Vegan Lentil Tacos

If you crave healthy Mexican food, vegan lentil tacos will satisfy your taste buds! This vegan lentil tacos recipe is hearty, delicious, and flavorful.

When Taco Tuesday rolls around, I challenge myself to make a different taco recipe every week. So although this vegan lentil taco recipe is an oldie, I revised it to make it even better. My new vegan lentil tacos are not only full of fabulous lentil taco meat, but I added sautéed vegetables, sunflower sprouts, and blackberry dijon sauce for a delicious topping.  

Jump to:

• Lentil Taco Meat Ingredients
• Lentil Taco Meat Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make Vegan Lentil Tacos
• Additional Ingredients for Vegan Lentil Tacos
• How to Make Oil-Free Crispy Taco Shells
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Vegan Recipes the Family will Love!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Unfortunately, most Mexican food isn't vegan-friendly. So instead, my homemade vegan lentil tacos are fresh, sassy, and unbelievably tasty.

We love flour and corn tortillas and everything about tacos, especially the variety of vegetable filling options.

For this recipe, I opted for white corn tortillas. Although these shells are lower in fat and thicker in texture, these taco shells hold all the ingredients I pack into the center without falling apart. 

Lentil Taco Meat Ingredients

• Dry Brown Lentils: Brown Lentils (sometimes called "Spanish Pardina" Lentils) are tan, lens-shaped legumes known for their quick-cooking nature and high protein content. Light to dark tannish-brown with green highlights. Approximately 3/16" in diameter. Nutty, creamy, and firm.
• Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk at Costco.
• Rotel Tomatoes: Rotel tomatoes are canned and diced with green chiles, citric acid, and Mexican spices like cilantro, cumin, ancho chili powder, and coriander. They have a smokey heat and come in a few different varieties, including mild and spicy versions.
• White Onions: These tend to have a sharper and savory flavor than yellow onions. They also tend to be more tender and have thinner, more papery skin. They can be cooked just like yellow onions, but we also like them minced and added to raw salsas and chutneys
• Taco Seasoning: I like Whole Foods Organic Taco Seasoning that comes in packets.
• Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic cloves whenever possible.
• Jalapeno: When cooking with jalapenos, always wear gloves to prevent contact burns to the hands or eyes. Removing the seeds and veins from the jalapeno lessens its spiciness.

Lentil Taco Meat Ingredient Substitutions

• Use black or green lentils if brown lentils aren't available. Do not use red lentils, which tend to get mushy.
• If you don't have vegetable broth, I like to mix Yondu with water.
• Use canned diced tomatoes with green chili to substitute Rotel tomatoes.
• Try yellow or red onions instead of white onions.
• To substitute fresh garlic, try garlic flakes, also called dehydrated (or dried) minced garlic; use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove. Granulated garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each clove. Garlic powder: Use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
• Serrano peppers are often used to substitute jalapenos.

How to Make Vegan Lentil Tacos

• Step 1: Begin by sauteing the garlic, onions, and jalapenos in a skillet until the onions are translucent.

• Step 2: Add the dry brown lentils, 3 cups of vegetable broth, taco seasoning packets, and 1 can of Rotel tomatoes. Stir the ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Step 3: Cover and reduce the temperature to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

• Step 4: Uncover and add the other can of Rotel tomatoes and the remaining cup of vegetable broth. Stir occasionally until the fluid is absorbed and the lentil mixture thickens.

Additional Ingredients for Vegan Lentil Tacos

Sauteed Vegetables

• Zucchini
• Mushrooms
• Carrot, sliced into thin coins

Cold Ingredients

• Corn or Flour Tortillas: I like large corn tortillas, which can be served warm in the oven, in a skillet, baked for crispy shells, or made into a tortilla bowl in the oven.
• Roma Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are sumptuous for tacos. They dice up without falling apart because they are firmer than other tomatoes.
• Red Onion: I love red onions because they are tangy and sweet.
• Jalapeños: Make sure to where gloves when cutting jalapenos to avoid burning your skin or eyes from the seeds.
• Romaine Lettuce: Romaine lettuce says crunchy and fresh.
• Guacamole: I buy fresh guacamole at the store, but feel free to make your own.
• Blackberry Dijon Sauce: For a twist, add this tangy, fruity sauce for a gourmet treat!
• Microgreens (garnish): I add a handful whenever possible for added nutrients.

How to Make Oil-Free Crispy Taco Shells

1. Make oil-free crispy taco shells by laying flour or corn tortillas over two oven grates one space apart, or make corn or flour tortilla bowls/cups by placing them upside down between the spaces of a muffin pan.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden. Not only will they crisp up nicely, but the crunchy shells will also sit upright on their flat bottoms—making them easy to put down between bites without the fillings spilling out.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Vegan lentil taco meat, for instance, is easy to prepare and reheats well. It can also be frozen if you choose to make a batch in advance. 
• We often eat tacos, so I bought a  gadget called a  Stainless Steel Taco Holder. It holds the tacos upright, so they don't fall apart and displays the tacos well.
• Can you tell I love kitchen gadgets?
• We use taco holders every Taco Tuesday, and they work great. They hold the shells upright to add all the ingredients without anything falling out. As a result, everything stays intact when I pick up my tacos. This little gadget is a modern taco miracle.

If you love tacos, give this vegan lentil tacos recipe a try. Serve inside crispy taco shells, corn, or flour tortillas, or try taco-stuffed tomatoes.

Vegan Recipes the Family will Love!

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