Vegan black bean enchiladas are an easy dinner any night of the week. The beans are mixed with enchilada sauce and cream cheese for a tasty filling. Pair this Mexican-inspired dish with your favorite sides to complete the meal.
Mexican food is my weakness!
Recently I was having a craving for vegan enchiladas! I didn't want to spend hours in the kitchen so I came up with this easy vegan black bean enchilada recipe.
They're filled with a seasoned 'enchilada cream cheese sauce', black beans, corn, and grilled onion and bell pepper.
The bold flavors of the black bean filling make these enchiladas a hit with everyone!
Serve them as a main dish with a side of Spanish rice for dinner this week.
Vegan black bean enchiladas are quick, flavorful and can easily be customized to your taste and available ingredients.
What goes in these vegan enchiladas?
To keep it simple the enchiladas are stuffed with black beans, grilled onions, and sweet corn. The filling is mixed with a Mexican inspired cream cheese sauce creating the most amazing, creamy black bean enchiladas.
But don’t stop there with the filling!
Enhance the flavors with any one of these add-ins:
- Chopped spinach: Add about ½ cup of frozen spinach to the mix. Thawed and drained first.
- Diced bell pepper: Sauté the bell pepper with the onions for an authentic fajita-style taste.
- Cooked potato: Bake or steam 1 large potato. Let it fully cool, dice and add it to the filling. Or try 1 cup frozen hash browns, no need to defrost.
- Cooked tofu: Cut ½ a block of tofu into about 1-inch cubes. Sprinkle with your favorite seasonings. Bake at 350ºF for 20-30 minutes or until tofu looks “dry”. Flip at least once.
Got leftover veggies that need to be used up? Mix in one cup of cooked veggies to the filling.
What is enchilada cream cheese sauce?
The cream cheese sauce is a mix of cashew cream cheese, vegan enchilada sauce, and a few Mexican seasonings. It gives the enchilada filling a creamy, cheesy flavor without any processed ingredients!
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How to make black bean enchiladas
Black bean enchiladas are full of flavor and easy to make.
To make the black bean filling
- Add the sauce ingredients to a large bowl.
- Whisk everything together until creamy.
- Add the remaining filling ingredients.
- Fold everything together until well combined.
To assemble the enchiladas
- Spoon the filling into a softened tortilla.
- Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish.
- Cover the enchiladas with a generous layer of sauce.
- Add optional sliced olives or vegan cheese.
Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes.
To serve
For saucy, wet enchiladas I recommend covering them with extra sauce before serving. Serve with any of these topping favorites: diced avocado, green onions, vegan sour cream, and/or fresh cilantro.
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What tortillas can I use?
You can use either corn or flour tortillas. I went with corn tortillas.
If you decide to use corn as well, you’ll want the tortillas to be soft and pliable. This will keep them from breaking or ripping when they’re rolled up. You can either heat them in a dry pan or steam them to soften.
To warm corn tortillas on a pan
In a large, dry pan place the tortillas over medium heat until just warmed. Carefully flip a few times so one side doesn’t cook too long. Place the warm tortillas on a plate and cover so they stay soft. (I like to use this method and cook all 10 tortillas at once. I carefully flip and rotate the stack of tortillas in the pan to steam them together.)
To steam corn tortillas
Wrap them in a clean dish towel and heat in a steamer basket for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow them to steam in the towel for 5-10 minutes. If they’re not pliable enough place them back in the steamer basket for about 30 seconds to a minute. Place the warm tortillas on a plate and cover so they stay soft.
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Recipe
Black Bean Enchiladas (vegan)
The best vegan enchiladas loaded with black beans, corn, and grilled onions mixed with a creamy sauce. They’re easy to make and always satisfying.
Ingredients
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 2 (15oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 (15oz) jars of enchilada sauce, divided
- ½ cup cashew cream cheese
- 1 and ¼ cup frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon himalayan pink salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Optional: 1 can olives, sliced
Serve with
- diced avocado
- vegan sour cream
- green onions
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF
- Sauté the onions (and bell pepper if using) in a skillet until browned and softened, about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, ½ cup of enchilada sauce and seasonings. Then, mix in the black beans, onions, (bell pepper) and corn.
- Heat the tortillas using one of the methods below. Place the heated tortillas on a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Spoon a layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch oven safe dish.
- Fill the softened tortillas with a few scoops, about ¼ cup, of the filling and lay them seam side down in the dish.
- Once the dish is filled cover the tops of the tortillas with more enchilada sauce and optional sliced olives or vegan cheese. Save any extra sauce for serving.
- Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve topped with extra sauce, diced avocado, and any optional toppings.
How to soften corn tortillas
- To warm on a pan––In a large, dry pan place the tortillas over medium heat until just warmed. Carefully flip a few times so one side doesn’t cook too long. Place the warm tortillas on a plate and cover so they stay soft. (I like to use this method and cook all 10 tortillas at once. I carefully flip and rotate the stack of tortillas to steam them together.)
- To steam the corn tortillas––wrap them in a clean dish towel and heat in a steamer basket for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow them to steam in the towel for 5-10 minutes. If they’re not pliable enough place them back in the steamer basket for about 30 seconds to a minute. Place the warm tortillas on a plate and cover so they stay soft.
Notes
Substitutions
- Cashew cream cheese can be replaced with equal amount of your favorite store bought or homemade cream cheese.
- I use and recommend the enchilada sauce from Whole Foods. It's mild enough for my family. But feel free to use any enchilada sauce on hand.
- There is no need to defrost the frozen corn. It will heat up in the enchiladas. It can also be replaced with available fresh or canned corn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 enchiladas Serving Size: 1 enchiladaAmount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
Thanigaivelan
Love this black bean enchiladas vegan....Love your blog also...Writing style is neat and clean.