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Mole Sauce

[heart_this] · May 2, 2018 · 34 Comments

Mole Sauce

A thick, velvety and tasty chocolate mole sauce that is packed with flavour!

Mole sauce is one of the greatest foods ever! It’s a Mexican style sauce that traditionally contains many ingredients including chilies and chocolate! Yeah, chocolate! I’m in! This is a relatively quick and easy version that you can make at home and you’ll be licking the sauce pan, the spoon and the plates clean!
Mole is both the name of the sauce and the dishes that use the sauce. There are many kinds of Mole sauce and outside of Mexico it usually refers to mole poblano which traditionally includes chilies, nuts, spices, fruit and chocolate, it has a dark colour and it is often served with chicken and/or turkey.
A good mole recipe contains over 20 ingredients and it takes a lot of time to make, but fear not, for over the years I have streamlined my favourite mole recipe to take a lot less time! It still takes some time but it’s really easy, so lets get started!
You start out by toasting some dried chilies and soaking them in water before pureeing them. Next up is roasting the fresh ingredients: tomatoes, tomatillos, onions and garlic to char them, which adds flavour. There are a bunch of nuts and seeds including sesame seeds, pepitas, peanuts and almonds that are toasted and ground along with spices which are also toasted and ground. The star of the show is the Mexican chocolate along with a touch of sugar for sweetness. Everything is pureed into a sauce which is simmered to bring out the flavours and thicken and you are ready to enjoy it!
Mole sauce is velvety smooth, thick and just packed with layer of flavours! You can use mole sauce like a salsa o or in tacos, quesadillas, burritos, etc and it’s great for braising meats in or just pouring over! No matter what you use it on it is sure to delight! Take a look below the recipe for a few recipe ideas to use the mole sauce in!

Mole Sauce
Mole Sauce
What is Mexican Mole?
Mole is both the name of a Mexican style sauce and the dish made with the sauce. There are actually many kinds of mole with the the most common one being Mole poblano which can contain more than 20 ingredients including chilies and chocolate. This is a recipe for Mole poblano that can be make at home!

Mole Sauce
Mole Sauce

Mole Sauce
Mole Sauce

Mole Sauce

Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 1 hour Total Time: 2 hours Servings: 12(~3 cups or 12 1/4 cup servings)

A thick, velvety and tasty chocolate mole sauce that is packed with flavour!

ingredients
  • 5 ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
  • 5 guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
  • 5 pasilla chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 pound plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
  • 1 large onion, cut into wedges
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup pepitas
  • 1/4 cup peanuts
  • 1/4 cup almonds
  • 1 tablespoons oil
  • 1 ripe plantain (or banana), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 (1 inch) stick of cinnamon
  • 3 allspice berries
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 corn tortilla, torn into small pieces
  • 1 (2 ounce) tablet Mexican chocolate, chopped
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
directions
  1. Lightly toast the chilies in a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat, cover in just boiled water, along with the raisins and let soak until tender, about 20-30 minutes, before removing from the water, reserving the water.
  2. Meanwhile, lightly char the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and garlic under the broiler (or in a heavy bottomed killet over medium-high heat, or on the grill or over direct flame) before setting aside.
  3. Meanwhile, lightly toast the sesame seeds, pepitas, peanuts and almonds and set aside.
  4. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the plantains and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side, and set aside.
  5. Puree the chilies, raisins, tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, sesame seeds, pepitas, peanuts, almonds, and plantain in a food processor or blender until smooth.
  6. Lightly toast the cloves, star anise, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander, and peppercorns in a skillet before ginding in a grinder.
  7. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the pureed sauce, ground spices, oregano, tortilla, chocolate, sugar and salt, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the tortilla has disitegrated into the sauce and the sauce thickens a bit, about 10 minutes.
  8. Optionally, puree in a food processor or blender a second time and strain through a fine mess sieve for a smoother sauce.
Option: Use lard or bacon grease instead of oil.
Option: Add the reserved chili soaking water or chicken, pork, or vegetable broth to thin the sauce out if too thick.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 237, Fat 12g (Saturated 1g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 0, Sodium 210mg, Carbs 31g (Fiber 6g, Sugars 15g), Protein 5g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Use in:
Chicken Mole
Chicken Mole Tacos
Enmoladas (Chicken Mole Enchiladas)
Chipotle Squash Fritters in Mole Sauce
Chicken Mole Fettucini

Similar Recipes:
Chipotle and Ancho Cocoa Enchilada Sauce
Enchilada Sauce
Pipian
Thai Spicy Peanut Sauce
Thai Peanut Dressing
Pico de Gallo
Cocoa Crusted Steak with Shishito Peppers
Avocado Salsa Verde

Food, Gluten-free, Mexican, Recipe, Sauce, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruth Daniels says

    June 13, 2007 at 10:49 pm

    Oh my, I can’t wait to try this one out.

    Reply
  2. Maris (In Good Taste) says

    May 2, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    I love Mexican food and prefer making my own, This is getting bookmarked!

    Reply
  3. The Food Hound says

    May 3, 2011 at 1:02 am

    I admit it, the laundry list of ingredients for mole has always freaked me out!! Maybe I'll get some guts one of these days and make it! Your version looks superb!

    Reply
  4. BuyAionAccount says

    May 3, 2011 at 8:08 am

    I still can't imagine what it tastes like. With all the ingredients of making it, it sounds great!

    Buy Aion Account

    Reply
  5. Ellie says

    May 3, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    YUM!! I love Mole sauce a top of stuffed hot peppers!!!! This sounds delishious 🙂

    Reply
  6. Aisha Jameel says

    May 3, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Oh my !!! It looks so damn tasty 🙂
    http://kitchensojourn.blogspot.com

    Reply
  7. Mary says

    May 3, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    One question about the recipe- it lists "3 allspice"

    Is that tsp or tb?

