Loaded with seasoned sweet potatoes, protein-packed black beans, brown rice, and slathered in a flavorful enchilada sauce, these are the best vegan enchiladas! This dish will have everyone coming back for seconds!
Switch up Taco Tuesday dinner with these incredible sweet potato black bean enchiladas! These vegan enchiladas are so easy to make, they’re made with whole foods and plant-based proteins, and they’re freezer-friendly.
This vegan enchilada recipe features a store-bought vegan enchilada sauce shortcut that will save you so much time! The enchilada sauce is so flavorful, and it’s oil-free and vegan. It’s just as good as anything I could make from scratch.
Do I Have To Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce?
You can make enchilada sauce from scratch, but I like to use this premade vegan enchilada sauce (from Whole Foods) because it’s organic, oil-free, low-sodium, low-sugar, it tastes delicious, and it’s one less pan to clean! (Here’s my Whole Foods vegan grocery list if you need shopping inspiration for new vegan products to try.)
Step by Step Instructions
(Please see the recipe card for exact ingredient amounts)
First, get the brown rice started cooking because it takes about 40 minutes to cook. While the rice is cooking, chop and season the sweet potatoes, and then bake them for 30 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, saute the onion in a large pan over medium heat, until the onions are soft and translucent (Photo 1). Add the minced garlic, dried seasonings, and tomato paste to the pan, and let it cook for a few minutes (Photos 2 & 3).
Once the rice and sweet potatoes are done cooking (Photo 4), add the sweet potatoes, cooked brown rice, and black beans to the pan with the onions (Photo 5). Stir to combine the filling (Photo 6).
Pour a little bit of enchilada sauce into a large casserole dish and spread it around to cover the entire bottom (Photo 7). Fill each tortilla with the sweet potato black bean enchilada filling (Photo 8). Roll it tightly and place it seam side down into the casserole dish. Repeat until you fill all 8 enchiladas (photo 9).
Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the stuffed tortillas (Photo 10). Add vegan shredded cheese (Photo 11), cover the dish with parchment paper, and then bake it for 25-30 minutes (Photo 12).
Use a thin spatula to get the sweet potato enchiladas out of the casserole dish. Top each one with thinly sliced romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado slices, sliced green onions, a drizzle of vegan chipotle mayo, vegan sour cream, and a drizzle of hot sauce.
What Goes With It?
The vegan enchiladas are very hearty and filling, so I usually serve a light salad or vegetable dish like creamy vegan broccoli salad on the side, but you could also serve any of the following vegan side dishes:
- Vegan Ginger Sesame Coleslaw
- Southwest Quinoa Bean Salad
- Lemon Tahini Courgette Salad (Use lime juice instead of lemon juice in the dressing for complementary flavors)
- Cilantro Lime Salsa with Tortilla Chips
Can I Assemble Enchiladas Ahead of Time?
You can assemble these vegan enchiladas 1-2 days in advance. Make the filling, wrap and stuff the enchiladas, arrange them in a large covered casserole dish, and store them in the fridge. Wait to add the enchilada sauce and shredded cheese until right before you’re ready to bake the enchiladas so they don’t get soggy.
Can I Freeze It?
Assemble the enchilada casserole in a large 9×13 freezer and oven safe dish (I love this stainless steel pan because it can go into the freezer and oven without you having to worry about glass cracking!) but don’t top it with vegan shredded cheese or bake it yet. Put the sweet potato black bean enchiladas in the freezer for up to 3-4 months for a future meal.
How To Reheat It
From the Freezer: When you’re ready to reheat the vegan enchiladas, take the container out of the freezer and put it into the refrigerator for 24 hours to defrost. Top the casserole with shredded vegan cheese, cover it with parchment paper or foil, and then bake it at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until it’s hot all the way through.
From the Fridge: You can warm up leftovers in a few minutes on a covered plate in the microwave, or in about 10-15 minutes in a covered dish in the oven.
Recipe Variations
- Vegan Enchiladas Casserole: Instead of stuffing tortillas with the sweet potato black bean filling, you could layer all the ingredients in a casserole dish. Start with a layer of vegan enchilada sauce on the bottom of a circular casserole dish, then add a corn or flour tortilla, a layer of the sweet potato and black bean filling, and a handful of vegan shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients. The top layer should be enchilada sauce and cheese. After you bake it, top with diced tomatoes, avocado slices, vegan sour cream, green onions, and shredded lettuce.
