Published: · Modified: by Shane Martin · This post may contain affiliate links.
Jump to Recipe
The BEST Vegan Taco Meat is made with cauliflower, mushrooms, walnuts, and spices. It’s so easy to make and ready in only 20 minutes.The perfect vegan ‘meat’ substitute.
This vegan taco meat is perfect for your tacos, enchiladas, burritos, or making the best vegan nachos in the world. So, “IF” you have leftovers you can make several different meals throughout the week.
This dish is the perfect dinner for the weekend or weekday. It’s wholesome, healthy, and quick. And, one batch makes 8-10 tacos!
Let’s make it!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You won’t believe how easy this is to make. And, these vegan tacos are kid approved.
- Vegan Taco Meat: Cauliflower, mushrooms, and walnuts are the base for this recipe. And, you can adjust the amounts for your preference. If you don’t like mushrooms add more walnuts. If you want less fat you can omit the walnuts and add more mushrooms. It’s still delicious.
- Seasoning: soy sauce, chipotle chili powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke.
Now, it’s time assemble and cook!
Table of Contents
How To Make Vegan Taco Meat
- Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Roughly chop your mushrooms and toss them into the food processor with the riced cauliflower and walnuts. Then, pulse a few times to blend.
NOTE: If you are not using prepackaged riced cauliflower be sure and do that first before adding the mushrooms and walnuts.
- Now, add all the remaining ingredients and process until it has a “ground beef” consistency and everything is well combined. Stop to scrape down the side if you need to.
- Transfer the vegan taco meat mixture into the skillet and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, reduce the heat and cook for another 10-12 minutes. Taste and season as you cook until it fits your taste.
- You can also bake this in the oven if you prefer. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and cook for 20 minutes. Then, use a spatula to gently stir the mixture and bake for another 10 minutes.
And, you’re done. Enjoy!
How To Serve Vegan Taco Meat
Use my healthy crispy Baked Taco Shells and top with shredded lettuce, salsa, a little guacamole, and my Vegan Cashew Sour Cream! If you want to keep the fat down just leave off the guacamole and use my Easy Vegan Tofu Sour Creaminstead. Still delicious!
You can also make incredible vegan nachos or the BEST Vegan 7 Layer Bean Dip! It’s also great for making delicious vegan burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas.
How To Store
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a week. And, when you’re read to serve simply reheat or serve cold.
Vegan taco meat can be stored in the freezer as well. Simply place it in the fridge 24 hours before using so it can thaw. Then, reheat and enjoy.
More Amazing Vegan Recipes
- Vegan Sriracha Mayo
- Homemade Blackened Seasoning
- Vegan Chipotle Aioli
- Best Vegan Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Easy Vegan Breakfast Tacos
Did you make this Vegan Taco Meat? Be sure and let me know!Leave a comment,RATE IT, andtaga photo#shaneandsimpleon Instagram.
Inspired by Pinch Of Yum.
Vegan Taco Meat
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
5 from 41 reviews
The BEST Vegan Taco Meat is made with cauliflower, mushrooms, walnuts, and spices. It’s so easy to make and ready in only 20 minutes. The perfect vegan ‘meat’ substitute.
- Author: Shane Martin
- Prep Time: 5 mins.
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 Tacos 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 12-ounce bag of riced cauliflower or one small head of cauliflower
- 4–5 chopped mushrooms
- ¼ cup walnuts (optional)
- 3 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper for a little heat (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat large nonstick skillet on medium high heat
- Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you get a “ground beef” consistency and everything is well combined.
- Pour mixture into skillet and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook for another 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and season as you go in order to fit your taste.
- Remove from heat and build tacos with corn or flour tortillas and favorite toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅓ cup
- Calories: 37
- Sugar: 1.1 g
- Sodium: 127.7 mg
- Fat: 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.5 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Save this recipe & PIN IT here!
More Main Dish
- BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Vegan)
- Vegan Carrot Hot Dogs
- Easy 5-Minute Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Mushrooms and Lentils
Reader Interactions
Comments
TomI enjoyed this, but I am also a person who is sensitive to the bitterness of the walnuts, so next time I’m going to try toasting them as you suggested. I’m heating up the leftovers tonight and adding some taco sauce as I like my tacos saucy.
Reply
- Jo
I’ve tried some good vegan taco meat, but this is by far the best! I subbed ancho chile for chapotle chili powder and left out the cayenne. Also added s little nutr. yeast. I’m glad I don’t have to share this with anyone!
