This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
I’ve made these Air Fryer Enchiladas many times, and they’re consistently reliable. Using the air fryer speeds up the process, cuts down on mess, and finishes the enchiladas with melty cheese and lightly crisped edges. It’s an easy, satisfying dinner that delivers classic enchilada flavor without turning on the oven.
If you love cooking Mexican recipes in the air fryer, try these air fryer chimichangas next!
Quick Look At This Recipe
- ✨ Flavor: Saucy, cheesy enchiladas with a creamy center and lightly crisped tortilla edges.
- ⏱️ Prep time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook time: 5 minutes
- ⏲️ Total time: 15 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4 servings
- 🥄 Tools: Air fryer + skillet for cooking the ground chicken
- ❄️ Freezer-friendly: Yes. Assemble and freeze before air frying, then cook from frozen with extra time.
- 👩🏻🍳 Tip: Use just enough sauce to coat the enchiladas—too much sauce can soften the tortillas and prevent crisping.
SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast, efficient cooking: Since the filling is already cooked, the air fryer focuses on melting the cheese and heating everything through.
- Better texture control: Hot air circulation creates lightly crisped tortilla edges while keeping the center creamy and saucy, giving you a balance that’s hard to achieve in the oven.
- Customizable results: Use more sauce for softer, traditional-style enchiladas or go lighter for crispier edges. The air fryer makes it easy to adjust based on how you like them.
- Perfect for busy nights: This method turns enchiladas into a realistic weeknight dinner! Just like in these air fryer chicken taquitos!
Looking for more chicken recipes? Check out our favorite top 50 air fryer chicken recipes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Ground Chicken: A leaner alternative to beef, still packed with protein. You can use ground chicken to make these chicken Parmesan meatballs too!
- Tortillas: Pick corn or flour tortillas. Corn makes a great gluten-free option, while flour tortillas make enchiladas with a softer texture.
- Black Beans: Add fiber and protein, making the enchiladas more filling.
- Taco Seasoning and Red Enchilada Sauce: Red enchilada sauce is the key component that gives enchiladas their distinctive flavor, while the taco seasoning flavors the ground meat. I like to use this homemade taco seasoning over a store-bought packet.
- Mexican Cheese: Melty goodness that brings all the components together.
- Sour Cream: Adds a cool and tangy contrast to the spicy elements.
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe card with the exact measurements needed to create these homemade enchiladas!
Air Fryer Enchiladas Variations
- Cheesy Ground Beef: Swap the ground chicken for ground beef for a heartier flavor, like in these air fryer taco bombs.
- Shredded Meat: Instead of ground meat, swap in shredded chicken, pork, or beef. You can even use leftovers after making an air-fried whole chicken or slice up strips of this air fryer top round roast.
- Green Enchiladas: Swap red enchilada sauce for green enchilada sauce for a brighter, tangier flavor.
- Creamy Enchiladas: Stir a spoonful of sour cream or Greek yogurt into the filling for a creamier center.
- Vegetarian: Swap the meat for seasoned refried beans and cheese.
- Dairy-Free: Skip the sour cream and use a dairy-free cheese.
How To Make Enchiladas in the Air Fryer
To get started, grab all your ingredients and be sure to preheat your air fryer before adding the enchiladas to the basket. If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, you can run it for five minutes before adding the enchiladas.
- Step 1: Cook the Chicken. Brown the ground chicken in a skillet, and then stir in the taco seasoning.
- Step 2: Assemble the Enchiladas. Spoon the seasoned chicken and black beans onto each tortilla. Be sure you don’t add too much so you can tightly roll up the enchiladas.
- Step 3: Add to the Basket. Roll the enchiladas and place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Step 4:Add Sauce and Cheese. Pour enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.
- Step 5: Cook and Garnish. Cook the enchiladas at 350°F (177°C) for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with extra cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro before serving. It’s super tasty paired with air-fried Mexican street corn.
Expert Tips
- Don’t Overfill: Keep the filling amount manageable so the tortillas roll tightly and stay sealed. Overfilled enchiladas are more likely to burst open, spill filling, and cook unevenly in the air fryer.
- Seam-Side Down: Always place the enchiladas folded-side down in the air fryer basket. This helps keep them from unrolling as they cook and keeps the filling and sauce where they belong.
- Single Layer: Arrange the enchiladas in a single layer with a little space between them. Stacking or overlapping prevents proper air circulation, which can lead to uneven heating and melted cheese spilling onto the basket.
