Vegan taco meat is the MACGYVER of vegan Mexican recipes.
Perhaps it’s because it can be made a million and one ways, but instead of using a screwdriver, a toothpick, and some floss, you can use simple food items you have on hand.
“Give me some lentils, some mushrooms, and a handful of chopped walnuts.”
Exactly.
Because there is no secret formula to making delicious vegan Mexican food, and rarely do I make the same thing twice. Sometimes I use cauliflower, sometimes just beans, sometimes sweet potatoes, and sometimes…well, you get the point.
And honestly, that’s a fact I LOVE about Mexican food and vegan taco meat: there is no wrong answer.
Tacos especially. They are magical, like unicorns or the fact that we still know who MacGyver is.
Killer vegan taco meat that even non-vegans enjoy
Tacos are so magical, they can bring people together.
No really, they can. Take any two people that despise each other, and order them a round of tacos. I bet, despite any cultural or political differences, they can agree that tacos are THE BOMB.
Tacos don’t just taste good, they build bridges y’all.
Because who can resist a good taco? It’s literally one of the best foods ever invented; you can stuff it with pretty much anything, top it with a dollop of guacamole, and it tastes amazing.
Which is why this vegan taco meat is the PERFECT topping to serve at your next party.
I’ve served this taco meat at parties multiple times to non-vegans + veg-heads, and both groups were beyond satisfied. My meat-eating friends never miss the meat, and everyone always goes back for seconds.
Because by bringing together delicious Mexican flavors, such as ground cumin + spicy salsa, and then marrying them with simple ingredients like lentils, mushrooms, and walnuts, you create a taco fiesta that’s absolutely delicious.
How to use this vegan taco meat
The best thing about this recipe (other than how yummy it tastes) is how versatile it is. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this vegan taco meat:
- Use it on soft or hard tacos with shredded lettuce and guacamole.
- Stuff it in a burrito with rice, corn, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and your favorite vegan cheese.
- Use it in enchiladas and smother with delicious enchilada sauce.
- Top it on tostadas with baked cauliflower and green onions.
- Use it on nachos drizzled with vegan nacho cheese.
- Mix it into a taco salad with hot sauce.
- GREAT AS LEFTOVERS: pack this taco meat for a bomb vegan lunch!
I hope you enjoy this amazing vegan taco meat, and make sure to share your creation with me on Instagram by tagging me @bohemian.vegan.kitchen + using the hashtag #bohemianvegankitchen!
Allergy-Info & Substitutions
- This taco meat is 100% vegan, meaning it is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. It is also naturally gluten-free.
- Make it nut-free by omitting the walnuts altogether.
- Can’t do soy? Leave out the tamari sauce OR use coconut aminos instead.
- Serve this vegan taco meat with baked cauliflower for added deliciousness; you can get the recipe here.
- Drizzle some vegan nacho cheese on top for the ultimate experience; you can get my recipe for BOMB vegan nacho cheese sauce here.
- Want another taco recipe? Click here to visit my most popular recipe on the blog: these spicy Jamaican tacos with mango salsa!
If there’s one thing MacGyver taught me, it’s that you can be creative with household items, and this vegan taco meat is no exception! Using simple ingredients you already have on hand, and marrying delicious Mexican flavors, you can take your tacos to the next level!
The Best Vegan Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 1 C brown lentils
- 3 C veggie broth (such as "Not-Chicken" brand)
- 1 C white mushrooms, broken into pieces (or chopped small)
- 2 tablespoon canola oil (or oil of choice)
- ½ C chopped walnuts
- ½ C sliced green onions
- ¼ C salsa
- 2 tablespoon tamari sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1-2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon nutrtional yeast
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a small pot, cook lentils in broth until soft; about 20 minutes. Set aside.
- Next, heat oil in a large frying pan. Add walnuts and mushrooms, and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring to prevent walnuts from sticking to the pan. Stir in green onions; heat 1 minute more. Add cooked lentils to the pan, followed by the salsa, tamari, smoked paprika, chili powder, and nutritional yeast. Cook for 5 minutes, allowing the spices to absorb and mushrooms to be tender.
- Remove from heat; spoon onto tacos or use in burritos, on nachos, or in enchiladas. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on top before serving.
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Jackie Carey
Hi Randi, thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks yummy and I can’t wait to try it! A question about the salsa – is this the sauce-like salsa in a jar or the fresh-cut-veggie-type you find on restaurant tables in Mexico?
Randi Tisdall
Hi Jackie, good question! It really can be either one, whatever your favorite is!! It’s really about adding flavor. For a delicious homemade salsa, check out this one, it’s super simple and would go great with this recipe.
Kelsie
This recipe looks awesome and seems so much easier to make than other recipes I’ve found. I can’t eat onion and garlic (can have garlic oil) so I will omit the onion and through so Nigella seeds in instead. Because of this I can’t eat regular salsa – can I just add some Passata instead?
Also will a can of brown lentils work instead of (I’m guessing your recipe meant dried ones?) or will they not be firm enough?
Randi Tisdall
Hi Kelsie, good questions! You can use canned but just make sure that you omit the broth since you will not be cooking dried lentils. I’ve never used Passata but it’s worth trying!!
I hope this helps, and if you make it with these changes, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Bridget Scribner
SO yummy! It definitely lives up to it’s title. I LOVED the crunch.. I topped my taco with some banana peppers, lettuce and more salsa 🙂
Randi Tisdall
Oh wonderful Bridget! I’m so happy you enjoyed this!! And that combo sounds delish:)
Sarah
Hi, I had to try this one. I’m suffering from histamine intolerance- thank goodness for your blog- you have some very helpful recipes. I made this one tonight- I left out the walnuts, the salsa, and the yeast (since they will probably aggravate my condition) and used coconut aminos in place of the tamari. I was happy with the result! Cant wait to eat the leftovers with some cucumber slices tomorrow.
Randi Tisdall
This was so wonderful to hear! I mean, I’m sorry that you are having to navigate the histamine intolerance, but thank you so much for commenting and showing that it IS possible to enjoy old favorites with a few simple tweaks. That is key! And thank you for the kind words about the blog. I hope you enjoy the other recipes as well!