Vegan Enchiladas
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Published Aug 19, 2022, Updated Oct 14, 2022
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These healthy vegan enchiladas are packed with flavor and nutritious ingredients. They’re stuffed with black beans and corn and topped with a delicious creamy vegan queso!
If you know me, you know how much I love Mexican food. And enchiladas are at the top of the list! I have a vegetarian enchilada bake, chicken enchilada soup and a healthy chicken enchilada recipe, but I haven’t tackled vegan enchiladas… until now.
This recipe offers all the traditional flavors and signature comfort factor of creamy, cheesy, meaty enchiladas but without the dairy or the meat. I can’t wait for you to try them!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s satisfying and loaded with nutrition.
- It offers a great vegan alternative to this traditional Mexican meat-filled recipe.
- Once put together, these enchiladas cook up in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients Needed
- olive oil – for sautéing the veggies.
- corn – I like using canned or frozen corn kernels for ease, but you can absolutely use fresh sweet corn as well!
- black beans – I used canned black beans, but you can totally cook them from dry beans if you’d like.
- garlic, onion, chili powder and cumin – to give these enchiladas that traditional Mexican flavor.
- sea salt – brings all the flavors together.
- cilantro – fresh cilantro is a must for these enchiladas!
- enchilada sauce – I used store-bought sauce for this recipe to save time! Your favorite brand of red enchilada sauce will work! My go-to is the Siete Foods red enchilada sauce. Feel free to also make homemade enchilada sauce if you’re feeling up for it! I LOVE the homemade sauce in my chicken enchiladas recipe.
- tortillas – you’ll need 8 6-inch tortillas for these enchiladas. I used whole wheat tortillas, but corn tortillas will also work.
- vegan queso – a deliciously creamy vegan cheese sauce made with cashews, sweet potatoes, nutritional yeast and spices! We’re adding the queso to the inside of the enchiladas and drizzling a little on top!
- toppings – green onions, fresh cilantro, salsa, vegan sour cream or yogurt, sliced avocado and jalapeños all make great toppings for these enchiladas. Feel free to pick your faves!
How to Make
Make the queso: Peel sweet potatoes and chop into cubes. Place in a steamer basket, cover and steam for 15 minutes or until fork tender. Add sweet potatoes to a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Make the enchiladas: Sauté onion and garlic. Add corn, black beans, spices and cilantro to pan and heat through for about 10 minutes. On each tortilla, spread 2 tablespoons of queso on the bottom and then spoon the black bean mixture on top. Place rolled tortillas seam side down in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Then pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and drizzle with additional queso.
Bake the enchiladas: Place in a 400°F oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Enjoy with the toppings of your choice!
pro tip! Make sure to not spread the queso all the way to the edges of the tortilla otherwise the sauce will likely spill out as you roll it.
The Best Tortillas to Use
Traditional Mexican-style enchiladas are typically made with corn tortillas, but for these enchiladas I used flour tortillas as that’s what I prefer and they’re easier to roll. I like using whole wheat tortillas because they are higher in fiber and lower in calories than white flour tortillas, but will provide a similar taste and texture for this recipe. That said, white flour tortillas or corn tortilla will both work for this recipe!
How to Serve
When serving these enchiladas I usually have a few topping options on hand including green onions, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, sliced avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream/yogurt and more queso. You don’t need all of these. Pick your favorite toppings and use those!
These vegan enchiladas are a meal on their own, but it’s always fun to have a few sides… especially if you’re hosting dinner. Here are some options:
- Sides: chips and salsa, refried beans, black bean dip, healthy guacamole, avocado salad or Mexican street corn salad
- Drinks: skinny paloma or skinny margarita
How to Store Leftovers
In the fridge: To store, use an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. The longer they sit the soggier the tortillas will get.
In the freezer: I haven’t tried freezing these enchiladas, but I would imagine they’d freeze just fine. You can freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, let the enchiladas thaw in the fridge and then bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until warmed throughout.
More Healthy Mexican Recipes
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Healthy Mexican Layer Dip
- Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
- Tempeh Taco Salad
- Healthy Guacamole with Frozen Peas
- Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
- Red Chilaquiles
- Taco Soup
Popular Vegan Recipes
- Vegan Burrito Bowl
- Vegan Power Bowl
- Buddha Bowl
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Lentil Loaf
- Falafel Bowls (Homemade Cava Bowls)
- Vegan Cobb Salad
- Sriracha Cauliflower and Chickpea Sheet Pan Meal
- Lentil Meatballs
Be sure to check out all of the vegan recipes as well as the full collection of healthy Mexican recipes on EBF!
Vegan Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 15 ounce can corn, drained and rinsed or 1 ½ cups frozen corn
- 2 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
- 8 6-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
- 1 cup vegan queso, plus more for topping
- Green onions and fresh cilantro, for topping
- Salsa, for topping
- Vegan sour cream or Greek yogurt yogurt, for topping
- Sliced avocado, for topping
- Jalapeños, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- If you haven’t done so already, make your vegan queso and set aside.
- Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add corn, black beans, chili powder, cumin, salt and cilantro. Cook for about 10 minutes or until beans and corn are warm throughout..
- Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a 9×13" pan with cooking spray.
- Spread 2 Tablespoons of vegan queso on tortilla, making sure to not spread it all the way to the edges, otherwise the sauce might spill out. Fill each tortilla with black bean mixture. Roll the tortilla up and place into the baking dish, seam side down.
- Once all of the tortillas are filled, cover with enchilada sauce, using a spatula or spoon to spread the sauce. Drizzle about ⅛-¼ cup more queso on top, if desired.
- Bake in the oven on the middle rack for about 20 minutes or until enchiladas are warm throughout.
- Serve enchiladas with your toppings of choice: green onions, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, sliced avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream/yogurt and more queso.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had vegan enchiladas before am a vegan so this is perfect for me perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
I can’t wait to hear how you enjoy this recipe, Ramya! Thank you for being here, I so appreciate it!
This would be a dish I would love to make ahead and stick in the freezer…..but i am worried that the tortillas would get soggy, maybe??? Hoping someone tries it or knows the best plan to do that and comments here….lol
If I wanted to make the whole pan for the freezer…..should i just assemble and not bake until i thaw it later?
Hey Melissa – I haven’t tried freezing these, but I believe it’ll be just fine if you wanted to assemble the enchiladas, freeze the whole pan and then bake from frozen (they’ll just take longer to cook from frozen). You could also bake as directed, let cool and then freeze the whole pan. Then when you’re ready to eat, thaw and heat in the oven or microwave. Let me know what you end up trying and how it turns out for you!
Wow! Made these today w the queso for my wfpb self and meat eating hubby and he said he loved them! I did add a handful of extra sweet potato to the enchilada base since it was left over from the queso. I am putting half unbaked in the freezer- I think they will be an easy dinner, just add guacamole and a side salad. Thank you Brittany.
Yay!! I’m so pumped to hear you loved this recipe, Cindy. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
These are SO good! I toned down the chili powder a little bit just for personal preference but this is going to be a new favorite recipe.
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Ginger. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I made these – honestly so good – can’t believe there’s no cheese in there! Thanks so much love your recipes.
WOO! I am so happy to hear that you are loving this recipe, Laura. Thank you so much or sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I made this and it was a hit!
My daughter and her boyfriend were coming to dinner. They are both vegan, and we try to eat vegan mostly as well.
We all absolutely loved it.
It’s a keeper for sure.
I added some refried beans to the bottom of the tortilla also and felt it was a great addition.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay! I am so glad this recipe is a hit for you and your family, Brenda. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
These were so quick and delicious! We love the queso and have made it quite a few times! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!