These incredibly delicious, protein-packed Vegan Enchiladas are a plant-based take on a traditional comfort food that your family will love!
I have friends from Texas who swear by the fact that Tex-Mex food is a gift given to us directly by God. At first, the idea of making a vegan version of their favorite Tex-Mex dishes was simply unthinkable, but I think I'm slowly wearing them down.
I started to win them over with my vegan nacho cheese sauce that we poured over a sheet pan loaded with my homemade oil-free baked tortilla chips, taco tofu crumbles and creamy guacamole. That was a huge success. Now I've convinced them to try my version of a staple Tex-Mex dish: vegan enchiladas.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- If you're new to a plant-based diet and miss enjoying all of your favorite, meat-filled Mexican dishes, then these vegan enchiladas will hit the spot! The filling is hearty, smoky and meaty and the classic enchiladas sauce poured over the top will give you that nostalgic flavor you're looking for.
- Whenever I'm short on time, store-bought tortillas, vegan cheese and enchiladas sauce makes this recipe come together so quickly. However, if I have a little extra time, I love to make my own whole wheat tortillas and this amazing vegan enchiladas sauce.
- Easy to freeze and even better as leftovers, you'll want to make a double batch every time!
- These vegan enchiladas are super adaptable. Switch up the beans in the filling, use tofu instead of tempeh, and use whichever vegan cheese is your favorite.
Ingredients
- Tempeh - tempeh gives these enchiladas a hearty, meaty flavor and will keep you nice and full!
- Liquid smoke - this is a staple in my pantry as plant-based eater. It's basically smoke turned into a concentrated liquid and it gives beans, tofu and tempeh a meaty flavor.
- Soy sauce - I personally like to use less-sodium soy sauce. You can always add more salt if needed, but you can't take it away!
- Shredded vegan cheese - Vegan cheddar cheese will give you that classic enchilada flavor, but really, any vegan cheese will give these enchiladas the rich, cheesiness you're expecting. Violife is my favorite!
- Enchiladas Sauce - I love to make my own enchiladas sauce, but feel free to save some time and buy store-bought sauce.
- Tortillas - If using store-bought, you'll want 10-inch tortillas.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Liquid Smoke - If you can't find liquid smoke (an amazing ingredient that adds a meaty flavor) then you can try finding smoked paprika and using that instead of plain paprika. The smoked paprika will add the smoky flavor you want!
- Cheese - If you want to use less processed ingredients in this recipe, you could always try making a thicker version of my nacho cheese sauce to drizzle inside of these enchiladas.
- Black beans - I love black beans in my enchiladas, but use whatever beans you have on hand. Kidney would work well!
- Tortillas - I'm always trying to use whole grains in my meals, but any tortilla that bends well and holds its shape will work great in this recipe.
How to Make Vegan Enchiladas
Step 1: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add in the minced garlic and tempeh and cook until the tempeh starts to brown. Add in the beans and spices and stir to combine. Lastly pour over the soy sauce and liquid smoke.
Step 2: Preheat your oven and assemble the enchiladas. Spread about ½-1 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread a spoonful of the tempeh/bean mixture across the center of a tortilla. Next sprinkle over some shredded vegan cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down into your prepared baking dish. Continue this process until all 8 tortillas have been filled and placed in the dish.
Step 3: Pour over the remaining enchilada sauce and spread it evenly over the tortillas. Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with the remaining ½ cup of shredded vegan cheese.
Step 4: Bake the enchiladas uncovered for about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Top Tips
- You'll want to use moldable tortillas that hold their shape so that the enchiladas hold their shape and retain the filling when you go to serve them.
- Add toppings! Toppings are what take these vegan enchiladas to the next level. In addition to freshly chopped lettuce and salsa, I love to top mine with guacamole, cashew sour cream, and more homemade vegan cheese sauce. Yum!
Recipe FAQs
When I'm in a rush, I simply microwave leftover enchiladas until heated through. If you have a little more time, you can always bake them. Place them in an oven safe baking dish, cover them with foil and bake them for about 30 minutes at 350F or until hot in the center.
We love to add lots of toppings to our enchiladas. Some of our favorites are salsa, cashew sour cream, homemade guacamole, crisp lettuce, and cilantro.
To make vegan enchiladas you'll need to replace the meat and dairy in traditional enchiladas. You can use beans, tempeh, tofu or seitan instead of meat in the filling and choose store-bought vegan cheese...or make your own!
More Vegan Tex-Mex Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a comment further down the page!
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 block tempeh
- ½ onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 14.5 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke optional
- 2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
- Salt to taste
- 1 ½-2 cups shredded vegan cheese divided
- 8 flour tortillas
- 2 cups enchilada sauce See notes for the recipe I like to use!
- For Serving: shredded lettuce, salsa, vegan sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat
- While the oil is heating, prepare the tempeh mixture. If you have a food processor, rip the block of tempeh into smaller chunks and place it in your food processor. Pulse the tempeh until it is the size of ground beef. If you don't have a food processor, just cut or crumble the tempeh into small pieces.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the chopped onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add in the minced garlic and tempeh and cook until the tempeh starts to brown.
- Add in the drain and rinsed black beans as well as the spices and stir to combine. Lastly pour over the soy sauce and liquid smoke and stir again to make sure all the tempeh and black beans have been well seasoned.
- Taste the mixture and add more salt or spices to taste.
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and start assembling the enchiladas. Pour about ½-1 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish and spread it out to coat the bottom of the dish.
- Place a tortilla flat on a clean surface and spread a spoonful of the tempeh/bean mixture across the tortilla. Next sprinkle over a small handful of the shredded vegan cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down into your prepared baking dish. Continue this process until all 8 tortillas have been filled and placed in the dish. You'll want to use about 1 cup of the shredded vegan cheese, or more as needed.
- Pour over the remaining enchilada sauce and spread it evenly over the tortillas. Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with the remaining ½ cup of shredded vegan cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas uncovered for about 20 minutes.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings such as shredded lettuce, salsa, vegan cashew sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, etc.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for a few days.
Susan says
I added a chopped avocado to the mix. Did not use vegan cheese ( my husband does not like it) but this is a GREAT use of tempeh and I will use the base in some other dishes. This is definitely going into our rotation!
Faith VanderMolen says
I'm glad you enjoyed these enchiladas! Thanks for sharing Susan!
Sherri says
Hi Faith,
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! My husband really loved it too!
Thanks,
Sherri
Faith VanderMolen says
So glad you enjoyed them Sherri! We actually had them last night too...so good!
Kim says
These turned out great! I used tofu instead of tempeh, and they were even better than I expected. Thanks for the recipe!
Faith VanderMolen says
So happy to hear that Kim! Thanks for sharing!
Jordan says
Can't wait to make this! I've missed eating these. Is vegan cheese necessary? Can they be made without?
Faith VanderMolen says
I really hope you like them Jordan! And you could omit the cheese if you want, but the filling won't hold together as well and they obviously won't be cheesy. If you're trying to stay away from processed cheeses, you could try making a thicker version of my Nacho Cheese sauce (https://theconscientiouseater.com/vegan-nacho-cheese-sauce/) and adding that to the filling for some cheesy goodness!
Jordan says
Thank you thank you Faith❤️🙏🏾