Name: Lentil Walnut Taco "Meat"
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp oil ((I use avocado oil but any type works)); 1 C onion (, diced); 3-5 cloves garlic (, minced); 2 19 oz cans lentils (, drained and rinsed (about 4 C cooked lentils)); 1 ½ C walnuts (, chopped); 4 tbsp taco seasoning; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce ((tamari for gluten free)); ½ C vegetable broth (, no salt added); 1 tbsp lime juice ((juice of about ½ lime)); ¼ C cilantro ((optional))

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This recipe for lentil walnut taco meat is incredibly quick and easy to make. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal or weekly meal prep! Enhanced by crunchy walnuts, the vegan taco filling has an amazing texture and deliciously nourishing ingredients!

Along with homemade taco seasoning, this recipe is loaded with flavor and fully approved by non-vegans! It’ll quickly become your favorite way to make vegan tacos.

Skill: Easy | Time: 25 min | Servings: 6

Hand holding up folded flour tortilla filled with cooked walnut lentil taco "meat" with chopped tomato, red onion and shredded lettuce. Blurred in the back is a glass bowl of walnut taco filling and stack of tortillas.

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Are Lentil Walnut Tacos Vegan?

Most lentil or walnut taco recipes are vegan; both can be used as a ground meat substitute.

There are so many ways to make tasty vegan taco filling but using lentils with walnuts is quite possibly the best combo! The texture of soft lentils and crunchy walnuts is a real winner.

Not to mention this is a very nutritious combination of ingredients. Lentils offer plant-based protein, fiber, complex carbs and lots of vitamins and minerals. Walnuts offer additional protein, fiber and healthy fats, along with other micronutrients!

Together, it’s a delicious and nutritious vegan taco filling.

Three flour tortillas resting flat on a grey marble surface and topped with lentil taco filling, tomato, red onion and lettuce. Front right corner show a portion of a glass bowl filled with cooked lentil taco filling; back right sits half a lime and stack of tortillas; middle left sits a glass bowl of guacamole and lime wedge.

Ingredients to Make Lentil Walnut Meat

This recipe is made with simple ingredients, many of which can be customized to your liking! To cook these lentil walnut tacos, you’ll need:

Lentils: This primary ingredient creates the bulk of the recipe. You can use pre-cooked or canned lentils. If using canned lentils, drain and rinse them before using!
Walnuts: To create an irresistible texture in your tacos, walnuts are the perfect pairing with lentils. They are crunchy and loaded with nutrition!
Taco seasoning: I use a homemade taco seasoning blend since I love to control the flavors. I always keep taco seasoning on hand (stored in a mason jar) for quick and delicious tacos!
Onion and garlic: For extra flavor, I start this recipe with a chopped onion and lots of minced garlic. This is the only chopping required, keeping the recipe quick and easy to make with minimal prep work.
Oil: You’ll cook the onion and garlic in some oil. This adds extra healthy fats to the taco filling, making the recipe more flavorful and satisfying.
Tomato paste: Some tomato paste adds acidity and delicious flavor to the tacos.
Soy sauce: While not a traditional ingredient for tacos, I love the depth of flavor soy sauce provides. It’s an ingredient I often use when making meat substitutes (especially ground beef replacements). There’s just something about the savory saltiness of soy sauce that elevates vegan meat recipes like these tacos!
Vegetable broth: To help the spices and tomato paste mix evenly over the lentils and walnuts, some vegetable broth is needed. I buy no salt added (or low sodium) vegetable broth; the taco seasoning has all the salt you’ll need!
Lime juice: Fresh citrus elevates the flavors in any recipe and lime juice is the perfect pairing for tacos!
Cilantro: This is optional but I’m a huge fan of cilantro and add it to any recipe I can, especially tacos.

A young white woman with long brown hair tied into a ponytail stands behind a marble counter top. The counter top is covered with a large black pan on a cooking element and this is surrounded with glass bowls and jars filled with different ingredients (onion, garlic, oil, cilantro, limes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, walnuts, taco spice and lentils). The woman is looking down at the pan and wears a white shirt with black sleeves that has white text reading "plant powered"

How to Make Lentil Tacos: Instructions and Video Tutorial

Making lentil tacos with walnuts is super quick and easy. There’s very little prep work involved, and it cooks quickly since the lentils are already cooked (or canned).

Step 1: Chop + Cook Onion and Garlic

Chop an onion and mince a few cloves of garlic. If needed, chop your walnuts; I aim for the walnuts to be slightly larger compared to the lentils.

If using canned lentils, drain and rinse them. If using pre-cooked lentils, measure out 4 cups.

In a large pan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is softened and begins to turn translucent.

