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 (recipe coming soon!), bowls, chilaquiles, and more.
More Savory Pumpkin Recipes
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!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 10 (1/2-cup servings)
Course Sauce
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Mexican-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 4-5 Days
- 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)
- 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 (new recipe coming soon!), in bowls, or on chilaquiles.
Leftover sauce will keep stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.
*If using a Vitamix or other high-speed blender, soaking the cashews isn’t necessary. If you’d prefer to soak the cashews to help with blending, you can quick soak them in hot water for 20-30 minutes, then drain and add the soaked cashews to the blender.
*Loosely adapted from the lovely Ambitious Kitchen.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Serving: 1 half-cup serving Calories: 59 Carbohydrates: 7.5 g Protein: 1.9 g Fat: 2.4 g Saturated Fat: 0.4 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 359 mg Potassium: 134 mg Fiber: 2 g Sugar: 3.3 g Vitamin A: 4464 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 27 mg Iron: 1.2 mg
Source by minimalistbaker.com
