Do enchiladas contain dairy?

The Short Answer

Enchiladas can be made both with and without dairy ingredients like cheese and cream. Traditional Mexican enchiladas are typically made with corn tortillas and do not contain dairy. However, American-style enchiladas often include cheese fillings and are topped with cheese, sour cream, or crema, which do contain dairy. With the right substitutions, like using plant-based cheese or dairy-free cream, enchiladas can easily be made dairy-free.

What are Enchiladas?

Enchiladas are a popular Mexican dish consisting of corn or flour tortillas that are filled and rolled up with various fillings, then smothered in a chile sauce. Traditional fillings for enchiladas include shredded chicken, beef, pork, fish, cheese, beans, or vegetables.

The tortillas are dipped in a chile sauce or enchilada sauce before filling and rolling. Common enchilada sauces are made from chili peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices simmered into a sauce. The enchiladas are then topped with more of the chile sauce, as well as garnishes like shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and cilantro.

Types of Enchiladas

There are many different regional variations of enchiladas found throughout Mexico. Some of the most popular include:

Enchiladas Suizas – From Mexico City, these are filled with chicken or cheese and topped with a creamy green salsa made with tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeños, and sour cream or crema.

Enchiladas Poblanas – Originating in Puebla, these enchiladas are filled with shredded chicken and topped with a mole poblano sauce.

Enchiladas Rojas – Filled with chicken or cheese and covered in a red chili sauce made from guajillo, pasilla, or ancho chilies.

Enchiladas Verdes – Stuffed with chicken or cheese and bathed in a bright green tomatillo salsa.

Enfrijoladas – Tortillas dipped in a black bean puree instead of chile sauce. Often filled with cheese and topped with crema.

American-Style Enchiladas

In the United States, enchiladas are very popular but have evolved quite differently from their Mexican roots. American-style enchiladas are often made with flour tortillas instead of corn. They are also much more likely to be stuffed with cheese fillings like cheddar or Monterey Jack and include toppings like sour cream, lettuce, and olives.

Ground beef is another very common filling for American-style enchiladas. The red sauce coating the enchiladas is also thicker and saucier than a traditional Mexican enchilada sauce. Chili powder and cumin are used to give it the characteristic “Tex-Mex” flavor profile.

Do Enchiladas Traditionally Contain Dairy?

Authentic Mexican enchiladas are traditionally dairy-free and made completely from scratch. Here are the key elements:

Corn Tortillas – The corn masa dough used to make real corn tortillas contains no dairy products. It’s just corn that has been nixtamalized by soaking and cooking in an alkaline solution.

Enchilada Sauce – Red and green Mexican enchilada sauces get their creamy textures from puréed vegetables, nuts, seeds, and chilies – no cream or milk is used.

Fillings – Typical enchilada fillings like meat, beans, and veggies contain no dairy. Even Mexican-style chicken enchiladas are made by simmering chicken in tomatoes, chilies, and spices rather than heavy cream.

Garnishes – On top, traditional enchiladas are finished with just a drizzle of Mexican crema (a thin, soured cream), queso fresco (fresh farmer’s cheese), onions, and cilantro. These dairy toppings are used sparingly.

So in their original form, corn tortilla enchiladas made with from-scratch salsas and non-dairy fillings contain little to no dairy overall. Cheese enchiladas do exist in Mexico, but they aren’t as ubiquitous as meat, veggie, and bean-filled enchiladas.

Exceptions

Some exceptions where dairy is more commonly used in Mexican enchiladas include:

– Enchiladas Suizas – contain both sour cream in the sauce and cheese filling

– Enfrijoladas – often filled with cheese

– Enchiladas de Queso – cheese-filled enchiladas with tomato sauce

– Certain regions like Oaxaca have their own local styles that incorporate more cheese into enchiladas

But overall, traditional enchiladas tend to use dairy products sparingly compared to Tex-Mex and American-style versions.

Do American Enchiladas Contain Dairy?

Most American-style enchiladas do contain significant amounts of dairy ingredients like cheese, cream, and sour cream:

Cheese Fillings – Ground beef may be the most popular enchilada filling stateside, but cheese fillings like cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Velveeta are also very common. These add a lot of dairy to the dish.

Creamy Sauces – Many American enchilada sauces add milk, heavy cream, sour cream, or cream cheese to create a thicker, smoother texture and cheesy, tangy flavor.

Cheese Toppings – On top, enchiladas gringo-style are very liberally topped with shredded cheese, from cheddar and Monterey Jack to Mexican cheeses like queso fresco or Oaxaca.

Sour Cream – Sour cream is a ubiquitous topping for Tex-Mex enchiladas, adding even more dairy to the plate.

So between the cheese fillings, creamy sauces, cheese toppings, and sour cream, many American-style enchiladas end up containing much higher amounts of milk products than their more traditional Mexican counterparts.

Amount of Dairy in Common Enchilada Recipes

To demonstrate how much dairy is used, here’s the approximate amount of dairy products found in a 4-oz serving of some typical enchilada recipes:

Enchilada Type Dairy Products Approx. Grams of Dairy Per Serving
Beef and Bean Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce 2 Tbsp shredded cheddar 14g
Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Gravy 4 Tbsp cheddar filling + 2 Tbsp shredded cheddar + 1/4 cup chili gravy 56g
Chicken Enchiladas Suizas 1/4 cup green sauce + 1/4 cup sour cream + 2 Tbsp cheese 64g
Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Queso Sauce 1/4 cup queso sauce + 1/4 cup cheddar + 2 Tbsp sour cream 62g

As you can see, the dairy-free beef and bean enchiladas contain very little dairy compared to the cheesy, creamy, sauce-laden versions.

