Vegan Chickpea Enchiladas

These vegan chickpea enchiladas are so delicious and make for a perfect meal to make on busy weeknights that's filling and healthy. They feature a chickpea and spinach hearty filling, red enchilada sauce (homemade or your favorite brand) and a cheesy vegan cashew sauce (or store-bought vegan cheese). So easy and can be made ahead!

These delicious vegan chickpea enchiladas will become your new favorite family dinner recipe!

This is an easy recipe that makes for such a fun twist on traditional bean and rice enchiladas.

First, it is vegan, so there is no dairy or cheese added to it. But, you won't miss it at all, thanks to the amazing cheesy cashew sauce. The white sauce adds that addictive creaminess so important in an enchilada casserole (or a vegan taco casserole!), plus it brings a deep flavor with mild cheesy tones. When it blends with the enchilada sauce, it turns into the best combination of flavors, even better than what you get with real cheese!

Second, it features chickpeas as opposed to traditional meat or black beans. Chickpeas are hearty and bring more texture to this baked dish, which I think works great in contrast with the soft tortillas.

Plus, this dish is super easy to make. Just like I recommend doing in this vegan enchilada soup, you can use store-bought red enchilada sauce to make this recipe easier. The chickpea filling comes together within 15 minutes and the cheesy topping sauce only requires a few common ingredients that you simply have to blend together. So easy!

Hope you give it a try! ❤️

Why you should try this recipe

• Makes for an easy weeknight dinner recipe
• Very versatile and can be customized in so many ways
• A great recipe to meal prep ahead
• Packed with fiber and plant-based protein
• Delicious, filling and satisfying comfort food recipe
• Suits plant-based, dairy-free and vegan diets, plus can be made gluten-free

What you will need to make it

(scroll down to the recipe card to get the detailed ingredients)

• Tortillas: you will need 6 large soft tortillas to make this recipe. I find wheat flour tortillas to work better to make enchiladas compared to corn tortillas. If you only have small tortillas, then you can use them as well (you would need 8-10 of them).
• Chickpeas: I used 2 cans of 15 oz, which made this dish super hearty. Using canned beans is convenient, but you can also cook your own chickpeas from scratch!
• Enchilada sauce: I usually use store-bought sauce to make it easier, especially when I make it during the week. Make sure it is vegan as some of them might be using butter. I used the red enchilada sauce from the brand 365 (15 oz), but use your favorite brand. You can also use your own enchilada sauce, it really isn't that hard to make and would definitively make your dish even better! When I make my own sauce, I follow the Oh She Glows homemade enchilada sauce recipe.
• Onion: yellow onion is great for this recipe, although red onion or sweet onion would also work well. You can keep some diced onion aside to top the enchiladas when serving.
• Garlic: I used 2 cloves of garlic, but you can use as much as you want for a more garlicky flavor.
• Green bell pepper: I love green pepper for Mexican recipes, but feel free to swap for red bell peppers for a sweeter flavor.
• Spices: the spices are highly customizable. I used a combination of chili powder, cumin powder and dried oregano. You can also add some smoked paprika or spicy cayenne pepper. 
• Spinach: you can swap for baby kale or other leafy greens that you like.
• Canned green chiles: they add so much flavor, try not to omit them! You can use mild or spicy green chiles.
• Vegan cashew white sauce: you will need some cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice (or vinegar), salt and water.

How to make vegan chickpea enchiladas

(scroll down to the recipe card to get the detailed recipe)

Start by preheating the oven to 350º.

Prepare the enchilada cheese sauce topping

The cashew cream topping requires soaking the cashews ahead of time. If you are short in time, then soak them for 15-20 minutes in boiling water to speed up the process.

Then, blend the ingredients until smooth (works better when using a high-speed blender). This vegan cheese sauce can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a few days if you like to meal-prep.

Make the vegan enchilada chickpea filling

Warm up a large pan with a little olive oil, then add the onion with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. 

Then, add the green bell pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the spices and garlic, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, spinach and canned green chiles. Stir to combine and keep cooking on medium heat until warm and the spinach leaves are wilted.

