a plate of red enchiladas with onions on top and Spanish rice near by

Gluten Free

Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce Brands: Red and Green Options and Comparisons

By Joanna
March 20, 2023
6 Comments

Following a gluten-free diet can sometimes be confusing. Packaging labels aren’t always clear on what is OK if you have Celiac Disease or some sort of gluten sensitivity. So let’s go over some gluten-free options that will work for you or a loved one when cooking Mexican food.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links and I may possibly earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you as I am an Amazon associate.

gluten free enchilada sauce brands can make these red enchiladas covered with cheese served with Mexican rice

Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce Brands: Red and Green Options and Comparisons

When I was researching online for a great gluten-free option of enchilada sauce brands, I was surprised by how hard it was to get a clear picture of comparisons. So I decided to be the answer to my own question, and share it here with you! But first, let’s cover some basics in case you are unfamiliar with enchilada sauce.

What is Enchilada Sauce?

Enchilada sauce is a traditional sauce originating from Mexico. It can be either red or green depending on the chilis and other types of ingredients used. Enchilada sauce is smooth and has a thick consistency that should coat the back of a spoon when dipped into the sauce.

What is Enchilada Sauce Made from?

The red sauce version is a blend of chili peppers, chili powder, spices, and tomato puree or tomato sauce. A green enchilada sauce (or verde) can be made with green peppers, green chiles, broth, and sometimes tomatillos. (Which are kind of like green tomatoes.)

Is Enchilada Sauce Gluten Free?

Enchilada sauce is not naturally gluten-free. Some brands add wheat or other thickeners that are not safe for those living a gluten-free lifestyle. Although there are also brands that do not list any known contaminants, cross-contamination inside processing facilities can still happen. If you have Celiac disease, it is safest to only use products that are certified gluten-free.

What Does Certified Gluten Free Mean?

To be certified gluten-free means that the product has met the FDA limit of being under 20 PPM (parts per million) for any presence of gluten in the foods with this label.

Disclaimer: It is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT That You Double-Check Labels.

This is not medical advice. Therefore, please follow your health team professionals’ instructions when it comes to your personal diet.

Make sure to read the actual labels. Manufacturers can make changes to ingredients over time. I would hate to have you deal with issues due to changes or cross-contamination. It is always a best practice to double-check nutrition labels.
This is not an exhaustive list. But I did do my best to find the most popular/ common brands that do not have gluten-containing ingredients in them. But just because a gluten-containing ingredient is not listed does not mean there isn’t any cross-contamination in the facility. If you ever are in doubt, call the company directly.

red gluten free enchiladas on a red plate with sour cream and onion on top

Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce Brands: Red Enchilada Sauce

There are so many different store-bought enchilada sauces out there. The easiest way for me to understand the best gluten free option was for me to make a comparison table. It will show you which enchilada sauce is gluten-free as well price point and where to find them. For availability, I tried to stay with major companies that are found in most of the USA.

Brand	Ingredient List:	Certified GF	Price	Availability	Notes
Las Palmas Sauce: Red enchilada	Water, Dried Red Chile Peppers, Salt, Cottonseed Oil, Cider Vinegar, Fumaric Acid, spices, and Olive Oil.	No	$2.52 for 28 oz $1.69 for 10 oz	Walmart, Target
Old el Paso enchilada sauce: Red	Water, Tomato Puree (water, tomato paste), Modified Corn Starch. Contains 2% or less of Sugar, Salt, Chile Pepper, Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Spice, Citric Acid, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Onion Powder, Natural Flavor, and Color (black carrot and paprika extract).	No	$2.19 for 10 oz	Target, Walmart	Also Kosher
Rosarita Enchilada Sauce	Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Water, Red Chile Puree, Less than 2% of: Salt, Chile Pepper, Canola Oil, Dehydrated Onion, Spices, Garlic Puree, Colored with Oleoresin Paprika, Natural Flavor, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Citric Acid, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Dehydrated Garlic, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Carob Bean Gum.	No	$2.64 for 20 oz	Walmart
Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce	Tomato, Filtered Water, New Mexico Chiles, Onion, Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Bell Pepper, Salt, Garlic, Evaporated Cane Sugar, Xanthan Gum, Cayenne, Oregano.	Yes	$2.39 for 8 oz	Target, Walmart
Sky Valley Red Enchilada Sauce	Water, tomato paste, less than 2% of distilled vinegar, salt, dried ancho chiles, tapioca starch, spice, cane sugar, dried garlic, lemon juice concentrate, dried onion, and paprika extract.	Yes	$10 for 13 oz	Amazon	Not great reviews
Sprouts Red Enchilada Sauce	Tomato, salt, ground guajillo pepper, ground ancho pepper, garlic, onion, canola oil, tapioca starch, ground oregano, ground cumin, lime juice powder, (lime juice, maltodextrin, lime oil, citric acid), ground clove	No	$2.99 for 8 oz	Sprouts	Also a green option
Siete, Red Enchilada Sauce	Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), apple cider vinegar, chile powder, dates, avocado oil, sea salt, chia seed, flax seed, porcini powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, oregano.	Yes	$5.28 for 15 oz	Walmart, Target, Sprouts
Hatch Enchilada Sauce: Organic, Mild Red	Water, organic tomato paste, organic spices, sea salt, organic cane sugar, organic corn starch, organic bakers yeast, citric acid, organic flavor	Yes	$4.79 for 15 oz	Sprouts
La Victoria Enchilada Sauce	Water, Red Chile Peppers, Modified Food Starch, Dehydrated California Chile Peppers, Soybean Oil, Less Than 2% Of Salt, Distilled Vinegar, Dehydrated Pasilla Chile Peppers, Garlic, Spice; water, Red Chile Peppers, Modified Food Starch, Dehydrated California Chile Peppers, Soybean Oil, Less Than 2% Of Salt, Distilled Vinegar, Dehydrated Pasilla Chile Peppers, Garlic, Spice.	No	$2.84 for 28 oz.	Amazon

Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce Brands: Green Enchilada Sauce

I love the variety of flavors in Mexican food and I really enjoy the flavor of green chilies. Every year I grow jalapenos and serrano peppers in my garden, so it’s no surprise that I keep a couple of green enchilada sauces in my pantry cupboard at all times.

