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White enchilada sauce doesn’t need to be bland or gloopy, and this recipe proves it. Made from a buttery roux, cumin, sour cream, and plenty of Monterey Jack, this creamy enchilada sauce is rich, velvety, and packed with real flavor.

Pour it over your enchiladas and watch them disappear. I use it in my white chicken enchiladas, where it soaks into every layer and pulls the whole dish together.

Creamy white sauce poured over enchiladas in a glass baking dish.
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Here is Why This White Enchilada Sauce Recipe Works

Balanced flavor: No weird canned soup or mystery packets. Just real ingredients that build a homemade enchilada sauce you’ll actually want to eat.

Creamy without being gloppy: The milk and sour cream make it velvety but still pourable, perfect as a white sauce for enchiladas or spooned over dishes like my stuffed poblano peppers.

Customizable: The cumin and pepper give it warmth, but you can easily add green chiles or jalapeños if you want to crank it up.

Freezer-friendly and make-ahead approved: This sour cream enchilada sauce stores like a champ, so go ahead and double the batch, you’ll thank yourself later.

Six photos showing how to make white enchilada sauce.

Recipe Tips

Whisk constantly when adding broth: Pour it in gradually and keep whisking to avoid lumps.

Don’t brown the roux: You want it cooked just until it bubbles, not browned. Too much color, and you lose thickening power.

Wait to judge the consistency: It might seem thin after adding the milk, but it thickens again once the cheese and sour cream go in.

Strain if you must: If you still get lumps, don’t panic. Just pour it through a mesh sieve and move on with your day.

Use it beyond enchiladas: This sauce is also excellent over taco baked potatoes or steamed asparagus.

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Whisk lifting creamy white sauce above a saucepan on light countertop.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
4.80 from 20 votes

White Enchilada Sauce

White enchilada sauce isn't just for enchiladas. It is a great dip or topping for your favorite Mexican dish. It's rich, smooth, and creamy with just the right amount of spice to give it some kick.

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: cups
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Ingredients 

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
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Instructions 

  • Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, cumin, salt, and pepper and whisk until smooth.
    Whisking flour into a saucepan with melted butter.
  • Slowly add the broth, a little at a time, whisking constantly. When all the broth gets added, continue cooking until thick and bubbly.
    Pouring chicken broth into the skillet to make enchilada sauce.
  • Lower the heat to low and whisk in the milk. Whisk in the sour cream then the cheese. Continue stirring over low heat until the cheese melts. 
    Stirring cheese into sauce in a skillet.

Notes

Pour the broth in slowly, whisking constantly. If you add too much at once early on, lumps can form and be tough to whisk out. Once about half the broth is incorporated, you can speed things up. . 
The sauce will seem a bit thin after you add the milk but it will thicken back up after you add the sour cream and cheese. 
Do not cook the flour and butter mixture for too long. Although browning the mixture will add a nutty flavor, the browned flour will lose its thickening power. You will end up with a thinner sauce if you brown the flour and butter mixture. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 137kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 331mg, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate: Store this creamy enchilada sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Give it a good stir before using, as it may separate slightly.

Freeze: Let the white sauce cool completely, then freeze in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Flatten the bag for easy stacking.

Reheat: Warm gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Add a splash of milk if it’s too thick after reheating.

Bonus: This sauce also makes a great mellow sidekick to something bold, like my chicken mole enchiladas. Store a little extra for drizzle duty.

Whisk lifting creamy white sauce above a saucepan on light countertop.

Creamy Enchilada Sauce

This cheese enchilada sauce is the creamy, cheesy backbone your Tex-Mex dinners have been missing. Ditch the canned stuff, this one’s easy enough for a weeknight and tasty enough to lick the spoon (no judgment).

Labeled ingredients for cooking arranged white enchilada sauce.

About Dahn Boquist

Dahn Boquist is a retired nurse turned recipe developer, home cook, and baker with years of hands-on experience creating and testing from-scratch recipes. She specializes in whole-food cooking with creative twists on classic dishes. When she’s not in the kitchen, she enjoys sharing meals with family, exploring the Pacific Northwest, and spending time with her grandchildren.

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4.80 from 20 votes (19 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




11 Comments

  1. Glenda says:

    5 stars
    This is just the recipe I’ve been searching for! It was so delicious and my family begs me to make it for our chicken enchiladas a couple times a week. Delicious!

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Thanks for the comment, I’m so happy to hear your family loves this.

  2. Tim Hogan says:

    Easy to make and in just minutes we had a beautiful sauce to go with the turkey enchiladas..dip in corn chips..thanks!

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the sauce! Turkey enchiladas sound amazing; I also use this as a chip dip. It is so quick and easy. Thanks for the comment.

  3. Mike says:

    (White enchilada sauce)when you say add broth,what kind of broth are you talking about?

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth. Thanks for the question.

  4. Mandy says:

    Made this tonight for our enchiladas and it was amazing! So easy yet so flavorful. This is definitely going to be made and enjoyed time and time again by me! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it. We just recently had it with chicken enchiladas 😉

  5. Debi says:

    I have been wanting to make a White Sauce for Enchiladas for sometime. I just never looked for a recipe until today. Thank You for sharing this easy recipe. I will be making this in a couple of day’s.

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      I’m glad you found it. Thanks for the comment.

  6. Christine M says:

    Very good. Since I used broth from bullion which is already salty I didn’t add extra salt.