- Easy Cleanup: Line the air fryer basket with foil or parchment paper to catch any melted cheese or sauce. This makes cleanup quick and prevents sticking without affecting air flow.
- Air Fryer Differences: This recipe was tested in a 1700-watt, 5.8-quart basket-style Cosori air fryer. If you’re using a different brand, size, or oven-style air fryer, cooking times may need to be adjusted slightly for best results.
- Leftovers: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the air fryer at 350 F for 3-4 minutes, or microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
Air Fryer Chicken Enchiladas Recipe FAQ’s
Air fryer enchiladas can turn soggy if too much sauce is added before cooking. Sauce creates steam in the air fryer, which softens the tortillas instead of letting the edges crisp. For less sogginess, use a lighter layer of sauce, leave the edges exposed, and avoid overcrowding the basket so hot air can circulate properly.
The best way to reheat enchiladas is in the air fryer at 325°F for 3–5 minutes. This warms them through while helping the edges stay slightly crisp. Microwaving works in a pinch, but it tends to soften the tortillas more than reheating in the air fryer.
How many enchiladas fit depends on the size of your air fryer and the tortillas you use. In most 5–6 quart basket-style air fryers, enchiladas need to be cooked in batches so they can stay in a single layer. I can fit 6 enchiladas in my Cosori air fryer. It’s important to avoid stacking or overlapping, as this can cause uneven cooking and melted cheese to spill.
Air fryer enchiladas are typically saucy with lightly crisped edges, not fully crunchy like air-fried taquitos. Adding more sauce before cooking creates a softer, more traditional enchilada texture, while using less sauce allows the edges to crisp. You can also add extra sauce after cooking to control the final texture.
Yes, you can! For best results, assemble the enchiladas but do not air fry them. Instead, freeze them in a single layer until firm before transferring to a freezer-safe container. When ready to cook, air fry them straight from frozen at 350°F, adding a few extra minutes to the cook time and adding the sauce and cheese partway through so the tortillas don’t get soggy.
Serving Suggestions
Add any of your favorite toppings, such as fresh jalapenos, fresh cilantro, and even chopped green onions, to your air-fried enchiladas. For family-style meals or when feeding a crowd, prep up a variety of toppings to give everyone options to choose from.
Prep up some fun Tex-Mex appetizers like air fryer nachos or add some chopped jalapenos or green chilies to homemade cheese sauce to serve with crispy tortilla chips.
Turn it into a full meal with a side of Mexican rice, refried beans, or a simple green salad.
More Air Fryer Mexican Recipes
Dinner
Air Fryer Fish Tacos
Dinner
Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos
Dinner
Air Fryer Quesadillas
Dinner
Air Fryer Mexican Pizza
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR ⭐️ RATING in the COMMENTS 📝 SECTION below.
Air Fryer Enchiladas
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- 8 tortillas, corn or flour
- 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can enchilada sauce, red
- 1 cup mexican cheese, shredded
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped, fresh
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Add the ground chicken to a skillet and cook over medium heat until fully cooked. Stir in the Taco seasoning.
- Top each tortilla with seasoned chicken.
- Add black beans and continue building the enchiladas with the remaining tortillas.
- Prepare the air fryer basket with a small sheet of foil that covers the bottom of the air fryer.
- Roll each of the enchiladas and place them into the air fryer on top of the foil.
- Once you have finished adding the enchiladas, top the enchiladas with the enchilada sauce.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.
- Air fry the enchiladas at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the enchiladas from the air fryer.
- Optional: top with any remaining cheese, sour cream, and fresh chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Don’t Overfill: Use a modest amount of filling so the tortillas roll easily and stay sealed. Overfilling can cause the enchiladas to burst open and cook unevenly.
- Seam-Side Down: Place enchiladas folded-side down in the air fryer basket to prevent them from unrolling during cooking.
- Single Layer: Arrange enchiladas in a single layer with space between them. Overlapping blocks airflow and can lead to uneven heating and cheese spills.
- Easy Cleanup: Line the air fryer basket with foil or parchment paper to catch melted cheese and sauce and make cleanup easier.
- Air Fryer Variations: This recipe was tested in a 1700-watt, 5.8-quart basket-style Cosori air fryer. Cooking times may vary slightly with different air fryer models or sizes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious, thanks
What kind of foil do you use?
Just regular tin foil.