Reply
- Sue
This was so good! Actually amazingly good!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you so much!
Reply
- Jan
Question: What could I use in place of liquid smoke? (Or do I have to use anything to replace it?) I don’t like the taste or the idea of liquid smoke. Thanks, Shane.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Hi, Jan! You could just leave it out, it’s purely for flavor and not essential for the recipe.
Reply
- Janet
Yum! Spicy! Great texture. I make this with a Vitamix, since I didn’t have a food processor on hand. It took a little bit of extra time, but still, came together so fast, and so yummy. I think I’ll make some of your vegan sour cream next time to temper the heat. Oh so good! Thank you for another great and easy recipe!
Reply
- Cindy
This looks amazing! Unfortunately we can’t do mushrooms in our house. Can I substitute something else?
Reply
- Terri
Oh my, my, my! This dish is so delicious! This is my first foray into making a veggie “meat” dish and I am hooked. The seasoning, aroma, look and taste are all so incredible! I’ll be sharing this with our Plant-based eating group, next meeting and I’m sure it will be a big hit!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you so much, Terri!
Reply
- Angela Allen
This is wonderful taco filling! Tuesday is taco/Mexican day at our house and the hubs liked it very much. He requested a little less liquid smoke next time as it tasted “a little barbecuey.” I think I have tried every type of WFPB taco filling out there and this is the one that got the best review. Shane, I can always count on you for a great, easy recipe. Thanks!
Reply
- Kelly
Question. Walnut taste bitter to me. I thinks it’s the skin on the nuts. Anyway, is there a way to make them not taste bitter. If not, what do you thing about subbing pecans for walnuts?
Reply
- Shane Martin
I would try roasting them for 5-7 minutes. That should help.
Reply
- Carol A McCollum
One of your commentors said she used this mix in lettuce wraps! Another said she was thinking of adding water chestnuts. hmmmm…. so I am imagining how your recipe is going to taste awesome as is…. AND, I think I’ll also make it again, using Asian seasonings instead of taco seasoning, & add the chopped waterchestnuts & make lettuce wraps!! Drooling here … for both versions!! Bless you for all your experimenting & presenting us with healthful, yummy recipes!!
Reply
- Nancy
LAZY ALERT! So if I wanted to use canned mushrooms, would that be awful? And what about using packaged taco seasoning ? Asking for a friend!
NancyReply
- Shane Martin
Tell your friend they won’t go to prison:)
Reply
- Gloria Kersh
I’ve made this for the 5th time tonight…. they are so dang good! I tried to tag my photo in IG but couldn’t figure it out. Thanks for an amazing Taco dish to celebrate Taco Tuesday!!!
Reply
- Sandie
Yet another fabulous recipe! Thank you so much!! It’s so nice to make tacos again!
Reply
- Christina
This recipe sounds amazing except for the Cauliflower, which I detest. What can I substitute that with?
Reply
- Shane Martin
Double up the mushrooms and add 1 cup of walnuts. Should be just fine:)
Reply
- Jill Purcell
I don’t think I’ve ever had a taco before, so these were a wonderful, delicious surprise! Just loved them even though I didn’t have the chipotle chili powder and I only used half of the regular chili powder. Still, the mix of flavours was perfect! My husband said they tasted like ground meat—I thought they were much better than that! Thanks for another scrumptious recipe!
Reply
- Sherry McCrary
These tacos were delicious. I added a few green chilis, and half a can of drained black beans that I pulsed a little in the food processor. We will put these on our weekly menu.
Reply
- Wendy C.
I just made this for lunch with the taco shells and it was delicious. I only had frozen riced cauliflower and frozen mushrooms, but it still worked perfectly. I put them into the food processor still frozen, added the spices, then cooked it. I topped the “meat” with lettuce, corn, olives, and salsa. Amazing! Thank you for another fabulous recipe.
Reply
- Mary
Excellent recipe! Delicious and easy to prepare. We have tacos or taco salad at least once a week and enjoy using this “meat” recipe. Many thanks, Shane!
Reply
- Emily
What a great and easy recipe! I only used a tiny sprinkle of the cayenne since I’m super sensitive to it, and it was right at my threshold… I may omit it next time as hubby just loaded his tacos down with hot sauce anyway. It was also a great topper for our salads for lunch today. We’re definitely going to do this again, thank you!
Reply
- Melody
Fantastic! What a creative recipe. I would have never expected riced cauliflower could turn into taco meat. It is wonderful and perfectly spiced for my taste. Thank you, Shane! Your recipes are the best!
