Guajillo Sauce

This easy Guajillo Sauce recipe is the key to making a top-notch, authentic-tasting Mexican sauce from scratch in a fraction of the time! It's a saucy Mexican food staple that's rich in flavor, yet low on heat, making it suitable for any and all palates.

I've spent a lifetime sharing a border with Mexico; a proximity that has me well acquainted with the country's cuisine. Naturally, Mexican food has a special place in my heart, and bringing authentic Mexican dishes to American tables is my specialty. This guajillo sauce is a fan favorite for:

• dipping Beef Birria Tacos and Chicken Birria Tacos,
• topping off enchiladas,
• serving as a salsa with tortilla chips,
• and adding flavor to soups and more!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

This recipe was designed with busy lives in mind. Many guajillo sauce recipes call for soaking the chiles prior to whipping up the sauce, which removes bitter notes from the chiles. However, we found a quick workaround to get those flavors balanced without overloading the ingredient list. Simple ingredients like sugar and vinegar offset the bitterness of the chiles, and get you cooking 20-30 minutes faster. That's a win-win.

With this recipe, count on less time, less dishes, and less effort. You'll soon conquer an authentic-tasting guajillo sauce that pairs well with beef or chicken! We also love it as a dip for quesadillas or topping for your favorite egg breakfast. 

All in all, this is one of those recipes you will not regret having on hand. Knowing how to make a good guajillo sauce makes life both easier and tastier!

Looking for more awesome Mexican recipes to try? Bookmark our cheesy, beefy Tex-Mex Tamale Sauce for next time!

WHAT GUAJILLO CHILES ARE AND WHY WE LOVE THEM

Guajillo chiles are one of the most popular and most commonly used dried chiles in Mexican cuisine. They are relatively mild in spice, which makes them easy to add to many dishes. This chile is dark red and has a rich, earthy, full-bodied flavor.

The guajillo pepper is the dried form of mirasol chiles and is often used in Mexican recipes for making salsas, moles, and sauces.

GUAJILLO CHILE SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• Dried Guajillo Chiles | The stems and seeds will be removed upon cooking.
• Unsalted Chicken Broth | If you do not have any chicken broth on hand, use water, beef broth, or vegetable broth. Just make sure whatever broth you sub in is low in sodium.
• Tomatoes | My go-to source for making authentic Mexican cuisine suggested this ingredient, and it is a huge difference-maker. The rich, tangy flavor of the tomato is a vibrant and delicious addition to guajillo chile sauce! Not to mention, the texture of the sauce will turn out smoother thanks to this nightshade addition!
• White Onion | Gives a balance by adding both savory and subtly sweet notes to the sauce.
• Fresh Garlic | Garlic and peppers are a dynamic duo. You will want fresh garlic for this one, not garlic powder.
• Bay Leaf | Used to enhance the flavor of the sauce, we use bay leaf to bring herby tones to the dish.
• Granulated Sugar | The sweetness of the sugar balances the mild spice flavors of the peppers and the rich, tanginess of the tomatoes.
• White Vinegar | The vinegar does two things: provides a pleasant tanginess to the sauce and preserves your sauce so that you can store it for longer periods of time. (We'll touch more on that later.)
• Seasonings | Kosher salt, Mexican oregano (not Italian!), ground cloves, and cumin level up this sauce from bland to total perfection!

HOW TO MAKE GUAJILLO SAUCE

1. Prep the chiles | Remove the stems by placing them on a work surface and cut off the top with a knife. Once the stem is removed, remove the seeds. Gently tear the peppers open and allow any loose seeds to fall into a small bowl off to the side. If you have any seeds sticking to the interior of the chile, open it up, lay it flat, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds away gently.

2. Rehydrate the chiles | We will rehydrate the chiles in the cooking liquid in the steps below; however, if you're a stickler for tradition, see our section entitled "Rehydrating Chiles."

3. Prep the sauce | Add the prepared chiles to a saucepan with your seeded tomatoes, white onion, garlic cloves, and a bay leaf. Pour unsalted or low sodium chicken broth on top of the ingredients until they are covered, about 2-½ cups.

4. Simmer sauce ingredients | Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring often. After about 15 minutes, the guajillo chiles should be softened, as well as the onions.

If they have yet to reach a fork-tender texture, allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes more.

4. Transfer to blender or food processor | Remove the saucepan from the heat. Discard the bay leaf and carefully pour the mixture into either a blender or a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Your guajillo ingredients are about to become a guajillo sauce!

5. Add seasonings | Once the ingredients are ready to go in the blender, add the granulated sugar, vinegar, salt, Mexican oregano, cloves, cumin, and cover. If using a blender, remove the small blender cap. If using a food processor, remove the inner feed tube.

Allowing some of the hot air to escape keeps steam from building up too much pressure inside your blending vessel, and helps you to avoid any hot, messy kitchen explosions!

6. Blend the sauce | Cover the opening with a dish towel and blend until smooth.

Enjoy! Use as an enchilada or taco sauce, quesadilla dip, or to compliment another Mexican dish of your choice!

REHYDRATING CHILES

The primary purpose of a soaking liquid is to avoid a bitter-tasting sauce; however, with this guajillo sauce recipe, we save time by skipping the soak and enlisting sugar and vinegar to offset the bitterness. However, if you'd like to stick to tradition, here's what you'll do:

Place your prepared guajillo chiles in a heat-proof bowl and bring about 2 cups of water to boil.

Then, carefully pour the hot water over the dried guajillo chiles in the bowl and cover for about 20 minutes. Before using the chiles, discard the soaking water, move straight into the recipe, and cook as directed!

HOW TO STORE GUAJILLO PEPPER SAUCE

Once cooled, you can refrigerate your guajillo sauce for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It also freezes well, so store in freezer friendly containers and defrost on the stove!

For another quick and easy sauce, try our homemade enchilada sauce!