t tried this recipe without cashews so we cannot guarantee results, but you could possibly omit the cashews and increase the pumpkin, and the sauce just won’t be as creamy. It’s also possible that coconut cream would work (if you can have coconut) or possibly hemp seeds, silken tofu, or sour cream (vegan or dairy).
Emma says
This sounds amazing and I’d love to make the enchiladas with this sauce but I have a cashew allergy :( Is there something else I could use instead to make it creamy?
Emma says
Sorry I just read some more comments and noticed this has already been answered!
No worries! We hope you enjoy it Emma!
Ariel says
I made this last night for spinach, refried black beans and roasted cauliflower and potato enchiladas and it was absolutely delicious. Though mine did have some added cheese, the pumpkin sauce is so creamy and flavorful, I could have easily omitted the dairy. Thanks for another great recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Ariel! xo
Monica says
This looks amazing!! I’d love to make this sauce but my family has a cashew allergy. Any idea for substitutes for cashews?
Hi Monica, we haven’t tried this recipe without cashews so we cannot guarantee results, but you could possibly omit the cashews and increase the pumpkin, and the sauce just won’t be as creamy. It’s also possible that coconut cream would work (if you can have coconut) or possibly hemp seeds, silken tofu, or sour cream (vegan or dairy). Let us know if you try any subs!
Porsche says
Is there an option to make this nut free?
Hi Porsche, we haven’t tried this recipe without cashews so we cannot guarantee results, but you could possibly omit the cashews and increase the pumpkin, and the sauce just won’t be as creamy. It’s also possible that coconut cream would work (if you can have coconut) or possibly hemp seeds, silken tofu, or sour cream (vegan or dairy). Let us know if you try any subs!
SM says
Hi! thank you for the recipe. As a Mexican, this is a very interesting one and I’m looking forward to trying it out!… One thing though, the original red enchiladas sauce don’t have tomatoes in them. Maybe Tex-Mex ones :) Thought I’d point it out when I read with this comment ‘No overly tomatoey enchilada sauce here!’
Thanks again!
Great point! Thanks so much for sharing that. Some quick enchilada sauce recipes we’ve come across online rely on tomatoes, but they must be Tex-Mex ones :)