How to Reheat Enchiladas? - The Best Way

If you like Mexican food, you probably like enchiladas. They are easy to make in large batches or you can buy them frozen in large batches at the grocery store.

However, they are surprisingly filling, so once served, you may find that your pre-dinner appetite was greater than your stomach would allow.

Of all the Mexican food dishes you can enjoy for dinner, enchiladas are probably the easiest to reheat.

So what is the best way to reheat enchiladas?

The best way is to heat them in a 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat the enchiladas in the microwave or toaster oven. Any of these options also works for frozen enchiladas.

We go into more detail in the next article, so for the best results with your enchiladas, keep reading.

Can you make the enchiladas ahead of time?

One of the reasons reheating enchiladas is so common is because they are so easy to make ahead of time and in large batches. Cooking once and eating many times seems like a brilliant idea to us.

The entire process of making enchiladas can be done well in advance. You can fill as many or as few tortillas as you have, wrap them up, and even bake them ahead of time. If you want them for dinner tonight, why not make an extra amount for dinner later in the week, or a month from now?

The enchiladas will stay delicious in the fridge for 2-3 days, and you can also freeze them for 2-3 months.

The one secret we’ve found to making the best, most reliable enchiladas ahead of time goes a bit against tradition. We love to use multigrain or whole wheat tortillas in place of corn or white flour tortillas if they are definitely going to be reheated.

Whole grains are usually a bit thicker and stronger, so they don’t soak up as much liquid or soften or break down as much during storage and reheating.

How to reheat enchiladas

Sometimes food can be difficult to reheat. Especially when there are tortillas involved. Quesadillas should be carefully reheated in the oven or on the stove so they don’t get soggy, for example.

The enchiladas are not that temperamental. It is true that they use tortillas, but they are also covered in sauce, so they must not be crispy. They don’t dry out and have enough filling so they don’t turn into mush.

There is a lot of leeway to successfully reheating enchiladas. With that being said, we still believe that the best way to reheat enchiladas is in the oven.

How to reheat enchiladas in the oven

If you are reheating some homemade enchiladas that are still in their original baking dish, you can place the casserole in the oven without preheating it.

This way, the cold pan will gradually warm up as the oven heats up, and you don’t have to worry about a drastic change in temperature that will crack the pan.

Reheating enchiladas in the oven is pretty easy:

• Cover the casserole with its corresponding lid suitable for the oven or with aluminum foil.
• Heat the oven to 350 F and bake your enchiladas for 20 minutes after the oven reaches cooking temperature.
• Uncovering the pan for the last 5-10 minutes will help the cheese on the surface melt nicely without becoming crisp.

If you are reheating enchiladas from a restaurant or packaged from a supermarket, follow the same procedure but be sure to transfer the enchiladas to a baking dish first.

It goes without saying, but to be safe, never put anything made of plastic or cardboard in the oven.

How to heat enchiladas in the microwave

If you’re only reheating a single serving of enchiladas and don’t want to heat up the entire oven for such a small task, you can microwave the enchiladas and they’ll turn out pretty good.

They may be a bit more chewy than the first serving, but the sauce and filling help keep the texture and consistency stable.

To heat the enchiladas in the microwave

• Place a single serving on a microwave-safe plate and poke holes in the top.
  • Microwaves don’t distribute heat evenly, so making a few slits in the top of the enchilada will allow some steam to escape and allow the heat to percolate throughout the dish.
  • If you don’t mind serving an enchilada already cut, you’ll have even better results if you cut the enchilada into quarters before microwaving.
• Cover the dish with a splash guard, which will also help trap some steam and prevent the enchilada from drying out.
• Heat for 1 minute on full power then check your enchilada. Make sure it’s not drying out or collecting liquid, and see if it’s fully heated.
• If it’s not hot enough, keep putting in 30-second bursts until you’re happy with the temperature but haven’t overcooked your food.

How to Reheat Enchiladas in the Toaster Oven

If you’re concerned that your enchilada will be too soft or chewy in the microwave, but you don’t want to wait 25 minutes to reheat it in the oven, you can use a toaster oven.

If you first microwave the enchilada for just a minute to warm the center a bit, then placing it in the toaster oven should only take about 10 minutes.

Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil before putting the enchilada on for easy cleanup. You can also cover your enchilada with aluminum foil to prevent the tortilla from drying out, since it will be quite close to the heat source.

How to reheat frozen enchiladas

Reheating frozen enchiladas is just as easy as reheating chilled ones. You can thaw them overnight in the fridge if you plan ahead, or you can just bake them from the frozen ones.

If you are reheating from the freezer, first make sure the dish is safe to go directly from the freezer to the oven. Silicone, metal, or aluminum foil containers are safe for this, but not all casseroles can withstand this drastic change in temperature, so be careful what you bake.

How to bake frozen enchiladas

Before putting frozen or thawed enchiladas in the oven, remove any plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Add some fresh enchilada sauce and/or shredded cheese to further enhance the flavor and presentation.

Cover with a new layer of aluminum foil. Heat oven to 350 F and bake:

• From frozen: 30 minutes, uncover and bake a final 10 minutes
• Thawed: 15 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes

How to reheat frozen enchiladas in the microwave

You can reheat the frozen enchiladas in the microwave, although it’s best to reserve it for individual servings.

For best results when heating frozen enchiladas in the microwave

• Unwrap the frozen enchilada and place on a microwave-safe plate.
• Cover with a splatter guard and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
• After 2 minutes, check your enchilada.
• For best results, you can poke a few holes in the top of the wrapper or even cut it into 2-4 pieces for better heat distribution.
• Continue heating in 30 second bursts until the center of your enchilada is piping hot.

Related questions

How long do you have to bake the enchiladas?

If you’re going to bake fresh enchiladas, the meat in your wrapper should be precooked, so you really just have to make sure the vegetables are cooked, the cheese is melted, and everything is heated through.

Preheat the oven to 400 F and bake a casserole full of enchiladas for 15-20 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly and the cheese completely melted.

Let them cool for 5-10 minutes before serving and they will be much easier to remove from the pan without falling over.

How to wrap the enchiladas

Rolling the enchiladas seems a lot more difficult than it is. Although with practice, it becomes even easier.

Start by placing a tortilla on a flat surface and adding the filling.

We highly recommend dividing the filling into portions that match the number of tortillas you have before you start rolling, because it’s much easier to create equal portions if done all at once, rather than one at a time.

Depending on the size of the tortilla, 1/3 cup of filling is usually sufficient. You don’t want to overstuff, as this will make it difficult to roll. Spread the filling in a line down the center of the tortilla.

There are several techniques, but our preferred method of wrapping an enchilada is to tuck in the ends first. Next, pull one half of the tortilla over the filling. Use the tortilla to catch any filling that tries to escape and tuck it back inside as you roll up the filling.

Always place the enchiladas with the seam in the bottom of your casserole, which should be well sauced.

How to reheat a burrito

The burritos are best heated in the oven or in the toaster. First, make sure it’s well wrapped in aluminum foil. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 F and reheat burrito for 15 minutes. The stuffing should be piping hot before eating.

It’s best to avoid the microwave for reheating the burritos , because they’ll get soggy and won’t be able to hold the filling. If you decide to microwave it, be sure NOT to wrap it in aluminum foil, as metal is not microwave safe.