Vegan quinoa tacos are a tasty way to satisfy that taco Tuesday craving (any day of the week!). This is a simple recipe, especially if you already have cooked quinoa on hand.
I like to meal prep a batch of some type of grain each week (ex. rice, oats, quinoa) so it’s ready to go. This is a nice way to use up that cooked quinoa.
If you don’t have cooked quinoa, simply make some while you chop the veggies!
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Making Quinoa Taco “Meat”
The goal with any vegan alternative to ground beef as a taco filling is to mimic the flavours and texture. Since quinoa is a small grain, it does okay and replicating that texture.
Chopped mushrooms are also a tasty addition. Mushrooms are often used to replicate meat because there’s just something about that earthy flavour that works wonders!
For the veggies in this recipe, you can cut them as small or large as you like. It completely depends on the texture you’re going for! I’m often a bit too lazy to really mince up veggies so I tend to leave them in larger pieces.
Smaller pieces of vegetables create a “better” minced meat texture. Larger vegetable pieces are more “rustic”.
It’s simple to make quinoa taco meat. The hardest part is making sure the quinoa doesn’t stick to the pan. Use a non-stick pan and don’t be afraid to add some extra oil to pull up any browning on the bottom of the pan. That browning is packed with flavour.
Serving Vegan Quinoa Tacos
The quinoa taco filling on its own is tasty. But of course, we’re not going to serve tacos plain.
There are countless options for topping a vegan taco and some of mine are:
- Black bean and corn salsa
- Corn
- Tomato
- Green onion
- Avocado
- Vegan sour cream (store bought or homemade)
- Guacamole
You can serve vegan quinoa tacos however you want. Using flour or corn tortillas always works. Or, try out a lettuce leaf for a crunchy and fresh option.
I also love to use this recipe as the base for a vegan quinoa taco bowl. Pair this recipe, along with black bean and corn salsa, and you have a delicious meal. In university, I loved meal prepping those two recipes and enjoying quinoa taco bowls all week long for lunch!
Let me know in the comments below how you serve your quinoa tacos! What are your favourite toppings? Don’t forget to tag me @lettucevegout if you share your creation on social media!
Quinoa Tacos
Equipment
- Medium-sized Pot
- Large pan
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 C quinoa
- 2 C water
- 1 C onion , chopped
- 1 C bell pepper , diced
- 2 1/2 C mushrooms , chopped
- 2 tbsp oil (I like avocado or olive oil)
- 1/4 C cilantro , chopped
- 3-4 tbsp taco seasoning
Instructions
- Bring the quinoa and water up to a boil in a pot. Once boiling, turn down the heat to low, place a lid on the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks, wash and chop the veggies.
- When there is 5-8 minutes left on the cooking quinoa (or less), heat up the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the vegetables (onion, bell pepper and mushrooms) and sautee for 5 - 8 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, add it to the veggies and season with the taco seasoning mix. Taste and adjust as needed (may want to add more spicy heat with a hot sauce or cayenne pepper).
- Serve in taco shells, tortilla wraps, on a bed of greens or a large lettuce leaf wrap. I topped mine with a mix of black beans, corn, tomato, onion and cilantro!
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This is an updated post: Original post date October 2016.
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