These enchiladas are packed with complex flavors, plenty of nutrition and antioxidants from the black beans, tomatoes, and garlic, et al. It’s a wonderful dish for Meatless Monday.
Nothing can be better than enjoying these toasty warm cheesy black bean vegan enchiladas on a snowy day. My son, Leo, has the best view out of our kitchen window. He was eating the enchilada, enjoying the quiet and gorgeous snowflakes, and happily kicking his little legs all at the same time.
The first time I had enchiladas was in an authentic Mexican restaurant. I remember it was unexpectedly delicious, cheesy and rich. But I was full after eating just 1/3 of that serving. I still think corn tortillas coated with dairy cheese and stuffed with beef are too heavy to digest. However, these enchiladas filled with black beans and vegan cheese are perfect.
In this recipe I used the Mexican style GoVeggie cheese (I am not affiliated with this brand.). I like how nicely it melts in the oven unlike some other brands I used before. Most importantly, we all like the taste.
There are a lot of variations to making enchiladas. This recipe was inspired by a beef version. I replaced beef with black beans, canned pickled Jalapenos pepper with a fresh one, dairy cheese with vegan cheese, and tomato sauce with homemade tomato puree. I still had some enchilada filling left so I added some romaine lettuce or leaf lettuce to it and wrapped in warm tortillas. It easily converted the leftover filling into a simple quick lunch you can take to work.
Don’t hesitate to use store-bought canned black beans. It will significantly reduce the preparation time for this dish.
These enchiladas are packed with complex flavors, plenty of nutrition and antioxidants from the black beans, tomatoes, and garlic, et al. It’s a wonderful dish for Meatless Monday.

- 1 tbs canola oil
- 1 medium size yellow onion finely chopped, approximately 8 oz
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbs chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 cups cooked black beans
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups tomato puree or 1 can 15 oz tomato sauce + ½ cup water
- ½ cup + 1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 medium size jalapeno pepper seeded, finely chopped, approximately 1 oz
- 8 oz vegan cheese Mexican style GoVeggie preferred
- 12-14 5.5-inch corn tortillas (gluten-free if desired)
- Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to cook until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin powder, and salt. Cook another 2 minutes. Add the beans and tomato puree and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low. Mash the beans with a potato masher and simmer 5 minutes.
- Remove the bean mixture from the heat and strain, reserving the sauce. Transfer the strained bean mixture to a medium bowl and mix together with ½ cup cilantro, jalapenos, and 4 oz of cheese.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Spread ½ cup of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Microwave 5 tortillas at a time or follow the package instructions to soften. Scoop about ¼ cup bean mixture into each tortilla and roll it up tightly. Place the filled and rolled tortillas in the baking dish seam-side down. Finish all tortillas.
- Dip the pastry brush in the sauce and brush the ends of each tortilla. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the enchiladas.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the enchiladas, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, bake for additional 2-3 minutes until the cheese is slightly brown.
- Garnish with the remaining cilantro before serving.
1. If there is any remaining bean mixture, it can be used as a filling in tortilla shells without any further cooking. Add lettuce if desired.
2. Due to different recipes of making tomato puree, the liquid content may vary. Gradually add excess water when making the bean mixture if necessary.
3.I used GoVeggie brand Mexican style cheese. It's vegan. You may notice that most of the GoVeggie cheese are lactose free but not vegan. However this Mexican style is labeled vegan. It may not be commonly seen in some stores.

Awesome recipe!
Just a note on the canned beans portion — If you have a large crockpot, I don’t think that you should ever have to buy canned black beans unless it is an emergency.
Here’s why:
A few weeks ago I made 2 lbs of beans overnight in a crockpot. It was so easy — the hardest part was chopping my aromatics (onion, peppers and garlic) and rinsing the beans! We ate beans and rice a couple of days and then I froze the leftovers (it’s just me and my husband) in 1 quart bags. Whenever I needed to make something using the beans, I took a bag out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator. The day I use the beans, I take them out of the refrigerator,drain and rinse off the pot liquor (most canned recipes ask you to drain and rinse).
So far I’ve made these enchiladas, regular beans and rice, and black bean burgers out of my freezer stock. I’d estimate that we may have gone through about 5 or more cans worth of beans, and I have two bags left.
