These Vegan Black Bean Tacos are made with vegan walnut taco meat, black beans, and corn tortillas. Topped with shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes, and cashew cream sauce, these tacos are a home run!
Recipe Quick Look: Vegan Black Bean Tacos
🕗 Prep Time: 15 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 30 minutes
⏰ Total Time: 45 minutes
🍽️ Servings: 4
⭐ Difficulty: Moderate – make the walnut taco meat, sauté veggies, add spices and black beans, and assemble.
🌿Diet: 100% whole food, plant-based vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and a Starch Solution recipe.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe: Plant-Based Black Bean Tacos
- Great for gameday, taco Tuesday, and get-togethers.
- Big flavor, simple ingredients.
- Healthy and delicious! Made with whole plant-based ingredients. No additives, preservatives, or fake ingredients.
- Family-friendly. Even the kids will love it!
You may also like our Vegan Sheet Pan Nachos.
Jump to:
- Recipe Quick Look: Vegan Black Bean Tacos
- Why You'll Love This Recipe: Plant-Based Black Bean Tacos
- Health Benefits
- Key Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Healthy Black Bean Tacos
- Assemble the Tacos
- Expert Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Plant-Based Black Bean Tacos FAQs
- Related Recipes to Check Out
- Rate and Review
- Vegan Black Bean Tacos
Health Benefits
- Black beans provide plant protein, dietary fiber, potassium, iron, and other essential nutrients. Fiber helps make a meal more satisfying and supports digestive health. The American Heart Association also notes that eating beans as part of a heart-healthy dietary pattern may help improve blood cholesterol. Check out this article about the health wonders of beans.
- The walnut taco meat adds richness, texture, protein, fiber, and unsaturated fat. Walnuts are also a plant source of alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid. The National Institutes of Health lists walnuts among the foods that provide omega-3s.
Key Ingredients
- Black beans: form the tender, creamy base of the filling.
- Walnut taco meat: this savory crumble gives the filling a hearty, pleasantly chewy texture.
- Optional additions and toppings: vegan cheese sauce, sliced avocado, guacamole, tomato-based salsa, and sweet jackfruit salsa
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can use either canned black beans or cooked beans, like these Cuban Black Beans. Feel free to sub our Chipotle Pinto Beans or Oil-free Refried Beans instead of black beans.
- Swap cilantro for chopped green onions.
- Adjust the heat by adding diced or pickled jalapeño or cayenne pepper.
- Change the tortilla to a whole wheat flour tortilla if gluten is not a concern. For a lighter option, use romaine or butter lettuce leaves.
How to Make Healthy Black Bean Tacos
This recipe makes 6 to 8 delicious tacos or 3 to 4 servings. Make ahead: raw walnut taco meat and cashew cream sauce.
- Step 1: Prepare the raw walnut taco meat according to recipe instructions and set it aside.
- Step 2: Prepare the cashew sour cream according to recipe instructions and set it aside.
- Step 3: Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and dry saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 4: Stir in ground cumin, ground chili powder, and smoked paprika. Cook for another minute.
- Step 5: Add drained and rinsed black beans.
- Step 6: Pour in a few tablespoons of water and stir well to combine. Stir in raw walnut taco meat and turn off the heat.
Assemble the Tacos
If desired, warm the corn tortillas over the flame on your stove or microwave for a few seconds.
- Step 1: Add black bean walnut taco meat mixture to the base of the corn tortillas.
- Step 2: Add chopped tomatoes and shredded cabbage.
- Step 3: Top with fresh chopped cilantro.
- Step 4: Finish off with a nice drizzle of cashew cream sauce.
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The taco meat in this recipe can also be used to make a taco salad, wraps, burritos, or nachos.
Expert Tips
- Heat the spices briefly: One minute in the skillet makes cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika more aromatic. Keep them moving so they do not burn.
- Do not overcook the walnut meat: Add it near the end and heat it just long enough to warm through. Overcooking can make the walnuts soft or bitter.
- Prep toppings before cooking: Once the filling is hot, the tacos come together quickly. Have the cabbage, tomato, cilantro, lime, and sauces ready to go.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve Easy Homemade Salsa and Homemade Guacamole with Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips as a simple starter.
