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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas in the dish. Make sure they are all coated in the sauce.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Often it is accidentally vegan, but not always. Make sure to check the ingredients list for any dairy.
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.
Yes, you can. The benefit to using flour tortillas is they are easier to fill and roll up.
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.
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:
- Easy Salsa
- Black Bean Salad with Avocado
- Vegan Queso Dip with tortillas chips
- Refried Beans
- Cabbage Steaks
- Roasted Zucchini and Squash
- Vegan Coleslaw
And consider having this delicious Vegan Tres Leches for dessert!
Want more vegan Mexican-inspired dinners?
The Best Vegan Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada sauce:
- 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
Taco “meat”:
- 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
The rest:
- 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
Instructions
- Make a 1/2 recipe of Nacho Cheese Sauce. Set aside.
Make the Enchilada Sauce (or use store bought)
- Measure and add all the dry ingredients to a small bowl (flour, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt). Have the tomato paste and vegetable broth ready and nearby.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil (or water.) Once warm, pour in the flour/spice mixture and whisk constantly for about a minute. Whisk in the tomato paste, then slowly pour in the broth, whisking constantly.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes, whisking often to remove lumps. It should thicken a bit. Remove from heat, and whisk in the vinegar. Taste and add more salt as needed. Set aside.
Make the Plant Meat
- If using whole cauliflower, wash, chop off the florets and place them in a food processor. Pulse, creating rice. Add 2 cups of cauliflower rice to a large pan on the stove.
- Add the mushrooms and walnuts to the food processor, and pulse until they are a similar consistency as the cauliflower. Don’t over process. Add to the pan with the cauliflower.
- Turn the heat to medium-high, and pour in the oil or broth, spices and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt to taste, and remove from heat. Stir in the black beans.
Assemble the Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Wrap 5 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel, and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute to soften. This will make them much easier to roll.
- Fill each tortilla with a scoop of “meat” and a spoonful of cheese sauce. Roll and place into the prepared pan. Repeat until all the tortillas are used. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top, then pour the rest of the cheese on top of the red sauce.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly. Top with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Gluten free – For gluten free, use gluten free flour in the enchilada sauce, tamari instead of soy sauce and 100% corn tortillas.
- Enchilada sauce – You can purchase your own enchilada sauce instead of making it from scratch. Check the ingredients to ensure it’s vegan friendly. You will need about 3 cups.
- Plant meat alternative – Instead of the plant meat, you could use Beyond or another vegan beef or chicken substitute. I would cook 12-16 ounces with a packet of taco seasoning, then use for the filling. Soy curls work as well, or even mixed roasted vegetables. The possibilities are endless.
- Tortillas – I prefer corn, but you can use flour tortillas as well. If you use larger ones, they are much easier to fill as well!
- Cheese – May substitute vegan cheese shreds instead of making the cheese. I like Violife, but you can use whatever you like. You will need about 3 cups, depending on how much cheese you want to use.
- Nut free – To make nut-free, omit the walnuts from the “meat” and use my Nut Free Cheese Sauce instead of the cashew based sauce.
Made the sauce for black bean corn enchiladas ??. Delish. Thanks
You’re welcome! So glad it was good!
This was pretty good but I felt like by the time the dish was done all the enchilada sauce was gone. Like it absorbed into the other ingredients or something? I assembled it ahead of time and then baked it about 7 hours later, so maybe that’s why?
My boyfriend hates mushrooms, so I didn’t tell him it had mushrooms. He tried it and asked what the “meat” was made of. He guessed it was just fake meat crumbles. It totally didn’t have the mushroom texture that a lot of people dislike.
Yes, if you leave corn (or flour) tortillas covered in the sauce for hours they will just absorb it all. It’s kind of like you are soaking them in enchilada sauce. 🙂 It won’t happen if you assemble and cook right away. You could prep by making the “meat”, cheese and sauce, then assemble and bake when you are ready. I’m glad you liked the meat crumbles!
By far one of the tastiest vegan dishes i’ve prepared. I made some slight changes to up the spice level of the sauce and “meat” and did my own version of queso since I’m quite in love with it (it’s a cashew and roasted sweet potato base with nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, and hatch green chiles to flavor). This will definitely become a regular in my house, and the meat is absolutely perfect for taco night on its own. I have wanted a good whole-food alternative to vegan meat crumbles and this is definitely a winner.
Your queso sounds wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed these enchiladas.
I just tried this for a late lunch today . Didn’t have all the ingredients for the nacho cheese sauce so I just used the enchilada sauce and vegan cheese. These were awesome. Will definitely make again.
Glad it was good!
Do you add the cauliflower to a cold pan with no oil and then add nuts and mushrooms plus stock?
Yes, a cold pan with not oil, then add the nuts and mushrooms as you process them, THEN the broth. That’s when you turn on the heat. Hope that helps!
Made the sauce for black bean corn enchiladas ??. Delish. Thanks
We made these with your tofu taco filling and black beans and used the nacho cheese sauce and enchilada sauce— delicious! True comfort food!
Sounds delicious!
Everything about this recipe looks fabulous. However, my partner doesn’t care for mushrooms, cauliflower or walnuts. How do you think it would be, using a bean/onion filling instead? Thanks in advance! I have been a fan of your recipes for some time now. My first and favorite (thus far) recipe of yours has got to be your nacho cheese sauce. That stuff is heavenly and 100% helped me commit to veganism!?
