Recreating this Classic FASTER at Home!
Having lived in Texas my entire life, and eaten at HUNDREDS of Mexican restaurants, I’ve found there is a perfect balance of chocolate to peppers to cacao that must be struck in order to make an amazing Mole Sauce.
When I first tried making Chicken Mole enchiladas at home, I turned to the more authentic sauce recipes. A quick peruse revealed that most of them called for 20+ ingredients and over 3 hours of cook time?!
Putting my food blogger thinking cap on, I saw some easy substitutions I could make:
- Dried ancho, chipotle, and guajillo peppers? Hmmm… why not replace that with some chili powder and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?!
- Three different kinds of nuts and seeds… Let’s just use a little nut butter!
- Mexican dark chocolate… regular cocoa powder will do.
After a few rounds of recipe testing, this mole sauce recipe was born. And it is indeed the BEST because it is also the EASIEST and the CLOSEST to the traditional version as you can get without being so labor or time intensive.
Ingredient Notes
Please see the recipe card below for the exact ingredients amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Onion. A sweet or white onion is recommended for their naturally sweet flavor. Do not use yellow or red as these have a very strong and pungent flavor.
- Chili Powder. Instead of using multiple dried peppers, a good bit of chili powder will be used. If you have the option, try to mix up the types of chili powders for a more complex flavor. Some grocery stores will have guajillo chili powder, ancho chili powder, and even pasilla chili powder.
- Cocoa Powder. Regular cocoa powder was used but cacao powder may also be substituted. Avoid dark cocoa powder as it will be too strong.
- Chipotle Peppers. A shortcut we’re taking is to use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These have an incredible smoky flavor that is very unique to this sauce. If you don’t like your mole sauce too spicy, only use 1 pepper. If you prefer a very spicy mole sauce, use 2-3 peppers.
- Nut Butter. An unsweetened almond butter or peanut butter can be used. If you’re allergic to nuts, try a sunflower butter or even tahini paste.
- Raisins. A little bit of fruit gives the sauce a subtle sweetness. Purple or golden raisins may both be used.
- Ground spices. I’ve found the combo of the more common Mexican spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and cloves) give the sauce an incredible earthy tone. If you have someone that doesn’t care for cloves, try subbing with nutmeg.
- Starch. Cornstarch helps to thicken up the sauce. You can also use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch instead.
- Broth. Regular sodium chicken broth was used when testing this recipe. However, vegetable broth can be subbed if you’re vegan or vegetarian.
How to Make Mole Sauce
These are the steps to follow to make an easy mole sauce recipe:
Cook the onion, garlic, and spices.
Cook the onion in oil for 3-4 minutes, or until it begins to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the spices and starch and stir constantly for 1 minute, or until you start to smell their delightful aroma.
Pro Tip: Toasting the spices creates a deeper, richer flavor in a short amount of time!
Deglaze with broth.
Pour in ½ cup of the broth and scrape the bottom to release any bits that might be stuck. (These have so much of the flavor!) This step is also important to prevent any pieces from burning to the bottom of the pan.
Blend until super smooth.
Add the onion and seasoning mixture to a large food processor or a high-speed blender along with the chipotle peppers, almond butter, raisins, cocoa powder, and remaining broth.
Process for 1-2 minutes. You want the sauce completely smooth. (After all, no one likes a big ole’ bite of chipotle pepper in their mole sauce!)
Simmer and reduce.
Pour the mixture back into the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
You should end up with ~2¼ cups of sauce. If you get more than this, you’ll want to add it back to the sauceban and keep simmering until it has reduced to this amount.
Pro Tip: Be sure the pot is UNCOVERED. This allows the evaporating moisture to escape. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a very runny mole sauce.