    Reply
    • Johnette Hassell says

      April 27, 2022 at 6:39 pm

      Three whole allspice. They are round, dried berries slightly larger than an English pea.

      Reply
  8. Memória says

    May 3, 2011 at 9:49 pm

    I love making homemade mole sauce. Yes, it is time-consuming, but it is fun to make with a friend.

    Reply
  9. Kevin says

    May 4, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    Mary: That should be 3 whole allspice. You could use a teaspoon of ground though.

    Reply
  10. Leandre says

    June 7, 2011 at 12:32 am

    If Mexican chocolate is not available, how much dark/unsweetened/semi-sweet (?) chocolate should one use?

    Reply
  11. Kevin says

    June 7, 2011 at 9:54 pm

    Leandre: Go with 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate or 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. You could also add a bit more cinnamon.

    Reply
  12. Jo says

    May 4, 2012 at 2:52 am

    I am curious to know if you have ever tried your chocolate mole sauce with asparagus. I was speculating about it on my blog the other day and looking for a recipe which did just that.

    Reply
  13. Dina says

    July 31, 2012 at 6:10 am

    What if I don't have a coffee grinder, what can i use instad? And what kind Of Mexican chocolate? Is it abuelitas?

    Reply
  14. Kevin says

    August 3, 2012 at 9:20 am

    Dina: A mortar and pestle will work for some of the spices otherwise, although the toasted fresh ground spices will have more flavour, you can go with preground spices. Abuelitas would be perfect!

    Reply
    • Rob says

      February 7, 2019 at 4:26 pm

      I’m pretty sure Abuelitas has artificial flavoring, and Ybarra does not.

      Reply
      • T says

        April 8, 2021 at 3:04 pm

        Yes!!!! Also Ybarra is the real deal.

        Reply
  15. pj says

    January 11, 2013 at 5:57 am

    I tried a version of this today and decided to food process things in this order. 1st roasted dried chilies and dry roasted spices, 2nd roasted nuts and seeds ( I used pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, Hubbard squash seeds, and almonds) 3rd reconstituted dried fruit (I used dried apricots as I had not raisins) and a can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies, 4th toasted bread and tortillas 4th sauted garlic and onion. 5th very dark chocolate bar. this gets to a paste that I then mix with chicken broth as needed (made about 4 batches I froze 3) this order with the food processor meant I could just add the next thing I was roasting and I didn't need the coffee grinder for spices and may have been a little faster. I have never made Mole before but it is one of my favorite foods and I have watched a few women prepare it in Oaxaca and other parts of Mexico, while mine was not as good as theirs it was pretty amazing. I did not have some of the whole spices in my cupboard so I just dry roasted the ground spices, it enhanced the flavor. Thanks for the inspiration! I will definitely make it again.

    Reply
  16. Anonymous says

    October 7, 2013 at 12:46 am

    It's simmering right now. Mighty tasty stuff!! My plantains weren't ripe enough so it seemed a bit starchy, added more chicken stock. I'm probably going to give it another rollin the blender and a strain before serving. Thanks!!

    Reply
  17. kevin says

    October 7, 2013 at 3:48 pm

    Anonymous: I am glad that you like it! If you prefer it smooth the extra go in the blender followed by straining will do the trick nicely!

    Reply
  18. Thomas says

    February 20, 2020 at 4:21 am

    Look yummy! One of my favorite Mole Sauce, nice to see your recipe, easy to follow, will cook this for family this weekend. Thanks you!

    Reply
  19. Deborah Liter says

    April 30, 2020 at 10:46 am

    I have wanted to attempt mole for years. This weekend I will be using your recipe in preparation for Cinco de Mayo. I’ll be using the mole to make your Mole Chicken Enchildas! I’ll report back. Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Ronda says

    August 12, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    This is the perfect mole sauce for beginners! If you haven’t tried it before, this is a great place to start. It pairs perfectly with the chicken too. So delicious!

    Reply
  21. Samantha says

    September 14, 2020 at 9:45 pm

    Awesome! Thank you for sharing this! We eat a lot of Mexican food & this would be perfect with so many dishes! I am so excited to try it!

    Reply
  22. Chelle Thompson says

    November 25, 2020 at 10:00 pm

    This is the perfect mole sauce for beginners! If you haven’t tried it before, this is a great place to start. It pairs perfectly with the chicken too. So delicious!

    Reply
  23. Diana says

    December 31, 2020 at 10:13 pm

    Could we break up the recipe by toasting the ingredients on the first day, and then pureeing them and cooking on the second day? I don’t see why not, but wondering if it changes the quality of the sauce if the toasted ingredients get a little soft in the fridge overnight

    Reply
    • kevin says

      January 4, 2021 at 10:17 am

      Yes you can!

      Reply
  24. Helen Kennedy says

    May 19, 2021 at 6:21 am

    I can’t get fresh tomatillos easily. Could I use canned instead ? I can also get tomatillo salsa, would that be another substitute?

    Reply
    • kevin says

      May 31, 2021 at 3:06 pm

      Yes you can!

      Reply
  25. Kenny says

    October 7, 2021 at 8:30 am

    FABULOUS recipe! Sauce was truly authentic with just the right amount of heat and SO much incredible flavor.

    Reply
  26. Shelly says

    January 10, 2022 at 10:26 pm

    This recipe was exactly what i was looking for my mom and i loved it. This was the very first mole i had ever made the video helped big time. i finally got my mole fix.

    Reply

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