The Best Vegan Enchiladas

Name: The Best Vegan Enchiladas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil (or water for oil free); 3 tablespoons all purpose flour; 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 cups vegetable broth; 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar; 2 cups riced cauliflower (1/2 medium head cauliflower); 4 ounces mushrooms; 1/2 cup raw walnuts; 2 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable broth for oil free); 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce; 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste; 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed; 1/2 Recipe Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce; 12-15 corn tortillas; 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; Vegan Sour Cream (for serving)

These vegan enchiladas are seriously the best! They’re stuffed with plant meat and cheese, smothered with red enchilada sauce and baked for 20 minutes.

If you love enchiladas as much as I do, make sure to check out my Vegan Sour Cream Enchiladas, Vegan Enchilada Casserole and Skillet Enchiladas.

vegan enchiladas being lifted out of casserole dish

Enchiladas make the best Mexican-inspired dinner, and this vegan version is truly incredible. With over 100 5-star ratings, you know they’re going to be good!

It’s true if you make everything from scratch they are a little time intensive. But you can make the recipe easier with a few shortcuts, or prepare the enchilada sauce, cheese and/or plant meat on the weekend for an easier weeknight meal.

Whether you make them exactly as written, or use a few store bought shortcuts, they are sure to be totally delicious!

The best vegan enchilada recipe

These are the best ever vegan enchiladas for a couple of reasons:

Instead of just substituting vegan beef or chicken, we are making easy homemade cauliflower walnut mushroom “meat”. It’s delicious and made with whole plants, just like my Cauliflower Tacos recipe!
The vegan cheese sauce is to die for. I prefer my Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce for the enchiladas. Often vegan enchiladas just don’t have cheese at all, but mine are super cheesy and rich.
The easy vegan enchilada sauce takes the flavor over the top. You can also use a quality store bought enchilada sauce, but homemade tastes so good.

Ingredients needed (with substitutions)

For the enchilada sauce:

Olive oil – Or water for oil free
Flour – Or gluten free flour
Chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt
Tomato paste
Vegetable broth
Apple cider vinegar

Plant based “meat”:

Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Walnuts
Vegetable broth or olive oil
Cumin, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder
Soy sauce – Tamari for gluten free

The rest:

Black beans – May use pinto beans or lentils instead.
Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce – You only need 1/2 of the recipe. May also use store bought vegan cheddar cheese shreds.
Corn tortillas – You could use flour tortillas if preferred.
Cilantro, optional

looking down on a dish of vegan enchiladas with cilantro

How to make vegan enchiladas

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.

If you make the sauce, cheese and filling from scratch then it does take a little while to prepare the enchiladas. The end result is worth it for an exceptional meal, but there are some shortcuts you can take to make it easier. I’ll walk you through it here with photos.

First, make the enchilada sauce

Or purchase pre-made enchilada sauce – When I first posted this recipe in 2019, I had a hard time finding vegan enchilada sauce. Now it’s much easier for me to find, so I don’t usually make it at home. I like Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce, Frontera and other store brands.

If you want to make the homemade sauce, it’s quite simple. You’ll warm a little oil (or water for oil free) in a small pan, whisk in the spices and flour, then the tomato paste and vegetable broth. Whisk and simmer for about 5 minutes, until it thickens somewhat. Remove from heat and set aside.

small pot full of red sauce with a whisk in it

Make the cauliflower mushroom meat filling

Using a food processor, pulse the cauliflower several times until it’s in small pieces, like rice. Then pulse the mushrooms and walnuts a few times until they are a similar consistency as the cauliflower. You could chop them all very small with a knife if you don’t have a food processor.

Add the vegetables and walnuts to a large pan, heat to medium-high heat. Pour in the oil or vegetable broth, spices and soy sauce. Stir well to combine everything. Continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt to taste, then stir in the black beans.

bean vegetable mixture for vegan enchiladas in a pan

Make the vegan cheese

I went with my Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce, which is made super creamy from raw cashews, and is so easy to make. You only need 1/2 of a recipe, so just cut everything in half. I highly recommend it, BUT you could also use my Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce or Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce.

Or use store bought vegan cheese shreds. Vegan cheese has come a long way in the last decade. While I still prefer using homemade vegan cheese sauce for the enchiladas, sometimes I use vegan cheese shreds, like Violife cheddar or another brand.

Assemble the enchiladas

All that’s left to do with assemble and bake!

Warm about 5 corn tortillas at a time in the microwave. I wrap them in a paper towel and moisten with a little water, then microwave for 30 seconds or so until soft.

Fill each tortilla with a scoop of the meat filling and cheese sauce (or shreds). Roll up as tightly as possible and place in the prepared baking dish.

small corn tortilla with bean filling, cheese sauce on white plate

Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas in the dish. Make sure they are all coated in the sauce.

red sauce over rolled tortillas in a big white dish

Now pour the rest of the cheese sauce on top of the red sauce (or sprinkle with cheese). Bake for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, at 375 degrees F.

creamy white sauce covering red enchiladas in a casserole dish

Frequently asked questions

Is enchilada sauce vegan?

Often it is accidentally vegan, but not always. Make sure to check the ingredients list for any dairy.

What else can I use as the vegan enchilada filling?

The possibilities are endless! Use a package of Beyond or other vegan meat substitute (vegan beef or chicken) and cook it with a packet of taco seasoning. Or a mixture of roasted sweet potatoes or squash, other vegetables, black beans, cooked quinoa, spinach and/or corn. Soy curls seasoned with taco seasoning or other spices would also be good.

Can I use flour tortillas instead of corn?

Yes, you can. The benefit to using flour tortillas is they are easier to fill and roll up.

How can I make nut free vegan enchiladas?

To make the enchiladas nut free, leave out the walnuts (or use sunflower seeds instead) from the “meat”. Use my Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce instead of the cashew based cheese, or nut free vegan cheese shreds.

whole pan of vegan enchiladas with cilantro on top

What to serve with vegan enchiladas

Often I serve these easy vegan enchiladas with Vegan Sour Cream, shredded lettuce and perhaps a side of Mexican rice. Here are some other ideas:

And consider having this delicious Vegan Tres Leches for dessert!

vegan enchiladas, showing plant meat inside

Want more vegan Mexican-inspired dinners?

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