One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom making me taquitos when I came home from school. Of course, those taquitos were frozen and by no means vegan at all. Since then, I learned not only to 'veganize' my favorite foods, but I also make them healthy as well. My oil-free vegan taquitos, made with a variety of fillings can be baked or fried.
Taquitos, also called rolled tacos are traditionally fried, but I bake or air-fry my vegan taquitos. Furthermore, flour or corn tortillas can be used interchangeably for this recipe as well. My mom, for example, used to give us guacamole, salsa, and hot sauce to dip our taquitos.
Regardless of what filling and toppings you choose, vegan taquitos are for a weeknight meal or a snack. And, kids LOVE them!
VEGAN TAQUITOS CAN BE FILLED WITH A VARIETY OF VEGAN GOODIES
For tonight's taquitos, I decided to fill my taquitos with the lentil taco meat from my Vegan Lentil Tacos recipe. Additionally, I suggest other fillings that taste great in these little rolled tacos.
OTHER POSSIBLE TAQUITO FILLINGS (CHOOSE YOUR VEGAN FILLING)
- Potato Tacos (a filling made of potatoes, seasonings, onions, and jalapenos)
- Walnut Meat Tacos (a filing made from raw walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and seasonings)
- Tofu Tacos (grilled taco flavored tofu)
- Tempeh Tacos (grilled tempeh marinated in a southwest marinade)
- Mushroom Chorizo Tacos (a combination of mushrooms, walnuts, and seasonings)
- Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Avocado-Cilantro Cream (roasted cauliflower and seasonings)
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED FOR LENTIL TACO FILLING?
- Brown, Red, or Green Lentils
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Rotel Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilies
- Organic Vegetable Broth
- Vegan Taco Seasoning
HOW TO MAKE BAKED TAQUITOS
First, choose the type of tortilla. If using corn tortillas, heat them in a pan or microwave before filling to make them more pliable (so they don't break). Flour tortillas, on the other hand, do not need to be heated before using, as they are more sturdy. Regardless of the filling, I make it ahead of time and use it cool or cold to make it easier to work with.
Unlike a standard taco, vegan taquitos use a small amount of filling, on one side of the tortilla. Then, each taquito is tightly rolled.
As an added fun extra, I brush each taquito with fresh lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder.
- Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet
- Bake at 400 degrees
- Cook for 20 minutes until crisp
BENEFITS TO BAKING
- Can bake several taquitos at one time
NEGATIVES TO BAKING
- Takes twice the time as the air-fryer
- Not as crispy as the air-fryer
HOW TO MAKE AIR-FRIED TAQUITOS
Similar to the baked version, the vegan taquitos are rolled and also brushed with lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder. But instead of being placed on a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet, the taquitos are placed in the base of the air-fryer.
BENEFITS TO AIR-FRYING
- Very crispy like a fried taquito
- Takes half the time of an oven
NEGATIVES TO AIR-FRYING
- Can only air-fry 3 to 4 taquitos at a time
Once cooked, I served my vegan taquitos with a salad dressed with Vegan Southwest Dressing, homemade guacamole, jalapeños and lime wedges.
OTHER POPULAR TOPPINGS FOR VEGAN TAQUITOS
- Sour Cream (vegan)
- Fruit Salsa Recipe
- Tomatillo Salsa
- Nacho Cheese Sauce(vegan)
- Southwest Dressing (vegan)
The next time you consider Taco Tuesday, think about making taquitos instead. Not only are they crunchy, vegan taquitos are a fabulous way to get the kids excited about a plant-based meal.
DO YOU LOVE HEALTHY MEXICAN FOOD? CHECK IT OUT!
- Vegan Greek Quesadilla
- Vegan Enchiladas
- Green Plant Based Potato and Kale Enchiladas
- Mexican Lasagna
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Southwest Salad
- Vegan Taco Salad
- Vegan 7 Layer Taco Dip
- Chili Cheese Dip
- Vegan Tortilla Soup
- Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
Vegan Taquitos
Switch up Taco Tuesday with oil-free, crunchy vegan taquitos. With a variety of filling choices, tortilla choices, and even two cooking options, this vegan taquito recipe is fabulous, especially for the kids.
Ingredients
Vegan Lentil Taco Meat
- 1 1/2 cups Brown, Red, or Green Lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 1 large, diced White Onion
- 2 cloves, minced Garlic
- 1 Jalapeño de-seeded
- 2 cans Rotel Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilies
- 4 cups Organic Vegetable Broth
- 2 packages Vegan Taco Seasoning or use your own brew
Other Ingredients
- 1 package Corn or Flour Tortillas (12 tortillas)
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- Chilii powder (sprinkled)
- 3 Jalapeños, de-seeded and sliced
- Salsa of choice or hot sauce
- Vegan sour cream
Other Taquito Fillings (Instead of lentil taco filling)
Instructions
Corn tortillas or flour tortillas?
- If using corn tortillas, they need to be heated in a skillet or microwave in order to soften them before rolling the taquitos.
- Flour tortillas do not need to be heated
Lentil Taco Meat (or choose one of the other filling options)
- Sauté the onion in a medium-sized saute pan with the garlic and jalapeno.
- You do not need oil.
- The vegetables sweat and produce their own moisture.
- You can always splash with vegetable broth, but don't waste the fat and calories on oil.
- When the onions begin to be translucent, add the lentils and 3 cups of the vegetable broth, 1 can of the tomatoes, and the seasoning packages, stir and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and cook, covered for 30 minutes.
LENTIL MEAT STEP 2
- After 30 minutes, remove the top of the saute pan, and stir the contents.
- Add the next can of tomatoes.
- Continue to cook on low, stirring often.
- Use the remaining vegetable broth if the mixture appears dry.
- The goal is for it to have a thick consistency.
- Allow to cool completely before rolling taquitos.
Rolling and cooking the taquitos
- Place each tortilla (corn or flour on a flat surface.
- Add a small amount of taco filling on one side of the tortilla (about 4 Tablespoons) and tightly roll each tortilla.
- Brush each taquito with lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder.
Choose your cooking method: Air-fryer or oven
Air-fryer
- Set as many taquitos (fold down) in the base of the air-fryer.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes until crispy
- Remove from the air-fryer and cover to keep warm while the other taquitos cook.
OVEN
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Place a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Lay each taquito, fold down on the baking sheet.
- Cook for 20 minutes until crispy.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
6 servingsServing Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 351Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 10mgSodium 321mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 7gSugar 3gProtein 16g
Nutrition facts may not be 100% accurate.
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Quincee
Thank you so much for the recipe. I added vegan shredded cheese
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Quincee, I'm so glad you enjoyed the vegan taquitos. If you liked those, you will love the chimichanga recpe! Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate it!