So, my original plan was to post waffles today because, if you have been keeping up with me on Instagram, you will see I’ve been making a ton of waffles. I have both a Chai Waffle recipe and a Chocolate Waffle recipe. However, I realized that several of my posts lately have all been sweet…um, oops….and due to the excitement over this recipe I shared on this Facebook post, I knew I needed to publish this one first. But don’t you worry, those Chai waffles are next. I’ve received countless waffle recipe requests since so many prefer them over pancakes. So, hold tight. 😉
This Vegan Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake was another spur-of-the-moment dinner idea that turned out incredible. Incredible. It’s truly hard to believe that this whole dish, with as delicious as it is, is only 8 ingredients (+salt and water). My daughter absolutely looovvved it. In fact, I’ve made it 3 times since I shared the teaser pic on Facebook. So many of you have been messaging asking when it is getting posted and yay, today is the day! Let me just say, it takes awhile to film a video with all the layers and prepare everything for the post, so that is why it took me several days to get it together.
We polished off this Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake in no time. Also, it’s SO easy to make. Another exciting thing? The Mexican Vegan Cheesy Sauce is made with no nutritional yeast! So many people hate nutritional yeast or are allergic, as well as many months ago I discovered it was a trigger for gout pain in my husband. Ever since then, I’ve been remaking recipes subbing out the nutritional yeast. For this recipe, I went to my #1 cheese sauce on the blog that soooo many of you say it has changed your life, the Mexican Cheese Sauce. BUT, that recipe uses a good amount of nutritional yeast. So, I had to think how to mimic that cheesy flavor without it.
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I did it, lol. The shocking part is that I love this one better. It tastes even cheesier.
VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE IN 10 MINUTES
You don’t need to cook any veggies or do a million steps to make a homemade cheese sauce. This is SO easy to make and I swear, has the most real cheesy taste that I’ve tried yet to date and I’ve tried a lot of recipes. It’s simple, fast and delicious.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I don’t like long recipes with a lot of ingredients. It just flat out stresses me out and this recipe is so incredibly delicious and the fact it’s ready in under an hour and just 8 basic ingredients is kind of crazy.
To remake my original cheese sauce without the nutritional yeast, I used a good amount of dairy-free soy (or coconut) yogurt. It provided an amazing tang, wonderful body and texture and honestly, tasted better to me than with the nutritional yeast. That combined with all the natural vinegar in the salsa, makes for one delicious cheesy bite.
I don’t give two hoots if it is “real cheese” or not…when something tastes good, it tastes good. Period. No matter what. And unlike dairy cheese, this one isn’t full of cholesterol.
It will be going on nachos next! Mmmmmmm.
All you need to make this recipe is 8 simple ingredients (+the usual salt and water):
- Cashews or White beans
- Salsa
- Dairy-free Yogurt
- Cumin
- Smoked Paprika
- Black Beans
- Corn
- Corn Tortillas
I hope you all love this Vegan Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake as much as I do. Please watch the video tutorial below, as it really makes the process easier to understand when seeing the visual.
MORE VEGAN DINNER RECIPES
- Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells
- Barbecue Lentil Loaf
- Oil-free Zucchini Fritters
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Vegan 20 Minute Alfredo
- Vegan Chickpea Tomato Ragu
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake
Ingredients
FOR THE CHEESE (Makes 2 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup (150g) raw unsalted cashews (See NOTES below for subs and lower-fat option)
- 1 cup (240g) mild heat runny/not too chunky salsa (I love Trader Joe's or Sprouts Mild, you can use a medium heat if you don't mind the dish being on the spicy side, not recommended with kids)
- 3/4 cup (180g) PLAIN dairy-free yogurt (I used Silk Soy yogurt found at Kroger OR SO Delicious "Unsweetened" Plain coconut yogurt)
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (75g) water
- 1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4-1 teaspoon fine salt (this will vary depending on the salsa used. Start with 3/4 and keep in mind the final taste after baked you want to stand out)
FOR THE CASSEROLE
- 9 small corn tortillas, cut into fourths
- Two 15 oz cans low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup (240g) salsa for middle layer
- 2 cups (293g) sweet corn (I used frozen)
- Optional: Green onions for garnish
NOTE
- The yogurt CANNOT be subbed here for milk, that will RUIN the recipe. The yogurt is thick, creamy and tangy and using a milk will not only make it bland, it will make the rest of the dish watery and soggy. Follow the recipe for the correct results.