Reply
- Joy Elliott
Can this be frozen ?
Reply
- Shane Martin
Sure thing!!!
Reply
- Alice
Oh, my, is this ever delicious! I made the tacos for us tonight along with spiced no-fat refried beans, chunky guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa. Sooo good! My husband is not on board [yet] with plant-based, so i had to cook taco meat for him. He tried the WFPB taco mix, though, and was surprised at how good it tasted.
Reply
- Sue Brinkmoeller
Is there a substitute for walnuts (unfortunately, not in my pantry) to give this recipe it’s extra punch of earthiness? Thank Shane.
Reply
- Shane Martin
You can leave them out. You could try sunflower seeds.
Reply
- Pauline
Great recipe! Quick, easy and delicious.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you, Pauline!
Reply
- Teri
This was awesome good. Your recipes/blog has been blessing to us! We were getting so tired of salads. I have been hand writing down your recipes, cause we dont have computer, just my cell phone. Thank u from r heart for the recipes! You are so talented. God bless you!😇
Reply
- Shane Martin
Teri, that’s so very kind of you! Thanks so much!!!
Grace and peace,
shaneReply
- Mell
This is so good, quick, easy and delicious. You literally can’t taste the cauliflower. Your recipes always hit the spot or give me a base to start from. I love your site and have been using it regularly for over a year now. It’s about time I posted! Thanks Shane, keep them coming!
Reply
- Susan
This recipe is absolutely awesome. Not only is it great in all Mexican recipes, but also by just changing up the herbs and spices, it works perfectly in vegan bolognese sauce, lasagna, moussaka, and anywhere else that ground meat is needed. I’m in a mixed marriage (vegan and omnivore), and my husband loves this recipe.
Reply
- DB
Reading through your recipes has encouraged me to go from mostly plant based to oil free vegan. You’re a genius with food and spices and I can’t wait to try these tacos! Will try water chestnuts in place of the walnuts. Thanks!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you so much!
Reply
- Stephanie Pollard
I have frozen riced cauliflower… will that work?
Reply
- Shane Martin
ABSOLUTELY!!!
Reply
- Brittney Thompson
This taco meat is sooo good! It’s super sneaky too, definitely picky husband apprived. He hates cauliflower anything, but he ate 3 tacos!! I love knowing what’s in my vegan meat and it’s soooo easy! Using the leftover in taco salad tonight, thanks!!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Haha, that’s awesome!
Reply
- Julia P Ignacio-deDios
Shane!! EEEEK!!! *giggles* Bless your heart for creating some of the best recipes! This one is so amazing! I like to cheat occasionally and buy soy chorizo to place in my spaghetti sauce or on my pizza. Well, guess what?! THANKS BUNCHES to you, I’ll no longer have to cheat! No more processed soy chorizo for me!! This is now my new go to! I added a chopped onion and choped 5 cloves of garlic! I’m just speechless! Who knew?! Cauliflower + walnuts + mushrooms = scrumptious wholesome goodness!! Thank you!!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you so much!!!
Reply
- Jacqueline Z
Wowza, I like spicy but this was SPICY! While my husband and I loved it, next time I’ll back off of the chili powders by at least half. I can see how this would be amazing as enchiladas too!
Reply
- Vivian
Shane, when you have an optional ingredient, like walnuts, do you include that ingredient in the Nutrition Facts? Thanks!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Not usually, but I do think it is included in this specific recipe.
Reply
- Rebekah Butler
Are the chili powder and Chipotle powder measurements correct in this recipe? I have a high tolerance for heat, but this was way too much and overpowering to all the other flavors.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Yes, Rebekah, they are correct. However, some spice brands I have noticed can differ in their definition of “heat”.
Reply
- Bobbi
Hubby doesn’t like cauliflower, what’s a good substitute, brown rice, maybe?
Reply
- Shane Martin
Add extra mushrooms with 1 cup of walnuts. Then, blend in the food processor according to the instructions. Should work just fine:)
Reply
- Diana
Hi, super excited to make this ! Can white mushrooms be used or is brown prefered to add color to the mix of ingredients. Thanks in advance !!!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Yes, absolutely!
Reply
- Kelly
My whole family loved this taco filling! I refused to tell them what it was until after they cleaned their plates. My two picky boys (7 and 10) couldn’t believe they ate mushrooms! This will definitely be going into our meal rotation.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Awww, Kelly! That’s awesome!!!
