Vegan Taco Bowls are like a big taco salad minus the lettuce and loaded with even more of your favorite taco fixings! These heathy bowl are versatile, nutritious, and full of so many delicious flavors and textures.
Depending on your choice of vegan meat, this recipe can be gluten-free, soy-free, and/or oil-free (WFPB).
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Why You'll Love It
Everyone loves tacos, right? And everyone loves grain bowls. So you can imagine how amazing vegan taco bowls are!
Each bite is the very definition of "party in your mouth." It's bursting with sweet corn, creamy avocado, fresh and bright cilantro, hearty black beans and rice, briney olives, and piquant salsa.
And then there's the creamy vegan queso fresco PLUS your choice of meaty ingredient such as seitan, lentils, tofu, or tempeh, all seasoned to taco-y perfection.
This is the kind of dinner I can eat over and over again and not grow tired of it.
Maybe you're thinking this sounds like a lot to prepare, but I'll show you how a little bit of planning ahead and a few shortcuts will help you get these taco bowls on the table in no time!
If you love Mexican-inspired flavors as much as we do, be sure to try my vegan enchilada casserole and charro beans next!
Ingredients
Here are a few notes on the ingredients you'll need. See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
- Rice: Any cooked rice you like is totally fine here. We often cook a big pot of rice on Sundays just for quick meals like this. Since there are so many other flavorful components, it doesn't matter if the rice isn't seasoned. If you don't have cooked rice on hand, you can start the rice first, and it will be done just in time to assemble the bowls.
- Beans: Take a shotcut with canned pinto or black beans. Or go all out with homemade charro beans (our current obsession).
- Vegan Cheese: I included my vegan queso fresco, which you'd need to make in advance (trust me, it's seriously easy). Other options are store-bought vegan shreds, or make a quick vegan cheese sauce or easy vegan queso. Or skip the cheese altogether. Honestly, with both avocado and olives in the bowl, it's not like you even need it.
- Sauteed Veggies: We like onion, corn, and jalapeño. But really, any veggies you want to toss in will work, like greens, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.
- Plant-Based Meat: So many tasty options! Choose one of these and saute it with the taco seasoning included in the recipe below:
- pre-cooked seitan (I used a store-bought seitan chick'n)
- homemade ground "beef" or store-bought meat like Beyond
- tofu or tempeh - crumbled or cut into cubes
- cooked lentils
- Or for a vegan protein that's already seasoned try one of these:
- soy curl taco meat - a personal favorite!
- TVP taco meat - similar to the one above but lower in fat and even easier to make.
- lentil taco meat
- tofu chorizo or seitan chorizo
- Toppings: salsa, cilantro, lime, avocado, black olives, tomatoes or pico de gallo
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Time saving tip! No time to cook rice? Stock up on pouches of pre-cooked rice (you can find these at most grocery stores). They're great when traveling, on vacation and staying in a rental, or when you're home and just don't have time to cook a grain!
How to Make Vegan Taco Bowls
- First, combine the ingredients for the taco seasoning, and set aside. Then chop the onion, jalapeño, and garlic.
- While sautéing the vegetables in the next few steps, chop the fresh ingredients that will be added directly to the bowls - olives, cilantro, tomatoes, and avocado mashed with lime.
- Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes, then add the jalapeño and garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the corn and a pinch of salt, and cook until hot. Transfer to a plate.
- Next, cook your choice of protein (seitan, tofu, tempeh, beans) until hot, and season with the taco seasoning. Remove from heat.
- Warm up the pre-cooked rice and beans, and assemble the bowls. Serve and enjoy!
Sauces for Taco Bowls
With so many wonderful ingredients already packed into these taco bowls, you certainly don't need a sauce. But if you feel like trying different flavor combinations, or replacing the cheese, salsa, or avocado with a sauce, who could blame you?
These sauces and dressings pair well with taco flavors:
Vegan Taco Bowl FAQ
Absolutely! Store the cooked components (rice, beans, sautéed veggies, and vegan meat) separately or together in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you're ready to eat, simply reheat those ingredients, then add your fresh components and other toppings.
Yes, it certainly can be. Choose a gluten-free protein like tofu, tempeh (make sure it doesn't include grains), lentils, or extra beans.
More Vegan Tex-Mex
I hope you enjoy these healthy vegan taco bowls! If you try the recipe I would love to hear from you. Comment below to let us know!
Recipe
Vegan Taco Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
Taco seasoning blend:
- 1½ teaspoons chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the saute:
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large jalapeno, seeds removed (unless you want it spicy), diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- vegetable broth or water as needed to soften the vegetables and prevent sticking
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 3 big handfuls arugula or chopped kale, optional - Not included in photos above.
- sea salt
Vegan taco meat of choice:
- 4 servings protein of choice such as seitan, crumbled tofu, or cooked beans or lentils - See Notes
- taco seasoning blend (recipe above), to taste - Amount needed depends on the protein used.
- salt or tamari, to taste
For the bowls:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 2 cups cooked black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained if using canned beans
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- ¾ cup sliced black olives
- 2 large handfuls cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- salsa
- 1 large handful cilantro leaves
- ½ batch of Oil-Free Almond Queso Fresco - Or sub other vegan cheese of choice.
Instructions
Make the taco seasoning:
- In a small bowl stir together the chile powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, pepper, and cayenne. Set aside.
Saute the vegetables:
- Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water or vegetable broth as needed to help soften the onion and deglaze the pan. Add jalapeño and garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the corn and a generous pinch of salt, and cook until corn is hot. If including greens, add to the pan and stir. Once greens are wilted, transfer mixture to a plate.
Saute the protein:
- Rinse and wipe out the pan if needed, and return it to medium heat. Chop or crumble your protein of choice into bite-size pieces. Pat dry to remove excess moisture.
- Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes or until beginning to brown. Stir, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add a splash of water or broth as needed to prevent sticking. If using a pre-salted ingredient like store-bought seitan, you may not need to add any salt. For unsalted tofu, tempeh, beans, or lentils, add tamari or salt, to taste. Add about ⅔ of the taco seasoning, and stir to coat. Taste, and add more taco seasoning, if desired.
Assemble the bowls:
- Warm the pre-cooked rice, and heat the beans.
- Slice the avocados, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Squeeze about a tablespoon of lime juice on top, and sprinkle with salt. Mash with a fork.
- Assemble the bowls, arranging rice, beans, sauteed corn mixture, seasoned taco meat, olives, tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, mashed avocado, and crumbled vegan cheese. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
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