This vegan taco meat is the best thing ever to go in your tacos!
It’s chewy and delicious and high in protein and makes a nice big portion so you can either serve a bunch of people for taco night or just eat tacos for days in a row (highly recommended).
It’s also really easy to make! Don’t let all the photos fool you into thinking it’s more complicated than it is, this is simple as!
The base ingredients for this vegan taco meat are tofu and walnuts. The walnuts are processed in the food processor into crumbles and the tofu is mashed with a fork. Then the tofu and walnut mixture is tossed up with a sauce made from soy sauce, tomato paste and spices and then laid out on a baking tray and baked until perfectly dried out and ‘meaty’ in texture.
And there you have it! Vegan taco meat!
Other than on your tacos you’ll also love this on your fully loaded vegan nachos! I’m definitely going to be doing a recipe for vegan nachos where this tofu walnut taco meat is one of the stars of the show!
We used a dark soy sauce which is responsible for the great color of this taco meat. Dark soy sauce and tomato paste combine to create a really great color there.
We tried a batch using regular soy sauce and it was delicious but the color was not nearly so rich, so just bear that in mind.
Serve in tacos with shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole and some vegan sour cream for a seriously delicious dinner!
I hope you’re going to love this vegan taco meat! It is:
- Chewy
- ‘Meaty’
- High in protein
- Versatile
- Crazy delicious!
Keep leftovers stored in the fridge and enjoy over the next few days. You can serve it cold or you can reheat.
So what do you think of this vegan taco meat? Let us know in the comments and please rate the recipe too! Thanks!
This would make a wonderful addition to other delicious vegan Mexican recipes like our vegan enchiladas, vegan quesadillas and veggie fajitas. It’s also fabulous on some fully loaded vegan nachos and would be great in a vegan burrito too. It would also be divine sprinkled on a salad or over some vegan chili.
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Vegan Taco Meat
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Chewy and ‘meaty’ vegan taco meat! High in protein, versatile and crazy delicious, this tofu and walnut taco meat is ideal in your tacos or over the top of your nachos!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) Walnuts
- 16oz (450g) Extra Firm Tofu
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce*
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Add walnuts to the food processor and process into crumbles. Mash the tofu with a fork. Add the crushed walnuts and tofu pieces to a dish.
- Add the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, nutritional yeast, olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup and tomato paste to a jug and whisk into a thick sauce.
- Mix the sauce in with the tofu and walnut crumbles and mix in until everything is coated in the sauce.
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking tray and spread out evenly across the tray.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, bring it out at the 15 minute mark and give it a stir and then put it back in.
- Serve in tacos with shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole and vegan sour cream.
Notes
*If you want this vegan taco meat to be entirely gluten-free then use a gluten-free soy sauce or switch for tamari. If you use a regular (not dark) soy sauce, the color of the taco meat will be much lighter.
*This makes a fairly large portion, enough for 6 people if served with tacos and other fillings.
*Nutritional information is for vegan taco meat only and not anything else you would serve it with.
- Category: Entree, Savory, Gluten-Free
- Cuisine: Vegan, Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving (of 6)
- Calories: 342
- Sugar: 4.9g
- Sodium: 306mg
- Fat: 28.6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.2g
- Carbohydrates: 10.7g
- Fiber: 2.8g
- Protein: 14.7g
Keywords: vegan taco meat
Any experience making this in advance and reheating? I’m curious if cooling and reheating would ruin the texture.
Hi Megan, it should be fine, I don’t see it having any negative impact. 🙂
It came out great. My husband, a meat-eater, gave it a 9 out 10! We served the vegan taco “meat” in burrito bowls along with rice, gucamole, zuchini, mushrooms, black and pinto beans, and your vegan sour cream made from cashews (also awesome!). This was a big hit. Thanks so much for this recipe! One small note, after mixing in the sauce, I noticed a lot of the pieces were still dry so I made up another batch of sauce. Two batches did the trick. Our “meat” is super flavorful.
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review! xo
Really great recipe !!
★★★★★
Great but had to double the sauce. Omitted the oil, used regular paprika, and swapped unsweetened ketchup for tomato paste. For gluten free served in organic lettuce cups topped with mango salsa and cashew creme. Could also roll lettuce into “burritos.”
Thanks for sharing Mindy! 🙂
Greetings from the UK have your ever tried making this with smoked tofu? I have to keep saturated fat levels low. Is it mostly the walnuts that gives the saturated fat thanks
No, I have not used smoked tofu, and yes it is likely from the walnuts. 🙂
Excited to try this recipe! It looks fantastic and delicious. 🙂 Can I use extra firm silken tofu for this instead of the regular extra firm tofu?
I’m not sure Faye, my worry is it would be too wet, but I haven’t tried this with extra firm silken so not entirely sure.
This recipe deserve more than 5 Stars it is Very, Very, Very, Good! Thank You! for sharing you are Awesome! Have a Great Day!
★★★★★
Looks amazing. Love tofu. Will definitely have to try this.
It’s so delicious, I hope you try it! Let us know how it goes. 🙂
Absolutely awsome recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you! 🙂
Omg!!! This was awesoooooooome. I was totally skeptical. Even as I put it in the oven I thought it wouldn’t have enough flavor but it did! We had round flat tostada shells which the kids can eat like Pizza. We used a bottom layer of refried beans then added the walnut tofu crumble, a few black beans on top, topped it with shredded lettuce, Pico de Gallo and avocado. Absolutely amazing. I like it because there is virtually no chopping. It’s so easy. And the sauce was too good. If you want it drenched with flavor, one could probably double the sauce recipe but it doesn’t need it with all our other toppings. Thank you!! It was a hit. Even my 2 year old ate it!!
★★★★★
Awesome! That is wonderful to hear! Thanks for the fabulous comment and review! 🙂
Hi there. I always find your recipes are delicious and easy to make. I really appreciate that you share them so generously. It makes being a vegan so easy. Thank you again. Rhonda Khoury. Australia
You’re so welcome Rhonda! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This recipe deserve more than 5 STARS it is Very, Very, Very Good! Thank You! for sharing.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Yolande! What a great review, so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Hi! Made your recipe one more time. Just a note here to save time I pulse the nuts in 3 batches then I pulse the tofu in 4 batches I have the little butler it takes a few seconds and does a great job. Thank You! Again.