Thanks for sharing your tips, Jazzy.
The canned beans are just options. I usually buy raw beans, soak them, and then use my pressure cooker to cook them (pressure cooker is fantastic, super fast). I freeze my boiled/cooked plain black beans sometimes too. It is really handy when sometimes I forget to soak the raw beans.
Canned is good for a busy mom with less time. I like having both options!
Great tip! I have a giant bag of organic dried black beans that I haven’t even opened because I’ve been unsure what to do haha… I do have a crockpot though! What amounts did you use for the seasonings and how long to cook? Thank you!
The only thing that I’ll put out there is GoVeggie cheese is NOT vegan – it contains a derivative of milk: casein.
Recipe was very easy to make and all ingredients were cheap and easy to locate. Thanks!
Hi Ashley, most of the GoVeggie Cheese contain milk, but not the Mexican style (a purple package). It’s dairy free.
I wish they sold those at my grocery stores! We only have the non-vegan varieties. Thanks for the clarification!
I used to find it at Meijer (I live in Michigan). However, a few months ago it was discontinued and I couldn’t find it in any other local stores. Probably it’s not popular enough. 🙁
Would it be totally different if I used pinto beans?
Although I haven’t tried pinto beans for this recipes, I think the flavor will change. I prefer black beans for this recipe.
I’m good with Vegetarian….Never need to do the Vegan thing….The recipe looks fantastic.
Can’t wait to try but I’ll add real cheese…
Thanks.
I believe it’ll taste good with the dairy cheese.
I love this recipe! It is sooooo good! I’m a big Mexican food fan and this recipe is the best! ! I’m allergic to vegan cheese so use dairy cheese and it’s really tasty!
Excellent recipe; I needed to add more liquid to make a sauce though. Also- I like lots of flavour so I used more whole cumin seeds, and also added ½ of a 220ml can of Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce. This gave it a spicier kick, as well as a lovely smokey flavour.
Sounds great! You really can do a lot flavor modifications with this recipe. 🙂
Sounds amazing!
Yummy flavors!
Just made this but the cheese.. same one you used IS NOT MELTING!?
I’m so sorry to hear that Annie. I noticed that Go Veggie has changed their packaging lately. I haven’t try out their new package yet. I’ll definitely give it a try and see if I’ll have the same issue. It’s not easy to find a vegan cheese that can melt very well, right!
Yep. Same problem here. Making the recipe for vegan friends. Used the cheese the recipe called for and is not melting at all. Guess they can scrape it off if they don’t like it. The filling tastes delicious though.
Is the tomato puree used as a substitute for canned enchilada sauce? Would it be possible to use that instead of tomatoes? Thanks.
Hey Christie, I never used canned enchilada sauce before. I suppose it has salt and other seasonings in it. If you are going to use it instead of tomato puree, you may want to reduce the salt and seasoning in the recipe list. You can always add more if there is not enough flavor. I hope you’ll like the recipe.
I would definitely use an enchilada sauce. Way more flavor than a tomato puree. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce, in a glass container. I make enchiladas all the time using only this sauce. Can’t wait to try this black bean version! I’m not a vegetarian, but love to make veggie recipes.
Thanks for letting me know the Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce. I would definitely give it a try. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
These were really good! I didn’t use any cheese because I don’t like the ingredients in any vegan cheeses, so mine were a lot more plain than yours, but the flavor was still great! The inside didn’t hold together too well, but that’s my own fault. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sophie! 🙂
just had my first try, like it!!
I’ve omitted onion & garlic, but replace with capsicum, still delicious though!just a bit too spicy (guess i put too much jalapenos,haha)
Also, i wrapped 2 rolls in a “variety version” by adding vegan floss inside.taste not bad either. thanks for this recipe, cheers
Wow, that’s very creative! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Wow, so good! I am never buying store bought enchilada sauce again. These had so much flavor, I cooked the onions a little longer and used regular cheese. I bought the Go Veggie shreds but my husband said no, lol. I will find another use for it though. I will definitely make these again, thanks for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Crissy!
Do I drain the beans if using canned before I add with tomato
Sorry about my late response! Yes, you do need to drain the beans if they are from a can. 🙂
I made them last night, they were soooo delicious! Packed with flavor. Never buying enchilada sauce again. Thank you for a this delicious recipe.
