Homemade green enchilada sauce made from fresh tomatillos is bright, tangy, and far better than jarred versions. This easy tomatillo enchilada sauce comes together in about 30 minutes—just peel and chop the tomatillos, simmer the ingredients until soft, and blend to your preferred texture. It’s the classic sauce for enchiladas verdes, and it’s equally delicious spooned over tacos, chicken, eggs, or roasted vegetables. Make a batch and freeze portions so you always have convenient, flavorful green enchilada sauce on hand.
Sure, you can buy tomatillo enchilada sauce, but homemade delivers a fresher, brighter flavor and takes only about 30 minutes to make. A quick chop, a gentle simmer, and a spin in the blender yield a versatile sauce that freezes well and can be used for enchiladas verdes and many other dishes.
Why You’ll Love Green Enchilada Sauce
- Fast and simple – Ready in roughly 30 minutes with minimal hands-on time.
- Fresh, bright flavor – Tomatillos give a tangy, zesty note you won’t get from processed sauces.
- Adjustable heat – Keep it mild or add hotter chiles to suit your taste.
- Extremely versatile – Ideal for enchiladas verdes, tacos, bowls, chicken, eggs, and more.
- Freezer-friendly – Portion and freeze for quick meals later.
Chef’s tip: Buying tomatillos. When selecting tomatillos, peel back a bit of the papery husk to check for smooth, firm flesh and a bright green color. Avoid any with dark spots or shriveling. Although they look like green tomatoes, tomatillos are a different fruit with a distinct tartness.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tomatillos – Green tomatillos give the classic bright flavor and color.
- Chiles – Anaheim for mild flavor and jalapeño for a touch of heat; swap or add serrano for more spice.
- Onion – Adds savory depth and a touch of natural sweetness when simmered.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves provide the best, clean flavor.
- Liquid – Water keeps the sauce fresh-tasting; chicken or vegetable broth adds a richer base if desired.
- Spices – Ground cumin for warmth; ground coriander is optional for a citrusy hint.
- Oregano – Dried oregano works well; Mexican oregano gives a more authentic flavor if available.
- Arrowroot starch – Optional thickener added after blending for a silkier texture (cornstarch can be used but arrowroot holds up better through freezing).
Refer to the recipe card below for exact measurements, salt, and pepper. This sauce is excellent with pan-seared chicken breasts for an easy salsa verde chicken dinner.
Substitutions and Variations
- Tomatillo color – Green is traditional, but yellow or purple tomatillos work too—expect slight color and flavor differences.
- Make it hotter – Swap jalapeño for serrano, or add extra chiles for more heat.
- Pepper alternatives – Use poblano if Anaheim peppers aren’t available; poblanos bring a deeper, earthier flavor.
- Creamy version – After cooling slightly, stir in a little sour cream, Greek yogurt, or Mexican crema for rich enchiladas verdes.
This sauce also makes a great base for a tangy tomatillo soup with chicken or turkey and beans.
How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce
- Peel tomatillos and rinse to remove the sticky residue. Discard the husks.
- Roughly chop the tomatillos into quarters or sixths for even cooking.
- Split chiles, remove seeds and membranes for milder heat, and chop.
- Place tomatillos, onion, spices, salt, chiles, garlic, and the liquid in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and cook 15–20 minutes until the ingredients are very soft and breaking down.
- Carefully transfer the hot mixture to a blender, secure the lid, and pulse until you reach the desired texture. Blend in batches if needed.
Chef’s Tip: Thicken in the Blender: If you prefer a slightly thicker sauce, add 1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch to the hot blended sauce and pulse until smooth. It thickens almost instantly and creates a silky consistency that clings well to tortillas and fillings.
Chef’s Tip: Handling Chili Peppers Safely – If you’re sensitive to heat or want to protect your skin, wear disposable kitchen gloves while trimming and deseeding chiles. Discard gloves and wash hands thoroughly after handling peppers, especially hotter varieties, to avoid transferring capsaicin to eyes or sensitive skin.
Serving Suggestions
12 Ways to Use Tomatillo Sauce
- As a sauce over grilled or baked fish like cod, halibut, or salmon, or with shrimp or scallops.
- As a marinade for chicken, pork, or fish to impart bright, tangy flavor before grilling or roasting.
- For classic green chicken enchiladas (Enchiladas Suizas).
- As a dip for chips—simple and irresistible.
- Mixed with cream cheese or Greek yogurt to make a creamy dip for crackers and veggies.
- A spoonful to finish a bowl of chili adds brightness.
- Stir into rice, quinoa, or couscous bowls for extra moisture and flavor.
- Use for Huevos Rancheros instead of red sauce.
- Poured over poached, scrambled, or fried eggs and omelets.
- As a finishing sauce for tacos of any kind.
- Poured over baked nachos before serving.
- Served alongside grilled flank steak for a Mexican-style dinner.
Storing and Freezing
Refrigerate tomatillo sauce for 4–5 days. For longer storage, portion the sauce into jars or freezer-safe containers and label with the date and portion size (for example, 1 cup portions). The sauce freezes well and keeps for several months—arrowroot-thickened sauces tend to stay smooth after thawing.
Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe FAQs
These terms often overlap: all are green Mexican-style sauces made from tomatillos and chiles. They can be prepared raw or cooked, with each method producing a different texture and flavor profile.
Control heat by choosing your chiles and how much of their seeds and membranes you include. Remove seeds and membranes for milder sauce; include them or choose hotter chiles (serrano, habanero) for more heat.
Green tomatoes are not a good substitute. Tomatillos have a distinctive tart, citrusy flavor that green tomatoes lack, so the sauce will taste different if you substitute.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
If you’re making tacos, consider skipping packaged seasoning and using a homemade taco seasoning blend for better flavor and lower sodium.
-
Baja Shrimp Tacos (Grill or Stovetop)
-
Ground Meat Taco Recipe
-
Tomatillo Soup (with Chicken or Turkey)
-
Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
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📖 Recipe
Green Enchilada Sauce (Tomatillo Sauce)
Sally Cameron
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 2 ½–3 pounds green tomatillos
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large Anaheim chili pepper
- 1 large jalapeño chili pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch optional
Instructions
Prep tomatillos, onion, and chiles
- Remove the paper husks from the tomatillos, wash them, and chop. Roughly chop the onion. Split the chiles, remove seeds and membranes for milder heat, and chop. Peel and smash the garlic.
Cook the sauce
- Combine tomatillos, onion, chiles, garlic, water (or broth), cumin, oregano, coriander, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 15–20 minutes until everything is very soft and falling apart.
Puree and portion
- Carefully transfer the hot mixture to a blender and pulse until smooth or slightly chunky, depending on preference. Blend in batches if necessary. Use warm, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or portion and freeze for several months. To thicken, add arrowroot starch to the hot blended sauce and pulse until smooth.
Notes
How to Thicken Green Enchilada Sauce
If you want a thicker sauce with more body, add 1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch directly to the hot blended sauce and pulse until smooth. Arrowroot thickens quickly and stays smooth through freezing and thawing; cornstarch can break down and make the sauce watery after freezing.
Nutrition
Calories: 29 kcal
Carbohydrates: 6 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 1 g