We’ve made cheese enchiladas for decades, and over the years have perfected them to become a no-fail family favorite.
This recipe was first handed down from our great-grandma Bean Burro down to my grandma, then to my mom, and now to us! We’ve simplified it a bit over the years, but the result is still delicious and authentic.
We make these ALL of the time for our families and friends since it’s a top “Luna recipe request” – and we think it will be the same for your family. It’s simple, cheesy, easy to freeze and great to make for a crowd.
Serve these easy cheese enchiladas up with Pinto Beans, Spanish Rice, or maybe even some Beef Empanadas!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- 10 minutes of prep. Even making a homemade enchilada sauce, this recipe comes together quickly and is a no-fail!
- Authentic flavors. The flavors, spices, and cheese make these enchiladas to die for and ideal for any Mexican meal.
- Perfect for parties. Whether it’s for Christmas or a fiesta, these enchiladas (along with our Chicken Enchiladas) are the star on the menu.
Cheese Enchiladas Ingredients
- Vegetable oil (2 tablespoons): Fat for the roux that becomes your silky enchilada sauce. Canola oil also works.
- All-purpose flour (¼ cup): Thickens the chili gravy so it coats tortillas beautifully.
- Gebhardt chili powder (2-3 tablespoons): Signature Tex-Mex flavor and deep red color for classic sauce.
- Garlic powder (½ teaspoon): Savory backbone in the sauce.
- Garlic salt with parsley flakes, or salt (½ teaspoon): Fast, even seasoning that brightens every bite.
- Dried oregano (¼ teaspoon): Earthy, herbal note that rounds out the chili spice.
- Ground cumin (½ teaspoon): Warm depth that makes the sauce taste restaurant worthy.
- Full-sodium chicken broth (2 cups): Savory liquid that loosens the roux into a smooth, pourable sauce.
- Corn tortillas, 6 inch (9): Classic texture and flavor that soak up sauce and stay tender. We usually roll about between 9-12 enchiladas.
- Mexican blend cheese, divided (4 cups): Melts creamy inside the rolls and finishes bubbly on top. Mexican blend usually consists of Monterrey Jack cheese and Cheddar, but other great cheeses include: Colby Jack, and any other cheeses that melt easily such as Asadero and Oaxaca (also known as quesadilla cheese).
- optional toppings – sliced avocado, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, diced green onions, diced jalapeno peppers, Pico de Gallo, Homemade Salsa, Guacamole, Avocado Cream Sauce, sour cream, cotija cheese, queso fresco, or cilantro
How to Make Cheese Enchiladas
SAUCE. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a pot and heat on medium. Pour in 4 tablespoons flour and create a roux by whisking for 1-2 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon oregano and mix until clumpy. see our homemade red enchilada sauce for more tips.
- Pour in 2 cups chicken broth, whisking the entire time and until there are no more clumps. Heat for about 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
ASSEMBLE. Place the 11×7-inch baking pan close to the pot of sauce, along with a bowl of shredded cheese, and the tortillas. Dip a tortilla into the sauce until soft and put into the greased dish.
- Add ¼ cup cheese roll up and push to the end of the 9×13-inch baking dish with the seam side down.
BAKE. Continue doing this with your tortillas until your pan is full. From there, you will pour the excess sauce over your tortillas. Sprinkle the top with more cheese, then bake (uncovered) in the oven at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- CHILI POWDER. We only use Gebhardt and believe it makes a difference. The flavor is unmatched, and some powders are more brown and make the enchiladas look very dark and not as red. Trust us – you’ll love Gebhardt too.
- ROLLING. For easy rolling with no cracking, we highly recommend wrapping your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30-60 seconds. They should be able to roll very easily.
- ROUX. Cook the roux 1 to 2 minutes before adding spices so the sauce tastes toasty, not floury.
- SAUCE. Whisk broth in gradually and simmer low until lightly thick, this gives a glossy, clingy sauce.
- TORTILLA TIP. Dip each tortilla in hot sauce right before filling so it rolls soft without cracking.
Cheese Enchiladas Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2-3 tablespoons Gebhardt chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt with parsley flakes, or salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups full-sodium chicken broth
- 9 (6-inch) corn tortillas,
- 4 cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking together, for 1-2 minutes.
- Add chili powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, cumin and oregano and mix until clumpy. Pour in chicken broth, whisking the entire time until there are no more clumps. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 7×11 inch (or 9×13 inch) baking dish and set aside.
- After the sauce has thickened dip each tortilla in the sauce until soft and immediately put it into the prepared dish. Add ⅓ cup cheese and any meat you wish to add to the tortilla, roll it up and push it to the end of the pan.
- Repeat with all the tortillas until your pan is full. Pour remaining sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle the top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
You can add any kind of meat you like! We’ve added rotisserie chicken, Shredded Chicken, Pork Barbacoa, and even shredded beef (our Beef Enchiladas are basically this recipe with the addition of beef).