Reply
- Susan
OK, I didn’t add the Mexican spices (chili powder, Chipotle chili powder, cumin) because I wanted a substitute for ground turkey in my husband’s favorite Turkey Stroganoff. This was delicious! Honestly, I think it’s better than the original turkey recipe! I made a big batch and froze half of it. I’ll use that for tacos after I add the missing spices.
Reply
- Melany
This was an amazing recipe! I made your chipotle aioli along with your sour cream recipe and used both on the tacos. I also added homemade guacamole. My husband always gives recipes a score out of ten and this was a 10! I might add only 1 chipotle pepper next time.
Thanks for all 3 recipes!!!Reply
- Vicki
We loved these cauliflower tacos!! Quick, delicious and easy, ready in no time. Your cashew sour cream recipe was a great compliment with them. I used the leftover “taco meat” for nachos the next day, super yummy 😋
Reply
- Jackie
Delicious! I misread the recipe & added a lb. pkg. of mushrooms(I read 4-5 chopped mushrooms as 4-5 cups of mushrooms), I used smoked paprika, and left out the liquid smoke & cayenne pepper. To lower the sodium I used 2 Tbsp. of Tamari & 1 Tbsp. of water.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Well, I don’t think there’s such a thing as “too much mushroom.” 🙂
Reply
- Jacquelyn
In this recipe Shane it was delicious. I’m making it again today & gonna try to stick closer to the recipe. lol
Reply
- Melanie
Second recipe I have tried from your website. You are two for two! Hubby said I “knocked it out of the park!” So, Shane, you knocked it out of the park. Made them into lettuce wraps. Yum!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Awesome! And, thanks again:)
Reply
- Wendy
Made these last night and oh my, exceeded my expectations! Hubby went back for thirds, which rarely happens (he’s not vegan), especially since he is not a fan of cauliflower or walnuts! He couldn’t even guess at what was in them due to the perfect mix of spices. Wow, this is a new fave for me. Thank you very much.
~Wendy from Canada 🙂Reply
- Shane Martin
Wendy, that is so great! Thank you so much for sharing. Blessings and stay safe.
Reply
- Amy
Made these last night for our family of six. My kid who never has seconds had thirds☺️ I tripled it so we’d have leftovers. I didn’t triple the soy sauce though. I thought that would end up too salty. I think I’ll precook the cauliflower a little next time. It still had more bite to it than I’d have liked but otherwise excellent recipe.
My sixteen year old said better than any meat taco she’s ever had!Reply
- Shane Martin
Wow, Amy! That’s so great and makes me happy. So glad everyone enjoyed it. Yes, feel free to play around with it and make it work for you. Thanks for reaching out. Blessings.
Reply
- Rowan
Amazing recipe, strongly recommend it.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you!
Reply
- Shannon McDonald
Love love love ! And so quick and easy. Double the batch and you have dinner for two nights! Unless the husband comes home from Jiu Jitsu starving. Thanks for the awesome site!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Hahaha, that’s awesome, Shannon! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Blessings.
Reply
- Jamie
Can you make this minus the adobo sauce and the chipotle pepper? Or is that a big part of the flavor? I’ve never used it before and I’m not sure if it will be a bit spicy for the kiddos…Maybe a replacer? Thanks! 🙂 By the way, I LOVE your site!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Hi, Jamie! Yes, you can totally make it without the adobo sauce and chipotle pepper. I love the spicy and smoky attribute, but you can still achieve the smoky with liquid smoke or smoked paprika. It’s mostly preference. Blessings and Happy New Year!
Reply
- Jamie
Yes! Smoked paprika! Will try that. Thank you! Many blessings to you and a Happy New Year as well!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Peace.
Reply
- judith
made this and everybody loved it.will make it again
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you, Judith! I’m so glad everyone liked it and thanks for sharing. Blessings.
Reply
- Debbie
It baffles me how theses recipes are thought up. To replace meat in a taco that works and is so tasty.we love it as a family. My only trouble is making enough. My husband eats 8 tacos on his own.. I absolutely recommend this recipe.. Thankyou for all your recipes, I’ve made just about made all of them.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Debbie, thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tacos and we have the same problem…there’s never enough. LOL! Thank you for recommending me, I really appreciate it! Blessings.
Reply
- Adrienne
These were delicious! Thank you.
Reply
- Shane Martin
It’s my pleasure and I’m so glad you liked them. Thanks for rating them and letting me know. I always love hearing from my readers. It makes my heart jump:) Blessings.
