These vegan taquitos are filled with the most delicious vegan taco meat, refried beans, spinach, and vegan cheese, then baked until crisp. Whether you think of these as flautas or entree-sized taquitos, they're impossibly delicious! Serve with guacamole or vegan sour cream, salsa, and lime, and watch them disappear!

a taquito cut in half showing vegan taco meat inside.

Why We Love This Recipe

As if I needed another reason to make our favorite Vegan Taco Meat, these healthy baked taquitos are seriously SO perfect with it! The combination of soy curls and walnuts is super meatyand satisfying, and the spices are just right. The fact that it's a meat substitute made with healthy, whole-food ingredients is also a win!

Whether you use flour or corn tortillas to prepare your vegan taquitos, you'll love how flavorful and filling they are.

And though taquitos are usually fried, I've never been one to worry much about tradition. Heck, they are also usually filled with beef or chicken and dairy cheese, so while we're making them vegan we might as well ditch the fry oil, too.

Though I haven't tried these in the air fryer yet, I'm sure air fryer taquitos will be amazing, too. I bet they'll be even crispier from the air fryer!

Jump to:

Why We Love This Recipe
Taquitos vs Flautas
Ingredient Notes
How To Make Vegan Taquitos
Substitutions
Can I prepare taquitos in advance?
How to Store and Reheat
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Recipe
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Taquitos vs Flautas

Opinions vary on whether taquitos (Spanish for "little taco") are made with corn tortillas, and flautas (Spanish for "flute") with flour tortillas, or vice versa. It probably depends on where you are and who you ask.

Either way, taquitos are essentially a rolled taco, filled with meat and cheese, and fried. In other words, traditionally they're not exactly the epitome of health food. But our baked vegan version improves that pretty dramatically!

Ingredients for vegan taquitos laid out on a sheet pan.

Ingredient Notes

I decided to go with larger, burrito-size tortillas for my taquitos because:

a) larger tortillas means you can fit more inside, and...
b) you have fewer taquitos to roll!

This recipe is all about more food and flavor with less work.

Here's what you'll need:

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tortillas - either 100% corn tortillas or flour tortillas; I used tortillas that are a flour/corn combo, the best of both worlds. More on this in the Subs section below.
vegan taco meat - I highly recommend this soy curl based taco meat. Honestly, it's one of my favorite recipes on the blog. It's super easy to prepare in advance, then just pull it from the fridge when you're ready to make taquitos. You could also use store-bought vegan meat crumbles, chopped up seitan, or even this tofu chorizo. Keep in mind store-bought crumbles or seitan will need to be seasoned. Sauté it in a pan with some onion and taco seasoning, and you're all set.
refried beans - I used refried black beans, but refried pinto beans are perfect, too.
vegan cheese - the cheese you see in the photos below was grated from a block of Violife's Epic Mature Cheddar. If you have access to that particular one, it's fantastic, like lightyears better than most vegan cheeses. Feel free to use any other store-bought shreds you enjoy. For oil-free ideas see below.
spinach - I included spinach just for fun and to add something green, but it's 100% optional.
toppings - the only other things you'll need for enjoying these epic vegan taquitos are your favorite toppings and dips! You can't go wrong with guacamole, salsa, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and chopped lettuce. Vegan sour cream or creamy jalapeno dressing are also perfect.

How To Make Vegan Taquitos

2 photos showing layering of beans and vegan taco meat inside taquitos.

If using refried beans, spread a thin layer across the middle of the tortilla.
Add a few tablespoons of taco meat, and lightly pack it down.

adding spinach and cheese on top of the meat.

Arrange a thin layer of spinach, if using.
Next, sprinkle shreddded cheese on top.

side view of tortilla stuffed, rolled up and ready to be baked.

Then roll the tortilla as tightly as you can, careful not to lose too much delicious filling on the ends.
Arrange the vegan taquitos seam side-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you happen to have an oven-safe baking rack, place the rack on a baking sheet and the taquitos on top.

rolled taquitos lined up on a baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Serve hot from the oven with your favorite dips and toppings!

Substitutions

tortillas - I chose a flour-corn combination instead of pure corn because I love the toasted flavor and crispiness flour takes on in the oven, even without brushing any oil on the outside. But if you'd rather use 100% whole-grain corn tortillas or basic flour tortillas, that works, too. Be sure to check out the tips in the recipe for working with corn tortillas - you'll need to soften them first so they are pliable, and bake time will be reduced.
vegan meat - so many options here; if you don't feel like making the recommended taco meat, simply add some taco seasoning to your favorite vegan ground beef (like Beyond or Impossible) and saute it until hot and cooked through. Or use this lentil taco meat for a healthy, whole-food option.
oil-free cheese - try this crumbled vegan queso fresco, creamy vegan mozzarella, or a drizzle of healthy cashew queso OR tofu queso. So many options!

Can I prepare taquitos in advance?

If you're looking to save time, I recommend making the taco meat in advance and cooking the taquitos just before serving. They're best when fresh and crisp right out of the oven.

And since prep is so quick and easy, there's really no need to make them ahead of time.

How to Store and Reheat

If you end up with leftovers you can store the taquitos in the refrigerator for up to a few days. Reheat them in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer until heated through and crisp.