Crispy Baked Vegan Tacos served with a quick Avocado Crema. This 20-minute recipe can be made with your choice of tofu taco meat or my walnut-lentil vegan meat on this site. Both versions are healthy, easy, and taste amazing. Plus, these tacos are rich in protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats.
This is your sign to start baking your tacos! They turn out perfectly crispy every time. The best hack for the crispiest tacos is to place an extra baking sheet on top for baking! The second-best hack - serve them with a delicious dipping sauce!
The 6-ingredient Avocado Crema is optional, but takes these tacos to the next level! You can make these vegan tacos with my Vegan Walnut Meat or Tofu Taco Meat. The ingredients are listed below.
This recipe was inspired by my Tofu Sandwich (Vegan Pastrami), as well as these 7-ingredient Easy Chickpea Wraps.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients for Vegan Tacos
🌮 For walnut meat:
🌮 For Tofu Taco Meat:
- Soft yellow corn or flour tortillas (not shown) are the perfect shell for these vegan tacos. Tortillas are a type of thin, flatbread made from either corn or wheat flour. Corn tortillas are made from ground corn, while flour tortillas are made from wheat flour. Corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free and typically lower in calories and fat compared to flour tortillas. Additionally, corn tortillas tend to have a slightly higher fiber content, which can be beneficial for digestion and maintaining steady blood sugar levels. Whole wheat tortillas are made from whole wheat flour, providing more fiber, vitamins, and minerals compared to refined flour tortillas. You can also find keto-friendly tortillas made from alternative flours like almond or coconut flour, which are significantly lower in carbohydrates. For this recipe, tortillas are folded over vegan walnut lentil meat, baked, and then dipped into an optional Avocado Crema for serving.
- Walnut lentil meat contains high amounts of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the walnuts, and protein, fiber, and iron from the lentils. This combination of lentils and walnuts helps keep you feeling fuller for longer, potentially reducing overall calorie intake. You can cook your own lentils, or use canned lentils to save time. This homemade vegan meat is the perfect combination of crunchy and chewy.
- Tofu Taco Meat is rich in protein, heart-healthy fats, and vitamin B12. This recipe involves grating the tofu! It's super easy and quick to prepare. Make a big batch and freeze it for later use.
🥑 Ingredients for Avocado Crema:
- Avocados are an excellent source of healthy monounsaturated fats, which can help reduce bad cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease. The majority of the fat is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat associated with various health benefits. They are also a good source of dietary fiber, which is essential for good gut health and may contribute to weight management by promoting a feeling of fullness. In addition, they are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as minerals like potassium and folate.
- Jalapeños (optional) add a unique and delicious spicy flavor to the Avocado Crema. They contain capsaicin, a natural compound responsible for their spicy heat. Capsaicin is known to have various health benefits, including reducing pain and inflammation, improving metabolism, and aiding digestion.
- Use vegan yogurt to make this recipe plant-based. I used the Forager Project brand cashew yogurt. Otherwise, use Greek yogurt for more protein, or any plain unsweetened yogurt.
- Olive oil or water is added for blending. Use olive oil for a more velvety smooth avocado cream sauce.
📖 How to Make Vegan Tacos
For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.
Step 1. Make the Vegan Walnut Lentil Meat or Tofu Taco Meat.
Step 2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF, or use a large nonstick skillet. Brush one side of soft tortillas with oil. Flip them over, oil-side down onto a nonstick baking sheet.
Step 3. Place the vegan meat onto one-half side of the tortillas. Fold the other side over to cover the filling. Place a second baking sheet on top of the folded tacos for the first 5 minutes of baking. Remove the top baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes more, or until the desired crispiness.
Step 4. For the optional avocado crema: Blend avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, lime juice, olive oil or water in a food processor until smooth.
Serve crispy baked Vegan Tacos with velvety Avocado Crema.
🌮 Substitutions
- Vegan walnut meat - use Tofu Taco Meat instead for a change
- Tortillas - use store-bought hard-shelled tacos or make your own
- Avocado crema - serve vegan tacos with my budget-friendly Creamy Garlic Sauce, or this Easy Vegan Tzatziki Sauce instead
Visit my Vegan Sandwich Recipes page for more healthy finger-food dinners.
💡 Expert Tips
- To prevent the tacos from breaking, warm them first before brushing them with oil.
- For baked vegan tacos: Place a second baking sheet on top of the tacos to hold the tops down and prevent them from curling up in the oven. Remove the sheet after 5 to 10 minutes, and continue baking until crispy.
- For pan-frying vegan tacos: Use a large nonstick skillet. Add an optional light drizzle of olive oil for extra crispy. Cook the tacos in batches, leaving space between them so they brown evenly, and for ease of flipping them over.
- Freeze your tortillas in the original packaging to extend their shelf life. For serving, warm them in the microwave or oven until thawed before adding the walnut lentil meat filling for baking.
- Storage: Make Vegan Tacos ahead of time. Bake the tacos, and then either freeze or refrigerate them in an airtight or freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Oven: Preheat oven to 360ºF. Reheat vegan tacos on a baking sheet. Flip them over after 10 minutes and continue baking until warmed through.
Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF. Cover vegan tacos with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the desired crispiness.
Stovetop: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the tacos until warmed through, flipping them over after 7 minutes.
These Vegan Tacos with walnut lentil meat boast 18 grams of protein per serving.
To transform soft tortillas into crispy taco shells, the trick is to microwave your tortillas first to get them soft and pliable, then spray them with cooking spray and drape them over the oven rack. Bake them at 425ºF for 8 to 10 minutes until crispy. Then fill your taco shells with warm vegan taco meat.
🍽 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Tacos
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Ingredients
- Option 1: Vegan Walnut Taco Meat
- Option 2: Tofu Taco Meat
- 12 small soft corn tortillas
Avocado Crema (optional for serving):
- 1 large avocado
- ½ cup unsweetened plain vegan yogurt
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 medium jalapeño seeded, roughly chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro or parsley (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice plus more to taste
- Olive oil or water, for blending
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF, or use a large nonstick skillet.
- Brush one side of the soft tortillas with oil. Flip them over, oil-side down onto a nonstick baking sheet.
- Place the walnut meat on one-half side of the tortillas. Fold the other side over to cover the filling. Place a second baking sheet on top of the folded tacos to hold the tops down for baking.
- Bake the tortillas on the middle rack. Remove the top baking sheet after 10 minutes, and flip the tortillas over. Bake for about 10 minutes more, or until the desired crispiness.
- To use a nonstick skillet: Heat a drizzle of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (optional). Place the folded tortillas in the skillet, leaving space in between for flipping. Use a spatula to press the tops down and cook for about 7 minutes, or until the bottoms are crispy. Then flip them over and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until both sides are crispy.
- Make the Avocado Crema, if using. Transfer the avocado, yogurt, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice to the canister of a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding olive oil or water as needed until the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and more lime juice to taste.
Notes
-
- Nutrition information and recipe time are calculated using this Walnut Taco Meat recipe with the Avocado Crema. You can also make these vegan tacos with my Tofu Taco Meat.
- To prevent the tacos from breaking, warm them first before brushing them with oil.
- For pan-frying: Use a large nonstick skillet. Add an optional light drizzle of olive oil for extra crispy. Cook the tacos in batches to leave room for even browning and flipping them over.
- Meal prep: Make a big batch of walnut meat or tofu taco meat ahead of time and make these tacos on demand for a healthy snack, lunch, or dinner.
- Storage: Make Vegan Tacos ahead of time. Bake them, and either freeze or refrigerate in an airtight or freezer-safe container. Bake at 360ºF until warmed through for serving. (Freeze for up to 3 months, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.)
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Nicki says
The walnut lentil filling is terrific! Thank you very much for the clear instructions. I have shared your recipe with so many friends already! Thanks
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awww so nice of you to share it. Thank you.
Sharon Cannon says
Saw video on YouTube, ran and bought ingredients. Just made these tonight, served tacos with avocado crema-- absolutely delicious!! Thank you for wonderful recipes. Have leftovers as I made a dozen. Husband says 10 out of 10! I didn't buy jalapeño, using canned green chilies instead=excellent!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thrilled you both enjoyed these tacos so much! Thank you for letting me know.
Ms. Lei says
This was different from my typical taco with all the fixings, but these were absolutely delicious! I had pecans on hand instead of walnuts and it still turned out tasty!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to hear you enjoyed these tacos. Thank you.
Petty says
Hi Nisha,
This is the third time I've made this recipe and I love it. This time I added some baby chestnut mushrooms. Thank you for the recipe, it is delicious. I will have some with pasta too.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to hear you are enjoying the tacos so much. Thank you for letting me know. Must be great with pasta!
Samira says
Hey Nisha! I’m planning on giving this one a whirl in the near future and wondered how many tacos are considered one serving? And I assume the calories, fat, etc. listed above are for one serving, right? Maybe I missed this info elsewhere in your post… Sorry if so. Looking forward to finally trying one of your recipes after drooling over your many YT shorts. 🙂
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you! I hope you love this one! One serving is about 2 tacos.
Paula Boyhan says
These tacos are absolutely delicious. My vegetarian daughter said it wasnicest dinner i ever made her. I did the avacado creme too with some homemade oven chips. Im glutenfree so I made the wraps myself, I'll be making this recipe weekly. Thank you Nisha, keep up the good work.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much. I appreciate your comment and so happy your daughter also enjoyed them.
