The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe (2024)

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The Best Ranchero Sauce RecipeEver – Looking for the ultimate ranchero sauce recipe? You found it! Creamy, robust, and a hint spicy. This sauce makes every dish taste better!

The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe (1)

Mexican Dinner Night

This silky sauce adds a perky punch of flavor to any dish!

I guarantee once you make this recipe, you will use it over and over again. It’s a creamy smoky sauce with tons of zest and a little hint of spice.

In fact, I believe this to be absolutely The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe Ever!

The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe (2)

You could put “The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe” on just about anything, and it would improved it…

Eggs, potatoes, steaks, pork chops, fish, grilled vegetables, risotto or grits, leftover holiday dishes, old shoes.

Anytime I make this easy Ranchera Sauce Recipe my family rants and raves about whatever I spoon it over. They say things like, “This is the best chicken ever!” and “This is the best-roasted asparagus ever!”

Yet in reality… It’s always the sauce that brings out this reaction.

Don’t believe me?

Make a batch to keep in the fridge this week. Warm it up and serve it over your leftover turkey, dressing, or green beans. You won’t believe what a difference it will make.

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What is Ranchero Sauce?

Ranchero sauce is a type of cooked salsa made with tomatoes, peppers, smoky chiles, and spices. It can be pureed smooth or left chunky (although we like it smooth) and can be spooned over everything.

Ranchero sauce is similar to red enchilada sauce. However, it is lighter on the chiles, giving it a brighter perkier flavor than enchilada sauce. But don’t let that stop you from using Ranchera over enchiladas!

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What Ingredients You Will Need

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
  • 12 ounces roasted piquillo peppers or roasted red peppers (1 jar)
  • 4.5 ounces chopped green chiles (1 can)
  • 1 cup chicken stock (or chicken broth)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
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How To Make The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe

Instructions…

Place a saute pan/large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil and shallots. Sauté the shallots for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.

Drain the piquillo peppers. Add all remaining ingredients to the saute pan, except for the heavy cream. Simmer the ranchero sauce for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, puree/blend the sauce mixture until smooth. Then stir in the heavy cream. Salt to taste.

Serve with your favorite Mexican dish and garnish with some cilantro.

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Get the Complete (Printable) Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does This Sauce Last in the Fridge?

You can store this sauce in an airtight container (like a mason jar) in the refrigerator for up to 7 days!

What Dish Can I Pair With This Recipe?

This sauce would be super tasty with most of your favorite Mexican dishesor Tex Mex dishes. You can use this with taquitos,fajitas, as anenchilada sauce, onburritos,huevos rancheros, or eventacos!

Can I Use Onions instead of Shallots?

Shallots are a type of onion, so yes, can swap them for sweet onions or red onions. Shallots tend to have a more gentle sweet flavor compared to most onions, so you might want to pare back if making a substitution.

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Check the printable recipe card below for nutritional information including calories, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar percentages.

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Print Recipe

5 stars (25 reviews)

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The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes minutes

The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe Ever – Looking for the ultimate ranchero sauce recipe? You found it! Creamy, robust, and a hint spicy. This sauce makes every dish taste better!

Servings: 3 cups

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Place a saute pan over medium heat and add the oil and shallots. Sauté the shallots for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.

  • Drain the piquillo peppers. Add all remaining ingredients to the saute pan, except for the heavy cream. Simmer the ranchero sauce for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

  • Using an immersion blender, puree the ranchero sauce until smooth. Then stir in the heavy cream. Salt to taste.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 332kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 1333mg, Potassium: 674mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 2355IU, Vitamin C: 85.1mg, Calcium: 73mg, Iron: 5.2mg

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Sommer Collier

Making this recipe?Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!

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The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Ranchero sauce made of? ›

Ranchero Sauce is a tomato-based sauce with tons of incredible flavor from ingredients like jalapenos, chipotle peppers, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. It's got a lot of the same ingredients as many salsas, with the key difference being that it's cooked.

What is the difference between Ranchero sauce and enchilada sauce? ›

Ranchero sauce vs Enchilada sauce - what's the difference? Ranchero sauce is made with tomatoes as the base, whereas enchilada sauce can have tomatoes in it but it is not the focus. It is usually made with more red chile as the base.

