I realize that in the food blog world I’m like 3 months behind, but I finally broke down and bought my first can of pumpkin today!
And then quickly, my first can of pumpkin turned into my second, third, and fourth can of pumpkin. I’ve had the idea of pumpkin enchilada sauce in my head for a while now and unfortunately it didn’t exactly come out as planned the first time, or the second time… But thankfully I didn’t give up and what you have here is a really good pumpkin enchilada sauce!
Don’t worry, I do plan on making lots and lots of pumpkin dessert recipes, but in true She Likes Food fashion, I’m going straight for the savory pumpkin recipe to kick things off with. I’m also doing something a little bit Mexican-ish, because really I just can’t help myself! But don’t be completely fooled, there are a few ingredients in this enchilada sauce that you would put in almost any pumpkin dessert recipe you would make. I’ve realized, over the past few hours, that even savory pumpkin dishes need a little bit of sweetening up.
My first batch of this enchilada sauce had no maple syrup, no cinnamon, and no allspice and it was horrible! I took one bite and my tastebuds just couldn’t believe what I had done to them. It was seriously not good and I started to get scared that this was going to be one big failure. I’m not one to give up that easily though, and when I started on the second batch I sweetened up the pumpkin a bit before I added the savory flavors and it made such a difference. Not only was it edible, but it was delicious!
If you are thinking that I’m really off my rocker with this pumpkin enchilada sauce, please don’t be scared away by it! It’s seasonal, it’s delicious, and it gives you one more excuse to make enchiladas, which is always a good thing š
Kale, brown rice & black bean pumpkin enchiladas coming soon!
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Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 –15 ounce can of 100% pure pumpkin
- 2 cups water
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pinch allspice
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend for about 1 minutes, until all ingredients are combined.
- Makes about 3 cups.
Notes
Recipe updated on 9/26/2015
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Category: Sauce, Gluten Free, Vegan
I love this idea!! This also coming from the lady who is all about the mexican food š I love that this is a savory pumpkin recipe too – I love the sweet ones but it’s so nice for some variety to change it up! And hi Cheeto!
I knew you would love this, Ashley! It doesn’t get much better than Mexican food š Cheeto says hi too!!
Hi Izzy! It’s soooo good to see your savory pumpkin recipe! I really love pumpkin and there are many foods, besides sweets, that it pairs well with. Your title totally grabbed my attention when I saw it sitting in my in box! I’m looking forward to this one!
You know, I haven’t made anything pumpkin since I ran out of my freezer stock of pureed pumpkin in May. I’m waiting on our local pumpkin to come in… so I am definitely feeling behind the bloggin curve! I may break down an buy a can… I can hardly wait!! All these great recipes and now THIS!! Oh my! Looking forward to your black bean and Kale recipe!
Hi Traci! I’ve never really thought to use pumpkin in a savory way until now and I am so happy with how it tastes! Although, I do love my pumpkin sweets too! I’m so glad you are excited about this sauce, Traci!
I bet the fresh pumpkin is much better than the canned stuff. I’ve actually only ever used the canned pumpkin, but now you have me wanting to get some local pumpkin! I’m just about to post the enchiladas š
I actually don’t think you’re off your rocker with this pumpkin sauce. The Mexican mole is a pretty exotic blend of things too. So this makes perfect sense to me. I could see some chipotles in adobo going well with this too. What kind enchilada filling have you found goes best with this pumpkin sauce?
Also, I just nominated you for the Liebster Award! Check out my post for details!
Thank you, Katie! I’m so glad you are on the same page! Chipotle peppers would be so good, that is such a great idea! I have an enchilada recipe that I’m just about to post that uses this pumpkin sauce and it is a veggie enchilada with brown rice, black beans, corn, and kale. I found that it worked really well, but honestly I think it would go well with most enchiladas š
This is such a great idea Izzy! I’ve only made sweets with pumpkin this year and haven’t made anything savory yet. I love that you made an enchilada sauce and can’t wait to try it! It sounds amazing and can’t wait to see your enchiladas that you used this for š
Thank you Kelly! That is funny because I’ve only made savory so far, haha! I’m really looking forward to all the sweet pumpkin recipes though!
Genius idea to make enchilada sauce from pumpkin. Sounds so delicious!
Thank you, Cindy! š
This sounds absolutely beautiful … and I love your photos! I really wish I could get that canned pumpkin over where I am!
Thank you so much, Helen! I can’t believe there is a place on earth that doesn’t sell canned pumpkin! I hope you are able to find some somewhere š
Girl, I’m just getting started on the pumpkin also and though I’ve mostly made sweet recipes thus far, I am loving that this is savory spicy AND delicious all in one!
