How to Make Homemade Crunchy Tacos
Easy homemade crunchy tacos made with simple, healthy ingredients. Create a fun taco night spread, build your tacos and enjoy!
Growing up, Taco Bell was a frequent fast food stop for our family. We often hit the drive-through on our way home from church or after school, and I always got myself a few crunchy tacos.
After I started eating healthier, and definitely since I began eating plant-based, I hadn’t had a crunchy taco for ages. That’s despite making tacos for our family almost every single week – we always use soft tortillas.
Well, let me tell you, a crunchy taco shell really levels up your taco night. Try it out and thank me later!
Where to Get Crunchy Tacos
I’m sure you can find crunchy tacos in a number of stores around you. I got this box of crunchy tacos at Trader Joe’s (for a great price), and immediately had to buy.
The ingredients are very simple, which I love: Organic stone ground yellow corn, organic sunflower oil and /or organic safflower oil, trace of lime.
All you have to do to prepare them is stick them in the oven for a few minutes. They toast up to a beautiful golden color, and the flavor is definitely worth the extra step!
TOP TIP: These shells are a bit crumbly once you bite into them, so my advice is to use a plate underneath as you’re eating.
Preparing the Taco Fillings
For crunchy tacos, I used basically the same components I use for my usual Vegan Taco Night – you can read all about how I prepare the whole spread over on that blog post. But for these crunchy tacos I was going for a more Taco-Bell-style taco, which meant I needed some vegan meat to fill the bottom of the shell.
I did a quick google search, found Sweet Simple Vegan’s recipe for Vegan Taco Meat, and was sold. I love a quick and easy recipe, and this one used mushrooms and walnuts – two of my faves!
For the rest of the taco I put together my standard spread:
- Fajita peppers – fry up the peppers and onions with a spoonful of avocado oil, and add spice to desired seasoning (I like the trio of cumin, chilli powder and paprika or use a ready-made taco seasoning packet)
- Cumin black beans – two cans of black beans, rinsed, added to a pan with cumin water and cumin, and cooked until the water cooks down
- Salsa – fresh tomatoes, a red onion, and some coriander, all diced, with salt and a dash of lime if you’re feeling fancy
- Homemade guacamole
Building Your Crunchy Taco
Now it’s time to build your crunchy taco. I add each component in this order:
- Toasted crunchy taco
- Vegan taco meat
- Fajita peppers
- Black beans
- Salsa
- Guacamole
That’s it! Homemade Crunchy Tacos, to level up your next Taco Night spread. Let me know if you try it out, and what other components you’d add to your taco night!
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