How do you feed a Loon Ranchero sauce? ›

Ingredients
  1. 1 tbsp canola oil.
  2. 1 medium onion chopped.
  3. 1 jalapeño seeded and minced.
  4. 2 cloves garlic minced.
  5. 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes undrained.
  6. ½ cup tomato sauce canned.
  7. 1 tsp chili powder.
  8. 1 chipotle pepper canned in adobo sauce, diced, seeded.
Jan 29, 2023

What does Ranchero mean in food? ›

Ranchero sauce is a flavorful tomato and chili pepper based sauce seasoned with a mixture of chili powders and herbs. You'll find it in many Mexican and Tex Mex dishes around the border between the southern U.S. and Mexico, though because of its awesome flavor, it has quickly spread north through the states.

What does ranchero sauce taste like? ›

One of the most popular sauces is ranchero. This mild tomato-based sauce combines Mexican seasonings with onions, green chilis, fresh garlic, and jalapenos. Although you're working with a medley of vegetables, ranchero sauce has a hint of smoky flavor with the addition of cumin.

What does Taco Bell use ranchero sauce for? ›

Made with dried buttermilk, dried tomato, dried garlic and dried onion, this sauce goes great on your tacos, burritos, fajitas and whatever else you think needs a burst of Taco Bell flavor.

What is spicy ranchero sauce? ›

Made with dried buttermilk, dried tomato, dried garlic and dried onion, this sauce goes great on your tacos, burritos, fajitas and whatever else you think needs a burst of Taco Bell flavor. This easy to use 8 ounce squeeze bottle lets you pour the perfect amount of spicy ranchero sauce every time.

What is the red sauce in Mexican restaurants? ›

Salsa roja ( lit. 'red sauce') is a type of spicy red sauce in Mexican cuisine. It is made of jitomate (red tomato), ground with onion, garlic, chilli, salt and pepper to taste.

What is the difference between Mexicana and Ranchero? ›

When making steak “Ranchero”, the ingredients are ground in a molcajete or a blender, and when making steak “a la Mexicana”, the ingredients are simply chopped or diced. Nevertheless, there are many places that confuse the two terms and name something “Ranchero” or “a la Mexicana” incorrectly.

How do you eat rancheros? ›

How To Eat Huevos Rancheros. This refried bean, fried egg with a runny yolk, and fried corn tortilla recipe is easiest to eat with a knife and fork. In some parts of Mexico it's common to serve it with a side of diced and fried potatoes.

What are the ingredients in La Costena ranchera sauce? ›

Why our Ranchera Salsa 250g - La Costena? Ingredients: Tomatillo Peppers, Condiments, Iodized Salt, Tartaric Acid (as Acidity Regulator) & Monosodium Glutamate. MAY CONTAIN: SOY, MILK, CELERY, SESAME SEEDS. For Allergens see ingredients in CAPITAL LETTERS/BOLD.

Are loons edible? ›

Loons were important food sources when larger game was scarce [8, 25-27]. The Micmac (Mi'kmaq) hunted loons from canoes: at night, hunters used birch-bark torches to hunt the large waterfowl [28]. Loon flesh was boiled, broiled or dried. In the far North, the taste of loon was not enjoyed by many [23].

What do Mexicans call eggs? ›

Eggs are “huevos” in Spanish. The word might also pertain to testicl*s, as in the expression: “Tiene huevos.” “He has guts,” referring to bravery.

What is the breakfast of Mexicans? ›

What is the most popular breakfast in Mexico? Chilaquiles is one of the most popular Mexican breakfast dishes. They are prepared with deep-fried tortillas soaked in either a red tomato-based sauce or a green sauce made with tomatillos.

What is Ranchero in slang? ›

English translation of 'ranchero'

1. (= rudo) uncouth. (= ridículo) ridiculous ⧫ silly.

Is red enchilada sauce the same as ranchero sauce? ›

Ranchero Sauce

It's similar to enchilada sauce in taste and texture. The biggest difference is that ranchero sauce has tomatoes, and is usually a tomato-based sauce, while enchilada sauce is usually made without tomatoes.

What is the white sauce at Mexican restaurants in Virginia? ›

The secret ingredient turned out to be plain-old Miracle Whip salad dressing, mixed with milk, cumin, oregano and crushed red peppers.

What is the white sauce at Mexican restaurants made of? ›

What is the white sauce at Mexican restaurants made of? The only one I've ever encountered was made of Miracle Whip, mixed with milk, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper.

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