- Add Mexican Rice Casserole when you are feeding a crowd or want a more substantial meal.
- Pair the tacos with a crisp Green Goddess Salad for extra vegetables and crunch.
- Offer Jackfruit Salsa alongside the savory salsa for a bright, sweet option.
- For a festive alcohol-free drink, serve a Spicy Margarita Mocktail.
Plant-Based Black Bean Tacos FAQs
If you have leftovers, it's recommended that you don't build the tacos and store them in the refrigerator because the shells will tear apart. Instead, keep each of the following in individual covered or sealed containers in the fridge for up to 4 days: corn tortillas; black bean walnut taco meat mixture; shredded cabbage; pico de gallo; cashew cream sauce; and any other optional additions or toppings you're using.
They can be. These Vegan Black Bean Tacos are built with whole plant foods, including black beans, walnuts, cabbage, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and corn tortillas. The original recipe provides approximately 15 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber per serving. The final nutrition profile will depend on your tortilla size, portion, and toppings.
Yes. Omit the walnut taco meat and use additional black beans or seasoned brown lentils. You will lose some of the rich, crumbly texture, but the filling will still be hearty and flavorful. Use a nut-free sauce in place of cashew cream if needed.
These Vegan Black Bean Tacos prove that a simple plant-based dinner can be hearty, colorful, and genuinely crave-worthy. The smoky black bean and walnut filling brings substance, the vegetables add freshness and crunch, and the cashew cream and lime pull everything together. Prepare the components ahead for an easy 15-minute meal, or serve everything taco-bar style and let the table do the assembling.
Related Recipes to Check Out
Rate and Review
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Vegan Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- ½ cup 1 batch raw walnut taco meat
- ½ cup 1 batch cashew cream sauce
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ cups of cooked black beans 1-15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 to 8 corn tortillas
- 1 ½ cups diced fresh tomatoes about 2 medium
- 1 cup shredded cabbage purple or green
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 lime
Optional additions/toppings
- 1 jalapeno diced (for heat)
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Super Easy Salsa savory
- Guacamole
- Jackfruit Salsa sweet
- Sliced avocado
Instructions
Make ahead
- Prepare the raw walnut taco meat according to recipe instructions. Set it aside.
- Prepare the cashew cream sauce according to recipe instructions. Set it aside.
Prepare the black bean taco meat base
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and dry saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in ground cumin, ground chili powder, and smoked paprika. Cook for another minute.
- Add drained and rinsed black beans and a few tablespoons of water. Continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the raw walnut taco meat. Stir to incorporate so that it warms up. You don't need to cook this; just allow it to warm through. Turn off the heat and assemble the tacos.
Assemble the Tacos
- If desired, warm the corn tortillas over the flame on your stove or microwave for a few seconds.
- Add black bean walnut taco meat mixture to the base of the corn tortillas. Layer on the chopped tomatoes, shredded cabbage, and chopped cilantro.
- Finally, drizzle on the cashew cream sauce and serve with fresh lime wedges.
- Other optional toppings include Vegan Cheese Sauce, Super Easy Salsa (savory), Guacamole, Jackfruit Salsa (sweet), or sliced avocado.
Notes
- Timing: If you have the raw walnut taco meat and cashew cream sauce already on hand, this recipe takes about 15 minutes to prepare.
- Leftovers: If you have leftovers, it's recommended you don't build the tacos and store them in the refrigerator because the shells will tear apart. Instead, keep each of the following in individual covered or sealed containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
-
Freezing: The vegan taco meat and corn tortillas are freezer-friendly, but the other ingredients are not. So if you're meal prepping for later, make a batch of the black bean walnut meat mixture, then portion it out into individual freezer-safe containers and store it in the freezer for up to 4 months. The corn tortillas can also be portioned out and stored in a freezer bag for later. Thaw both ingredients in the refrigerator before warming up and topping with veggies and sauce.
Gigi says
Tasty and easy to make.
Theresa says
A taco Tuesday favorite very good.