These Vegan Black Bean Enchiladas are stuffed with sweet potatoes, vegan cheese, and vegan ground ‘beef’ (like Beyond Meat or Gardein). They’re topped off with a spicy red enchilada sauce, a generous helping of vegan cheese, sliced jalapenos, and cilantro!
This easy weeknight dinner is completely plant-based and vegetarian, but I guarantee these enchiladas will be eaten right up by omnivores alike.
Why You’ll Love ThEse Vegan Enchiladas
Of all my staple recipes, this enchilada recipe is at the top of my list because of how easy and filling it is.
- Less Than 1 Hour: These easy vegan enchiladas take under an hour to make and are full of so many Mexican-inspired flavors.
- Quick and Easy: This recipe uses a store-bought red enchilada sauce and taco seasoning to speed up the prep time, but feel free to use homemade alternatives!
- Perfect for All Eaters: I promise you’ll have people guessing that these enchiladas are vegan because they’re that delicious, filling, and flavorful!
Plant Based Enchilada Ingredients
What goes in veggie enchiladas, you may ask? What I love about this recipe is that you only need a few ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry. To make the vegan enchiladas, you’ll need to gather the following ingredients:
- Corn Tortillas or Flour Tortillas
- Onion & Garlic
- Green Bell Pepper
- Black Beans
- Sweet Potatoes
- Vegan Beefless Ground, homemade or store-bought like Trader Joes, Beyond Meat or Gardein
- Red Enchilada Sauce
- Taco Seasoning
- Vegan Cheddar Cheese
vegan beefless ground
My favorite vegan ground ‘beef’ is by Trader Joe’s. Their beefless ground is located near the tofu at my local Trader Joe’s and is stored in the refrigerator, not the freezer. Their beefless ground has the perfect texture, isn’t too dry, and has just the right amount of flavor.
If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, you can definitely use ground ‘beef’ by Gardein or Beyond Meat. These will also work wonderfully in this recipe. Gardein’s beefless ground is neutral in flavor which is great in this recipe. Beyond Meat is also tasty, but just be aware that it has a more distinct flavor which may overpower some of the other spices & flavors in the dish.
vegan cheese
A lot of people have mixed opinions around vegan cheese. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Vegan cheese can be hit or miss, so even if you’re not a dairy-free cheese lover, I recommend trying out multiple brands to find the one that you like the most!
Over the past 10 years, I’ve tried out many different kinds of vegan cheese. Below are some of the ones that I feel work best in this recipe:
Violife Just Like Cheddar Shreds: This is what I used in this recipe. Violife’s cheddar melts beautifully and has a creamy texture without having an overpowering taste. It’s saltier than some other brands I’ve tried, so keep that in mind when adding seasoning to recipes.
Trader Joe’s Vegan Cheddar Shreds: I love Trader Joe’s vegan cheese. It’s affordable and works great in dishes where the cheese will be melted.
Field Roast Chao Cheese Shreds: Chao just came out with their shredded vegan cheese and I’m all about it! It’s on the pricier side, but for good reason because this is one of my favorite vegan cheese brands.
Daiya Cutting Board Cheddar Shreds: Daiya often gets a bad wrap for having a very distinctive taste. BUT they’ve modified their recipe over the years and came out with the Cutting Board Collection. So if you haven’t tried them recently you should try them out again. Daiya is the brand that often goes on sale the most at my local big-box grocery store making it the most affordable option for me.
How to Make Vegan Enchiladas
To make this recipe you’ll need a large non-stick skillet and a 9×13″ baking dish. Because these enchiladas are rolled up and baked to perfection this is somewhat of a meatless enchilada casserole! You’ll saute the filling in the skillet and then pop the assembled enchiladas in the oven to get brown and crispy at the edges.
Follow these simple steps to make this recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic until tender and translucent.
- Add the diced green pepper and diced sweet potato. Cook covered until the sweet potato is tender.
