These easy vegan tacos are perfect for your next taco night. I love that they are soy-free, so you don’t have to use tofu or processed meat substitutes. Instead, they’re made from a combination of vegetables and walnuts, seasoned with a classic taco spice mix, to create a healthy taco “meat.”
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This recipe comes from my friend Ali’s new book, Inspiralized & Beyond.
If you’re not familiar with Ali, she’s the force behind Inspiralized.com, a go-to resource for spiralized recipes. (She even designed her own spiralizer– the Inspiralizer— which is what I use in my own home.)
In her latest book, Ali shares even more creative ways to enjoy vegetables, beyond just spiralizing them. For example, in her cover photo, you’ll see that she’s turned zucchini halves into the “bun” for a vegetarian meatball sandwich. She also includes recipes for using vegetables as lasagna sheets, brussels sprouts as mini “slider” buns, and bell peppers stuffed with a savory Philly Cheesesteak filling. If you need some fresh inspiration when it comes to serving vegetables, this book has you covered!
Vegan Taco Meat
These vegan tacos are a great way to sneak more vegetables into your day. The vegan “taco meat” is entirely plant-based, made from mushrooms and cauliflower that have been briefly pulsed in the food processor, then sauteed with crushed walnuts and plenty of taco seasoning.
I served them in traditional taco shells to appease my picky family members, but you can also serve them in jicama “shells,” as Ali suggests in her book, for a lower carb meal with a refreshing crunch.
When you top them with your favorite taco toppings, like shredded lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, and avocado, they’ve got all the classic taco flavor that you love. I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Vegan Tacos
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup crushed walnuts
- 8 ounces button mushrooms , sliced
- 4 cups cauliflower florets , chopped
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno (about half of one)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15 ounce can) black beans , drained and rinsed
- Fresh cilantro leaves , for garnish
- 1 small jicama, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds
- 3 limes , quartered
Optional Toppings:
- sliced black olives
- pico de gallo
- avocado
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until ground but not powdered, about 7 pulses. Transfer to a large bowl. Place the mushrooms in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 15 pulses. Add them to the bowl with the walnuts. Place the cauliflower in the food processor and pulse until crumbled, about 10 pulses; do not overpulse. Add to the bowl with the walnuts and mushrooms.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower mixture, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is no longer crunchy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook for 2 minutes, until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a serving bowl and top with the cilantro. Serve alongside the jicama shells, lime wedges, and optional toppings of your choosing for tableside assembly.
Video
Nutrition
For each of 6 servings: Calories: 238, Fat: 11g, Carbohydrate: 26g, Fiber: 12g, Protein: 11g
Recipe reprinted with permission from Inspiralized & Beyond by Ali Maffucci
Recipe Notes:
- For food combining purposes, this recipe is properly combined when served in jicama shells, or simply in lettuce wraps. If you would like it to be properly combined with a corn or flour tortilla, omit the walnuts.
- This recipe is also Paleo-friendly when you serve the “meat” in a lettuce wrap or jicama shell.
Giveaway (Now Closed)
Congrats to Heidi S.! The winner has been contacted via email. Thanks for your entries!
Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite creative way to serve vegetables? I think my favorite might be cauliflower rice. Cauliflower “Fried Rice” and my Mexican Cauliflower Casserole are two staples in my home!
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Disclosure: Ali sent me a complimentary copy of her new cookbook, but I am under no obligation to post a positive review.
I love spiralizing sweet potatoes and making crispy baked sweet potato curly fries
I’ve been adding pureed vegetables to soup, stews and bean dishes for additional hidden servings of vegetables. This has been a good way to add more vegetables and introduce the family to variety. Plus works as a thickener.
My kids mostly like not-mixed veggies but it’s easy enough to put aside some carrots, brocolli, snap peas, etc for them before making my own soup, fried quinoa, or similar. Sometimes they surprise me and eat veggie sheperd’s pie from Megan’s book with all veggies cooked together! Smoothies are always a great option for adding spinach or zucchini!
Thank you again for the great ideas to be able to stay on my plant based lifestyle. This is a great site & i use many of your recipes. Keep up the good work.
The dish worked out great since I usually bring my own food when I’m eating out at friends & family.
My favorite way is in a saucy lasagna. My kids will devour it and not even know.
I really think I will love this recipe! This will be my first time trying vegan tacos…yum! Thank you Megan for all your hard work!!
Love this!
I can’t say that I’m all that creative in the way I serve vegetables. I have recently begun to sneak them into my shakes to give myself a boost and up the number of servings I’m eating daily.
I like to grill vegetables, them stir in cooked quinoa, pine nuts, goat cheese…and an orange juice/herb vinaigrette 😇
This recipe looks great. I love meatless options that aren’t so based. Can’t wait to try this for Taco Tuesday.
I’m not creative when it comes to serving veggies so this is awesome!! Thanks.
I roast vegetables with out oil. Olive oil just doesn’t agree with me, I do sometimes roast with Grape Seed oil which is better. Anxious to try the taco’s. My biggest problem is I’m the only one eating this way and food goes to waste.
