Our favorite enchiladas! Vegan Black Bean Enchiladas filled with spinach and sweet corn, and then topped with most amazing homemade enchilada sauce. Plus they're quick and easy to prepare.
These Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas are a satisfying dinner and simple to prepare. (We also find they're great for entertaining because they're enjoyed by guests and company as well.)
Before this recipe, it never occurred to me to make my own Mexican-inspired Enchilada Sauce. But I'm so glad I did because it's pretty simple and can be easily customized to your own taste by adding your favorite seasonings.
Ingredients for Spinach Enchiladas
For the enchilada filling, you will need:
- Black beans
- Sweet corn (frozen, cooked fresh, canned, or fire-roasted)
- Fresh baby spinach
- Green onions (scallions)
- Fresh cilantro
- Ground cumin
- Vegan cheese shreds (or substitute nutritional yeast)
For the enchilada sauce, you will need:
- Tomato paste
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free)
- Ground cumin
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Chili powder
- Vegetable broth
There is a variety of great vegan cheese on the market now, but our current favorites are Miyoko's and Follow Your Heart. For this recipe, I enjoy Miyoko's mozzarella and also Follow Your Heart's fiesta blend (which is cheddar & pepper jack).
We also enjoy pairing this meal with Cilantro Lime Rice on the side.
For more inspiration, browse all vegan Mexican-Inspired Recipes.
Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas
Ingredients
For the enchilada sauce:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use GF all-purpose)
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- Salt/pepper to taste
For the enchiladas:
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 1 1/2 cups sweet corn (I use canned or frozen & thawed)
- 6 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 6 green onions (thinly sliced)
- 1/3 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 cup vegan cheese shreds (or nutritional yeast to taste)
- 8 large flour tortillas (or GF tortillas or corn tortillas)
Instructions
MAKE THE SAUCE:
- In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, 2 tsp. cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking.
- Whisk in broth, and bring to a light boil. Reduce to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste and set aside.
MAKE THE ENCHILADAS:
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Sauté the spinach in a pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until lightly wilted.
- In a large bowl, combine black beans (rinsed and drained), 3/4 cup vegan cheese (more/less as desired), wilted spinach, corn, green onions, cilantro, and 2 tsp. cumin.
- In a 9×13 inch baking dish (lightly sprayed if desired) pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom.
- Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish.
- Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top if desired.
- Bake for about 20 minutes. Garnish with additional cilantro and/or green onions before serving if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
If you are enjoying these vegan black bean spinach enchiladas, also browse all enchilada recipes, or check out:
Please leave a review and rating if you make this recipe. Your feedback is greatly appreciated - thank you!
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Jenny
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Made this for my family tonight for the first time and everyone loved it. Quick and straightforward. Certain I’ll make it again.
Kaitlin
Great to hear!
Mary Edmonds
We eat beans and rice once a week with lots of cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and salsa as topping. Enchiladas make the rounds every now and then and I made this today. Love the additional spinach--threw in garlic too. I just wanted to add that I stopped rolling my enchiladas long ago and now stack 3 layers of corn tortillas with filling in between topped with cheddar jalapeno jack cheese--just like a lasagna. This filling was great!
Kaitlin
Love that you went with the layered approach - great call!
Miriam
I have been making your recipe for years! I gave it to my mother and made a PDF copy for myself just in case you ever decide to take it off the internet. I LOVE this recipe. It is a staple in our household. They are fantastic and healthy. And I never deviate from the directions—there’s no need!
Kaitlin
Wonderful to hear, Miriam! And I love that you shared it with your mother as well!
Frederick Kenyon
I made them with the white flour and it was amazing. I might experiment in the future. Thank you for your response!
Kaitlin McGinn
That is fantastic, I appreciate your follow-up! You've inspired me to experiment with other flours as well. Thank you for your kind review!
Heather
The most delicious enchiladas I have ever had! My whole family loves this recipe.
Kaitlin
Awesome to hear, Heather! Glad you're all enjoying. Thanks for the kind feedback!
Frederick Kenyon
Do I have to use white flour or can I use oat or almond? I try to stay away from white flour. I'm making this right now. Thank you.
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Frederick! I haven't tried this with any other flour besides all-purpose. (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose which is made with garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, whole grain white sorghum flour, fava bean flour, etc.) Perhaps oat flour would be a suitable replacement, however you may have to use a little bit more to achieve the desired thickening. Would love to hear if you gave it a go.
Melissa
These were delicious! Thanks for making such tasty, quick, and easy to follow meals, Kaitlin! I usually get overwhelmed cooking, but your recipes have been so enjoyable to cook and eat.
Kaitlin McGinn
So great to hear, Melissa!
Pam
So delicious! Added two diced jalapeño peppers to add a kick, used corn tortillas to keep it gluten free and sweet corn that we had frozen this summer. Served with a side of Mexican rice. Will make again for sure!
Rachael
Hi! Trying to do some meatless Monday’s with my family and made this tonight. I loved it. I got a lot of sideye from my 2 boys and their dad but everyone ate it and no one died from lack of chicken, so we are definitely putting it in the rota!!
Kaitlin McGinn
Haha that's awesome! Thanks so much for giving them a try and sharing your kind feedback!
Kate Bierle
This has been in our regular rotation since I discovered it four years ago. Tonight I altered it for the first time to use zucchini instead of spinach (my garden has overproduces zucchini this year). Shredded a couple cups of zucchini - didn't cook it just added to the filling. And I think I prefer it this way! So tasty and filling.
Kaitlin McGinn
Great call with the zucchini! Thanks for sharing!
Aimee
I have made this recipe 3 times in the last month and have shared it with several non-whole food plant based eaters and everyone loves them. They are delicious and I love the texture the corn gives to the meal.'
I followed the instructions one of the users above gave about freezing the enchiladas and the sauce so I could take them to the beach with me and it worked like a dream. Thanks!
Kaitlin McGinn
That's so awesome, Aimee. Enchiladas at the beach - I like your style!
Shanda
These are fantastic!! A few weeks ago we decided to go vegan, to help my husband with his diabetes, this was one of the first meals I made, am making them again tonight. I have to say my husband is a huge dairy and cheese person but these won him over. I'm wondering what brand of "cheese" you used to get it to melt like it looks in the pictures? Thank you for sharing!!!
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Shanda! That's awesome you guys went vegan! I hear you, cheese can be a tough thing to break away from. Unfortunately I can't recall which brand I used in these pictures. Daiya melts pretty well, but taste-wise, we currently love "Follow Your Heart" and "Miyoko's" the best. (However I keep seeing more & more new brands hitting the shelves which is pretty exciting!) Wishing you both all the very best on your new plant-based journey! Sending love, Kaitlin
Lucy
I just made these for the 100th time, no lie. I have never posted a comment online but today felt the need. As I made them, from memory, it was such a great familiar feeling. During these times of uncertainty it was awesome. Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that this post from 8 years ago still lives on and is cherished. Thank you, Lucy
Kaitlin McGinn
Your comment warmed my heart - thanks so much for coming back to let me know. I'm honored to hear you've been enjoying these so much. Sending love your way!
Marsha
OMG that sauce is pure awesomeness! Lucky for me this recipe popped up as a recommendation while searching for your teriyaki baked tofu recipe, which is equally as awesome. Decided to change up the dinner plans since I had everything in hand. One very happy family tonight! Looking forward to discovering more treasures on your site.
Ana
Delicious recipe that came together quickly. Thanks for the recipe!