Wow, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Argie.
Joyce can you help me understand? The “sauce” in 4th step is what? I’m sorry I didn’t get it 😀
Sure! The sauce in 4th step is the sauce you reserved in the 2nd step. I hope that helps! 🙂
I cannot eat the red sauce so I use the canned green enchilada sauce (mild) I am blessed to have a 99 cent store where I live so the sauce is cheap. I also use corn and sometimes zucchini in mine. So many ways. Thanks for the ideas.
That’s awesome, Linda.
Do you have the nutritional facts ?
Hi Christina, thanks for visiting. I’m sorry I don’t have nutritional facts for my recipes. I know there are many apps/websites that you can use do the calculation.
how would this be as leftovers?
Leftovers are great to enjoy too. I heat my leftovers in microwaves with a cover so it won’t get too dry. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
My family devoured this! Thank you for the recipe. I tweaked it a little bit since I have a 2 and 7 year old. I barely added chili powder instead I added 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce and added TVP. Will make it again!
That’s fantastic, Jean!
While making this recipe, I had serious doubts about how good it would be. However, they are DELICIOUS. Instead of smashing the beans, I used half retried and half whole beans. I also ended up getting less tortillas in than the recipe called for.
Refried*
The recipe said 3 tbs chilli powder (which I took to mean 3 tablespoons). I only added 2 because it seemed like a lot. We had to open all the windows in the house when I was cooking it because everyone was coughing. I added lots more cheese as well as stock, extra tomatoes, and guacamole to cool it down. Ended up having to drink a big glass of soy milk just to get it down. Next time I’m using teaspoons!
Wow, sorry about that. I did used 3 tablespoons of chilli powder. I guess yours is much much stronger than mine. If yours is so strong, I think using 1 teaspoon next time may be the best choice.
Me too! Only added two teaspoons of chillie which was still too hot for my 8 year old!
can I make the black bean enchilatas a head of time and then bake just before serving them?
I never tried it. But I think it will work.
I did make it about 5 hours a head and then baked it and it turned out great! Every one thought it was good.
Just so everyone knows….. GO VEGGIE CHEESE ISN’T VEGAN. It’s just lactose free.
Yes, most of Go Veggie cheese are just lactose free. The Mexican Style I used in this recipe is vegan. I recently bought the mozzarella style, it’s vegan too. It’s labeled on the package. They are not very easy to find in most grocery stores. I found them at the Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme Farmer’s Market.
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe. I have tried many from pinterest, but this is the best enchilada sauce ever! I won’t buy it out of a can again. The meal was fantastic! I use Daiya cheddar cheese, and I thought it worked great. Thank you so much 🙂
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Our garden had a big harvest of tomatoes so I made lots of enchilada sauce and kept them in freezer for later use. If you’re interested, here is the link of homemade enchilada sauce recipe: https://lightorangebean.com/natural-vegan-enchilada-sauce/
These were absolutely delicious!! I used Daiya pepper jack shredded cheese, my own homemade black beans (made in my pressure cooker), and ground New Mexico chili powder. I love how the starch from the beans thickened the sauce making these like authentic Mexican enchiladas.
best enchilada sauce … ever!! … thanks so much !!!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked it.
Where are the nutritional information facts for this recipe.
Hi Gary, I don’t have nutritional information facts from most of my recipes because they may not be very accurate. Sorry about that. I think you can use a website or some apps to find it out by adding the ingredients to it.
You can use Sparkpeople.com or Myfitnesspal to calculate it. We made these before and they are good.
So good! I will be making this again! I’m so impressed!
Thanks, Michelle. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
These turned out delicious! Will definitely be making these again. Made these with flour tortillas (instead of corn) for the picky eaters. I also roasted a can of corn and mixed it up in the mixture.
My mother-in-law (non-vegan) and my 5 year old daughter (also non-vegan) loves it!
Instead of beans, how about a simpler version using canned refried beans?
I think it will work. However, I rarely use beans from a can. I like to cook the beans when I need them. 🙂
Joyce – I haven’t made this yet but I just wanted to thank you for your kind, patient and gracious replies to everyone… ?
My five stars is rating your wonderful character qualities but I bet the recipe will be five stars also!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe.