Name: Homemade Ranchero Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; ½ cup white onion (, chopped); 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (, roughly chopped ); 1 garlic clove (, minced); 1 ½ cups plain tomato sauce; ½ cup chicken broth; ½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt; ½ teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon chili powder; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Perfect for topping your favorite Mexican dishes like burritos and enchiladas, this Homemade Ranchero Sauce recipe is packed full of flavor!

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If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know how much I love homemade condiments. Whether it’s something simple like homemade ketchup or something more complex like yum yum sauce, I’m a sucker for a good dip or sauce!

I already have a green enchilada sauce, a red enchilada sauce, and a homemade salsa, but what I don’t have is a good ranchero sauce recipe. That is, until now!

What's In This Article

What is Ranchero Sauce?

So first thing is first, what exactly is ranchero sauce? If you’ve ever had Huevos Rancheros, you’ve already had ranchero sauce! It’s that delightfully delicious red sauce on top.

It is basically a tomato based sauce that is used to top many Tex Mex dishes. The tomato sauce is combined with chipotle peppers and lots of spices to add lots of flavor to your favorite recipes.

It is slightly reminiscent of a tomato salsa, just served warm. The texture is a little smoother than traditional salsa, and packs a little bit more of a smoky flavor.

Although most popularly used with Mexican or Tex Mex foods, you could really put this sauce on anything you’d like to. Here are some recipes you might want to use your sauce with:

Ranchero Sauce Ingredients

The list of ingredients may look a little long, but they are simple and you probably already have most of them in your pantry or spice cabinet!

Vegetable oil – This will help to make the sauce silky smooth.
White onion – Make sure to chop these finely so that they blend well.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – Roughly chop the chipotle peppers for a bit of texture.
Plain tomato sauce – Make sure to grab the kind without added seasonings.
Chicken broth – Canned, boxed, or homemade will all work well.
Kosher salt – The granules in this are the perfect size for making this sauce.
Paprika – Make sure it’s fresh so that it has the most flavor.
Dried oregano – You can use fresh, instead, if you have it, but dried works just fine for this recipe.
Chili powder – Since this adds some of that spicy flavor, make sure that you have a good, fresh jar of it.
Fresh lime juice – Squeezing your own is always best but if you only have the store-bought variety that will work, too.

How to Make Ranchero Sauce

The process is really simple and only involves a few steps.

Saute. Start by cooking the onion, garlic and chipotle peppers in olive oil. You want them to be soft and fragrant, and this will take about five minutes.
Marry Flavors. Next add in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, spices and lime juice and stir to combine. Let that simmer for another five minutes.
Blend. If you have an immersion blender, use that to blend until everything is smooth. If not, transfer everything to a regular blender or food processor and do the same thing.

And that’s it! Ranchero sauce really is that simple. Use it to top all of your favorites, and if you have any leftover make sure to store in the refrigerator.

How to Use Ranchero Sauce

Of course this sauce is known for being the star of the show on huevos rancheros but you can use it on a variety of dishes other than those as well.

Other egg dishes – Outside of the traditional huevos rancheros (or breakfast tacos), you can use this sauce to drizzle over any omelet, mix it into eggs before you scramble them, or even use it as a spicy swap for hollandaise over your poached eggs for a riff on an eggs Benedict.
Tacos, burritos, and fajitas – Use this sauce in place of others that you may typically pour onto your favorite Mexican dishes.
Potatoes – Toss roasted potatoes in the sauce or dip french fries in it. Make a loaded baked potato and pour this over top for a spicier version.
Veggies – Take basic roasted or steamed vegetables and toss them in this delicious sauce.
Meats – Spoon this over chicken or pork chops to spice up a weeknight meal.
Dip – Dip tortilla chips, veggies, or even chicken wings in this spicy sauce.
Beans – Toss beans like pintos or black beans in this sauce before serving.
Rice – Spice up your rice by adding this sauce in the final part of the cooking process.
Cocktails – If you like savory cocktails, add a dash of this sauce (especially to Bloody Marys). You can also use it on the top edge of the glass before garnishing — just dip the rim in the ranchero sauce and then into your favorite rim garnish (eg, salt, cayenne, or Old Bay).

Variations

This is a great base sauce that is a fantastic canvas for your creativity. Add or change it up to make it your own signature sauce — these are just a few ideas.

Oils – Try using olive oil, avocado oil, or any other substitute that you have on hand.
Spices – Experiment with different spices — cumin, especially, is a good option because of its earthiness.
Broth – For a vegetarian version, try using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. If you want a different flavor profile, you can try beef stock.
Citrus – Lime is most traditional but you can always try lemon or orange.
Zest – In addition to the juice, try adding the zest of the lime to add more brightness.
Red peppers – Try adding some finely chopped red peppers for bright color and flavor.
Tomatoes – Instead of tomato sauce from the store, use your own fresh tomatoes to make the sauce. You can also try incorporating fire-roasted tomatoes.
Oregano – Swap out your typical oregano for Mexican oregano.
Onions – Change up the type of onions you use — nearly any variety will work. Just be sure to keep in mind the flavor profile so that you know if you want to use a sweet onion or another variety.
Cilantro – Add fresh cilantro to ranchero sauce for a different twist.
Peppers – Switch up the peppers to create different, bold flavors. Try chili peppers, green chiles, or jalapeno peppers.
Paprika – Swap out the regular paprika for smoked paprika to achieve more smoky flavor.
Garlic – Mince fresh garlic, or use garlic powder, to add a punch of flavor.
Powdered pepper- Ancho chile powder, cayenne pepper, or even simple black pepper will all add various levels of heat to your sauce.

angled shot of spoon in bowl of ranchero sauce

Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing

Make ahead: Ranchero sauce can be made ahead of time. Reheat over a low temperature on the stovetop.

Refrigerator: Store ranchero sauce in an airtight container or a ziploc bag for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Freezing: Pour ranchero sauce into a freezer-safe container or a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months. You can also first freeze it in an ice cube tray, then portion it out into ziploc bags.

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