How to Make Dairy-Free Enchiladas

If you want to enjoy enchiladas but avoid the dairy, here are some tips for making them completely dairy-free:

Use Corn Tortillas

Choose corn tortillas rather than flour. The corn variety are naturally dairy-free, while flour tortillas sometimes contain milk products. If you can’t find corn tortillas, look for a vegan flour tortilla brand.

Omit Cheese Fillings

Skip any cheese fillings and instead stuff your enchiladas with seasoned vegetables, beans, lean ground beef or turkey, shredded chicken, or soy protein crumbles.

Make a Vegan Enchilada Sauce

Instead of a cream-based sauce, make your enchilada sauce using just vegetables, spices, broth, and pureed beans for thickness. Some delicious combos are roasted tomatoes, chilies, and onion or fire-roasted tomatoes with tomatillos and cilantro.

Top with Dairy-Free Options

Rather than cheese and sour cream, finish your enchiladas with sliced avocado, cilantro, scallions, salsa, chopped onion, lettuce, olives, guacamole, or vegan sour cream.

Substitute Vegan Cheese

For a cheesy flavor, you can sprinkle on some vegan shredded cheese in place of regular dairy cheese. Popular brands like Daiya, Violife, and Follow Your Heart make great vegan cheese substitutes.

Use Plant-Based Cream

If you want a creamy sauce, you can puree soaked raw cashews or silken tofu into your enchilada sauce instead of heavy cream. There are also many non-dairy milk and vegan cream options.

Enchilada Recipe Modifications

Here are some more specific tips for modifying typical enchilada recipes to be dairy-free:

Cheese Enchiladas

– Use a vegan cheese like Daiya cheddar shreds in place of regular cheese for the filling
– Make the sauce with oil instead of butter, plant-based milk instead of heavy cream, and omit cheese
– Skip the sour cream topping

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Sauce

– Make the sauce dairy-free by using olive oil instead of butter, and pureed beans, soy milk, or vegan cream instead of heavy cream
– Use thinly sliced avocado instead of sour cream for creaminess on top

Beef Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce

– Sauté the beef in olive oil instead of butter
– Make the chili sauce with pureed beans for thickness instead of heavy cream
– Top with sliced black olives, cilantro, and thinly sliced jalapeños instead of cheese and sour cream

Breakfast Enchiladas

– Use scrambled tofu with turmeric, black salt, and nutritional yeast instead of scrambled eggs
– Stuff the tortillas with veggies like peppers, spinach, and onions instead of cheese
– Drizzle with vegan hollandaise sauce, guacamole, or salsa verde

Finding Dairy-Free Enchiladas at Restaurants

If you want to enjoy enchiladas from a restaurant without the dairy, here are some tips:

Mexican Restaurants

– Order corn tortilla enchiladas filled with beans, grilled veggies, or sautéed mushrooms instead of cheese and meat
– Ask for enchilada sauce on the side to avoid a creamy sauce
– Request no cheese or sour cream toppings
– Ask if they have any vegan cheese options

Tex-Mex Restaurants

– Order cheese-less ground beef or shredded chicken enchiladas
– Request red enchilada sauce instead of queso or sour cream-based white sauces
– Ask to substitute avocado, lettuce, or pico de gallo for cheese on top
– Inquire about available vegan cheese options

American Comfort Food Restaurants

– Ask if they can make meatless veggie enchiladas without cheese sauce or toppings
– Bring vegan cheese from home to add on top
– Request sauces and toppings on the side to control dairy content
– Choose salad with sliced grilled chicken and build your own meat and dairy-free plate

Potential Challenges

Some potential challenges to watch out for with enchiladas from restaurants:

– Meat, bean, and veggie fillings could still be cooked with butter or cream
– Enchilada sauces may contain hidden dairy like cream or cheese
– Cheese toppings are standard, so you’ll need to specially request no cheese
– Most places don’t offer vegan cheese, so you’ll need to omit cheese entirely
– Flour tortillas may contain milk products unless you specify corn

Just explain your dairy allergy clearly and restaurants are usually happy to accommodate requests to make a meal dairy-free. Checking menus online beforehand helps identify simpler options too.

Dairy-Free Substitutes for Enchiladas

If you can’t modify a recipe to be dairy-free, here are some substitutes providing a similar Tex-Mex or Mexican flavor experience:

Tacos – Filled with meat, beans, veggies, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro

Burrito Bowls – Rice, beans, sauteed veggies, avocado, salsa

Chili – With corn chips, avocado, cilantro instead of cheese and sour cream

Fajitas – Grilled veggies and meat with tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo

Tostadas – Flat crispy corn tortillas topped with refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado

Nachos – Corn chips with seasoned black beans, salsa, olives, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos

Quesadillas – Filled with mushrooms, spinach, onions, served with guacamole

With a little creativity, you can definitely still enjoy the fantastic flavors of Mexican cuisine without the dairy!

Conclusion

While American-style enchiladas are typically loaded with cheese and creamy sauces, traditional Mexican enchiladas are largely dairy-free when made with corn tortillas, vegetable-based sauces, and non-dairy fillings. Avoiding flour tortillas, cheese fillings, and sour cream toppings allows you to enjoy enchiladas without milk products. With a few simple substitutions like vegan cheese and creamy plant-based sauces, you can still savor enchiladas even with a dairy allergy or intolerance. There are also many other tasty Mexican dishes that provide a similar experience minus the dairy. With the right modifications and choices, enchiladas can be a delicious dairy-free dinner option.

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