Guajillo Sauce is a simple Mexican chile sauce made with dried guajillo peppers, garlic, onion, cumin, and salt. The chiles are softened in hot water, blended until smooth, and strained to make a smooth, flavorful sauce.
This sauce is a staple in my kitchen because I can make a batch ahead of time and use it in so many Mexican recipes. It’s the base for dishes like Enchiladas Rojas and Chilaquiles Rojos.
The flavor is earthy, slightly fruity, and mildly spicy, making it an easy way to add Mexican chile flavor to your cooking.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Easy ingredients: You only need dried guajillo chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and water.
- Mild heat: Guajillo chiles have a deeper, slightly fruity flavor without being overly spicy.
- Versatile: Use this sauce for enchiladas, chilaquiles, tamales, or to cook chicken, beef, and pork.
- Make it ahead: A batch keeps well in the refrigerator and freezes beautifully, so you can have homemade chile sauce ready whenever you need it.
- Smooth and flavorful: Straining the blended sauce removes any bits of chile skin and gives you a smooth sauce that’s easy to use in your favorite recipes.
-Maggie
🌶️ Ingredients
- Dried Guajillo Chiles
- Water
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ground Cumin or Whole Cumin
- Salt
Just dried chiles and a few spices are needed to make this simple recipe.
Guajillo Pronunciation: “Goo-wah-HEE-oh.” Guajillo Pepper is also called Guajillo Chile or Guajillo Chili. Guajillo chiles are the dried form of the mirasol chile.
Where to Buy Guajillo Peppers?
This is a very common and popular Mexican chile. Look for them in the Hispanic section in your local grocery store. You can always buy them online.
Substitute for Guajillo Peppers
There isn’t an exact substitute for guajillo chiles. Each chile has its own flavor and heat level, so substitutions will change the final sauce. If you can find fresh mirasol chiles, they are the closest option. In a pinch, you can use ancho, pasilla, California, or New Mexico chiles.
🥣 Instructions
- With a damp paper towel, gently wipe off any dust. Cut off the stem and remove seeds from inside.
- Put onion and garlic in a stock pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Then add all the dried chiles.
- With your fork, submerge the chiles under the water.
- Then turn off the heat, leaving the ingredients inside to soak until they are pliable.
Let the chiles soak in the hot water for about 5 minutes, or until they are pliable. If your chiles are older and still firm after soaking, simmer them for a few minutes until softened.
Some people will toast the chiles before making guajillo salsa. It enhances the flavor, but that is totally optional.
- Discard the cooking liquid.
- Add the chiles, 2 cups of water, onion, garlic to the blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Strain the mixture.
- With the back of your cooking spoon, push out as much of the sauce as possible.
- Discard any bits and pieces left in the strainer.
For another layer of flavor, substitute chicken broth for the 2 cups of water when blending the sauce.
Cooking the Sauce
- Season and sear any protein – chicken, beef, or pork.
- Add the sauce.
- Simmer until the protein is fully cooked. Add broth if needed to cook the protein.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Guajillo sauce is made with dried guajillo chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and water. The chiles are rehydrated, blended with the other ingredients, and strained until smooth.
Guajillo sauce is mildly spicy. Guajillo chiles generally have less heat than jalapeños, although the heat can vary from chile to chile. They can reach up to 5,000 units on the Scoville Scale.
Guajillo chiles have an earthy, slightly fruity flavor with mild heat. The garlic, onion, and cumin add savory flavor to the sauce.
No. Toasting the chiles is optional. It can add another layer of flavor, but the sauce will still be delicious without toasting them.
Straining removes bits of chile skin and seeds that don’t fully break down in the blender. It gives the sauce a smoother texture.
Yes. Guajillo sauce is a great make-ahead sauce. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 5 months.
Yes. Let the sauce cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or sealable freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible before sealing. Thaw in the refrigerator and use as needed.
More Mexican Sauces
- Adobo Sauce
- Jalapeno Crema
- Easy Mole Sauce
- Poblano Cream Sauce
- Birria Sauce
- Chipotle Mayo Sauce
- Cilantro Lime Crema
Once you have a batch of Guajillo Sauce in the refrigerator or freezer, you’ll have a head start on so many Mexican meals. Use it for enchiladas and chilaquiles, or simmer it with chicken, beef, or pork for an easy dinner.
