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.
This looks great, but there are a few things that are a bit confusing, and or missing. You don’t say how many tortillas you’ll need, or how much queso. It’s good to know quantities before heading to the store. Also, you use the term “fry” the tortillas in the red sauce. When I think frying, higher heat and oil, and you mention turning down the heat on the sauce before you do this. Again, when I think frying, I think of a higher temp, and oil. I quess you mean “dip” the tortillas in the red sauce? Not picking on you, just want to get it right.
The amount of tortillas vary. I use a 9×13 pan and can fit 9-11 tortillas. It just depends on how tight you roll them up. As for the frying, it’s called flash frying, where you dip the tortillas in the sauce, before adding however much cheese you’d like. After you’ve rolled all your tortillas, you pour the excess sauce on top. There isn’t queso in this recipe. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy them!!
OK, so your response explains why I was confused. If you look up the definition of flash frying, you will see that it is the process of frying something at a very high temperature in oil, not dipping something in a sauce at at low temperature. That is not flash frying. The literal translation of queso is cheese, and does not necessarily mean queso fresco, which is what I believe you’re referring to when you said there isn’t queso in this recipe. All that said, your recipe still sounds great, I will try it this weekend, and I’m sure it’ll be delicious! Thanks.
Found your recipe on Pinterest. Looks good. Can’t wait to try it. On your site you said since moving to Texas you can’t find Bueno Chile Puree. I live near Fort Worth, and Albertsons is a major store in the DFW metroplex area. Bueno’s store locator website shows it to be sold at Albertsons and some Brookshires. Plug in your zip code and see if any is near you. Hope this helps.
https://buenofoods.com/store-locator/
Thanks Kathy!! I’m back in Arizona, so I can find it now 🙂 If you love enchiladas, you’ll love this recipe! Thanks so much for checking it out!
HEB has Bueno Red Chile and Green Chile in the freezer section. Not sure if you have an HEB nearby.
I do..I love HEB!!! Thanks for the heads up!!
Hi, this might be a silly question, but do you buy a certain kind of corn tortillas to keep your enchiladas from falling apart?! I feel like I’ve tried all kinds of methods of preparation – flash frying in oil, sauce, steaming, heating in a pan, etc – but my enchiladas never seem to hold up once they’ve been cooked. It’s always sooo annoying because I feel like I spend endless time rolling. I’ve even fried them so much that they are almost crispy (not to mention I have to roll while they are still scalding so that they are still bendable) and still no dice. I’d love any suggestions you have!
The only suggestion I can give is buy fresh corn tortillas. If they are older they are more likely to crack. I don’t flash fry mine in oil for any of my enchiladas. I just dip them in the sauce to make them soft and it works out great. 😉
When I make enchiladas I don’t roll them I layer them with like a Casserole It’s so much faster , I put just a little sauce them my corn tortillas layered in my baking dish . I use hamburger meat I mine but just cheese is fine . After my tortillas are on bottom I put my hamburger meat in sauce cheese and onions if you like then more tortillas and continue your layers till pan is full with tortillas on top then poor sauce over them and top with cheese . Then bake in oven till Bubbly and hot . I just buy can enchilada sauce and use lots of it the more sauce the better.
How Many Enchiladas Does This Make.
You can find Bueno Red & Green chile at Albertsons grocery stores!!! I’m from New Mexico but living in Dallas now and am so happy that I finally found my Bueno red chile!!! I LOVE your website Lil’ Luna!!!
I’ll have to look at Albertson’s!! Thanks! SO glad you like the site. ;D
I’m assuming it’s from too many ads but I’m unable to look at your site or read the recipe. It keeps freezing which is an unfortunate thing that happens w/ many otherwise good blogs due to excessive pop ups. So you are losing traffic even making this comment my computer keeps freezing so I just have to “X” out of your site.
OMG! I found this on pinterest and made it tonight and it got rave reviews! I never knew it was that easy to make a red enchilada sauce. I’m never buying cans of that stuff again! Thanks for the awesome recipes!
Can this meal be frozen?