This green enchilada sauce recipe tastes so much fresher than store-bought! It’s bold, tangy, and spicy, made with roasted tomatillos, onions, and chiles.

Are you team green enchilada sauce or red enchilada sauce? I’m team…well…both, but right now, I’m really loving this 8-ingredient green enchilada sauce recipe. It’s adapted from my favorite salsa verde, made with roasted tomatillos, onions, garlic, and jalapeños. The tomatillos give it a super tangy and bright flavor, while the jalapeños add a nice spicy kick (don’t worry—if you don’t love spice, I have a few tips for how you can reduce the heat!).

Try it the next time you’re making enchiladas verdes—with all the veggies in this recipe, it tastes so much fresher than green enchilada sauce from the store.

It makes just about the perfect amount of sauce for one pan of enchiladas, but if you end up with a little leftover, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finishing it. It’s delicious on Mexican dishes like quesadillas or huevos rancheros…or with tortilla chips!

Green Enchilada Sauce Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this green enchilada sauce recipe:

• Tomatillos – Tomatillos have an intensely tangy flavor on their own, so much so that I found that I didn’t need any lime juice in this recipe! I roast the tomatillos to get them nice and juicy, then blend them to create the sauce’s flavorful base.
• White onion – I roast it alongside the tomatillos to bring out its natural sweetness. If you don’t have white onion handy, yellow onion works too.
• Jalapeño peppers – One roasted and one raw jalapeño give this sauce its heat. If you’re not a fan of spice, remove the jalapeños’ seeds and membranes, or use just one pepper (1/2 roasted, 1/2 raw) instead of 2. If you’re like me and you love spice, use serranos instead of jalapeños for a little extra heat.
• Fresh garlic and onion powder – For savory depth of flavor.
• Avocado oil – For body and richness. Another neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, would work here too. You could also use olive oil if you prefer, though I find that it sometimes tastes bitter with the cilantro and tomatillos in this recipe.
• Fresh cilantro – It adds fresh depth of flavor.
• And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce

This green enchilada sauce recipe has 2 simple steps:

1. Roasting the vegetables
2. Blending the sauce

Start by roasting the vegetables. Peel the papery skins off the tomatillos, then rinse them to remove their sticky coating. Pat them dry and place them on a baking sheet with the onion and 1 of the jalapeños. Drizzle with avocado oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 450°F until the tomatillos are soft and bursty, about 30 minutes.

Then, blend the sauce. Place the roasted veggies in a blender with the remaining raw jalapeño, garlic, avocado oil, salt, and onion powder. Blend until smooth, then add the cilantro and blend again.

• Tip: Don’t have a blender? A food processor works too!

Season to taste and use on your next batch of enchiladas verdes!

More Sauces and Salsas to Try

If you love this recipe, try one of these homemade sauces or salsas next:

These enchiladas verdes have a zesty green tomatillo sauce and a flavorful veggie filling. Topped with gooey, melty cheese, they’re a delicious dinner!

Whenever I see enchiladas verdes on a restaurant menu, I’m tempted to order them. I love a bright salsa verde, so green enchiladas always sound so good. But more often than not, they’re filled with shredded chicken. If I want veggie enchiladas verdes (not traditional, but delicious), I’m better off making them at home.

These green enchiladas are my go-to recipe. I smother them in a homemade green enchilada sauce that has a tangy tomatillo base and jalapeños for a spicy kick. They’re stuffed with roasted vegetables and creamy pinto beans and topped off with fresh fixings like avocado, radishes, and cilantro (plus a layer of melty cheese).

My whole family loves these—I hope you will too!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make this enchiladas verdes recipe:

• Green enchilada sauce – I make my own with tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, garlic, avocado oil, and cilantro. To streamline the prep, you can roast the sauce ingredients alongside the filling ingredients, or you can make it ahead. Of course, if you’re short on time, store-bought sauce works here too. Use your favorite green enchilada sauce or salsa verde.
• Tortillas – I like to use corn tortillas or corn and flour tortillas in this recipe because I love the corn flavor. If you prefer flour tortillas, feel free to use them instead.
• Cauliflower and jalapeños – They give the filling a veggie kick.
• Pinto beans – They add plant-based protein and creamy texture to the filling. I season them with cumin, oregano, and garlic to bump up their flavor.
• Mexican blend cheese – I top these enchiladas with a melty layer of cheese. I typically use a pre-shredded cheese blend, but if you prefer to grate your own, cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, or a mix would be great.
• And toppings – Load these up with whatever fixings you like! Cilantro, radishes, Cotija, avocado, Mexican crema, sour cream… Any and all are fair game.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Enchiladas Verdes

You can find the complete recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post, but for now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:

Start by roasting the vegetables for the sauce and the filling. They all take about 30 minutes at 450°F.

Then, blend the sauce. Add the roasted sauce ingredients to a blender with raw jalapeño, garlic, onion powder, avocado oil, and salt. Blend until smooth, then add the cilantro and blend again.

Next, assemble the enchiladas. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce at the bottom of a 9×13-inch or similar baking dish.

Lightly mash the beans with their seasonings, then fill each tortilla with some of the beans and roasted veggies. Roll to close and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Once you’ve filled all the tortillas, pour the remaining sauce down the center of the enchiladas and top with the cheese.

Bake at 400°F until the cheese is melted and the edges of the tortillas are crisp, about 20 minutes.

Top with your desired garnishes before serving. Enjoy!

What to Serve with Enchiladas Verdes

We love this recipe as a meal on its own, but if you’re looking for something to pair with it, you can’t go wrong with any of these sides:

More Enchilada Recipes

If you love these enchiladas verdes, try one of these enchilada recipes next: