Mushroom Tacos Recipe (Vegan And Vegetarian)
If you are looking for healthy meals for lunch or dinner, try these vegetarian and vegan mushroom tacos.
These healthy mushroom tacos are simple, delicious, and easy to make. You’ll love how soft, moist and flavorful these textures are. Mushrooms add to a meaty texture which makes this vegetarian dish difficult to differentiate from regular, meat-based tacos.
Mushrooms are a low-calorie, low-fat alternative that contain lots of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These are a popular alternative to meat that can be served in tacos, burritos, and countless other dishes.
What Is A Vegan Taco Made Of?
Veggies, of course! But let me explain. While a vegan taco is all plant-based, that doesn’t mean you won’t have the textures you find in a regular taco.
When it comes to the filling, there are a few things that can give you the texture of meat without actually using meat. Mushrooms, chopped and sautéd pecans and even TVP if you don’t mind eating soy. A great combo is mushrooms and pecans. You simply chop them up tiny, like ground meat, and sauté them with seasonings.
Long story short, there are many ways (and many recipes) to make make vegan tacos, and most will be just slightly different. For this recipe, we are obviously using mushrooms. But I promise, you won’t regret it!
How Many Calories Are In A Mushroom Taco?
While I cannot speak for all mushroom tacos everywhere, this homemade recipe offers you 2 tacos for the caloric cost of 363 calories. Not too shabby!
About The Pickled Onions
While you can certainly use regular, raw onions for these tacos, you can take the flavor up a notch by using pickled onions. If you don’t have any on hand, here is the fastest way to make them at home.
Add some boiling water, rock salt, and apple cider vinegar to a sliced onion in a heat-safe dish and leave it to cool down until it reaches room temperature.
If you have time to make them ahead of time, you can make them in the fridge by using this method here for refrigerator pickles.
How To Warm Tortillas
You can warm your corn tortillas over a gas flame on the stove, or in a toaster oven.
More Taco Topping Ideas
Other ideas for adding to these tacos are aplenty. While you can certainly add some meat if you wish, these recommendations are plant-based.
- Tomatoes
- Rice
- Black beans
- Jackfruit – Use as a meat replacement.
- Sweet potatoes – Consider baking some in a french fry shape so they stay inside the tacos better.
- Salsa verde
- Restaurant salsa
- Watermelon salsa
- Cowboy caviar
- Chipotle sauce
- Avocado lime ranch dressing
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Portobello mushrooms – in place of the white mushrooms.
- Tamari – Add to skillet for more umami. You can also use soy sauce in a pinch.
- Cabbage
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Onion powder
- Lettuce
Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have these exact ingredients on hand, feel free to swap in what you do have! This taco filling is flexible, and all sorts of variations would work well.
- If you’re sensitive to spice, start by adding ½ of the jalapeño to your taco filling. You can always taste and add more. If your sauce is too spicy, balance it by adding a splash of vinegar.
Serving Suggestions
Consider serving these with a side of Spanish Rice, a side of beans, and maybe some watermelon aqua fresca.
Mushroom Tacos Ingredients
Mushrooms – Regular white mushrooms work best, but you can also use brown mushrooms for a more “mushroomy” flavor. Portobellos, baby bellas or shiitake mushrooms work great. Even king oyster mushrooms are a good choice.
Bell peppers – Use any color you prefer.
Jalapeno pepper – This is optional, and the amount listed in the recipe is flexible. Adjust the amount to the amount of heat you want. You can also use other peppers to raise or lower the heat level.
Avocados – Remove the pit and scoop out the flesh. Avoid overly ripe avocados or under-ripe avocados.
Salsa – This is also optional. If you use it, pick your favorite. But do read the ingredients as not all salsa is created equal.
Refried beans – Here again, read the ingredients. Trader Joe’s has a wonderful canned refried bean that only has pinto beans in the ingredients.
Pickled onions – or raw onions, as you like. Red/purple onions will work best here, but all onions will work just fine.
Cilantro – optional, for garnish. If you hate cilantro, simply skip it.
Limes – You can use as much or as little as you want.
Salt – I use pink Himalayan salt, but use whatever salt you normally cook with.
Ground black pepper – White pepper works too, but black pepper is best.
Corn tortillas – Read the ingredients. Find some that just have corn and lime listed. They aren’t the easiest to find, but they are out there. I see them at Whole Foods all the time.
How To Make Mushroom Tacos
Wash and prep all your vegetables.
Slice the mushrooms and set them aside.
Grab the bell peppers and the jalapeño and carefully remove the stem and the seeds from them. Cut them into juliennes.
Next, add some olive oil into a pan and heat it for a couple of minutes. Add the bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers to the pan and sauté them over medium-high heat for a few minutes or until they soften. Season them with salt & pepper and transfer them to a holding plate. The sauté the mushrooms. We do this separately so that the water from the mushrooms doesn’t make the peppers too soft and mushy during cooking.
To a bowl, add the flesh with a bit of salt and pepper and a splash of lime juice. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the avocado until you have a nice consistency of guacamole.
To build the tacos, spread some refried beans over a warmed corn tortilla.
Add some pepper and mushroom mix on top, and squeeze a little lime over that.
Add guacamole.
And finally, add some onions and your favorite salsa.
Serve with your favorite sides!
How To Store Mushroom Tacos
If you have leftover filling, store it in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Can You Freeze Vegan Mushroom Tacos?
Actually, yes! However, the filling should be frozen separately from the tortillas. Here again, package everything well to avoid freezer burn. This should keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Mushroom Tacos Recipe Card
Vegan Mushroom Tacos
Equipment
- 1 Large Skillet
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 good knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups mushrooms
- 2 medium bell peppers
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper
- 2 medium avocados
- 6 tbsp. salsa
- 1 cup refried beans
- ¼ cup pickled onions (or raw onions, as you like)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- 2 medium limes
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 8 medium corn tortillas
Instructions
- Wash and prep all your vegetables.
- Slice the mushrooms and set them aside.
- Grab the bell peppers and the jalapeño and carefully remove the stem and the seeds from them. Cut them into juliennes.
- Next, add some olive oil into a pan and heat it for a couple of minutes. Add the bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers to the pan and sauté them over medium-high heat for a few minutes or until they soften. Season them with salt & pepper and transfer them to a holding plate. The sauté the mushrooms. We do this separately so that the water from the mushrooms doesn't make the peppers too soft and mushy during cooking.
- To a bowl, add the flesh with a bit of salt and pepper and a splash of lime juice. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the avocado until you have a nice consistency of guacamole.
- To build the tacos, spread some refried beans over a warmed corn tortilla.
- Add some pepper and mushroom mix on top, and squeeze a little lime over that.
- Add guacamole.
- And finally, add some onions and your favorite salsa.
- Serve with your favorite sides!