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Easy Mole Sauce Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder mild or mixed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with sauce
- 3 tablespoons almond or peanut butter
- ¼ cup raisins
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Add oil and diced onion to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and continue cooking for another 30 seconds, or until fragrant.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 cup diced sweet onion, 4 garlic cloves
- In a small bowl whisk together the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, salt, and black pepper.2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon coriander, ⅛ teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the mixed seasoning ingredients along with the cornstarch, stirring constantly for 1 minute, or until you start to smell the spices' aroma. Immediately pour in ½ cup of the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to release any bits or pieces that might be stuck.1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- Add the onion and seasoning mixture to a large food processor or a high-speed blender along with the chipotle peppers, almond butter, raisins, cocoa powder, and remaining broth. Process for 1-2 minutes, or until completely smooth.1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 3 tablespoons almond or peanut butter, ¼ cup raisins, 2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pour the sauce back into the saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until reduced by almost half. You should end up with ~2 ¼ cups of mole sauce.
- Use immediately to make these Chicken Mole Enchiladas or store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
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Notes
- Serving size. Each serving is for roughly ¼ cup of mole sauce.
- Cocoa Powder. Regular cocoa powder, not dark, is recommended for the most balanced taste.
- Adjust the spice level. Use more chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to make the sauce spicier or just one to make it less spicy.
- Blending Options. A high-speed blender such as a Nutribullet or Vitamix will work the best to give you the smoothest sauce.
- Give it more depth. Use a mix of chili powders to make the flavor profile more complex.
- Storage. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. To freeze, place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 4-6 months. You can also freeze it in smaller batches and pull it out when you need a quick marinade or sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How can I adjust my mole sauce’s spice level?
If you want a spicier sauce, use more chipotle peppers or even add a dash of cayenne. If you’d like it less spicy, use less peppers.
How can I thicken homemade mole sauce?
The best way to thicken a homemade mole sauce is to simmer it over low heat in a pot without a lid. If you’re short on time, you can stir in a small amount of a simple cornstarch slurry (learn more about how to make a slurry). But do not that this will affect the finished taste slightly.
Double Batches and Storage Tips
If you’re going through the trouble of getting out all of the ingredients, you might as well go ahead and double or even triple the batch and save it for later. Here’s what you need to know:
- To Prep-Ahead: Mole sauce can be prepared up to 2-3 days in advance of using. The longer it sits in the refrigerator, the longer the ingredients have to meld together, so it actually gets better with time!
- To Store: Leftover mole sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- To Freeze: This sauce actually freezes exceptionally well. Simply place in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 4-6 months. You can also freeze it in smaller batches (like in an ice tray!) and pull it out when you need a flavorful marinade or small amount of sauce to drizzle.
- To Reheat: It’s best if you reheat mole sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes. You can also microwave it if you’re pressed for time.
Dishes that Use Mole Sauce
Once you’ve got your homemade mole sauce ready to eat, you can use it up with these other dishes.
These Chicken Mole Enchiladas are the best with this homemade sauce and are the reason this recipe was created!
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken and even these Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos would be delicious with this bold and smoky upgrade.
For Chicken Tostadas, just sub the tinga sauce for mole sauce!
Easy and tasty. I used it for the Chicken Mole Enchiladas. Very good. I used peanut butter the first time, but it tastes to peanutty. Use almond butter instead.
So glad you loved the recipe, Rhonda!! And totally agree- almond butter does taste WAY better 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I made this sauce for to go on your chicken mole enchiladas. It was very good, but I used peanut butter (I had it on hand), and it tasted like peanuts. Next time I’ll try almond butter or a more neutral butter.
Ya almond butter definitely has a more neutral flavor. Would love to know what you think if you try that out next, Rhonda! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment- it means a lot. Can’t wait to hear what you cook up next! ❤ London
Absolutely unbelievable that this caliber of flavor can be attained in a 20 minute recipe.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Donnie! It does have SO much flavor! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Thank you for recipe. When wanting to do chicken and mole with this sauce how long to simmer the chicken?
Hi Bacilia! That would depend on the cut of chicken and whether it has bones or not. Assuming they’re boneless, thighs would take a little longer. Just be sure the chicken is cooked to an appropriate temperature.
I’ve made this sauce several times now and it is a great recipe. It’s delicious and easy. Thank you 🙏🏼
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Rachel! I love delicious and easy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
This is delicious
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Only had raw cacao, so added 1 sm spoon stevia and 2 sm bars artisan baking chocolate (from Dominican Republic) about 1 oz total. Sauce was delicious—used with both leftover chicken and turkey.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Jan! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!