Jason says
Looks lovely. Nowhere on the recipe card or the image do you list the spices and quantities for the taco meat. Would you mind appending?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi, You have to scroll to the bottom to the recipe card and click on the type of meat you want to make. There are two options. https://cookingforpeanuts.com/vegan-walnut-taco-meat/
https://cookingforpeanuts.com/tofu-taco-meat/
Jayasree Natarajan says
Made this last night and absolutely LOVED the simplicity and the taste. Definitely adding to our weekly rotations. Thank you!!!!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yay! So happy to hear that. Thank you.
Jan says
I made this for my daughter last night and it was delicious!! The combination of lentils and walnuts along with the onions and garlic was so easy and healthy. I loved how they crisped right up in the oven. Since we use almond, cassava, and chickpea tortillas, it’s sometimes difficult to fold them without cracking them. Your method works perfect. I cannot wait to try the tofu tacos next! Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Folding is tricky when the wraps are healthy!!! Glad this method worked.
Kayla says
This is seriously so good. Such dynamic flavor and texture in the “meat” (I used the tofu walnut recipe and added lime and jalapeño while cooking). The tacos combined with the avocado crema….. no words. And you can feel good about eating it too!! My new favorite taco recipe, and I’m not even vegan!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to read your comment. Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it so much.
Nina says
Delicious and easy!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much.
Libbie says
YOU DON’T GIVE THE ACTUAL MEASUREMENTS FOR THE TACOS!! WHERE ARE THEY AND ALL THE POP-UP ADS DRIVES ME NUTS!!!! NOT SUBSCRIBING.
DO IT RIGHT!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Your comment was a little harsh, but inspired me to revisit the post to make things clearer for future visitors. So thank you! For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. The full recipe card with ingredients and quantities is always at the bottom of every post and is printable. I have also reduced the ads. No need to subscribe. My weekly meal plans require a lot of work on my part and I only want those who appreciate the effort to be on my list!
LynD says
This is a good time to let you know how much I appreciate your hard work and dedication to healthy living. I love your recipes. THANK YOU NISHA!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awww thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Means a lot!
Chris says
One of the rudest comments I have seen, but such a graceful reply, Nisha. I love so many of your recipes and appreciate all of the effort and work you put into them. Your IG posts have inspired me to make many of the recipes. Thank you!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for your kind words! I appreciate you being here!
Becca says
This recipe was super quick, easy, delicious and healthy. I would have given it 10 stars!!! I used sunflower seeds this time-next time it’ll be walnuts. I also whipped up the avocado crema for the recipe and it tasted like a cilantro-lime sour cream.
This one’s going on the weekly rotation. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
10 stars it is:))) Thank you. Whipped sound incredible! Thank you for sharing and leaving a comment.
MaryEllen Glorie says
These were absolutely delicious. A great way to get both lentils and walnuts in one meal. Thank you, Nisha!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them. Thank you.
Kate says
I just stumbled on your website from instagram and I decided to try to make these with the walnut meat. They were fantastic! I can't wait to try another one of your recipes. I've been plant based for 4 years now but struggle with getting in my protein, so it's always amazing to find a new recipe. Can't wait to make these for my friends 🙂
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm so glad you found me! Welcome and thank you!
Martha says
I love this recipe. The ground walnuts give it a wonderful flavor and texture. Using the second baking sheet is a genius idea. We loved these tacos and topped them with some pico de gallo and avocado slices.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for commenting. I'm so glad they were a hit! The second sheet really helps!!!
Dani says
Loved this recipe! It was easy to make and delicious, and the avocado sauce was so tasty. Nexy time I'll add shredded lettuce to the finished product. Can't wait to make this again!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Great idea! Lettuce will be a fab addition. Thank you.
Tina says
Have to tell you that this was by far the best taco meal we have ever had. Thanks for sharing your recipes. Will stay tuned in for more to come!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Amazing to hear! Makes my week! Thank you for letting me know.
Muriel says
We LOVED it (we tried with the wallnut meat and the avocado cream). My 4 year-old-girl declared it was her favorite disch (before that, another one of your recipes was the winner, she called it the "volcano" : the carrot and ginger dressing with rice). It has been a month that I discovered your videos and website, I am so delighted to try new things thanks to you. Thank you so much for helping me get my children (and husband !) to eat vegetables !
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
This is so wonderful to hear. It makes me so happy when the entire family eats the same veggie-packed dinner and enjoys it! Thank you for commenting.
Kimmi says
I made the lentil & walnut taco meat, along with the avocado creme today. I followed everything as directed except I used silken tofu instead of the vegan yogurt in the avocado creme.
Both of these recipes turned out AMAZING! I normally absolutely hate tacos and cilantro but this has changed my mind. Even my non-vegan boyfriend loved these!
Thanks so much for posting.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awww so happy to have changed your mind! Thank you for your comment. Have a great week.