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Home > Vegan Recipes

TVP Tacos Recipe (How to Make TVP Taco Meat)

6/2/20 by Nicole | 14 Comments

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5 from 24 votes. Leave a review!

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.

TVP tacos meat recipe in wooden bowl with taco filling options in background

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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.

Large pan of TVP taco meat on marble background

How to Make TVP Taco Meat

TVP taco meat couldn’t be easier to make. To cook TVP, just 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.

Row of vegan TVP tacos on wooden cutting board with sour cream and tomato

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).

Healthy vegan TVP taco meat in a large pan with background of taco filling options on a wooden board

TVP Taco Substitutions

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 ⅓ cup of 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 tablespoons of taco seasoning is helpful if you want to add lentils.

Wooden bowl of TVP taco meat with vegan taco filling options on wooden board in back (avocado, lime, green onion, tomato, corn tortilla)

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

If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!

TVP tacos meat recipe in wooden bowl with taco filling options in background

TVP Taco Meat (Vegan)

TVP is an extremely simple way to make delicious vegan tacos. This high-protein ingredient is quick to cook and offers plenty of tasty nutrition. TVP taco meat is the perfect way to prepare textured vegetable protein!
5 from 24 votes. Leave a review!
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Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 6 Small tacos (of filling)
Calories 114 kcal
Cuisine Vegan

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Large pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¼ cups onion , diced
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 tablespoons oil (I use avocado)
  • 1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
  • 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
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Instructions

  • Warm some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
    2 tablespoons oil
  • Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
    1 ¼ cups onion
  • Add garlic to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes, until the onions are nicely softened.
    3 cloves garlic
  • 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.
    1 cup TVP, 3 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
  • Cook until all liquid is completely soaked up by the TVP, about 3-5 minutes.
  • As an optional step (for extra flavor and nutrition) add cooked lentils and extra taco seasoning.
  • Serve with your favorite taco fillings!

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

Serving: 1 Serving (â…™ recipe)Calories: 114 kcalCarbohydrates: 10 gProtein: 9 gFat: 5 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 3 gSodium: 209 mgPotassium: 475 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 4 gVitamin A: 222 IUVitamin C: 4 mgCalcium: 56 mgIron: 2 mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Vegan Meat Recipes

Like this recipe? You should also try:

  • Vegan Pulled Pork Recipe (BBQ Jackfruit)
  • Vegan Ham Recipe (Seitan with Pineapple Glaze)
  • Vegan Lentil Loaf Recipe (Walnut and Mushroom)
  • How to Make Vegan Meat (Easy Seitan Recipe)

About Nicole Stevens

Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out.

She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes and easy-to-understand nutrition science.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie

    November 08, 2022 at 5:25 pm

    Easy and delicious! My only changes were to add a couple of pinches of habanero (we are a household of heat-eaters) and a splash of Maggi sauce. So good! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nicole

      November 09, 2022 at 7:13 am

      Glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  2. Cassie B

    October 24, 2022 at 7:47 pm

    Nicole! We LOVE this recipe and discovered this method of cooking TVP/curls through you. We've used your basic principles and base recipe to make some yummy meals, by changing out the dry ingredients/seasonings (tonight was soy curl shawarma). Thank you for sharing this!!

    Reply
    • Nicole

      October 25, 2022 at 10:11 am

      Hi Cassie, this is amazing to hear and I'm so glad my recipe was helpful! TVP is so versatile and great to have on hand. I've yet to experiment with soy curls because they are very expensive (where I live at least) but I know lots of people who love them 🙂

      Reply
  3. Rebekah

    May 27, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    I just made this and it was absolutely delicious. I actually stir-fried small pieces of carrots and added them the same time I was cooking the onions. I browned the TVP as well and added other spices like garlic powder, onion powder and other seasonings before adding the vegetable broth. I drizzled mine off with some of my homemade cashew vegan cheese—left over from the Mac & cheese. This recipe was simple and definitely a keeper. Thank You!

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      May 28, 2022 at 6:59 am

      Sounds like a tasty way to make and serve the recipe - glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  4. Celena

    April 07, 2022 at 7:56 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      April 07, 2022 at 9:39 pm

      Glad you liked it! I love adding black beans into the mix too 🙂

      Reply
  5. Aysha

    March 20, 2022 at 2:35 am

    I added capsicums and used plant-based beef broth (its all I had) and it turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      March 20, 2022 at 8:15 am

      Plant-based beef broth (or plant-based chicken broth) would be a great option!

      Reply
  6. Lena

    April 04, 2021 at 3:22 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      April 05, 2021 at 8:52 am

      Hi Lena, so happy you enjoyed and found it an easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Diane

        December 31, 2021 at 9:13 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Nicole Stevens

          January 01, 2022 at 7:30 am

          Glad you liked it!

          Reply

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Hi, I'm Nicole! As a vegan Registered Dietitian, I empower vegans to live a balanced life and gain confidence in the kitchen.

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