Reply
- Michele Orrson
This recipe was amazing! Delicious, perfect texture, and my family loved it. The fact that it’s so low in calories and fat is just icing on the cake!
One question: The ingredient list has “1 tsp onion powder” twice. Should one of those be something else? Garlic powder, maybe?
Thanks!Reply
- Shane Martin
Michelle, so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favorites. And, thanks for catching my typo:)
Reply
- Jenny
This was so good. We eat some form of tacos a lot. Usually lentils. I wanted to try something different a couple weeks ago so I tried these. I was a little lear because I don’t like cauliflower for things like pizza crust but, yum! This was simple and really good!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you, Jenny! So glad you enjoyed them.
Reply
- Brittany
Hi Shane,
Is there anything you’d recommend to replace the mushrooms? I really want to make these but my boyfriend is not a fan of mushrooms.Reply
- Shane Martin
Not really anything you can sub. I will say, my kids aren’t the biggest fans of mushrooms but love this dish. Mainly because it doesn’t taste like mushrooms:) Be sneaky:)
Reply
- Denise
I’m going to try this recipe this week. Are the walnuts for consistency (like having something hard in there to chew) or taste? I will be feeding someone who can’t chew nuts, but I could blend them fine before hand if it’s for taste. Thanks
Reply
- Shane Martin
You can remove the nuts. It works just as well! The nuts are more for an “earthiness” but totally not necessary.
Reply
- Michelle
I just tried the baked version of this. It’s good, but it seemed too dried out. I’m definitely using this recipe next time. Thanks for posting!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Thanks, Michelle. Yeah, it’s why I usually don’t bake it. Hope it works out better next time.
Reply
- Debra
I just finished eating this with some black beans, roasted corn, some corn tortillas and your tofu sour cream. Amazing!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Sounds amazing! Now I’m hungry:)
Reply
- Jan
Did you change up the recipe? I printed out the other one from you and it isn’t the same. Showing g friend your site because I brought the tacos to work for him to try. He loved them! Then I showed where your recipes were. And this one was not the same as the one I printed out and was making.
Reply
- Shane Martin
No, I haven’t changed anything. What’s different?
Reply
- Jan
Mine didnt show the garlic or liquid smoke. Unless I’m blind lol. Was great without it. I just checked it again. Weird how it didnt state that. Great either way!
Reply
- Debbie
This is a simple, delicious recipe! I am looking to find a few go-to recipes to prepare for the week, and this is definitely a winner. Thanks for sharing!
Reply
- Shane Martin
Debbie, thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed the tacos. Peace.
Reply
- Sandy
Hi, this looks so delicious!! Do you it could be frozen?
Reply
- Shane Martin
I’ve never frozen it but it should work well.
Reply
- Amanda
Delicious. My 18 mo old asked for thirds and fourths! Plant-based meals has been a tough transition for the little ones, but this recipes was well liked by the whole family. Left out the adobo sauce and pepper for the kids and it was still really good. I really like how your 1x portions are enough to feed the whole family and no one feels hungry afterwards.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Amanda, this is so great! It encourages me when I read comments like this that include family. I totally get it as a father of 5. So, when you finally find something everyone likes it’s a huge win. Thank you for sharing. Blessings.
Reply
- Sue
I cooked this at our bbq last night for my Veggie friend, was a huge hit with everyone. So easy to make. I added a few bits like a can of tin tomatoes & diced zucchini.
Was hoping they’d be some left over but no it was too nice. Thanks for sharing
Sue
fr West AustraliaReply
- Shane Martin
Wow! That’s is so great! So glad it was shut and thanks for taking the time to let me know. I really appreciate it. Sounds like it was ripper.
Reply
- Pat
Soooo good! And I didn’t even have the chipotles,and had to chop all by hand – but was it worth it!!! Had half in the tacos last night and planned to cook the other half with Italian spices in spaghetti sauce tonight, but the tacos were so good I want them again. Spaghetti next time – maybe. Thanks so much. A keeper.
Reply
- Shane Martin
Pat, that’s awesome! So glad you enjoyed and thank you for reaching out. Peace.
Reply
- Becky
Ok I admit I am one that didn’t think I liked cooked cauliflower until last week when a friend took me out for Mexican. I ordered the vegetarian fajitas minus the cheese and sour cream. The cauliflower took on some of the flavor of the mushrooms and I loved it! Now after that long story; I’m looking forward to trying this recipe!
Thanks Shane!!Reply
- Shane Martin
Thanks for sharing! I hope you enjoy them!
Reply
