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.
Notes
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.
This looks soooo fantastic!! My only problem is I cannot get the dairy free yougurt here where I live. any idea what to sub in? I was thinking maybe a thick vegan bechamel…
Hi Molly! A few people have noted their subs above using tofu and apple cider vinegar. I have not tested that so I cannot vouch for the result but I know another reader did vegan sour cream and it worked. That would be my best suggestion.
Wow, this was so delicious! I made it in a traditional, very deep, casserole dish and it took a really long time to get it piping hot. I put the foil back on and backed another 25 minutes. Very tasty, though !
So awesome to hear Tom! So glad you loved it!
Hi Brandi,
I can’t find unsweetened vegan yoghurt, and I don’t have soy milk, would cashew milk with apple cider vinegar work?
Hi Bianca! Cashew milk will be too runny, so I wouldn’t use that. A few readers have subbed with tofu and adding apple cider vinegar. I have not personally tried this so I cannot vouch for it, but they had success. Also, I’m pretty sure a vegan sour cream would work in place of the yogurt as well. You could try that!
Would it be fine to use flour tortilla? I don’t care for corn, I assume it would be but thought I should ask 🙂
Hi Katie! I would think they might get soggy, but it’s worth a shot! Let me know if you try it!
So good!!!! Thanks Brandi…another winner!
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that!!
Loved this! Am usually not a casserole person, but when something is so flavorful and yes, cheesy, how can you not like it? Easy to make as well. There’s just a small problem with the instructions—in step 4 it says to add the next layer on top of the salsa, but there is only one layer of salsa and that is covered with the corn and cheese (I agree, didn’t need more salsa—juicy as is). So I followed the video and what I thought were your intentions with the instructions, and it turned out perfectly.
Awesome Ellen! I’m so very happy to hear you loved this so much! I edited the directions too!
Got this bad boy in my oven cooking RIGHT NOW! Can’t wait! But I will admit, I used your original Mexican cheese sauce with the nutritional yeast because I love it and I need the B12. Can’t wait till it’s done. It alr day smells heavenly!
Awesome Samantha! I hope that cheese works just as good as the one I used here, haven’t tested it with that one. Let me know! But fyi, the new one I swear is better, so try it! Haha!
Great recipe Brandi!!! I forgot to comment a few weeks ago when I made this twice in 3 days! It is super-delicious and a great family pleaser! Also great with added veggies. Thank you for another winner. 🙂
So awesome Sue! Thank you so much for the review!
This was AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing. Can you guess how many calories are in one serving? I will be trying more of your recipes very soon.
Brandi you did it AGAIN!!!! This is going to be something I bring to any potluck or gathering, everyone that has tried it can not believe how good it tastes AND they are even more surprised to find out it is animal free!!!
I’m excited to try more of your recipes and can hardly wait for your cookbook. You are a true testament to what I believe…… that if you do something you love, you will get paid for it and it won’t feel like “work”!!
Wishing you continued success as you continue coming up with these GREAT recipes that allow us to eat delicious healthy food! 🙂
Penny, you are a sweetheart! Thank you so very much for your kind words and leaving such wonderful feedback! I’m so happy to hear how much you loved this recipe and are excited for my cookbook, that means so much to me!!
I could not find unsweetened soy yogurt anywhere when I was ingredients shopping, so I had to sub with 3/4 unsweetened soy milk with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes. I think it was successful because the sauce was delicious!
Side note: without the tortillas, and just layers of sauce, salsa, corn and beans, it works very well as a layered nacho dip. 😃
Thanks for a great nutritional-yeast free dip!
Oh my gosh, the recipe was fabulous! Made it for my boyfriend tonight and he loved it too. The “cheese” is to die for, we would love it just as a dip too! Keep up the good work. (:
Brandi, thank you so much for this recipe! My husband has changed to a vegan lifestyle due to health problem so we as a family are trying to support him. This recipe is the first one I’ve tried that the entire family have enjoyed, even my boys. The sauce is so creamy and delicious and I assume it can be used on many other dishes. Thanks again 🙂 my hope for this vegan journey has been restored!!!
This looks so great. I can’t wait to make it for my family!
Awesome Stephanie! I hope you all love it as much as everybody else has!
Brandi,
I made this up for a vacation casserole and put the ingredients together 2 days before we actually ate it. It turned out great and the “cheese” sauce is wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I’m all about anything pointing towards the flavors of Mexico. Love bean and corn together and the sauce looks really good.