Instructions
- First, prepare your cheese sauce by adding all of the ingredients listed under "cheese sauce" to a high-powered blender. I did not soak my cashews since I have a Vitamix, but if you do not have a strong blender, you will need to soak your cashews overnight, drain and rinse. Otherwise, your sauce will be gritty. Taste it and tell me how darn cheesy that tastes! The cheese sauce tastes insanely delicious and cheesy straight out of the blender, but gets even cheesier after it's baked! If you are just wanting to use the cheese sauce for nachos or another recipe, I would add it to the stove and heat it just to thicken it up slightly. It is delicious on nachos!
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly spray a 8 1/2 by 8 1/2 square casserole dish like ceramic or stone with nonstick spray. Layer about a 1/3 of the cheese sauce on the bottom and spread out with a spoon. REFER TO VIDEO for easy visual tutorial. Lay on top of the cheese sauce 6 of the cut tortillas per each row for 3 rows.
- Add 1 can of the beans on top of the tortillas and spread out. Add the other 1 cup of salsa and spread out over the beans. Layer 1 cup of the corn. Layer another 1/3 of the cheese sauce on top of the corn and spread out. You will notice there is only 1 layer of salsa in the middle. This is just to add another layer of flavor and moisture, it definitely didn't need 2 layers of salsa.
- Repeat the steps by adding the remaining tortillas, then the beans, corn and remaining cheese sauce. Cover everything well and top with a piece of foil gently covering the dish. This is so the cheese sauce doesn't bake up and harden too quickly. Bake with the foil on for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is getting a nice firm orange-brown look on the edges. I baked it for about 8 minutes without the foil but if you prefer the cheese to be more firm, just bake it a bit longer. Just keep in mind that the longer you bake it, the drier the top cheese layer becomes after it is removed from the oven.
- Garnish with fresh green onions. I loved the crunchy, fresh element of the green onions to the warm cheesy flavor.
- This dish reheats very well also. I just reheat leftovers in the microwave and mmmmmm, delicious.
Recipe Notes
Please note that for best results, I recommend the 100% cashew version. It is incredibly rich and delicious and only recommend the below if allergic to cashews or greatly needing to watch your fat intake.
To make this nut-free: You can sub all of the cashews with white beans, making sure to blend really well. Just PLEASE note that this is ONLY recommended if you absolutely cannot have cashews. I tested it with all beans and while it was good, it was not as rich and creamy delicious as with the cashews (obviously since beans are fat-free) and the husband said it tasted like beans, but did agree it was still good and tasty. Please keep in mind I recommend the cashew version for best results to where non-vegans will love it too.
For lower fat: I also tested a version with half white beans and half cashews and it was still very delicious.
Nutrition per square slice (based on 9): 287 calories | 9.9g fat | 9.6g protein | 43.1g carbs | 8g fiber | 8g sugar | 568mg sodium
If you make this recipe, please do not repost it in full on your site, please link to me instead giving proper credit. I work very hard to create my recipes and share them for free, so please be respectful and link properly. If you are inspired by this recipe, again, please give proper credit and do not simply post it on your site and ask before reprinting any of my recipes.
Just FABULOUS! Just the easiest recipe followed exactly! Husband LOVED it. too. Thank you for this cheese sauce — I have been cooking vegan for quite a while and that sauce is a winner. Now I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Woohoo! So very happy you loved it and your husband did, too!! Thank you for making it!
OMG WHAT IS THIS?!!!🤤 This dish has completely blown my mind, and Im Mexican!😅 I cant believe I haven’t made it any sooner! It was delicious, I loved that I didnt even have to use Nutritional yeast for cheese! And just like everyone else, my kids(3&10) loved it so much they actually asked for seconds!!!! Like, omg wow!!! Thank you thank you Brandi for sharing this delicious recipe, it will now be added to our weekly menu!
Did I miss the temperature you cooked it at?
Yes, it’s listed under step 2.
Insanely good. I’ve made this several times already and it’s back on my dinner schedule this week. My almost 18 year old has gotten incredibly picky and more often won’t eat my vegan meals anymore. This one he chows down like you’ve never seen. He ends up polishing his plate well before us. I’ve used this cheese sauce over nachos as well. I pity anyone that hasn’t tried this dish 😁
That is so awesome to hear!!
I LOVE this sauce!! I can’t eat nutritional yeast either / causes a tummy ache. 🙂
This is so good. My favorite way to eat now is without corn and adding in a layer of black bean dip (black beans processed with a little salsa and cumin) and also adding in a layer of your almond ricotta. It is so rich and amazing. LOVE. sometimes topped with some guacamole.
I look forward to it every week now.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
I’m so happy to hear that Kristina, thank you so much for the review! The almond ricotta sounds amazing too!