Thanks Joanne! I love savory pumpkin recipes and can’t wait to see what you post! I’m also looking forward to all the sweet pumpkin recipes too š
Savory pumpkin recipes are the BOMB. I’ve actually made enchilada sauces with pumpkin sauce before, so I know firsthand that they are the best thing EVER. I totally can’t wait to try your version and cannot WAIT for those awesome-sounding enchiladas!
They really are the bomb!! I just finished the last of the enchiladas tonight and am already making plans to make more of this sauce! I hope you love it, girl!
This looks deeeeelish! We had butternut squash enchiladas a few weeks ago and loved the mexican/pumpkin flavor combo, so I bet this tastes amazing. And I love the bright orange color,
Ohhh, butternut squash enchiladas sound so good! I’m gonna have to make some soon! Mexican and pumpkin seem to go together so well š
I can’t wait to see your kale and black bean enchilada recipe! This pumpkin sauce sounds incredible. I love pumpkin in savory recipes!
Thanks Christin! I made them tonight and they were so good! I love pumpkin in savory recipes too and can’t wait to make more š
Also joining the late-to-the-pumpkin-party club, finally posted my first pumpkin recipe today. š This enchilada sauce looks so delicious, I can’t wait to try it! Just out of curiosity, do you envision this over cheese enchiladas, chicken enchiladas, something else?
I’ll have to check out your pumpkin recipe right now! I really think it could go with any kind of enchiladas. I used it to make some veggie enchiladas tonight that had brown rice, corn, peppers, and kale and it worked really well!
Ok Izzy, so I’ve been trolling Pinterest (time waster!!!) for awesome pumpkin recipes because I’m in love with pumpkin and even Libby’s canned pumpkin but you blew me away with the pumpkin enchilada sauce idea. I’ve seen so many pumpkin recipes on Pinterest but nothing like this. So amazing!!
Haha, I’ve wasted my share of time on pinterest too! Thank you so much for all the sweet words, Laura! I’m so happy I could present you with a new pumpkin recipe and I hope you guys love it š
Pumpkin enchilada sauce?! I’m so impressed, Izzy! This sounds absolutely amazing! I love that you turned this into a savory pumpkin recipe. I have a feeling I could eat this sauce on just about anything!
Aww, thank you so much, Gayle! I just made some enchiladas with it tonight and they were awesome! I’m already thinking of other ways to use it! So glad you love this enchilada sauce š
I opened my first can of pumpkin this weekend too! I made pumpkin muffins for breakfast. Delicious! I’m going to have to pop open another can right away to make this pumpkin enchilada sauce. Sounds delicious!
I’m glad I’m not the only one slow to get on the pumpkin train š Pumpkin muffins sound awesome and I need to add those to my list to make next!
This is such a genius way to use pumpkin. I love it!
Thank you so much, Dannii!
This sounds like such a great twist on enchilada sauce! So many pumpkin recipes and I’ve never seen this yet. I bet it’s delicious!
Thanks Leah! I used it to make enchiladas for dinner tonight and it turned out so good! I think this will be my fall staple š
This looks amazing Isadora! Too funny – I made a pumpkin enchilada sauce with maple syrup on Friday for dinner and it was OK (nothing special) but yours looks absolutely delicious! The pumpkin spice must make all the difference because I can only imagine how yummy your recipe tastes! Will be making your version next time we make enchiladas! Pinned š
Thank you Ceara! That is funny! We must be on the same wavelength! I hope you have better luck with this one and that you enjoy it! I’d love to know what you think of it if you try it š
I’m kind of in love with this idea. Horrified with how long it took you to buy pumpkin (I keep it stocked year round :-p), but I’ll forgive you for bringing this sauce into my life. If there’s anything I love more than pumpkin, it’s mexican food!
Haha, I’m so sorry it took me so long! I have a pumpkin orange recipe that I make all throughout the year, but I don’t start experimenting with pumpkin until fall hits! Pumpkin and mexican food is my new favorite š
What a great idea to use pumpkin in a savory way! I love enchilada sauce, but adding pumpkin to it just takes it over the top. Wonderful idea!
Thanks Danielle! I was surprised at how much my husband and I both loved this enchilada sauce. It is a little bit sweet but most savory and so good š
Wow. This is an awesome idea! I love it! Can’t wait to try.
And don’t feel bad about being late on the pumpkin. It’s seriously not normal for people to post pumpkin recipes in August.
Thanks Mir! Haha, I totally agree, pumpkin in August is way too early!