I like that the meat substitute is not soy-based, but I’m hesitant to try the recipe because I don’t have a food processor. I only have a blender.
Cauliflower cheese sauce and cauliflower rice are favorites as well as the sweet potato cheese sauce of Megan’s
That sounds like an awesome combination.
I love finding soy-free vegan “meat” recipes that my meat-eating family can enjoy. Looking forward to trying this one out!
Sounds amazing! Definitely going to give this a try. Would love to win that spiralizer so I can make more yummy and healthy dinners like this one!
These look fantastic!!
These look amazing and so creative! I can’t wait to try them 🙂
Yay! Soy free tacos! Just found out I am allergic. Thanks for this!
Every recipe of yours I’ve tried has been wonderful so I will give this one a try this week. Thank you for your generous heart that always shares recipes with us.
It is not really creative, but I have found just leaving some vegetables on the counter gets my kids to eat them. If I have a cutting board out with sliced red pepper, cucumbers, and carrot sticks, my kids will walk by and eat them. I think they think they are getting away with something!
These look delicious! I have been craving tacos bunches lately so will have to add this one to my rotation. One of my favorite ways to get more veggies in lately has been to swap noodles for shredded cabbage. Cabbage is so healing for the gut so the more of it I can get in the better. And with the right sauce it’s hard to really notice the difference!
Hi! Thanks for the chance to win this giveaway.
One of my favorite ways to sneak more veggies into the menu is with breakfast smoothies. I was excited when my younger siblings got hooked on colorful fruit and veggie smoothies.
We love to try new veggie pasta since I’m trying to introduce more veggies into my toddler’s meals. So far, sweet potato is her favorite kind. I will be trying this taco meat soon, I’m always up for a good texture meat substitute. Also excited about Inspiralized & Beyond by Ali Maffucci and for your new instant pot cookbook (which I preordered last night!!) 🤗🤗
Most creative way to use veggies I just learned a fabulous BBQ sandwich using shredded carrots in a yummy tahini spicey sauce with portobello mushroom caps as the bun! It was amazing. My first RAW vegan dinner. Yum!
I love to make veggie bowls with brown rice, sauerkraut, watermelon radish broccoli florets carrots and kale leaves. , with a tumeric tahini sauce. I make different versions with different veggies roasted or fermented with different sauces and maybe use quinoa instead of rice and arugula for variety the combinations are endless! I love it my husband loves it and it is so quick, easy and delicious
I’m a big fan of fried rice, and when i make cauliflower fried rice, i get the pre-riced package of veggies at my supermarket. There’s one brand that has a combo package of cauliflower and sweet potatoes, which makes for a nice variation and adds a little natural sweetness.
I also like your old idea of using shredded cabbage in place of pasta, with just sauce over it. I wasn’t sure about it until I tried it, but now it’s one of my favorite quick and easy meals!
This look a amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
I like to blend kale in a blueberry smoothie.
I made a cauliflower rice budda bowl. As my son is eating it, he exclaims “this is really good mom. The rice kinda makes me gag, but otherwise it is really good” ha ha! He had no idea it was cauliflower rice.
I made something similar once but used zucchini boats to hold the “meat.” I like how you use jalapenos and jicama. Thanks for your ideas! Your twists on classics have really helped me in making meals fir my husband who has a very restricted diet.
I can’t wait to try these! I love both your cookbooks, and these sound wonderful.
I like to use salad vegetables like spinach, arugula,cucumber, fresh turmeric, onions, tomato and peppers to make a socca wrap. I love chickpea socca wraps.
These look amazing! Thanks for sharing 😉
I love to spiralize zucchini and squash… sautéed with coconut oil, salt @ garlic…
Those look so yummy! I like to sautee veggies and add them into pasta dishes!
These look super tasty!
These look tasty!
I put lots of veggies in sauces and soups to add a few more goodies to the recipes. Most of the family never figures out that they’re eating healthier.
I grate carrots, zuchinni, yellow squash & fresh sweet corn into salsa to make it even more healthy & to get more raw veggies into our diet.
This looks good enough for meat eaters to try! 😊
I’ve really enjoyed the cauliflower ‘cheese’ sauce on pasta. Another new favorite this time of year is mashed avocado on top of a hamburger, with just a little mustard. Yum!
I love substituting cauliflower rice when making vegan fried rice.
I want to win!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve adopted the salad-bar-in-the-fridge strategy and it has dramatically improved how/what I eat! Having homemade salad dressings is the real winner, though. Your salad dressings are delicious, Megan! THANK YOU!
They look delicious! I’ve loved everything I’ve tried of yours and look forward to your new book! Thank you Megan for all your hard work! You have blessed my and my family’s life!
one way we eat veggies is by putting several raw items on a platter in the center of the table so my kids can choose from it what they want.
I fry up organic mushrooms, peppers & onions and place them over an egg sandwich with mashed avocado instead of mayo!
I love the “walnut Parmesan” recipe that is in Everyday Detox. I put it on all the “Italian” foods that I make instead of the parmesan cheese that is sold everywhere. I especially like it on eggplant parmesan.