How to Make Vegan Enfrijoladas

Enfrijoladas are the cousin of the enchiladas. These are made by dipping corn tortillas into a creamy bean sauce. You’re going to love this Hot to Make Vegan Enfrijoladas recipe.

This Mexican recipe is easy to make with basic pantry ingredients. Try my quick, easy and inexpensive vegetarian recipe with a vegan option.

What Are Enfrijoladas

Enfrijoladas are like enchiladas. But replace the chile sauce with a creamy blended bean sauce.

How are They Made

Just like enchiladas, to make enfrijoladas a corn tortilla is lightly fried in oil. This is to soften it and to help the sauce adhere to the tortilla better.

The tortillas is dipped into the bean sauce and filled with a wide variety of ingredients.

Enfrijoladas Fillings

You’ll often find enfrijoladas stuffed with chicken, chicharron, chorizo, cheese or just vegetables.

Garnishes to Top Them With

Usually topped with cheese, crema, and onion are popular toppings.

But other ingredients like avocado slices, jalapeños, and cilantro may be used. Well anything you’d like is really ok.

Vegetarian Enfrijoladas

The most traditional enfrijoladas, and also the way I grew up eating them, are vegetarian.

Cheese and chopped onion are often both a filling and topping. Very simple and best of all, no meat! 

Even before going meatless I always preferred vegetarian enfrijoladas and enchiladas.

Vegan Stuffing for Enfrijoladas and Enchiladas

My recipe is a bit of a fusion recipe. I love using potatoes paired with a green leafy vegetable like spinach or kale or in this case, collard greens.

Of course neither are a typically filling. But I love this international modern twist on my enfrijoladas. I think you will too — plus adding the greens gives them an extra nutritional boost. Which is always a great bonus!

How to Fold Enfrijoladas

Many people like to dip, stuff and roll up the tortillas just like with enchiladas.

Another method that’s used is that half moon. This is when after dipping and stuffing the tortilla, it’s simply folded in half.

Now, a lesser known method and one I only discovered a few years back, is the quarter folding method.

The quarter folding method is dipping the tortillas in the bean sauce, then folded in quarters. Then topped with more beans sauce and a fried egg.

The sources where I discovered this say that this is the way enfrijoladas are prepared in Oaxaca.

These are traditionally made with black beans. Instead of the pintos like I use in my recipe.

In Oaxaca when served with the egg it’s for breakfast. When eaten for lunch or dinner they’ll replace the egg with meat.

Quickest Folding Method

I love using both the half moon and quarter folding method. To me both of these are easier and quicker than the rolling method.

I personally also think these add a different appeal to the plate. But you are of course free to use any folding method you’d like.

At the end of the day it’s the bean sauce and stuffing that give the dish all of it’s glorious flavours.

Vegan Enfrijoladas Recipe

My enfrijoladas recipe is vegan until. But I do like to occasionally top them with cotija cheese. You can of course swap for a vegan alternative or leave off entirely.

If you decide not to add the cheese you can drizzle with some vegan crema fresca. Avocado slices are great too, if you’d like.

How to Make Vegan Enfrijoladas

Ok amigos, make sure you watch the video to see a visual guide of the folding methods.

How To Make Vegetarian and Vegan Enfrijoladas

Nancy Lopez & MexicanMadeMeatless.com

Enfrijoladas are the cousin of the enchiladas. Enfrijoladas are made by dipping corn tortillas into a creamy bean sauce. This Mexican Recipe is easy to make with pantry staple ingredients. Try my quick and easy vegetarian recipe with a vegan option.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican, vegan, vegetarian

Servings 4 people

Calories 526 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Bean Sauce Ingredients

• 3 cups boiled beans
• boiled bean broth or water or vegetable broth alternatively you can use leftover refried beans and water or vegetable broth
• 1 to 2 whole canned chipotle en adobo
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 1/2 small white onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste (specially if previously seasoned beans or are using canned)
• 1.5 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Filling Ingredients

• 1/4 cup or small white onion
• 2 medium or about 3 cups peeled & finely chopped potato
• fine sea salt large pinch
• 2 whole large garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups frozen collard greens
• salt to taste
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying

Toppings

• 1/2 cup cotija cheese
• 1 whole avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema
• 1/4 small white onion, chopped or sliced
• 1 handful cilantro
• jalapeños

Instructions

 

Instructions:

• Saute the onion until soft then add potato and cook until the it’s soft and cooked through.
  
• While you wait for the potatoes to cook prepare the bean sauce. Simply place all of the bean sauce ingredients, except the oil, into a blender and blend until you have a smooth sauce. If needed add more broth or water to the blender. Once done set the bean sauce aside.
• Back to the potatoes, check to see if they’ve cooked through and once they have add the minced garlic and saute for a couple of minutes before adding the frozen collard greens. Stir until well combined, add a pinch of sea salt and cook until the collard greens are defrosted, warm and evenly distributed throughout the potatoes. Taste and if needed add a bit more salt. Turn the heat to low while you wait for the collards to defrost and in the meantime continue to the next step.
• While you wait for the collards, in a sauce pan add the 1.5 Tablespoons of oil and once warm carefully pour in the bean sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes or until you can no longer taste the raw onion and the sauce has thickened up a bit.
• Once the filling and beans sauce are done heat half cup of oil in a frying pan. Once hot carefully fry all 12 of the tortillas just for a minute or two, all we want is for them to soften and stay bendable — don’t over fry as they’ll get crispy and you won’t be able to bend them. Drain the fried tortillas on a paper towel lined plate.
• To assemble the enfrijoladas. Take one of the fried tortillas and dip into the bean sauce until well coated. Place on a plate then add the filling and fold in half or half moon shape. Serve 3 to 4 enfrijoladas per person. Drizzle plenty of bean sauce over the plated enfrijoladas then top with cotija cheese and avocado slices or anything you’d like. For the quarter folded enfrijoladas, dip into beans sauce, place on plate then fold in half then again in half to form triangle shaped quarters. Drizzle with bean sauce and serve the stuffing on the side and top with any of the suggested toppings.

Video

Notes

• Homemade pot of beans recipe can be found here
• Mexican crema fresca recipe is here 

Nutrition

Serving: 4servingsCalories: 526kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 17gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 1265mgPotassium: 1054mgFiber: 15gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1438IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 321mgIron: 4mg

Tried this recipe?Leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and tag me on social media @MexicanMadeMeatless or tag #mexicamademeatless!

Thanks for stopping by amigos, I really do hope you make these enfrijoladas very soon.

Have a beautiful day!!

More Vegan and Vegetarian Bean Recipes

• Vegan Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)
• Mexican Beans From Scratch
• Black Bean and Oaxaca Cheese Empanadas
• Bean Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce

Nancy Lopez

Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…