Easy Cheese Enchiladas
4/9/2026
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These baked cheese enchiladas are a cheese lover’s dream and couldn’t be easier to prepare! Made with FOUR varieties of cheese, this wildly simple recipe comes together in under an hour. A hit with the whole family, these enchiladas are a go-to weeknight meal in my home. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Why You’ll Love Them
Easy: Simply mix the cheeses together, fill the tortillas, and bake.
Quick: With minimal prep, the oven does most of the work. This is a great recipe for busy weeknights when you’re craving a homemade meal but don’t have much time.
Family-friendly: These are a hit with the whole family! Kids and adults love these ultra cheesy enchiladas.
Feeds a crowd: This recipe makes a batch large enough to feed a group or to have leftovers all week.
Ingredients Needed
- Tortillas: For authentic flavor, use corn tortillas. 5.5-inch tortillas work best!
- Avocado oil: Used in a skillet when warming up the tortillas so they’re easier to fill and roll without breaking.
- Enchilada sauce: Use your favorite homemade enchilada sauce or store-bought sauce.
- Shredded cheeses: A combination of shredded cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack cheeses are used in the enchilada filling.
- Onion: Diced white onion adds a welcome savory flavor to the filling (no need to cook it ahead of time).
- Queso fresco: Sprinkled on top for bright, fresh flavor.
My favorite store-bought enchilada sauces: Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce, 365 Organic Red Enchilada Sauce, and Old El Paso Red Enchilada Sauce
How to Make Cheese Enchiladas
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the shredded cheeses in a bowl.
Warm Tortillas
Corn tortillas can sometimes break or fall apart when filling and rolling them. To avoid this, warm the tortillas to make them more pliable first. Heat avocado oil in a large skillet set over low/medium heat. When the oil is fragrant, add 2 corn tortillas at a time to the skillet, heating them on both sides until warm throughout.
When the tortillas are warm and can be rolled without breaking, place them into the middle of a clean kitchen towel. Fold the towel around the tortillas to keep them warm. Repeat this process until all tortillas are warm.
Assemble
Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it in an even layer.
Working one tortilla at a time, place a tortilla on a clean work surface and add 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon of diced onion to the middle. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. Continue until all tortillas are filled and fit snugly in the baking dish.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with the rest of the shredded cheese.
Bake
Bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. If you notice the top of the enchiladas are becoming a little too toasty, cover the pan with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with queso fresco, and serve with your favorite toppings.
Serving Ideas
When serving a crowd, I love setting up a toppings bar so everyone can customize their own enchiladas. Pair with chips and salsa or sides like Mexican corn salad or easy taco dip!
Try any of these toppings for cheese enchiladas:
- Dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Drizzle of white queso or lime crema
- Diced tomatoes
- Chopped fresh cilantro or green onion
- Salsa or guacamole
- Sliced avocado
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
Cheese Enchilada Variations & Substitutions
Mix up the flavor with different enchilada sauces.
Add a few dashes of hot sauce to the enchilada sauce for spicy enchiladas.
Use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. No need to warm them first.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Once the enchiladas are completely cool, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freezing Cheese Enchiladas
These enchiladas are a wonderful freezer meal! Prepare the recipe as instructed, just be sure to bake them in a freezer-safe baking dish. Once baked and cooled, wrap the pan of enchiladas with aluminum foil (option to also add a lid if the baking dish has one) and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat frozen enchiladas:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Take the pan of enchiladas out of the freezer and remove the foil.
- Bake until the enchiladas are warm throughout, about 25-35 minutes.
FAQ
Use any kind of cheese that melts easily. I like to use a combination of pepper jack, mozzarella, and cheddar cheeses.
Lightly pan fry the corn tortillas – this prevents breaking when rolling and sogginess while baking.
Instead of adding chicken to this cheese version, try my homemade chicken enchiladas or cream cheese chicken enchiladas.
Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 12 5.5 inch corn tortillas
- 2 cups enchilada sauce, divided
- 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese, divided (~2 cups)
- 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (~2 cups)
- 4 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese, divided (~1 cup)
- 1/2 large white onion, diced
- 5- oz. queso fresco, ~½ cup
For Serving
- Shredded lettuce
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Sliced avocado
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix the shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and pepper jack cheese together in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet set over low/medium heat. When the oil is fragrant, place 2 corn tortillas in the skillet and heat on both sides until they become pliable, about 1-2 minutes total.
- When the tortillas are warm and can be rolled without breaking, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat until all tortillas are warm.
- Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it in an even layer.
- Assemble the enchiladas: Place one tortilla on a work surface and add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheeses and 1 tablespoon of diced onion to the middle. Roll the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the enchilada sauce at the bottom of the of the casserole dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled and tucked snugly in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the queso fresco. Enjoy with your favorite enchilada toppings!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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