This taco bake was PHENOMENAL!! I absolutely loved it as did my daughter who is a very picky eater. She had 3 servings at dinner (small ones)… My husband who is a meat eater when we go out to dinner, loved this meal and said its a keeper! Thank you for sharing these wonderful recipes.
So wonderful to hear this! Thank you for the review!
So easy and delicious! It’s been a long time since I’ve had King Ranch Chicken Casserole, but I feel like this is a great plant-based version! So yummy! Thank you for sharing your recipes with the world!
Oh yay, I’m so glad you loved it!
I’ve made this a couple of times and really like it! I only had 1 can of black beans last time I made it so I added some pinto beans. I also added a can of green chilies and more scallions. (Love my onions!) I had to cook it a tad bit longer due to the added juice from the chilies but it worked out great. Thanks for such a tasty recipe!!
So happy it was a hit Shree, sounds so good with the chiles!
Awesome sauce!!!!
I used 3/4 cup tofu, well drained after measuring, plus the 1 TBLS apple cider vinegar. Only need 3/4 tsp salt and I used fresh cooked flour tortillas. Two layers of 2 tortillas each. Very yummy!
So happy you loved this Dana! Homemade tortillas sound so delicious!
That was extra firm tofu…sorry
I made this last night using a different nacho cheese sauce recipe. It was really good although I felt it needed a slightly larger dish. I don’t think I could have fit everything in the 85×85 that you suggested. I also didn’t think in would take only 20-25 min to warm up. Sure enough, it took about 35 min to get it jut pleasantly warm…..I would have left it longer but everyone was standing around waiting! Overall it was a great tasting dish….a knock-out-of-the-park recipe! Thank you.
Hi Janet, glad you enjoyed it! The main part of this recipe is my cheese sauce, which is what everybody loves so much about this recipe and it’s what really makes the dish, so I would definitely try that too! 🙂 And the 8×8 dish I use works perfectly, which you can see in the photos it fits just fine. It’s the same dish I use everytime I make it. If you used a different sauce then that may have affected how it filled up the pan you used. Mine is always done in the time listed too, but of course, ovens can always vary. I also make it right after making the cheese sauce in my vitamix, so that means the cheese sauce is already warm, which is part of it too.
This recipe looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you!
This is absolutely outstanding!! The sauce is to die for— I saved some to dip chips in. The cheese sauce recipe alone makes our new Vitamix totally worth the money that we paid 🙂 This is so good that I’m going to be putting it in our regular rotation of recipes! Thank you so much for a delicious meal that even my picky kiddos like!
Yay, glad to hear that Carrie! So happy you loved it so much! I use this cheese sauce on SO many things, it is our favorite cheese sauce!
This took almost an our to bake through for me…weird, as my oven is usually pretty spot on. My 8.5″ square dish was also almost overflowing, to the point that I had to leave out some of the ingredients. I don’t care, though; it’s AMAZING. The best vegan cheese sauce I’ve ever tried, hands down. Thank you for sharing your culinary wizardry!
Can we sub cashew butter for the raw cashews in the cheese sauce?
Yes, use the same gram weight amount (which would be 1/2 cup + 1 heaped tablespoon) and make sure it’s a raw cashew butter without added oils, otherwise the flavor will be completely different and bake differently.
Thank you for the recipe. It was very good. My husband (who eats meat) says he wants this every week. He didn’t even smother it in hot sauce like he does most Mexican meals.
I have a weird question. The corn tortillas I bought were thick and the package said uncooked. They were fresh but had an off putting smell. Should I have cooked the uncooked corn tortillas prior to baking them?
Hi Shannon! Glad it was such a hit! Yes, you want to use cooked corn tortillas for this. I buy ready-made corn tortillas.
Weird question, but do you think I could use corn tortilla chips for this? I don’t have any regular tortillas on hand and I want to make this today 🙂
You can try it but it may make the dish overly salty! And the chips soggy.
This was the first recipe I tried in your cookbook. It was really good, even my non compliant husband liked it. It would be a good side dish for anyone, no matter what they eat.
So wonderful to hear that Kathi, thank you so much for buying my book!
OMG woman!! I finally made this tonight and i cannot get over the sauce!!!! This is so flavorful and so quick…I think I’ve got to make a huge batch of this sauce for…anything! Thank you for your hard work, as usual!
haha thank you so much Eva!! So glad you loved it!
I know I am echoing nearly every other comment here, but wow, this was an amazing recipe. I am living on a small island in Panama and we have one small boutique store that sells Tofutti sour cream as the only dairy alternative around. I used that instead of the yogurt and I am just stunned at how amazing this is. I added a bit of chipotle and just the tiniest amount of rice vinegar (some tang where the yogurt would have provided this). Next time I will add some sauteed peppers and onions but other than that–DON’T MESS WITH THIS!
