• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Meet Kelly
  • Browse All Recipes
  • Contact

The Anthony Kitchen logo

  • Recipe Index
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Dessert
  • Entertaining
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Stay in touch...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home · Recipes · Cooking Method · Guajillo Sauce (Quick and Easy!)

    April 19, 2022

    Guajillo Sauce (Quick and Easy!)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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 Mexican food staple that is incredibly rich in flavor, yet low on heat, making it suitable for any and all pallets!

    A bowl of Guajillo Sauce in the foreground with a plate of quesadillas in the background

    Guajillo Sauce is perfect for birria tacos or enchiladas. But really, it's incredibly versatile and works great in tons many dishes. It goes well with beef or chicken and is the perfect dip for quesadillas or topping for your favorite egg breakfast. 

    a bowl of guajillo sauce with peppers and cilantro sitting beside it

    All in all, this is just one of those recipes that you will not regret having on hand. It is super quick to make and can be added to anything. 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 in your internet browser for next time!

    WHAT ARE GAUJILLO CHILES

    Guajillo peppers are the dried form of mirasol chiles, a commonly used chile in Mexican recipes for making salsas, moles, and sauces. It is mild in spice with a rich, full-bodied, fruity flavor.

    an overhead shot of dried guajillo peppers

    HOW TO WORK WITH GUAJILLO CHILES

    The first thing you'll need to do in order to make Guajillo Sauce from scratch is to deseed your guajillo chiles. Remove the stems by placing them on a work surface and cutting 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 up the chile, lay it flat, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds away gently.

    a close up of hands scraping seeds out of a guajillo pepper

    DO YOU HAVE TO SOAK THE CHILES FIRST?

    There are a couple of different routes to hydrating dried chiles. One is to hydrate them in the cooking liquid (which is what we'll do below), and the other is to soak your chiles before cooking. 

    The primary purpose of a separate soaking liquid is to avoid a bitter-tasting sauce, however, with guajillo peppers, bitterness does not propose much of an issue.

    However, if you're a stickler for tradition, simply 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 MAKE GUAJILLO SAUCE

    Once your chiles are prepped, add them to a saucepan, along with seeded tomatoes, white onion, garlic cloves, and a bay leaf.

    an overhead view of uncooked tomatoes, garlic, and onions in a pan

    You will pour unsalted or low sodium chicken broth on top of the ingredients until they are covered, about 2 ½ cups. If you do not have any chicken broth on hand, you could also use water, beef broth, or vegetable broth. Just make sure whatever broth you sub in is low in sodium!

    broth being poured into a pan of tomatoes, garlic, and onions

    Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and 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.

    cooked guajillo peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a saucepan of broth

    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!

    Tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic added to a food processor

    Once the ingredients are ready to go in the blender, add in the granulated sugar, vinegar, salt, Mexican oregano, cloves, cumin, and cover. If you are using a blender, remove the small blender cap. If you are 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!

    Then, cover the opening with a dish towel and blend until smooth.

    overhead view of guajillo sauce in a food processor

    Use as an enchilada or taco sauce, quesadilla dip, or to compliment another Mexican dish of your choice! This is also the sauce used in making Beef Birria Tacos and Chicken Birria Tacos.

    A close up of a bowl of guajillo sauce with cilantro garnish

    6 MORE SAUCY MEXICAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

    • Mexican Salsa
    • Avocado Crema
    • Chili Cheese Dip
    • Chipotle Sauce
    • Tomatillo Salsa
    • Ranchero Sauce

    • A close up shot of chili cheese dip in a skillet.

      Chili Cheese Dip

    • A small wood bowl with salsa inside of it and chip poking out of the top.

      Mexican Salsa

    • A bowl of avocado crema with a cilantro garnish and avocados, limes, and a striped napkin in the background.

      Avocado Crema

    • Chipotle Sauce

    • Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

      Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

    • Easy Ranchero Sauce

      Easy Ranchero Sauce Recipe

    0 from 0 votes
    A bowl of Guajillo Sauce in the foreground with a plate of quesadillas in the background
    Print
    Guajillo Sauce
    Prep Time
    10 mins
    Cook Time
    15 mins
    Total Time
    25 mins
     

    Knowing a good Guajillo Sauce recipe can take you a long way! This one is quick, easy, incredibly flavorful, and super versatile!

    Course: Condiment, Sauce
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: Guajillo Sauce
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 71 kcal
    Author: Kelly Anthony
    Ingredients
    • 8 Guajillo chiles, stem and seeds removed
    • 2 ½ cups unsalted chicken broth
    • 4 tomatoes, seeded and cut into quarters
    • ½ white onion, cut into chunks
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
    • 2 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
    • 1 ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
    • ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    Instructions
    1. Add the chiles, broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bay leaf to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.

    2. Stir occasionally and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the onions and chiles are fork-tender.

    3. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the mixture to a blender or a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, and add the sugar, vinegar, salt, oregano, cloves, and cumin.

    4. Cover, remove the small blender cap or feed tube, cover with a dishtowel, and blend until smooth.

    Nutrition Facts
    Guajillo Sauce
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 71 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Sodium 1009mg44%
    Potassium 403mg12%
    Carbohydrates 14g5%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 9g10%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin A 1934IU39%
    Vitamin C 14mg17%
    Calcium 34mg3%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Image for PInterest

    « Easy Cherry Crisp (Use Fresh OR Frozen Cherries!)
    Beef Birria (Birria de Res) »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly

    Looking for more recipes?

    Be sure to check out the recipe index where you can browse recipes by meal type and category!

    Check Out the Recipe Index

    Primary Sidebar

    I’m Kelly Anthony — a baker, home chef, and mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

    Comfort food is my specialty, and it is truly my pleasure to share these recipes with you. If you’d like to get to know me a little better, click here.

    Trending recipes

    • Salmon With Dill Sauce
    • Blueberry Cocktail Recipe
    • Banana Pudding Cheesecake
    • Homemade Tortilla Chips
    • Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
    • Shrimp Spaghetti

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for weekly recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Contact

    • Work with me
    • Contact