- Use Salsa Verde: Skip the traditional enchilada sauce and use this delicious verde sauce instead. You can still fill the vegan enchiladas verde with the sweet potato and black bean filling. It’s a delicious flavor combination!
- Jackfruit Enchiladas: If you’re a fan of vegan meat replacements, skip the sweet potatoes and use tender chunks of chipotle-seasoned jackfruit as the filling for vegan enchiladas instead! It’s incredibly tasty!
- Make Burritos: The roasted sweet potatoes and black beans with brown rice can also be used to make a delicious filling for vegan burritos.
Notes & Substitutions
- Sweet Potato Substitutions: You can substitute butternut squash or russet potatoes for the sweet potatoes in the vegan enchiladas.
- Black Bean Substitutions: You can use pinto beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans instead of the black beans.
- Brown Rice Substitutions: You can use white rice, basmati rice, or jasmine rice instead of brown rice. If you need a low-carb option, you can use cauliflower rice.
- Gluten-Free: These vegan enchiladas aren’t naturally gluten-free because I used flour tortillas, but they can be made gluten-free if you use corn tortillas or gluten-free tortillas. If you’d like to make homemade vegan tortillas, try this recipe.
Success Tips
- When buying tortillas, make sure to check the label for honey or lard because some tortillas contain those ingredients.
- Spread a layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish before you add the filled enchiladas. Doing this will stop the enchiladas from sticking to the bottom and ripping when you take them out.
- Cover the enchiladas with parchment paper while they bake to stop them from drying out.
- Store leftover vegan enchiladas in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.
Want More Vegan Mexican-Inspired Recipes?
30-Minute Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
Vegan Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Equipment
- Large Baking Tray
- Large Pan
- Large 9x13 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- 2 cups enchilada sauce
Roasted Sweet Potatoes -
- 2 medium sweet potatoes chopped
- 1-2 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp himalayan pink sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Enchilada Filling -
- 3-4 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 medium garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- (1) 14 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
Enchilada Toppings -
- 1/4 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese (I used Violife cheese)
- 1 small head romaine lettuce thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 medium avocado sliced
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced
- 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
- 2-3 tbsp hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook the brown rice according to package instructions. Get the rice cooking first because it takes the longest to cook and you can work on the other steps while the rice is cooking. When it's done, take the rice off the heat and set it aside.
- While the rice is cooking, chop the sweet potatoes into small 1-inch cubes. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined tray and drizzle 1-2 tbsp of vegetable broth over the potatoes (this will help the seasonings stick without using any oil). Sprinkle 1 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper over the sweet potatoes. Toss to coat each piece in the seasonings and then bake the potatoes for 20 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, saute the diced onion in 3-4 tbsp of low-sodium vegetable broth in a large pan over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the minced garlic, 1 tbsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of smoked paprika, 2 tbsp of tomato paste, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper to the pan. Add more vegetable broth if it gets too dry. Stir to combine and then let it cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Remove the pan from the heat until the sweet potatoes and rice are done cooking. Once everything is ready, add the roasted sweet potatoes, cooked brown rice, and black beans to the pan with the onions. Mix everything together.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Pour 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce into a large casserole dish and spread it around to cover the entire bottom of the casserole dish.
- Warm 8 flour or corn tortillas (so they will roll without cracking) and fill each one with a heaping 1/2 cup of the sweet potato black bean filling. Roll the tortilla up and then place it seam side down into the casserole dish. Repeat until you run out of filling.
- Once you’ve squeezed all 8 enchiladas into the dish (it might be a tight squeeze), pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top. If you want to add vegan cheese, do it now. Cover the dish with parchment paper and bake it for 25-30 minutes.
- Use a thin spatula to get the enchiladas out of the casserole dish. Top each enchilada with thinly sliced romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado slices, thinly sliced green onions, vegan sour cream, and a drizzle of hot sauce.
Notes
- When buying tortillas, make sure to check the label for honey or lard because some tortillas contain those ingredients.
- Spread a layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish before you add the filled enchiladas. Doing this will stop the enchiladas from sticking to the bottom and ripping when you take them out.
- Cover the enchiladas with parchment paper while they bake to stop them from drying out.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally shared on 6/9/16 but I updated it with better recipe instructions and process shots on 7/11/20.
