TVP taco meat is the easiest and fastest way to make tasty, high protein vegan tacos! If you’ve never cooked with TVP before, this is the ideal first recipe to try because it’s packed with flavor and takes less than 15 minutes to cook.
Skill: Easy | Time: 15 min | Servings: 6 small tacos (filling only)
Get the Veg Out newsletter for new vegan recipes + nutrition content!
This post contains affiliate links (including Amazon Associates) and I earn from qualifying purchases.
What is TVP?
You might be wondering what the heck TVP is. It stands for Textured Vegetable Protein and is essentially dry soy protein crumbles.
Neither description sounds appetizing but this is an extremely versatile ingredient. Just add liquid to the TVP (and lots of flavor) and the result is a product very similar to veggie ground round or ground meat.
TVP is inexpensive so can be a great staple in a vegan kitchen.
How to Make TVP Taco Meat
TVP taco meat couldn’t be easier to make. To cook TVP all you need is to add liquid.
I’ve seen countless recipes that soak TVP in water, but where’s the flavor in that? TVP doesn’t taste like anything on its own so this recipe for TVP taco meat uses lots of flavor.
Start by sautéing onions and garlic with some oil. Oil adds much needed fat (flavor) to this recipe. Then simply toss in taco seasoning, TVP and veggie broth. Mix well so the TVP is coated with the seasoning and broth then simmer until the liquid is gone.
Start to finish this takes about 12 – 15 minutes, depending on how long it takes you to chop the onion and how hot your pan/ stove is.
TVP as a Ground Beef Substitute
The end result is a perfect vegan replacement for ground beef tacos.
TVP is an excellent ground beef substitute, or really a substitute for any ground meat. You can use TVP in almost any recipe that would normally call for ground meat.
Are TVP Tacos Nutritionally Balanced?
I don’t like to classify food or ingredients as healthy or unhealthy. Instead, look at the nutrition that these TVP tacos provide.
As the name implies, textured vegetable protein is essentially just protein. There’s a small amount of carbohydrates in TVP, but there’s also some fiber, so I tend to simply consider TVP a source of protein.
Some brands of TVP are fortified and some are not. If the product is fortified, read the label to see what nutrients are added. Fortified TVP often contains vitamin B12.
If the TVP is not fortified, it’s still a good source of zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and provides some calcium and other B-vitamins (excluding vitamin B12).
Substitutions for TVP Tacos
If you don’t have TVP around, you can easily substitute for veggie ground round to make a very similar final product as these TVP tacos.
Veggie ground round is almost the same as TVP except it’s already hydrated which means you don’t have to add liquid. If you want to use veggie ground round to make vegan tacos, simply use one pound of ground round with only 1/3 C veggie broth (some broth helps distribute the taco seasoning).
Additionally, you can add lentils to this TVP taco meat recipe. Drain and rinse a can of lentils and add it to the TVP once it’s done cooking. An additional 1 – 2 tbsp of taco seasoning is helpful if you want to add lentils.
Serving TVP Tacos
You can serve TVP tacos however you’d like. There’s almost nothing you can’t add to a taco! I can’t live without fresh lime juice and some avocado, but do what you enjoy.
Some tasty ideas for serving TVP tacos are:
- In corn or flour tortillas
- As a taco bowl/ burrito bowl
- With vegan sour cream (homemade or store-bought)
- Topped with guacamole
- With fresh salsa
- Use vegan cheese shreds
- Add black beans
- Top with veggies like corn, tomato, green or red onion, shredded lettuce
- With hot sauce
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please rate and comment below so others benefit from your experience.
More Vegan Recipes with Plant-based Protein
TVP Taco Meat (Vegan)
Equipment
- Large pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ C onion , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tbsp oil (I use avocado)
- 1 C TVP (textured vegetable protein)
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 ½ C vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add garlic to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes, until the onions are nicely softened.
- Add the TVP, taco seasoning and vegetable broth to the pan. Stir well to ensure the TVP is coated with taco seasoning and the vegetable broth is well dispersed.
- Cook until all liquid is completely soaked up by the TVP, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite taco fillings!
- Optional to add a drained, rinsed can of lentils at the end of cooking, along with an extra 1 -2 tbsp of taco seasoning.
Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe: Cauliflower and Sweet Potato
Usually I buy frozen crumbles and add taco seasoning. I used this recipe instead and added a can of black beans. Turned out great. Even my meat eating family members loved it. I ended up adding 4 tablespoons of taco seasoning because of the black beans.
Glad you liked it! I love adding black beans into the mix too 🙂
I added capsicums and used plant-based beef broth (its all I had) and it turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Plant-based beef broth (or plant-based chicken broth) would be a great option!
This came out so delicious! Loved the idea of putting onions in the mix. This was the only recipe I found that had ingredients I already have. So quick and EASY.
Hi Lena, so happy you enjoyed and found it an easy recipe!
This recipe was easy, quick, & a delicious way to incorporate TVP into my diet.A tasty protein choice using ingredients I have on hand. I will be using this recipe again & again!
Glad you liked it!