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On the prowl for the vegan chilaquiles verdes recipe that's going to make your homemade brunch table look like a gosh darned movie star right quick? This hyper-flavorful recipe just happens to be vegan and completely gluten free too, so everyone you invite over is going to kiss you, and 100 puppies will play a trumpet every time you step foot into your kitchen forever more.
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I've been tweaking and fine-tuning this vegan Chilaquiles Verdes recipe for years! You'd think it was simple because it's a well known, traditional Mexican dish, but for a sorta OCD-ridden perfectionist like me, you'd be wrong! I needed this bad boy to be: easy-to-make, packed with authentic flavors, not relying on pre-made chips fresh out of a bag, reasonably healthy, ready in under thirty minutes, and downright satisfying AF for guests I serve who aren't vegan too.
You've probably been sifting through countless recipes, trying to find that perfect balance of crispy tortillas and tangy salsa that doesn't skimp on flavor or look like some sloppy puddle of grossness from a health food store salad bar. I know, because I've done the same. That's why this recipe is THE BEST for Chilaquiles!
Nice mix of Mexican flavors. The spiciness of the chorizo and the tanginess of the salsa verde contribute to a broad range of tastes and textures.
Jump to:
🤷♀️ What are Chilaquiles?
Chilaquiles are super popular in the Southwest, where Tex-Mex cooking reigns supreme. Made with pan fried homemade tortilla chips that get briefly simmered in green or red salsa, this easy breakfast recipe is one of my favorite things to serve to folks who aren't open minded about vegan food. Folks consider it to be the ultimate Mexican comfort food, but it's been a Mexican breakfast staple for centuries, long before white folks started putting fried egg all over the darn dish!
Traditionally made to use up leftover tortillas and salsa, this dish has evolved into a beloved classic. You can make it with habanero salsa or jalapeño salsa if you want something super spicy, but with tomatillo sauce, you can really go to town on these and there's no turning back.
Brace yourself, because you're about to make the best vegan Chilaquiles Verdes of your life.
🥰Why you'll adore this vegan chilaquiles recipe
✊Vegan AF & GF: Like all of my vegan Mexican recipes, these Chilaquiles Verdes are entirely plant-based and they happen to be one of my gluten-free vegan recipes too. No chicken, or eggs to be found up in here. So there's no guilt in smashing a big ol platter of these with your whole fam.
🌽 Perfectly Textured Tortillas: I have made chilaquiles by cooking store bought fried tortilla chips in a pan with salsa. Not only is the texture not as good that way, but its actually pretty damn hard to do without making a mess of your stovetop. I'm way too lazy to deal with recipes that leave a lot of cleanup for me, so screw that…
⏱️ Quick and Easy: This recipe comes together in under 20 minutes, making it perfect for a quick and satisfying meal. Plus, it uses just eight simple ingredients, all of which are easy to find at your local grocery store.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I create, after perfecting this one, I shared it with a team of recipe testers who successfully made it around the globe. A ton of my testers agreed that these were the best chilaquiles they had ever tried!
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🌶️ Ingredients for chilaquiles verdes
Corn Tortillas
Yes, you can 100% go out and just get brand new corn tortillas to make these with. But here's where this recipe is extra-awesome. Let's say you just made vegan taquitos earlier in the week, and now the leftover tortillas are sorta dry and no longer perfect for tacos and whatnot. Well, you can deep fry or air fry them to make vegan tostadas with, but otherwise, this is the perfect recipe to use them in!
If you want to make this recipe even faster though, simply heat up salsa verde in a pan and add store bought tortilla chips. The texture's not as good in my opinion, but it will work in a pinch.
Green Salsa
Listen, I am all about making this recipe using my easy homemade salsa verde recipe, which has guajillo chiles and a decent amount of fresh lime juice in it to keep the flavor bright and intense. If you want yours milder, make it with hatch chile salsa instead.
But you can use store-bought salsa verde, or even make it with salsa roja instead. It's your meal, right? What am I going to do, come to your house and yell at you? I'd never. I love ya.
Vegan Chorizo
You don't have to use this, but lemme tell you, this vegan chorizo adds some pretty darned delightful spicy, savory protein to your chilaquiles. If you don't want to make it with mine, you can use store-bought Soyrizo or shredded vegan chicken instead. Either way, you are going to want to reheat the chorizo in a pan over medium heat to serve 'em warm on the chilaquiles.
Almond Cotija Cheese
Again, you can live without this, but this vegan cotija mimics the salty, tangy flavor of crumbled queso fresco that's kinda amazing to finish off this dish. Mine has a sorta crazy secret ingredient (spoiler alert: it's pickle juice) that makes it insanely outrageous and you might rip off all your clothes and run through the streets. That could be embarrassing. Or liberating? You do you.
Want to use vegan nacho cheese instead? It's not against the law, and who knows, you might just love it?
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
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🤯Variations
Breakfast Chilaquiles with Beans:
Want some extra protein on your brunch table? Trust me, you 100% don't need fried eggs to pull that off. These green chilaquiles make a gorgeous bed for which to lay a nice serving of vegan refried beans upon. That hangover cure gets even better when drizzled with a little vegan sour cream and some thinly sliced chives.
