When I planned my meals this week, I decided to make a vegan chimichanga recipe instead of my typical taco Tuesday. Not only is this easy vegan chimichanga recipe simple, it tastes as crunchy as a fried chimichanga, but this chimichanga is oil-free.
I typically served tacos or Vegan Taquitos in the past, but I craved a crunchy change.
Since buying an air-fryer, I've discovered a delicious way to enjoy foods I love without sacrificing health. We love Mexican food, so I made a chimichanga recipe to die for today!
What is a chimichanga?
Typically, chimichangas are fried burritos. However, in Mexican restaurants, chimichangas are filled with meat, cheese, and beans. Although fillings differ and offer various options, I chose a delicious and easy jackfruit filling.
What is the difference between chimichangas and burritos?
Burritos, on the other hand, are baked and covered in sauce. So I air-fried my chimichanga recipe to get that crunchy exterior without oil.
Another way to cook a chimichanga without any oil is to bake it, so baking is always an option if you don't have an air-frier.
Store-Bought Oil-free Tortilla Options
Despite the array of tortillas in the grocery store, if you follow an oil-free plant-based diet, you need to read the labels and make sure to buy the right tortillas.
- Food for Life/Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortillas
- Mission Corn Tortillas
- Sandwich Petals Gluten-Free Tortillas
- Joseph's Whole Wheat Square Lavash Roll-Ups
- Mi Rancho Organic Stone Ground Whole Kernel Corn Tortillas
- 365 Organic Corn Tortillas
- Trader Joe's Corn Tortillas
- La Gloria Corn Tortillas
- Sprouts Lavash Wraps
Making homemade oil-free flour tortillas (the ingredients)
If you can't find oil-free flour tortillas for your chimichanga, making your tortillas is simple.
- Whole wheat flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Warm water
How to make Chimichangas
To make the chimichanga filling, I chose jackfruit as my 'meat,' but there are other options. First, choose whatever burrito fillings you love since a chimichanga is essentially a burrito.
For this chimichanga recipe, I chose my Jackfruit Vegan Enchiladas meat.
- Jackfruit in water or brine
- Yellow onion
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
Vegan chimichanga sauce
My Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce is made with potatoes and carrots. Even though this recipe only uses one cup of cheese sauce, I freeze the rest or use it for other recipes throughout the week.
- Vegan oil-free nacho cheese sauce, or vegan cheese of choice
- Oil-free refried beans
What is in a chimichanga?
Other vegan chimichanga filling possibilities
Although I chose jackfruit, select different fillings if you don't care for jackfruit.
- The Best Ultimate Vegan Lentil Black Bean Burrito Ever: this lentil and black bean filling is a beautiful substitution
- Walnut Meat Taco Meat is another excellent option.
- Potato Taco Filling also makes for a fabulous option for a chimichanga recipe.
- Mushroom Chorizo Meat combines mushrooms, walnuts, tomatoes, and spices.
- Roasted Vegetables with various Mexican spices also make a perfect filling for chimichangas.
Making crispy vegan chimichangas is easy.
Once you choose your filling, making a crispy chimichanga is easy. Once the jackfruit is cooked with onions, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic, combine the ingredients in a bowl.
Then, lay a tortilla on a flat surface and spoon a generous portion of filling in the middle of the tortilla.
Next, fold the sides tightly on each side before rolling the tortilla upward, securing the filling as you roll.
Cooking options: air-fried or baked
Air-fried Option:
First, to air-fry the chimichanga, I brush the exterior of the folded chimichanga with lime juice and sprinkle with additional chili powder. Not only does this step give it an extra crunch and flavor, but it is also a great way to cook without oil.
- Preheat the air-frier to 370
- Brush the exterior of the tortilla with lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder
- Place two chimichangas in the base of the air-frier
- Cook for 12 minutes, checking halfway through (cooking time may vary based on the size and type of tortilla chosen)
Baked Option:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Brush the exterior of the tortilla with lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder
- Place all the chimichangas on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Cook for 25 minutes, turning the chimichangas over after 12 minutes.
How to dress up the chimichanga
Even though the chimichanga is fabulous naked, I like to dress it up a bit.