Next, add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

A hand holds a large red spoon and is stirring the contents of a black pan filled with chopped onion. Many glass bowls surround the pan on a marble counter top, each filled with a different ingredient (lentils, walnuts, taco spice, vegetable broth, cilantro, garlic, soy sauce).

Step 2: Cook Taco Filling

At this point, add the lentils, walnuts, taco seasoning, tomato paste, soy sauce, and vegetable broth to the pan. Stir until everything is well combined.

A hand holding a large red spoon stirs a mixture of lentils and walnut in a large black pan sitting on a cooking element on a marble counter top. A jar of taco spice with a metal spoon in it along with two glass bowls filled with lime juice and chopped cilantro sit to the left.

Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. This time allows the flavors to cook together and for the vegetable broth to cook off.

Once there’s no liquid in the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat. Stir in fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro, if using.

A hand pours a glass jar filled with chopped cilantro into a large black pan filled with cooked lentil and walnut taco filling. A glass jar of taco spice with a metal spoon in it sits to the left of the image.

Step 3: Serve

The lentil walnut tacos are ready to serve!

Load a tortilla with the taco filling and all your favorite taco toppings! You could also use this recipe to create a taco salad if you serve it over a bed of chopped lettuce. This also makes a delicious taco bowl if you want to skip the wrap!

Some of my favorite vegan taco toppings include:

Chopped tomato
Red or green onion
Corn
Shredded lettuce
Avocado or guacamole
Vegan sour cream
Vegan cheese shreds
Cilantro
Fresh lime juice
Salsa
Enchilada sauce
Hot sauce
Jalapeno peppers

Get creative and enjoy!

A person fills a flour tortilla with taco filling; one hand holds the tortilla flat while the other is scooping filling on top with a spoon. Below the hands is a long wood board topped with a stack of tortillas, a bowl of lentil taco filling, guacamole, lime wedges and two glass bowls of lettuce and tomato.

Walnut Lentil Taco Tips, Substitutions and Variations

You can use any type of cooked lentils for this recipe.

While walnuts are a delicious and nutrition-packed choice, any crunchy nut or seed work for this taco recipe. Pecans are another great choice.

To keep the recipe nut-free, use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for that crunchy texture and boost of healthy fats!

Any taco seasoning will work for this recipe but I love my homemade blend! You can also add extra spicy heat with the addition of cayenne pepper or some hot sauce.

Glass bowl filled with lentil walnut taco meat; with a spoon resting in the taco mix; this bowl sits on a long, narrow wood board with a pile of flour tortillas in the back. To the left are small glass bowls, resting on the marble background, filled with chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, sliced red onion and lime wedges.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover walnut taco meat can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

This is a great recipe to make for meal prep. It offers quick and easy lunch or dinners through the week! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much a me and my family do! It’s definitely non-vegan approved!

Row of three folded flour tortilla tacos filled with lentil walnut meat, tomato, red onion and lettuce; tacos become blurred toward the back and a glass bowl of guacamole sits to the back left.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please rate and comment below so others benefit from your experience.

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Lentil Walnut Taco “Meat”

This lentil walnut taco meat recipe is the ultimate filling for vegan tacos. Lentils with crunchy walnuts and plenty of delicious spices creates an amazing texture and flavorful taco mix. Make sure to have some homemade vegan taco seasoning on hand before you begin!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican-inspired, Vegan

Keyword Lentil walnut taco meat

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings Servings

Calories 429kcal

Equipment

Cutting Board
Knife
Can Opener
Large pan

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil (I use avocado oil but any type works)
1 C onion , diced
3-5 cloves garlic , minced
2 19 oz cans lentils , drained and rinsed (about 4 C cooked lentils)
1 ½ C walnuts , chopped
4 tbsp taco seasoning
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ tbsp soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)
½ C vegetable broth , no salt added
1 tbsp lime juice (juice of about ½ lime)
¼ C cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients

Dice 1 C onion, mince 3-5 cloves garlic, chop 1 ½ C walnuts and drain/rinse 2 19 oz cans lentils (or prep 4 C cooked lentils).

Cook Ingredients

In a large pan, warm 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until it softens and starts to become translucent.
Next, add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minute, until fragrant.
Add 4 C lentils, 1 ½ C chopped walnuts, 4 tbsp taco seasoning, 3 tbsp tomato paste, 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce and ½ C vegetable broth. Mix until everything is well combined.
Cook, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes or until the vegetable broth is absorbed and no liquid remains at the bottom of the pan.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in the juice of ½ lime and chopped cilantro (if using).

Serve

Serve in your favorite tortillas with all the taco fixings you love!

Video

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition

Lentil Walnut Taco “Meat” Recipe | Easy Vegan Taco Filling

Are Lentil Walnut Tacos Vegan?

Ingredients to Make Lentil Walnut Meat