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    Home » Recipes » Hot Sauce Recipes

    Guajillo Sauce

    Published: Nov 20, 2022 by Kristen Wood - This post may contain affiliate links.

    Skip to Recipe Pin Recipe

    An easy and delicious guajillo sauce recipe that can be used as a salsa, enchilada sauce, and more! Naturally gluten-free and vegan.

    A small white bowl filled with a bright red sauce.

    Guajillo chiles are a wonderful chile for still getting a delicious chile flavor without a huge amount of heat, making it a more family-friendly option. This tasty guajillo chile sauce is also known as salsa guajillo, and can be used in a myriad of ways! Enjoy.

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    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe
    • 🌀 What You Will Need To Make This Recipe
    • 🌶️ Ingredients and Substitutes
    • 🥣 How to Make Guajillo Sauce
    • 🌮 How to Use Guajillo Sauce
    • 🥡 Storage
    • ❓ Frequently Asked Questions
    • 🫙 More Delicious Sauce Recipes You Might Like
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe

    • You get a ridiculous amount of flavor for a small amount of effort.
    • Guajillo sauce can be enjoyed straight away or stored in the freezer for when you need a tasty sauce option on hand.
    • This sauce isn't limited to Mexican dishes and has a wide variety of uses.
    • Guajillo peppers are milder, making them a great option when feeding a crowd with varied tastes.
    • This recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, onion-free, and no-cook!
    A close shot of the contents of a blender cup filled with a bright red sauce.

    🌀 What You Will Need To Make This Recipe

    Blender or food processor: A blender or food processor is necessary for blending the ingredients into a sauce.

    A gold spoon dripping with red sauce rests on a white table.

    🌶️ Ingredients and Substitutes

    Dried guajillo chili peppers: Guajillo chiles are chiles with their roots in Mexico, and they sit at around 2,500-5,000 Scoville heat units, making them milder chiles in the world of chiles. They also have both smoky and fruity notes, making them a rather flavorful chile. They are a great chile choice when you have people who both love and less than like spicy food sitting at the same table. If you ever do not have dried guajillo peppers on hand for this recipe, you can use dried pasilla chiles with similar results.

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    Garlic: Garlic and chiles are best buds, so I highly recommend not leaving out this pivotal ingredient.

    Lime juice: I really love the flavor that lime juice contributes to this recipe, but if you do not have any on hand, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar will produce similar results.

    Sugar: I like to use coconut sugar, but any granulated sugar will work. If you are on a sugar-free or keto diet, sugar-free sweeteners will work as well.

    Salt: I find one teaspoon of sea salt to be the perfect amount for this sauce, but feel free to adjust to suit your own personal tastes and leave it as the last step if you prefer.

    Cumin: Cumin is in my top two fave spices, and with good reason—it is a great spice for enhancing nearly anything savory and this guajillo sauce is no exception. It enhances the smoky notes and I do not recommend going without it.

    Oregano: If you are aiming for more traditional results, Mexican oregano is best. Having said that if you only have conventional oregano on hand, it will get the job done!

    Top view of a white bowl filled with a vibrant red sauce.

    🥣 How to Make Guajillo Sauce

    A white bowl filled with dried dark red peppers and garlic cloves.
    Step 1: Place the chiles and garlic in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
    A bowl covered with a gray towel.
    Step 2: Cover and set aside.
    A white bowl filled with chiles, garlic and water.
    Step 3: Soak for at least 20 minutes.
    A blender canister filled with various sauce ingredients.
    Step 4: Add the soaked ingredients and the remaining ingredients to a blender or food processor.
    A bright red sauce in a blender cup.
    Step 5: Blend until the desired consistency is reached.
    A small white bowl filled with red sauce.
    Step 6: Enjoy!

    🌮 How to Use Guajillo Sauce

    • My top use for this sauce recipe is to make cheese enchiladas with nothing more than corn tortillas, shredded Monterey jack cheese, and this sauce. It is divine and I highly recommend you try it!
    • This sauce is also delicious drizzled over tacos as taco sauce for taco night.
    • Guajillo sauce makes a great dipping sauce served salsa-style alongside quesadillas, tortilla chips, or even french fries.
    • Spice up breakfast and brunch by topping eggs or potatoes with this sauce.
    Top view of a white bowl filled with a red sauce.

    🥡 Storage

    Pour any leftover sauce into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

    A white bowl filled with a rich red sauce.

    ❓ Frequently Asked Questions

    Are guajillo chilis spicy?

    No. Guajillos chiles have the slightest hint of spice and are generally considered mild and not spicy to most palates.

    What does guajillo taste like?

    Guajillos peppers have earthy, smoky, and fruity notes.

    Dried chiles rest next to a white bowl filled with red sauce.

    🫙 More Delicious Sauce Recipes You Might Like

    Salsa Brava

    Romesco Sauce

    New Mexican Style Enchilada Sauce

    Louisiana Style Hot Sauce

    📖 Recipe

    Guajillo Sauce

    An easy and delicious guajillo sauce recipe that can be used as a salsa, enchilada sauce, and more! Naturally gluten-free and vegan.
    4.99 from 96 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Course: Condiments, Sauces
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Soaking Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Author: Kristen Wood

    Ingredients

    • 5 large dried guajillo chiles stemmed
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 1 ¼ cup boiling water to cover
    • 3 tablespoons lime juice
    • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar of choice I like to use coconut sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ground oregano
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    Instructions

    • In a large bowl add the stemmed dried chiles and garlic cloves. Cover with the boiling water, then cover the bowl with a towel and allow the chiles to soak for 20 minutes or until softened.
    • Add the chiles, garlic and soaking water to a blender or food processor along with the lime juice, sugar, salt, cumin and oregano.
    • Blend until you have a smooth, vibrant red sauce.
    • Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 587mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1175IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

    Recommended Products

    Dried Guajillo Chiles
    Have you tried this recipe?Please Rate + Comment Below!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Traci says

      December 27, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      5 stars
      I loved the taste and the beautiful vibrant color of this sauce!

      Reply
      • Kristen Wood says

        December 27, 2022 at 8:07 pm

        Thanks so much!

        Reply
    2. Jennifer says

      December 27, 2022 at 11:56 am

      5 stars
      Had this on our tacos and WOW! I want bottles of this sauce!

      Reply
    3. Shelby says

      December 27, 2022 at 7:59 am

      5 stars
      We used this guajillo sauce as the base of our quesadillas and it gave them such an amazing flavor! Great Friday night meal.

      Reply
    4. Erin says

      December 27, 2022 at 7:00 am

      5 stars
      This had the perfect amount of spiciness! And so flavorful. Thanks so much!

      Reply
    5. Sharina says

      December 27, 2022 at 6:26 am

      5 stars
      This is a must-try sauce recipe! Guajillo sauce is so easy to make, flavorful (not too spicy) and I love that it's gluten-free and vegan.

      Reply
    6. MacKenzie says

      December 26, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      5 stars
      This was bursting with flavor! We made enchiladas and they turned out fantadtic

      Reply
    7. Jenn says

      November 28, 2022 at 8:14 am

      5 stars
      I want this sauce on everything! It's so bold and robust without being overly spice! Love it!

      Reply
    8. Rosanna Stevens says

      November 27, 2022 at 6:51 am

      5 stars
      This flavor was insane! But not too spicy, we loved it

      Reply
    9. Gen says

      November 26, 2022 at 11:06 pm

      5 stars
      This hits such a perfect balance between smoky, sweet, and tangy - I tried it on eggs and now I'm going to put it on everything! Love this recipe!

      Reply
    10. Ksenia says

      November 23, 2022 at 12:39 pm

      5 stars
      This gave my enchiladas just the right amount of spice!

      Reply
    11. Lisa says

      November 23, 2022 at 8:57 am

      5 stars
      I wanted to make enchiladas but didn't have any jarred sauce so I tried this recipe. It was perfect for the dish and super easy to make!

      Reply
    12. Beth says

      November 23, 2022 at 3:51 am

      5 stars
      This makes the perfect enchilada sauce. Great recipe, the whole family loved it.

      Reply
    13. Jen says

      November 23, 2022 at 12:04 am

      5 stars
      I made this for enchiladas and we liked how this sauce wasn't too spicy! Will make it again!

      Reply
    14. MacKenzie says

      November 22, 2022 at 8:51 pm

      5 stars
      This homemade sauce is delicious. Great for taco Tuesday.

      Reply
    15. Nicolette says

      November 22, 2022 at 8:37 pm

      5 stars
      I've always been intimidated to make my own chile sauces from scratch but this was SO EASY. I am totally converted! Thank you!!!

      Reply
    16. Jill says

      November 22, 2022 at 8:34 pm

      5 stars
      This sauce is delicious! Just the right amount of heat. My daughter likes a mild spice and this was perfect. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
    17. Jere Cassidy says

      November 22, 2022 at 5:44 pm

      5 stars
      I love making sauces and this was easy to make and loved the flavor and that vibrant color. I used this for tacos.

      Reply
    18. Tara says

      November 21, 2022 at 2:19 pm

      5 stars
      Wonderfully spiced and flavored! Used this as an appetizer at a recent get together and everyone loved it!

      Reply
    19. Anjali says

      November 21, 2022 at 12:35 pm

      5 stars
      Love this rich and flavorful sauce! I used it as a topping for enchiladas instead of regular enchilada sauce and it turned out great!

      Reply
    20. Robin G. says

      November 21, 2022 at 12:28 pm

      5 stars
      The sauce was a big hit at dinner last night. Thanks!

      Reply
    21. Kelley says

      November 21, 2022 at 12:02 pm

      5 stars
      We made birra tacos and topped them with this salsa! So good!

      Reply
    22. Nathan says

      November 21, 2022 at 12:01 pm

      5 stars
      This guajillo sauce is a new favorite! It's got some of those really delicious flavors without a whole lot of heat, which can sometimes be overpowering. Definitely making this again to serve with appetizers!

      Reply

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    kristen wood

    About Kristen Wood

    Hi, I'm Kristen! A mama, food writer, photographer, recipe developer, and cookbook author. I enjoy sharing both wildly creative and ridiculously practical gluten-free vegetarian recipes that are approachable for all. Welcome!

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