This was so sweet, so thrilled you loved this Keara! Thank you for the wonderful feedback!
I have been vegan for quite a while but never, ever make any recipes. Everything I cook is spur of the moment with whatever I have on hand. Recipes are usually complicated, involve way too many ingredients and require too much time to prepare and cook. So, I was thrilled when I found you on IG and started following you. I can deal with 8 ingredients! I made this recipe and my boyfriend (vegetarian) loved it!!! So, I wanted to thank you for your site and your recipes – this was truly delicious and I look forward to making more of your creations. Thanks again!
What a lovely message, thank you so much Natalee! I’m so happy you found my blog and made and loved this recipe!! Thank you for letting me know!
Looks amazing. Is this dish freezer friendly?
Hi! I’ve never tried freezing this so I honestly don’t know! I would think it’d be ok wrapped tightly and reheated on low in the oven, but I’ve never tried it personally.
Thanks
This dish works fine with freezing too
Sooooo…I made this tonight for dinner. Am I allowed to say “SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!”? This was so tasty, I’m ecstatic there are leftovers. I was skeptical about the “cheese” sauce, but you totally made me a believer with this recipe! 🙌
Haha that’s so amazing to hear John!! Thank you for the wonderful feedback!
I am happy i found this. I made it tonight and was hoping it would be good. It was excellent. I have a tip if it is too spicy put a tiny bit of lime juice on the plate. Lime cuts the spicy down. That is what I did today I bought the medium instead of spicy since I am latin thinking we could handle the extra. My husband and daughter put crushed tortilla chips on his . He said it was like a dip to him. I put finely cut onions and lime juice on mine.
I am posting to correct my mistake since there is no edit. I meant I bought medium instead of mild. I also wanted to say the lime cuts the spice down. Sorry for all the mistakes.
My husband said he liked putting it on the tortilla chips like a dip the best.
I’m so happy y’all enjoyed it Carmen, thank you so much for the review!!
So yummy and delicious!! I used cashews but I thought for people who are nut-free they could possibly use sunflower seeds! I haven’t tested it by just a thought.
I used 50/50 red kidney beans and black beans.
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
This cheese sauce is soooo delicious it’s a problem….we just completed dinner and I cannot stop thinking about it… I could eat the entire casserole all by myself…
I asked my husband if he wanted more and his response was… “As much as I can have…”
Thank you!
I made a last minute choice for dinner, and so glad I found this and made it! I’ve made a lot of vegan mexican casseroles – and this is my husband’s FAVORITE now! Thank you SO much! Can’t believe I had everything on hand – except the vegan yogurt (or was it sour cream?). I didn’t use it and just added extra water (and a little garlic powder and chili powder)- extremely yummy and very flavorful. Added in veggies on hand – broccoli and zucchini. AWESOME and I LOVE simple recipes – that’s my style. This will be a go-to for certain. Blessings of love and all good things to you! Thanks again!
Thank you so much Julianne for the amazing review!
Anyone try Rotel in the sauce or dish?
No, I haven’t ever! Salsa has the vinegar which really aids in the cheesy flavor.
We love this dish and have eaten it many times! In case there is anyone else there with an allergy to cashews, but not all nuts, I wanted to mention that we make this with almonds and it works beautifully. I soak raw almonds in boiling water for a bit (like 30 minutes), then rinse in cold water, and peel (the skins just pop off, but it is a bit… tedious/meditative…), and then blend up like the soaked cashews. Thanks, so much, Brandi!
Thank you so much Amy, so glad you love this dish! Great tip! I’ve used almonds before in place of cashews, but usually not more than half, since I find it tastes a bit mealy, but probably isn’t noticeable in a dish like this one, thanks for sharing!
What a tasty vegan option! I love Mexican food, and this recipe is delish! Thank you for putting in such great efforts to make tasty, healthy food!
This was wonderful! I made it last night and my family loved it (including 3 picky kids). I made some modifications – I added taco seasoning to the cheeze sauce, added rice as a layer (with taco seasoning in it) and I also used crumbled organic vegan blue corn tortilla chips as a top layer with the cheeze sauce. It was amazing! Will definitely be on our regular rotation. Thank you!!
Do you think raw sunflower seeds could be subbed for cashews? My daughter has a nut allergy but would love something more creamy than white beans.
You could try half beans and half seeds. I’ve never tried this and don’t know if the seeds will taste too strong, but hope the salsa and yogurt will help camouflage the taste!
