Easy and Healthy Vegan Tacos
Easy and healthy vegan tacos using just 5 simple components: fajita peppers, cumin black beans, salsa, guacamole and fire-toasted corn tortillas. Super simple recipes for all, and put them together to make such a fun and delicious meal!
Almost every week – usually on a Tuesday, because I’m a sucker for alliterative meal days (aka #TacoTuesday) – I make all the fixings for vegan tacos! It’s such an easy meal to throw together, and it goes down so well every single time.
There are five staple components to my Taco Night spread:
- fajita peppers
- cumin black beans
- salsa (recipe reel)
- guacamole (recipe reel)
- fire-toasted corn tortillas
Feel free to add, subtract, and adapt any of these. Sometimes I’ll also throw in lettuce for extra greens, and one of these days I need to try adding a vegan sour cream. Let me know if you have a fav.
Cooking Vegan Tacos
When cooking up a vegan taco spread, I like to start with the components that take the longest – the fajita peppers and cumin black beans. These need time to cook on the stove, so I get those going and then chop and prepare the rest of the components while they’re sizzling (or bubbling) away.
1. Fajita Peppers
These peppers are super versatile. All it takes is a bunch of peppers, and a small red onion (or half a big one). If I don’t have any fresh peppers and onion on hand, I always have a couple of bags of a frozen pepper and onion mix in the freezer. Those are nice because they save a lot on chopping time!
I just fry up the peppers and onions with a spoonful of avocado oil, and add spice to my desired seasoning. I like the trio of cumin, chilli powder and paprika. But you could add any number of other spices, or use a ready-made taco seasoning packet.
2. Cumin Black Beans
Probably the easiest beans recipe you’ll ever find! I literally just open two cans of black beans, rinse until there are no more bubbles, and then add them to a pan with enough water to cover. Turning the heat on high, I’ll mix in some cumin, and then leave them until the water basically cooks all the way down. If I want to mix things up, I’ll use red kidney beans instead of black beans, or a mix of half and half for the best of both worlds.
3. Salsa
While the fajita peppers and black beans are cooking away, I’ll get on chopping up the ingredients for this super simple salsa. My family is obsessed with this salsa, and it couldn’t be easier to make. Just grab fresh tomatoes, a red onion, and some coriander, dice everything up, add salt and a dash of lime if you’re feeling fancy, and you’ve got a bowl of salsa. Perfect for Taco night, or just anytime snacking.
4. Homemade Guacamole
This guacamole recipe is a really quick way to add a lot of flavor, extra creaminess and deliciousness to these vegan tacos. It’s also super simple (surprise surprise). I just mash up two ripe avocados, and then add 1-2 spoonfuls of the above salsa, plus a squeeze of lemon or lime. That’s it!
We almost always finish the guac bowl the same day I make it. But if you do store leftovers, just know that the avocado will brown a bit overnight. The added lemon can help some with that!
5. Corn tortillas
Last but not least, when it’s time to serve up the meal it’s time to toast up some tortillas! My family prefers corn tortillas for our tacos. They’re naturally gluten-free and a great source of fiber. I’ve found they hold up pretty well after toasting as well.
To toast them up, I play a bit with fire. Literally 🔥 I just turn on one of the burners on the gas cooktop to a medium flame. Then, using metal chopsticks (the wooden ones can catch on fire), or occasionally my fingers if I’m feeling daring (just be extra careful!), I let the tortilla cook a bit on each side, turning often so that a side doesn’t get too burnt.
Building Vegan Tacos
I like to layer my tacos in this order:
- Toasted corn tortillas
- Black beans
- Fajita peppers
- A spoonful of salsa
- A dollap of guacamole
Pro Tips
- If you’re serving lettuce leaves with your tortillas, they make a great extra barrier to catch any leaking between the tortillas and other toppings (from the beans, fajitas, etc).
- I always like to have cilantro on hand in the fridge to make salsa anytime. Here’s how I store it to last longer: Cilantro Storage Tip
And that’s how I make Vegan Tacos for a Taco night spread! It’s a great meatless meal option, and a fun way to build a healthy and delicious soft taco. Let me know if you try it out, and what other components you’d add to your taco night!
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Vegan Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 Sweet Peppers I like red, orange and yellow
- 1 Red Onion Large, or 2 small
- 2 tins Black Beans
- 2 Tomatoes I like beef steak tomatoes
- 1 cluster Cilantro, fresh
- 2 Avocados, ripe
- Corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- Salt, to taste
- Lemon/lime, just a squeeze
Instructions
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Start with preparing the fajita peppers (you'll cook this at the same time as the cumin black beans): Chop up your red peppers and half the red onion; add a spoonful of avocado oil to a pan and cook up the peppers for about 20mins or until softened. Add your spices (cumin, chilli powder, paprika), to taste, while they're cooking.
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For the cumin black beans: Open and rinse two tins of black beans; Add to a pan with enough water to cover, along with a tablespoon of cumin; Boil until the water cooks down (usually about 20mins as well).
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For the salsa: While the fajita peppers and black beans are cooking, prep your salsa. Dice up your tomatoes, the other half of the red onion, and cilantro. Mix in a bowl with salt and the juice of half a lime/lemon, to desired seasoning.
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For the guacamole: Mash up two ripe avocados, add 1-2 spoonfuls of the already made salsa, plus a dash of salt and lemon juice.
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For the corn tortillas: Toast these over a gas-stove burner, turning from side to side until each side is lightly toasted.
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