Hi Megan, thank you so much for your kind words! That makes me so happy to hear about the nacho cheese sauce. 🙂 That is totally fine to replace the “meat” with a bean/onion filling. I have even used a mixture of black beans and beyond beef substitute before, and it turned out great. Thanks!
I’m getting ready to make this recipe and wanted to know if I could make everything ahead of time, store overnight and then bake the next day? I have kids, and preparing this dinner for a vegan family the next day.
Yes, that will work. Thank you!
I just had the exact same question – so glad you posted it. I made these last weekend and they were easily the best thing I’ve had in my seven weeks of being vegan. Love this site and your recipes – your lentil soup is also a favorite already!
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you love the enchiladas and the lentil soup!
Could you make these without the mushrooms my husband is allergic!
Yes, just use a little more cauliflower or walnuts in place of the mushrooms.
My husband and I started a plant based lifestyle almost two years ago. This recipe is amazing. I have made it 3 times for my non-vegan/vegetarian friends. Everybody raved about it. Leftovers are the best. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much, I’m so happy you are enjoying this enchilada recipe! The leftovers of these are SO GOOD.
These enchiladas are incredibly delicious. I love the sauce, the filling & the cashew cheese sauce. I am so happy I found this great recipe. I’ve been using quite a few of your recipes lately, and they have all been great! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy you are finding so many recipes to try here! Thank you.
How long can these store in the fridge? Or left over “meat” store? I doubled the recipe and had lots left over.
They will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, and you could also freeze some. The “meat” can be frozen separately as well. Thank you!
Do these freeze well? Maybe hold the vegan cheese sauce until defrosted?
Thank you!!
Yes, they will freeze well. Yes, hold the cheese sauce if possible until defrosted. The cheese sauce freezes okay but is definitely better fresh. Thank you!
This recipe is outstanding!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this. Not only did it look beautiful after pouring some of the cheesy enchilada sauce on top with cilantro but I could totally see this being served in a restaurant. The mix of flavors are insane and as one commenter put it, better than any omnivore enchilada I’ve had and I’m an omnivore. My roomie who is vegan absolutely loved it. It was a lot of work and time consuming (about 2 hours all told for me and I made the nut-free nacho cheese) but well worth every minute. For anyone thinking of buying store bought enchilada sauce, you MUST try Nora’s homemade version first. I am making this for my next dinner party.
These are the best enchiladas I’ve ever made regardless of the vegan/gluten free. It took me a lot longer than 20 minutes but next time it will go much faster. For us, this made two 9×11 pans and served 3 of us a light dinner. So we had it two nights in a row. I’ve told many people how good these were.
Probably the best vegan recipe I’ve tried in my 6 years of being vegan! Easy, whole foods , delicious, not too time consuming … and the whole family loved it. The nacho dip is outstanding. Thank you!!
Thank you so much! Glad everyone enjoyed it!
I am not a vegan, however, my stepdaughter is and she is staying with us for the weekend. I made this recipe for her, along with the nut free nacho cheese and wow… what a great recipe!! It’s really really good and the “meat” filling surprisingly has the same texture and flavor as real meat. I saved this recipe and will likely make it even if she’s not here since it has such wholesome ingredients and it’s really tasty. I also pinned your vegan lasagna recipe and will make that tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipes. They will keep my stepdaughter full and happy.
Absolutely fantastic enchiladas! I used Trader Joe’s bottled enchiladas sauce because I was short on time but your filling and nacho cheese recipes were delicious! (I also added frozen corn to the filling!)
Made the enchilada sauce and cheese but used gardein meat and refried beans to stuff the enchiladas. My kids loved it, even my son who usually doesn’t enjoy my enchiladas. They didn’t seem to miss the dairy cheese, at all. I made the whole batch of cheese. I added hot sauce and more taco seasoning to the leftover cheese and had to cut my son off from dipping chips into it. Normal cheese sauce is just junk- happy to see him enjoy this much healthier version. So glad I made the whole batch to use for other meals/snacks! Thanks!
Awesome! They are the best vegan enchiladas I’ve made! Yummy:))
Yay, thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the enchiladas!
Simply delicious,.thank you
Sooooo good!! Definitely will be making again!
Do you know if these would freeze well? If so, any helpful tips on how to freeze and reheat? I’ve never froze enchiladas but could really use some freezer meals!
Yeah, you could freeze these enchiladas. You could freeze them by doing everything except the last step of baking them, then cover well with foil (or a lid if you have a large covered casserole dish.) You could also simply make the enchiladas, and freeze any of the leftovers in smaller containers for quick meals. Hope that helps!
What kind of corn tortillasdo you use? All the non gmo ones has a strong smell l can’t stand. I thought it was just me but l have met a couple of people that say the same thing. The ones without the non gmo labels don’t stink. ..l wonder why. We love enchiladas and want to make but can’t find neutral “smelling” tortillas. ?
I know what you’re talking about with the smell. It doesn’t usually bother me, but I use a variety of corn tortillas. Sometimes I use Trader Joe’s brand, or Whole Foods, or even just mission tortillas. I also like the corn/wheat blend ones at Trader Joe’s. Not sure what’s up with that smell! 🙂
Such a great recipe! Combines some of your best recipes and creates some scrumptious and hearty and nourishing enchiladas!!