I make this recipe all the time. I love it! I have changed out cashews for tofu before. I did 1 cup tofu or about half a block of tofu, and followed the rest of the recipe as is. I have started adding enchilada sauce like 1/2 a can just to make the queso a bit thinner, just my preference. My non vegan friends love the recipe. I have a cousin who’s deathly allergic to cashews so I was trying to find an accommodation. He’s allergic to dairy also. But I wanted him to enjoy some “queso”.
Oh, my!!
Mexican food is my favorite and boy did this tick all my happy boxes!! haha
Thank you so much. You make eating this way so fun and easy! Even my non-WFPB son enjoyed this. He had sliced avocado on top. He didn’t even add cheese and thought it tasted cheesy enough on its own! Win!!
Thanks so much.
That’s such amazing feedback! Thank you so much for the review!
I’m excited to try this dish! Looks amazing! I was wondering if there is a sub for the smoked paprika, or if it could be left out? My husband and I are just not fans.
Yes, just use regular paprika!
Have you tried a different nutritional yeast? Many on the market have chemically added B vitamins causing stomach upset. I use one found at Whole Foods that is more pure. It’s found in the vitamin section.
Yes, when I do use it, I only use the Sari brand, which is non-fortified. However, it’s a huge gout trigger, so I rarely use it anyways. This recipe is incredibly cheesy though so it doesn’t need it! But I have recipes on my blog that use it.
Made this recipe using Kite Hill plain almond yogurt. I did add Sari nutritional yeast ‘cause I love it. I made my own salsa with garlic and cilantro. It was very good. Recipe is a keeper! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Brandi, I made this tonight for dinner and it was a big hit, both with my husband and me! I am converting over to veganism; he has no interest, but loves to try what I cook! We both thought the textures and taste in this dish were excellent! This meal will go on regular rotation in our house! Thank you!
Oh fabulous Diana! That’s so wonderful to hear!
I made this yesterday for my Grammy viewing party. YUM! We all loved it. Even though I didn’t have the correct size casserole, didn’t exactly stick with the measurments, and used a vanilla flavored yogurt, it still was delicious. This will be my goto recipe for parties. Thank you. 🙏😋😘
So glad to hear it was such a hit!
I made it again today for a friend, who was visiting. We devoured it! I can’t get enough of this super easy and incredibly delicious and satisfying dish. Love you and your recipes.
I also made your Showstopper Chocolate Cake from your cookbook and oh…my…God!!! I’m having my third piece right now (it’s 11+pm). I’ll post the pics on IG. 😘🙏
Haha, that is so awesome to hear Sheri, I can’t thank you enough for this wonderful review! So happy you love this and the Showstopped Chocolate Cake from my book!!
This was so unbelievably good – my teens raved, husban devoured and me, I licked the blender!!
I am so excited I tried this one…
Just is bluidy goooood!!
Cheers!
Yay! Thanks for this amazing feedback!
Fantastic recipe! I’ve made it a few times as is. Now I just prepare the sauce and add it to beans and veggies for lunch for a few consecutive days. So easy and delicious! Meal prep gold. I can’t count how many times I’ve made it. Thank you so much for sharing this creation of yours 🙂
Hi, this looks so good! Curious if tortilla chips would work here? I don’t have tortillas and trying to use what I have on hand. THanks!
Hi Andrea! I have never used tortilla chips so I’m not sure how they would work here. You can always try it, it may end up much crunchier that way or totally work, not sure. But you can find corn tortillas anywhere.
Looks fabulous recipe, I’m going to try it… I know you have mentioned nothing to sub the yogurt.. But I’m not able to have soy while breastfeeding as my bub seems to be allergic and cashew yogurt will be overload.. We don’t get good almond yogurt in Australia and my hub cannot handle coconut so no coconut yogurt either. Do you have any suggestions for me? Sorry I know this is a hard one.
This is fantastic. Made it for my brother who is trying to slowly edge his way into a plant-based diet and it was a big success. I didn’t add the spices because I’m not a huge fan of smoked paprika or cumin, and still – that cheese sauce could convince the most jaded vegan-averse skeptic. I feel like this recipe could gracefully handle a lot of variations and am looking forward to experimenting – but will always circle back to the original.
So amazing! The sauce…what?! I had to force myself to make the rest of the recipe, all I wanted to do was pour it over chips! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!!
Haha, that is so awesome to hear Kara, thank you so much for making it!
I found this recipe in your cookbook and made it the other night. Oh my gosh – it was absolutely unbelievable! I didn’t have enough corn so I chopped up some zucchini and topped it with fresh jalapeños instead of green onions. This is comfort Mexican in the best way possible. Seriously, you’re a genius at what you do!