Brandi, we have a once a month Cooking Club where a group of us try out new vegan recipes. One of the dishes was your Mexican Tortilla Bake. It was a big hit, absolutely delicious and richly flavored. The sauce was done with half cashews and half white beans, and it was really creamy. Great recipe, it’s a keeper! Thanks.
This is so wonderful to hear!! Glad it was a hit with everybody and yes, I loved it with half nuts/half beans too! Thank you so much for the review!
OH wow. That looks quite tasty. Thanks for that one.
That cheese sauce looks delicious! We can’t do cashews though, so I may be trying the white bean option and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
It was still yummy, but obviously not nearly as rich and creamy!
I finally made this! Yum-O-Rama….a party in my (our) mouth(s). We both had two servings, and it is SUPER late and past our bedtime so we know we’ll pay for that with sleep issues, but sooooo worth it! We are having it for lunch tomorrow, and I think that is all that will remain of the whole dish. I can see how you have had it 3-4 times in a given week. SO easy to make. I have a friend who I’ve been working with for several weeks to convert to plant based eating and this is the FIRST recipe I am going to share with her! Counting down the days until your cookbook is available, but so thankful for your website full of amazingness. Thank you for always sharing with us!
Yay, yay, yay! So glad to hear you loved it so much and I’m giggling at you eating it late…haha, this stuff will give you late night cravings! Ha! Good thing that it is healthy though, so totally guilt-free. I hope your friend loved this recipe too. I’ve been overwhelmed by how many people have told me their non-vegan hubbies and non-vegan children or teenagers have devoured it, so I think universally it’s a hit! Thank you again!
I made this last night and couldn’t get over that cheese!! So delicious and easy! My nonvegan husband was amazed as well. I had to bake mine for about ten minutes longer than stated but that could be because I have an old oven and/or because I put an extra layer of tortillas on top under the last layer of cheese sauce. Either way, this recipe is a keeper, thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Sally! SO awesome about your hubby too loving it, woohoo! Thank you for the awesome review!
I’m sorry Brandi but I’m old school and not into any of the social media but I wanted to let you know that I made for the first time your Vegan Cheesy Mexican Torilla Bake and, well…I could have eaten the whole pan! It was FABULOUS! This will definitely be a regular at our house that’s for sure. We’ve been vegan since December 2015 and the majority of the recipes I use come from you. I want to thank you for all the time you spend testing each and every recipe. I used to be a good cook and I especially loved baking. Thank you for making the time I spend in the kitchen so enjoyable. Also, congratulations on your book deal. Can’t wait to get your book in my kitchen!
Diana Funk
Haha, you sound like me! I wanted to basically eat the whole pan myself, too, lol! I’m so very happy to read your lovely and kind comment. I’m truly touched you are enjoying my recipes so much! Have the low-fat brownies been one of them, haha?! I remember your request for those. They have been so very popular with readers, but it was you that inspired them..and your hubby! Thank you again for the lovely comment!
I made this tonight and it was easy and delicious! I was eating the cheese straight out of the blender. 😍
I did the same thing! Thank you so much Britton, I’m so glad you loved it!
*I’m not…
*deal
I despise typos!! 😝
I have a confession to make-I not a big Mexican foods fan but this was absolutely delicious. I just finished my second helping and had to write a rave review! I can’t believe how easy this was to throw together and how delicious it turned out.
One of the many things I love about your recipes, Brandi, is that even if I change things up a bit, everything still tastes wonderful. This was not intentional, but a third of the sauce ended up being unusable. I was devastated and was sure the dish would not turn out, but it was still amazing. That is a true testament to phenomenal recipes!!
I went with your suggestion to use a mild salsa because my Irish stomach can’t take very spicy foods. 😉 I also used plain almond milk yogurt for the cheese sauce and slightly less cumin. STILL SO TASTY!
I had to chuckle when I saw the “other Colleen’s” question about freezing the dish. I’ll be lucky if this lasts another day! :0)
Thanks for another winner, and by the way, CONGRATULATIONS on your book dea!! You have worked so hard and been so selfless with sharing your knowledge and recipes. You truly deserve this honor!
Thank you so very much for such an incredible feedback Colleen! I love even more that this wowed you and you aren’t even a Mexican fan, yay! I am so grateful for your wonderful review and all of your kind words. I’m so happy to hear how much you love all of my recipes, thank you so much Colleen! And thank you for your words about the book, I’m very excited to have all of this support from you wonderful readers!