The Best Vegetarian Enchiladas
on Apr 13, 2022, Updated May 17, 2024
These delicious Vegetarian Enchiladas make a great meatless dinner! Filled with a black bean and veggie mixture and a creamy cheesy filling, this vegetarian dinner is alway a hit.
These vegetarian enchiladas are hands down my favorite enchiladas recipe, and one that I find myself making again and again. They are easy to make, packed full of real food ingredients, and taste absolutely amazing!
This enchilada recipe is sure to impress. We love serving veggie enchiladas as a main dish along with other mexican favorites like cream cheese bean dip or mexican rice.
Enchiladas are all about the filling, and the secret to this delicious filling is in a mixture of fresh veggies, cream cheese, mexican cheese, and just the right blend of spices.
You can find the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of the post, but here are the ingredients that you will need.
Ingredients Needed
- onion: yellow onion is what we used, but you can substitute red onion or white onion
- garlic: fresh minced garlic
- green bell pepper: or any color of bell pepper
- olive oil
- frozen corn kernels
- cream cheese
- tortillas
- shredded mexican blend cheese
- black beans
- spices: smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt
- fresh lime
- enchilada sauce
How to make vegetarian enchiladas
Step 1: Cook the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in olive oil in a large skillet until the onion is soft.
Step 2: Add in the frozen corn and cook a few more minutes while it defrosts.
Step 3: add the black beans, cream cheese, Mexican cheese, paprika, cumin, chili powder, and fresh lime juice.
Keep stirring and cooking while the flavors all start to combine. Salt and pepper to taste and you are ready to start rolling your enchiladas!
Step 4: Roll each enchilada and place in a large 9 by 13 baking dish.
Tip for easier enchilada rolling: Heat the flour tortillas in the microwave until they are warm (not hot). If you try to roll cold tortillas, they often break. Warming them up first makes the process a lot easier!
Step 5: Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the vegetarian enchiladas, then top with the rest of your Mexican cheese and they are ready to bake!
Tip: use a rubber spatula to help spread the enchilada sauce evenly, I have found this works better than anything else.
Step 6: Bake the enchiladas at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
How do I get the tops of enchiladas crispy?
To get those yummy browned cheesy bits on top, try broiling your enchiladas at the end of cook time for just a few minutes! Just watch them closely to avoid burning.
Topping ideas
Toppings are a must for enchiladas, and here are some of our favorites!
- sour cream
- fresh squeezed lime juice
- avocado slices
- chopped fresh cilantro
How to store
Storing: Leftover veggie enchiladas can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheating: Reheat any leftover enchiladas in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
“These Enchiladas were really the BEST EVER! I went out on a limb and made them for the first time for a dinner party at my house.. And they did NOT disappoint. The cream cheese was a game changer.”
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced or finely diced
- 1 large green pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 10 large flour tortillas
- 1 ½ cups shredded mexican cheese
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ large lime, juiced, plus more for serving
- 8 oz enchilada sauce
- avocado, for serving
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the onion, garlic, green pepper, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a large skillet
- Sautee on medium high heat for 6-8 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent
- Add the frozen corn kernels and sautee an additional 4-5 minutes, as the corn defrosts
- Add the drained black beans, cream cheese, ½ cup shredded mexican cheese, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and the juice of half a large lime
- Add the salt and pepper to taste (I used an additional ½ teaspoon of each)
- Build the veggie enchiladas using the filling and place them in a greased baking dish
- Cover the enchiladas with enchilada sauce and the remaining mexican cheese
- Bake the veggie enchiladas at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese becomes slightly crispy (turn up the heat if necessary towards the end for desired crisp) I broil on low the last couple of minutes to make the cheese browned, but if you do this be sure to watch closely so that you don't burn it.
- Serve topped with fresh lime juice, sour cream and avocado slices
I made these with 3 changes: I used corn/flour tortillas from H-E-B, my enchilada sauce which is a can of cream of poblano soup also from H-E-B mixed with 5 oz. of light sour cream and 1/4 cup of green salsa, and a poblano pepper for the green pepper. They were truly wonderful and I’ve eaten and made a lot of enchiladas. The blended tortillas have the corn flavor with the flexibility of flour. They were even better than the fajita enchiladas I made for those who like meat. I used to use cream of chicken soup before I found the cream of poblano and it would still be my go to if need be. The spices, cream cheese, and lime are great.
If I use small tortillas, do I shorten the baking time?
Is the filling spread over the entire tortilla or in a strip at one end or the middle?
I spread a strip in the middle then roll it up!
What kind of cheese would work for “Mexican cheese blend”? Making these tomorrow , sounds amazing! 🙂
Most stores usually have a blend of mexican cheeses already packaged 🙂 Colby jack or monterey jack would be good also.
I made this with hard tacos. Add lettuce tomatoes and s.cream. my. Boss and kids love them. Since they r vegetarians..
Wow! I made these for supper tonight, and it’s a winner! For health reasons, we are trying to eat more plant based meals, and these will be on the regular rotation.
Love it – thanks for sharing!
This is the best enchilada I have ever had including ones with meat! It doesn’t even taste like it’s healthy but it is,I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and it taste the same as the regular. Thank you for the delicious recipe that I’m going to share and keep making it!
Love it, thanks for sharing your review!
Hi! What size tortillas do you use?
I used large tortillas!
Made these last night — made 1/2 of them veggie, and 1/2 I added cut up rotisserie chicken — and the whole family loved them!! I was very impressed and loved the flavor! Thanks for the recommendation on the Frontera enchilada sauce — I didn’t even realize they made it, and voila — it was right there in my supermarket! Great recipe!
So glad your family enjoyed the recipe!
These are legit! I’ve made it twice, now, and it will be a regular go-to recipe. We’re trying to reduce our meat intake, and this is a great replacement. I followed the directions exactly, but I added a wad of chopped fresh spinach to the mixture while in the skillet. Delicious!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!