Vegan Tacos

Name: Vegan Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: Option 1: Vegan Walnut Taco Meat; Option 2: Tofu Taco Meat; 12 small soft corn tortillas; 1 large avocado; 1/2 cup unsweetened plain vegan yogurt; 1 large clove garlic; 1 medium jalapeño (seeded, roughly chopped (optional)); 1/4 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)

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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.

Walnut meat in tacos on a white plate with lime wedges and avocado sauce.

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
📖 Instructions
🌮 Substitutions
💡 Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽 Related Recipes
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients for Vegan Tacos

🌮 For walnut meat:

Chopped walnuts, cooked lentils, chopped onion, tamari, tomato paste, garlic, spices, and vegetable broth in bowls on a white wooden board.

🌮 For Tofu Taco Meat:

Extra firm tofu, maple syrup, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, spices, walnuts, chopped onion, minced garlic, olive oil, and tamari in bowls on a white marble board.

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:

Garlic, jalapeño, yogurt, cilantro avocado, and lime on a gray backdrop.

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.

📖 Instructions

Lentils, onions, tomato paste, and garlic cooking in a white skillet with cilantro on a scraper above.

Step 1. Make the Vegan Walnut Lentil Meat, or Tofu Taco Meat.

Brushing flour tortillas with olive oil using a wooden silicone brush with grey bristles.

Step 2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF, or use a large nonstick skillet. Brush one side soft tortillas with oil. Flip them over, oil-side down onto a nonstick baking sheet.

Flour tortillas folded with filling on a white 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.

Avocado, cilantro, chopped jalapeño, garlic and vegan yogurt in a glass canister of a food processor.

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.

Four vegan baked taco with avocado cream and lime wedges on a white baking sheet.

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

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

How do I reheat Vegan Tacos?

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 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.

How much protein is in Vegan Tacos?

These Vegan Tacos with walnut lentil meat boast 18 grams protein per serving.

What is the hack for baking taco shells?

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.