- Drizzle with extra Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Add diced Roma tomatoes. deiced red onion, and cilantro
- Drizzle with Vegan Sour Cream
- Serve with your favorite salsa
- Add a Mexican Rice Recipe, and life is complete!
If you love vegan Mexican food, try these healthy options
- Vegan Taquitos
- Cauliflower Tacos
- Potato Tacos
- Tofu Tacos
- Tempeh Tacos
- Vegan Lentil Tacos
- Mushroom Chorizo Tacos
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Mexican Chopped Salad
Chimichanga Recipe
Filled with jackfruit, vegetables, and an oil-free cheese sauce, or this vegan chimichanga is to die for! Oil-free homemade tortilla recipe included. Try this chimichanga recipe for a healthy crispy oil-free vegan option.
Ingredients
Chimichanga Filling (Jackfruit Filling)
- 1 14 ounces can jackfruit in water or brine
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced (deveined, seeds removed)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
OTHER FILLING INGREDIENTS
- 1 can oil-free refried beans
- 1 cup nacho cheese sauce or vegan cheese of choice
Homademade oil-free tortillas (or store-bought)
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water
Garnish and Toppings
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 6 tortillas of choice
- Drizzled extra vegan nacho cheese sauce
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup salsa of choice
Instructions
Homemade OIl-Free Tortillas or store-bought tortillas
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- The water needs to be warm but not hot.
- Slowly add the warm water while stirring until a crumbly dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until smooth.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces and roll each into a smooth ball.
- Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Preheat an ungreased griddle or skillet to 375 degrees F.
- Roll each dough ball out into a fragile circle. Place on the griddle and cook until lightly browned and blistered.
- Flip the tortilla over and cook until lightly browned and blistered.
- Immediately remove the tortilla from the griddle and cover it with a dishtowel while cooking the remaining dough.
- Serve warm or store in an airtight container.
- Freeze the oil-free tortillas by placing waxed paper between each tortilla and placing it in a large zip-top plastic bag.
Jackfruit Filling
- Rinse and drain a can of jackfruit.
- Place all contents in a food processor with a large blade.
- Pulse until jackfruit is shredded.
- In a medium-sized skillet, saute garlic, onions, and jalapeno and cook on medium-low until onions are translucent.
- Add a small amount of vegetable broth to avoid sticking.
- Then, add chopped cilantro and cook a few more minutes.
- Next, add the shredded jackfruit to the skillet with the onion, garlic, cilantro mixture.
- Cook jackfruit until brown and dried out.
- Add the chili powder, paprika, and cumin.
- Stir together and add a little more vegetable broth.
- Cook until added fluids have dissipated.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Once the jackfruit is cooled, add nacho cheese sauce or vegan cheese of choice. Or vegan cheese of choice.
- Then, add the can of oil-free refried beans.
- Stir everything together and set it aside.
Rolling/Cooking the Chimichangas
- Lay each tortilla on a flat surface
- Spoon a generous amount of filling in the center of the tortillas.
- Then, fold each side in before rolling each tortilla tightly.
Air-fried Option:
- Preheat the air-frier to 370
- Brush the exterior of the tortilla with lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder
- Place two chimichangas in the base of the air-frier
- Cook for 12 minutes, checking halfway through (cooking time may vary based on the size and type of tortilla chosen)
Baked Option:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Brush the exterior of the tortilla with lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder
- Place all the chimichangas on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Cook for 25 minutes, turning the chimichangas over after 12 minutes.
Garnish
- Drizzle the chimichangas with extra vegan cheese sauce
- Add diced Roma tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro.
- Serve with a side of salsa.
Notes
Other vegan chimichanga filling possibilities
Although I chose jackfruit, select different fillings if you don't care for jackfruit.
The Best Ultimate Vegan Lentil Black Bean Burrito Ever: this lentil and black bean filling is a beautiful substitution
Walnut Meat Taco Meat is another excellent option.
Potato Taco Filling also makes for a fabulous option for a chimichanga recipe.
Mushroom Chorizo Meat combines mushrooms, walnuts, tomatoes, and spices.
Roasted Vegetables with various Mexican spices also make a perfect filling for chimichangas.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6 servingsServing Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 364Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 369mgCarbohydrates 65gFiber 13gSugar 10gProtein 23g
Nutrition facts may not be 100% accurate.
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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