To finish up the filling, add ¼ cup of enchilada sauce. Stir to combine, taste to adjust the seasonings and set aside.

Assemble the enchilada casserole and bake

Add a small amount of the enchilada sauce to the bottom of a large casserole dish such as a lasagna baking dish (just enough sauce to cover the surface).

Then, lay a tortilla wrap on a plate or clean counter and transfer some of the mixture to the bottom of the tortilla. You can aim at dividing the mixture roughly into 6 equal portions.

Then, roll the tortilla all the way up and transfer it to your baking dish (place seam side down). Keep going until done with the filling. If you are done and still have a small amount of chickpea mixture left, then you can add it to the edges.

Cover the tortillas with the rest of the enchilada sauce and then, top it off with the vegan cashew white sauce (you might have more then you need, keep some extra for drizzling at serving).

Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Helpful tips

• You can adjust the amount of spices depending on the flavor of the enchilada sauce. If your sauce is already a little spicy for your taste, then you can add less of the spices to help dilute the stronger flavor, and vice versa.
• After you top the tortillas with the enchilada sauce, you can move the tortillas a little in the dish to encourage the sauce to fall in between. You want to have the tortillas as covered with the sauce as possible.
• Keep some of the cashew sauce aside so you can add more after the dish is baked. It adds extra creaminess.

Serving suggestions

This vegan chickpea enchilada is best served warm and makes for a fun comfort food recipe to garnish with more ingredients, adding extra layers of texture and moree freshness. You can garnish right in the baking dish or if you expect some leftovers, then you might want to add toppings individually once served.

We love to top our vegan enchiladas with:

• Cilantro
• Green onions
• Mexican pickled red onions
• Avocado or guacamole (especially delicious with this edamame guacamole)
• Sliced jalapeño
• Hot sauce
• Vegan sour cream

To accompany your dish, you can serve alongside some plain rice or Mexican rice. This meal also is nice with some tortilla chips and salsa on the side, such as cucumber pico de Gallo or mango corn salsa.

Variations

This homemade enchilada recipe is a good meal to personalize with what you have or like, there is so much room for variation! Here are a few customization ideas:

• Cheese topping: we don't use store-bought vegan cheese much, but if you prefer, you can skip making the vegan cheese cashew sauce and top it with vegan cheddar cheese instead.
• Vegetables: you can add more vegetables to this dish, such as cauliflower, jalapeño, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and corn.
• Spices: use whatever spices you like and play around with the spicy level depending on your taste. I'll often include some smoked paprika for a deeper smoky taste and also, chipotle powder or cayenne powder to make it spicier.
• Beans: you can use other beans (or do a mix and match) such as black beans or pinto beans.

Storage tips

Let the leftovers completely cool down, then transfer in an airtight container. You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. It makes for delicious lunches the next day!

To reheat the leftovers, you can use the microwave or the oven (at 350º for 10 minutes or so). If using the oven, then cover it up so it doesn't dry out.

FAQs

How can I make this recipe gluten-free?

Store-bought enchilada sauce often isn't gluten-free as it uses wheat flour as a thickening agent. But, there are plenty of brands avoiding flour, so just make sure it's vegan by looking at the ingredient list. Also, look for gluten-free wheat tortillas or use corn tortillas instead. 

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, you can assemble the whole enchilada casserole ahead of time, cover it very well and keep it in the fridge for a few days. Then, try to take it out for at least an hour before baking or bake for a little longer if transferring it to the oven straight from the fridge. You could also simply make the cashew white sauce ahead and make the rest when you want to eat, just to give you a head start.

More vegan Mexican recipes you might like

• Vegan Mexican bean soup
• Mexican shell soup
• Vegan Mexican pizza
• Vegan horchata
• Mexican black bean avocado toast
• Vegan taquitos
• Taco bowl
• Mexican buddha bowl
• Mexican baked potatoes
• Fajita bowl

I hope you like this vegan chickpea enchilada recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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📖 Recipe

Please note that the nutritional information is an estimate provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and may vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

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