Brand	Ingredient List:	Certified GF	Price	Availability	Notes
Las Palmas Green Enchilada Sauce	Water, Green Chile Peppers, Modified Corn Starch, Soybean Oil, Salt, Sugar, Jalapeno Peppers, Monosodium Glutamate, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Spices, Garlic Powder, Distilled Vinegar, Torula Yeast, Acetic Acid, Caramelized Sugar, Spice Extractive.	No	$2.52 for 28 oz $1.69 for 10 oz	Walmart Target	Contains MSG
Sprouts Organic Green Chile Enchilada Sauce	Organic Tomatillos, water, organic roasted green chiles, organic distilled vinegar, organic corn starch, organic cumin, sea salt, organic onion powder, organic garlic, organic jalapeno powder, organic garlic powder, citric acid, organic cilantro, organic black pepper.	Yes	$3.99 for 16 oz	Sprouts
Old El Paso Green Enchilada Sauce	Ingredients: Water, Green Chile Pepper Puree, Green Chiles, Modified Corn Starch, Soybean Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Sugar, Salt, Jalapeno Pepper, Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Citric Acid, Spice, Natural Flavor, Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Celery Seed Extract, Garlic Powder, Artificial Color, Acetic Acid (Preservative), Calcium Chloride.	No	$2.19 for 10 oz	Target, Walmart
Hatch Green Enchilada sauce	Water, green chile peppers, corn starch, canola oil, less than 2% of sugar, bakers years (yeast, salt, natural flavor) Sea salt, dehydrated jalapeno, onion powder, garlic powder, dried roasted garlic, spice, citric acid, dehydrated green bell peppers, natural flavors.	Yes	$4.49	Sprouts
Siete Green enchilada sauce	Tomatillos, water, green, bell peppers, onion, garlic, dates, jalapenos, sea salt, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, flax seed, black pepper, turmeric, chia seed.	Yes	$5.28 for 15 oz	Walmart, Sprouts
La Preferida Enchilada Green Sauce	organic tomatillo, organic roasted green chiles, organic roasted poblano pepper, organic onion, water, organic expeller pressed canola oil, organic garlic, organic cilantro, sea salt, organic ground yellow corn masa flour, a trace of lime, organic cumin	Yes	$3.97 for 12 oz	Azure Standard	Carton rather than can container

How Do I Make Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce at Home?

If you are in a pinch or just prefer making your own homemade gluten-free enchilada sauce, you can find my recipe for that over on this post, Easy Homemade Red Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce Recipe. It comes together in under 20 minutes and uses simple pantry ingredients.

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Enchiladas?

While you are making your grocery list/ grocery order, why don’t you grab the other ingredients you’ll need to make some awesome gluten-free enchiladas at home?

Start off by getting gluten-free corn tortillas, some cheese, (Monterey jack or cheddar cheese are great options), and some chicken (pre-cooked or make some in the instant pot with my Easy Instant Pot Mexican Chicken with Only 3 Ingredients recipe.) Head over to my recipe …. for full instructions to make gluten-free chicken enchiladas.

Serve with some refried beans, guacamole, and sour cream and your taste buds will be doing a happy dance.

red and green enchilada sauce brands at the store

The Best Store-Bought Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce Brands

To me, the best gluten-free store-bought enchilada sauce would be the Siete for a red enchilada sauce. And our favorite green enchilada sauce is La Preferida Enchilada from Azure. You can read more about what Azure is over here on my favorite things page.

Since my daughter has Celiac Disease, we do our best to only use certified gluten-free ingredients to help stay away from cross-contamination issues. But if you have a gluten sensitivity rather than Celiac, you may be ok with using one of the non-certified gluten-free sauces listed above, since the ingredients don’t have wheat or other problematic ingredients.

FAQ About Store Bought Enchilada Sauce

Which Enchilada Sauce is Gluten Free?

There are several brands of enchilada sauce that is certified gluten-free. For red enchilada sauces, Frontera’s, Sky Valley, Siete, and Hatch all have certified gluten free enchilada sauces. As for green enchilada sauces, Sprout’s, Siete, La Preferida, and Hatch, all have some good options as well.

Does store-bought enchilada sauce have gluten?

Yes, store-bought enchilada sauce can contain gluten, although there are options that are gluten-free. This post has a chart showing the ingredients of many popular brands as well as if they are certified gluten-free so you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination.

Does Rosarita enchilada sauce have gluten?

Rosarita’s enchilada sauce does not list any gluten-containing ingredients on its label. But it also is not certified gluten-free, so people with Celiac disease should avoid it.

Is all enchilada sauce gluten free?

No, not all canned enchilada sauce is gluten-free. Wheat is used as a thickener is some brands so please refer to the chart above to find gluten free enchilada sauce options.

In Summary

There are lots of gluten free enchilada sauce brands available for purchase at stores as well as online. I hope this post has given you some options that will work for you and your family. If there is another brand that I have missed, please reach out in the comments so future readers can see more options! Taste preferences vary so much that I’m so grateful for more than one option.