Assemble the enchiladas, cover the pan with plastic, and refrigerate for 24 hours. Wrap the pan again with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before baking.
Store leftovers in an airtight container(s) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Complete The Meal
Sides
Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
45 mins
Mexican Street Corn Recipe
13 mins
Mexican Cornbread
50 mins
Canned Refried Beans
10 mins
Desserts
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
4 hrs 45 mins
Easy Flan Recipe
9 hrs 10 mins
Cheesecake Chimichanga
30 mins
Carmelitas
45 mins
More Enchilada Recipes
Collections
This recipe was first shared February 2013.
Thanks
The pop up video is extremely annoying.
Ahh…I should have read the comments to see the trick about softening the tortillas in the microwave, first! I used Tom Thumb store brand. They broke when I tried to roll them. I tried leaving them in the sauce for a while, but then they broke apart when I tried to lift them out. I will try again with Kroger tortillas! I doubled the recipe and made one pan of (broken) rolled tortillas and one pan of stacked tortillas (tear apart tortillas into pieces and layer with sauce and cheese). I figured they would both taste the same. 🙂 The taste is great, family loved them, and we will make again!
Yes, different brands crumble and break more than others. Not sure why? Kroger brand is my favorite! But how clever to layer it like a casserole too. Glad to hear they tasted yummy and that your family enjoyed! Thanks for sharing!
Made this recipe exactly as stated tonight except added sliced black olives & scallions. It was sooo good! Sauce had great flavor, was plenty thick, and the enchiladas were so cheesy! Sounds like some folks had trouble rolling the tortillas without breaking them. I slathered a scoop of sauce in the bottom of my Pyrex pan and rolled the tortillas right in the pan. Reduces mess and the possibility of breakage. This recipe tastes 100% authentic & is definitely a keeper – Kristyn, thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. The addition of olives and scallions sounds delicious! Thanks for your kind words and review. Happy to hear the recipe was a hit!
My family loved this recipe. I made a separate sauce for my mom with half the chili and it was still too spicy for her. So I added a small amount of tomato sauce which smoothed it out. But this recipe is awesome the way it is. Unless you’re my mom haha
Haha! I’m glad you all enjoyed the recipe and yes, certainly feel free to adjust the heat for those who like more mild flavors. 😉 Thanks for sharing!
What would I mark on your site for servings if I wanted 14 enchiladas?
I usually get about 7-8 enchiladas from one recipe, depending on how large you fill your enchiladas. So I’d suggest doubling the recipe (change to 12 servings).
I like this recipe. The tortillas, I heat in the microwave for a minute, and this keeps them from breaking. Also, I found it very difficult to dip these into the chili sauce, so i slather the sauce on the tortillas, add some diced onions, then put the cheese, roll up. After all are rolled up, I pour the remaining sauce on top, topped with onion and more cheese. Good recipe for the red sauce.
That totally works! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks for sharing.
I don’t recommend this recipe to any enchilada lover considering that there is a lot of problems with this recipe. The first problem has to do with the roux. In her pictures, its obvious that she uses more flour and oil than she states in the ingredients. When making the roux, it clumps up very quickly (much quicker than the time she says to mix it for) and you are basically rushed into adding the rest of the ingredients. This red sauce does not take fifteen minutes to clunk up like the recipe states, at best five minutes.
Requesting people to dunk a tortilla raw into the sauce is just asking to get bad reviews, because they are very delicate and will break from the weight of the sauce. For people who want to follow this recipe, I recommend taking your corn tortillas and wrapping them in a damp paper towel before putting them in a ziplock and popping it into the microwave for a minute. You can stack them two at a time, and it preps them beautifully. Just be careful when taking them out because they get very hot this way. Next I recommend to be safe and not dunk them inside this sauce, but continue to the next step on the recipe. Stuff them in cheese and/or chicken/beef and roll them into the pan. (Make sure to spray it with cooking spray first). After your pan is stuffed and full, pour on your sauce that you have made and pop it into the oven at the time and temp it states.
Personally, I might follow this recipe again in my own way and after this I’ll probably stick to the can from the store when wanting red sauce or try my hand at a different recipe.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe. Thanks for your feedback and for giving it a try.
Made this sauce yesterday, looked good , but too much chili powder! My mom also made a sauce but less chili powder, no cumin , and no oregano, which was much better taste. Just thought I’d try something different , but think I’ll stick to the one I have.
We already talked about the tortillas falling apart it’s taste was ok but it seemed to be missing something. I would try it again if the tortillas problem was solved
PS the tortillas were purchased today so a new package was opened
Thanks for letting me know how it went! I try to use the Kroger brand of yellow corn tortillas for this recipe because they seem sturdier and don’t fall apart as easily. They can be found at grocery stores such as Fry’s and Smith’s but I don’t know if those stores are found in your area. It’s hard to find a good sturdy tortilla that is also soft. I’m sorry it didn’t work out as well as you had hoped. Thanks so much for sharing!