The Best Vegan Taco Meat

Name: The Best Vegan Taco Meat
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces Butler soy curls (half of a bag) (or sub dry TVP, see Notes ); 2½ cups salty vegetable broth; 1 tablespoon olive oil, optional (Omit for oil-free); 1 onion, chopped; 1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; ⅓ cup salsa; ½ cup raw walnut halves (See Notes for nut-free option); 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, optional; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 1½ teaspoons cumin; 1½ teaspoons oregano; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional; 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)

This vegan taco meat is a reader favorite that has earned its title. Really, check out the reviews! It's perfectly seasoned, meaty, satisfying, and great for meal prep. Beyond tacos, you'll love it for burritos, enchiladas, nachos, stuffed peppers, salads, and so much more! The recipe is also gluten-free and can be made without oil or nuts.

Vegan tacos lined up on a wood serving board.

Friend, you're going to love this vegan taco meat! The combination of ground walnuts, Butler soy curls, aromatics, and spices is textural, rich, meaty, satisfying, and loaded with flavor!

Best of all it comes together in just 35 minutes. Pulsing the soy curls in a food processor creates the perfect texture to replace ground beef.

If you don't have access to soy curls, make these TVP tacos or Tempeh Tacos instead! Both of those recipes are nut-free and even easier since you don't need a food processor.

Speaking of soy curls, if you're not familiar with this awesome plant-based meat substitute, be sure to check out this post: Everything You Want to Know About Soy Curls & How to Use Them!

This vegan taco meat recipe was a happy accident. I was working on a breakfast sausage recipe and had trouble getting one of the test batches to hold together.

So I tossed the crumbled soy curls into a pan and sautéed until browned. The result was so rich, savory, and delicious that I decided to put the sausage recipe on hold, switch up the spices, and create a flavorful vegan taco meat instead.

And guess what... it's now not only one of my personal favorite recipes on the blog, but readers love it, too!

In fact, feedback has been SO positive on this recipe, it inspired me to create a vegan ground beef with similar ingredients!

Jump to:

Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Vegan Taco Meat
Serving Suggestions
FAQs
Recipe
More Meaty Vegan Recipes
💬 Comments

Ingredients and Substitutions

Soy curls - made from just one ingredient, whole, non-GMO soybeans, Butler soy curls can be ordered directly from the Butler Foods website and on Amazon. Sometimes you'll find them in local stores, but unfortunately this product is not widely distributed to chain groceries.
Tip! Can't get soy curls where you live? Use textured vegetable protein (TVP) instead. Depending on where you live, you might know it as soya chunks.
Walnuts - these add nice richness to the taco meat since soy curls aren't as high in fat as ground beef. If you follow a low-fat diet feel free to omit the walnuts. Raw sunflower seeds also work if you need nut-free. I've also tested the recipe with ¼ cup almond flour instead of the walnuts. It adds nice richness, but if you have both on hand, I prefer the taste of walnuts.
Onion, jalapeno and garlic - these add tons of flavor to the taco meat. So try not to substitute if possible.
Salsa - any traditional-style salsa you like is fine here. It adds moisture, acidity, and saltiness to the dish.
Soy sauce - this adds umami and saltiness. Feel free to use coconut aminos or tamari for a gluten-free option.
Taco seasoning blend - to season the taco meat you'll need chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, and nutritional yeast.
If you don't have smoked paprika, regular paprika is fine. Note that chili powder refers to the blend commonly found in stores, not a specific chile.

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See recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.

How to Make Vegan Taco Meat

Soaking soy curls in vegetable broth in a large bowl.

First, rehydrate the soy curls in vegetable broth for 15 minutes.

Sauteing onion and jalapeno for the base of vegan taco meat.

While they're soaking, preheat a large sauté pan, and cook the onion, jalapeño, and garlic until softened.

Rehydrated vegan soy strips draining in a colander.

Drain soy curls in a colander, and gently squeeze to remove excess liquid. Now they are rehydrated but should look fairly dry.

Sauteing the base ingredients for soy taco meat.