Guajillo Sauce
Equipment
- Blender
- Stock pot
- Kitchen scissors
Ingredients
- 10 guajillo peppers
- 6 cups water (to rehydrate chiles)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ onion
- 1 teaspoon cumin (ground or whole)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 cups water (to blend)
Instructions
- With a damp paper towel, wipe off any dust on the peppers.
- Remove the stems, seeds, and veins of the guajillo peppers
- Add 6 cups water and add the onion and garlic.
- Put the lid on, and bring to a boil.
- Add the guajillo peppers.
- Use a fork or tongs to submerge the chiles completely.
- Turn heat off, leaving the ingredients inside.
- Wait for 5 minutes, or until the chiles are pliable.
- Discard the water.
- To a blender, add the rehydrated peppers, garlic, onion, cumin, and salt.
- Add 2 cups water to the blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Carefully strain the sauce into a large bowl, using the back of a spoon.
- Taste for salt.
- Store in the fridge until ready to use.
I made this sauce for the 1st time. I pan heated meatballs & squash and then served each person 2 separate dishes. One with a good name brand spaghetti sauce and one with guajillo sauce. Only difference was the sauce. All 4 family members voted the guajillo sauce as better tasting. It was much better than I anticipated.
So glad you and your family enjoyed this!
Can you make guajillo pepper potatoes with this sauce?
Yes! That’s what I make as a side dish all the time using this sauce.
Is there a recipe for the guajillo pepper potatoes? I looked and must’ve missed it.
Thanks!
Potatoes? You can add this sauce to cooked potatoes. For 4 potatoes, use only 1 cup. Hope that helps.
Hi, in your recipe it calls for 1t. of cumin. Is that ground cumin or cumin seeds? Thanks, for sharing will be giving this recipe a try for sure.
Either works. They will get ground in the blender. Preferably ground cumin. It will blend easier.
I have never heard of Guajillo, would love to try it though
Sounds like a great sauce to try….I love spicy foods and I know my family will enjoy this too!
I’m definitely making this recipe soon! Looks so delicious.
I love Mexican food and you love to try the Guajillo sauce to spice up my snacks.
this looks really tasty and but a little hard to make, but always up dor a new challenge! thank you for sharing 🙂
The sauce looks delicious. I like spicy stuff. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for the step by step photos, they are so helpful!
Hi!! I love your blog. I already made your slow cooker birria, it’s so good. My sauce came out pretty bitter, I added sugar but still not loving it. Any advice ?
Sometimes it’s the chiles that you used. They might be old. Sugar is a great way to adjust if it’s bitter.
They look so spicy! I would need water ASAP but they look really good! -Sondra Barker @cuisineandtravel.com
living in texas, we eat a lot of Mexican food! I bet these are neat to try, never heard of them
I have never heard of Guajillo Sauce but love chillies so would surely give this ago as I enjoy Mexican food very much.
I like it when a recipe is explained so well and then I love spicy!
I made this for the first time yesterday. It turned out fantastic! Straining it was a pain, & took longer than I anticipated. It was well worth it though. I couldn’t wait to taste it after simmering it. I popped open a bag of Tostido’s Scoops corn tortilla chips & started scooping! Yummm! I kept saying to myself, “Ok, only one more.”, but kept on scooping up & eating the delightful tasty sauce. I had boiled & shredded a few chicken breasts the day before & will be adding the sauce to it. I did add 1 1/2 tsps. of Knorr Chicken Bouillion granules to the blender. I kept the rest of your recipe exactly as you printed it. Thank you so very much for your great recipe. It is a keeper. I lovvve you recipes & your website.
So glad you enjoyed it. I make this all the time. Straining really depends on your blender. If you have a fancy blender that blends everything, then you don’t need to strain. I need one of those blenders! lol.
Love your steps by steps with pictures, real details and I guess I won’t make any mistake or miss any steps with all the pictures in this post. Glad to pick up some Mexican sauce and yes, I love to add them with my shrimps.
I love Mexican food and always wondered how to make guajillo sauce. Thanks for the recipe.
I have to make this. I’ve never heard of this sauce before, but it sounds like it would be a great base for all kinds of dishes.
I love Mexican food and this sauce looks delicious.