Fajita Chilaquiles:
Another delicious option is to top these bad boys with grilled veggies. You can follow the topping recipe in my vegan fajitas recipe, and then just drizzle it all up with some New Mexico-style red chile sauce to bring it to the next level.
Chilaquiles Rojos:
Swap the tomatillo based green sauce for a red sauce made from homemade salsa roja. My salsa roja recipe is flavor-first, and not too spicy that you will freak out or anything. But if you want a wee bit more heat you could make the rojos version with salsa ranchera or chile de arbol salsa instead.
📖 How to make vegan chilaquiles
Make classic chilaquiles verdes like a pro by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Tortilla Triangle Assembly:
Stack your corn tortillas and slice them into six triangles each. This slightly smaller size makes for easier frying with less mess.
Step Two
Thunderbolts and Lighting. Very, Very Fry-ghtening:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. After about 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, toss in the tortilla wedges and cook, stirring and flipping the pieces around occasionally for 6-8 minutes until they're golden brown and mostly crisp all around.
Step Three
Tomatillo Salsa Spa Time:
Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the salsa verde. Stir occasionally and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to simmer and the fried corn tortillas soak up the salsa-y goodness.
Step Four
Garnish Galaxy Unleashed:
Spoon the chilaquiles onto serving plates. Top them with optional vegan chorizo, additional salsa verde, vegan cotija cheese, thinly sliced jalapeños, avocado slices, minced red onion, radish slices, and fresh cilantro leaves.
💡Serving Ideas
These make a fantastic side to serve with a warm bowl of Sopa de Lentejas.
Smaller portions of chilaquiles also make a fancy-feeling appetizer to serve guests while you are whipping up a more complete Mexican dinner, like a vegan taco bowl or some ancho chili jackfruit tamales.
If you are inviting me over, make sure to throw down some buñuelos for dessert topped with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, why don'tcha?
👉Top tips
- Using Aged Tortillas? Make Sure to Use Thicker Ones: If you are making chilaquiles with tortillas that are no longer fresh enough to use for tacos, for the best texture and flavor, opt for thicker tortillas. Thinner old tortillas may fall apart more when cooked which will be harder to eat and less attractive.
- Adjust Heat for Crispness: When frying the tortilla wedges, make sure the oil is hot enough but not smoking. You want crispy tortilla chips that haven't absorbed too much oil, which can make them greasy.
- Don't Overcrowd the Pan: If you don't have a larger skillet, fry the tortilla wedges in batches to avoid overcrowding. If they're too close together, they'll steam instead of crisping up, which can ruin the texture.
- Simmer Salsa Just Right: When adding the salsa verde, ensure it simmers gently. Too vigorous a boil can cause the tortillas to become mushy and fally-aparty. Aim for a low simmer to let the flavors sink in without turning the dish into a soggy mess.
- It's all about the Garnishes: Add tons of fresh garnishes like avocado, cilantro, and radishes just before serving. This keeps the dish crisp, vibrant, and super fun to eat.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Listen, these are 100% better consumed fresh when made. But if you have to store some leftovers, pop the cooked chilaquiles without the fresh garnishes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat briefly in a hot pan with a little olive oil to avoid sogginess, and then garnish with all the fresh good stuff to bring it back to life.
Hell to the no. Freezing? That's the worst idea in the galaxy. Sorry.
You know that the cooked corn tortilla chips will become mushy and terrible when thawed. Don't make yourself mad by trying to freeze these for later. Life is way too short for that nonsense.
Yes, baked tortilla chips, and even air fried ones can be used as a healthier alternative. Just make sure they are crisp before adding the salsa to prevent sogginess. Either way home made tortilla chips will absorb the salsa better without disintegrating.
Technically, yes, you can. But in my humble opinion, they aren't such a delicious breakfast without the slightly sweet taste of the corn.
Add extra sliced jalapeños or a splash of hot sauce to increase the heat. If you aren't being, like, super traditional or whatever, a spoonful of shatta sauce, zhoug, homemade sriracha, or sambal oelek bring all different subtle and flavorful heat to the dish.
✌️My fave salsas to serve with vegan chilaquiles:
Master the art of vegan Mexican cooking in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Chilaquiles Verdes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 soft corn tortillas
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup salsa verde
To Garnish and serve:
- 1 cup vegan chorizo optional
- 3 tablespoons salsa verde additional for garnishing
- ⅓ cup vegan cotija cheese
- Thinly sliced jalapeño to taste
- 1 ripe avocado sliced
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1 red radish thinly sliced
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Stack the tortillas and make 3 cuts through the center to divide them into 6 triangles each.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tortilla wedges and cook, stirring and flipping the wedges about occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, until they are golden and mostly crispy.
- Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the salsa verde. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to simmer and the tortillas absorb the salsa.
- Divide the chilaquiles among serving plates. Garnish with vegan chorizo, additional fresh salsa verde, vegan cotija cheese, jalapeño slices, avocado, red onion, radish, and fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.
Notes
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Kimbi Walton says
Very nice way to make the whole family happy. We served it with lots of lime!
hg says
Nice mix of Mexican flavors. The spiciness of the chorizo and the tanginess of the salsa verde contribute to a broad range of tastes and textures.
V says
Nice!