Add the soy curls to the pan with the onion mixture, and cook until lightly browned. Add the salsa and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Set aside while you make the spice blend.

Pulsing walnuts and taco seasoning blend in a food processor.

In a large food processor, pulse the walnuts until crumbled. Then add the spices, and pulse several times to combine.

Vegan taco ground meat in food processor.

Add the soy curl mixture to the food processor and pulse until mostly chopped. Drizzle with soy sauce, and process until it until uniformly ground.

Finally, preheat the same sauté pan again over medium heat, and cook the vegan taco meat until hot and slightly browned. You may want to drizzle in a bit of water for moisture and to prevent sticking.

Serving Suggestions

Now you're ready to use this hearty vegan taco meat in all of your favorite Mexican dishes, like tacos, quesadillas, charro beans, taquitos, and burritos.

It's also perfect in these Tex-Mex cabbage rolls and for Mexican-inspired stuffed peppers.

Layer it on top of refried black beans for protein-packed vegan nachos, and use it in my favorite vegan enchilada casserole.

You can also build a vegan taco bowl with rice, Chipotle corn salsa, avocado, and vegan queso fresco crumbled on top!

Serve vegan ceviche and healthy tortilla chips on the side for a meal everyone will love.

FAQs

Is vegan taco meat a healthier option?

This recipe is made with wholesome, unprocessed ingredients like onion, jalapeno, walnuts, spices, and Butler soy curls. It's lower in fat than ground beef and alternatives like Beyond Beef and Impossible. It's also made without oil, and you can adjust the amount of sodium to meet your needs.

How long does it keep?

Store leftover vegan taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave.

I hope you enjoy this versatile vegan taco meat as much as we do! If you give it a try be sure to leave a comment below to let us know.

Recipe

colorful vegan soy tacos lined up on a cutting board.

The Best Vegan Taco Meat

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Amazingly satisfying vegan taco meat made with ground soy curls and walnuts. The meaty texture is perfect for filling tacos and burritos or topping salads and grain bowls. Gluten-free and easily made oil-free and/or nut-free.

4.98 from 46 votes

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

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Equipment

Ingredients

4 ounces Butler soy curls (half of a bag) - or sub dry TVP, see Notes
2½ cups salty vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional - Omit for oil-free
1 onion, chopped
1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
⅓ cup salsa

Taco Seasoning Blend:

½ cup raw walnut halves - See Notes for nut-free option
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, optional
2 teaspoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons cumin
1½ teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 tablespoon soy sauce - or gluten-free tamari

Instructions

Place soy curls in a large bowl, and cover with broth to rehydrate. Add a bit of water to the bowl if needed so that the soy curls are mostly submerged. Set aside to soak for 15 minutes, then drain in a colander.
Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat, and add the oil, if using. Stirring occasionally, cook the onion for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the jalapeno to the pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan, and cook for 1 minute.
Use your hands to squeeze excess liquid from the drained soy curls. Add them to the pan, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add the salsa and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Place walnuts in a food processor, and pulse into coarse crumbs. Next, add all of the dry seasonings and spices (nutritional yeast–cayenne), and pulse to combine.
Transfer the soy curl-onion mixture to the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the soy sauce, and process until uniformly ground.
Preheat the same saute over medium heat, and transfer the ground mixture to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until piping hot and fragrant. Add up to ¼ cup water as needed for moisture and to prevent sticking. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired. Serve hot or allow to cool before storing.

Notes

TVP Option:

Soy curls usually need to be ordered online and are difficult to get outside the US. So feel free to use TVP or soya chunks instead. Use only as much broth as is needed to hydrate without making it soggy. And since TVP is already a ground texture, there's no need to pulse it in the food processor.

Walnut Substitutions:

I've also made this with ¼ cup almond flour instead of the walnuts. It adds nice richness, but if you have both on hand, I tend to prefer the walnut flavor. For a nut-free option, sub ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds.

How to Store:

Store leftover vegan taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It's also freezer-friendly.

Estimated Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 13gFat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 405mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 527IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.

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