- Then add in the black beans, the beefless ground and the packet of taco seasoning.
- Lower the heat and add a 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce to the mixture.
- Assemble the enchiladas by adding about ¼ cup of the bean and sweet potato mixture to a corn tortilla, rolling it up and placing it seam side down into a 9×13” glass pan. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
- Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle the vegan cheese over the enchiladas.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Top with diced avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Vegetarian & Vegan Enchilada Filling Ideas
There are so many possibilities when making veggie enchiladas. While this recipe is filled with black beans, green bell pepper, sweet potato, and beefless ground, there are so many other ingredients you could use!
Some more filling ideas are:
- Red or Brown Lentils
- Walnut ‘Meat’
- Vegan ‘Chicken’
- Fajita style veggies
- Potato
- Pinto Beans or Refined Beans
- Spinach
- Or anything else you have on hand!
You can serve these enchiladas with easy vegan cornbread or this mango habanero salsa!
veggie enchilada tips & tricks
You can use either corn tortillas or flour tortillas in this recipe. I prefer corn since they crisp up so nicely in the oven, and I find they don’t get as soggy the next day as flour tortillas.
Corn tortillas have a tendency to break easier than flour tortillas. Especially if they aren’t fresh or they’ve been stored in the fridge. If your tortillas are cracking when assembling the enchiladas, no worries! All you need to do is warm the tortilla up before rolling the enchiladas. You can pop them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, or heat them in a skillet for 30 seconds.
This recipe makes about 9-10 enchiladas. This is the perfect amount to fit in a 9×13″ pan. I typically place 7-8 enchiladas lengthwise and then squeeze the remaining 2 along the side of the pan (see the photos above).
more tasty veggie dinner ideas
- Garlic Aioli Vegan Fish Tacos
- The Best Vegan BBQ Chick’n Pizza
- Veggie “Chicken” Pot Pie
- Vegan Pimento Cheese Stuffed Peppers
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Did you make these Vegan Cheese Enchiladas?
I’d love to know! Leave a rating and comment below!
Vegan Cheese Enchiladas (Bean & 'Beef')
These Vegan Cheese Enchiladas are stuffed with sweet potatoes, black beans, and vegan ground 'beef' (like Beyond Meat or Gardein). They're super comforting, full of flavor and secretly vegan making them the best veggie enchiladas.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced (3-4 cloves)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium sized sweet potato, diced into small 1/4” cubes
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegan beefless ground, like Gardein or Beyond Meat
- 1 packet taco seasoning (see notes for substitutions)
- 1 8 oz can red enchilada sauce
- 10 corn tortillas
- 3/4 cup vegan cheese of choice
For Serving:
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced thinly
- 1 jalapeno, sliced thinly
- Fresh squeezed lime juice
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the sliced onion and garlic and saute until tender and translucent (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add the diced green pepper and diced sweet potato. Cook covered until the sweet potato is tender.
- Once the sweet potato is tender, add in the black beans, the beefless ground, and the packet of taco seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Lower the heat and add a 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce to the mixture. Mix to combine.
- Add about ¼ cup of the bean and sweet potato mixture to the corn tortilla, rolling it up and placing it seam side down into a 9x13” glass pan. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
- Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle the vegan cheese over the enchiladas.
- Bake for 20 mins. The enchiladas should be golden brown along the edges and the sauce should appear bubbly when ready.
Top with diced avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Best when served warm.
Notes
-For homemade taco seasoning:
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ½ tbsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
-Corn tortillas have a tendency to break easier than flour tortillas. To prevent them from breaking, warm the tortilla up before rolling the enchiladas. You can pop them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, or heat them in a skillet for 30 seconds.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 2 enchiladasAmount Per Serving: Calories: 550Total Fat: 20gCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 26g
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Great recipe thank you for sharing. I am a big fan of regular enchiladas and was recommended to try vegan. These were awesome and I will definitely be making them again. 5 Stars!
Hi there! I’m glad you enjoyed them!