10-Minute Raw Vegan Taco “Meat”

Loved this! Have never tried ‘raw’ before but it was awesome. I only had sun dried tomatoes in oil so used those and didn’t add as much water. Worked out great. Our family decided to make a change for our health and your recipes have made it SO much easier than I thought it would be. My kids (15 & 9) have even loved the recipes and are eating vegetables they never knew existed before. I also loved giving collard greens a try a wrap – I’ll definitely be using them instead of a tortilla in other recipes!

I’m transitioning to eating plant based and I was so elated to find and test this recipe. I absolutely loved the flavor of this “meat”. I can’t wait to sub this recipe in for some dishes that I make!

The flavor in the sauce is phenomenal!!! Easy & delicious. YUM!

This is a wonderful recipe. I will share with others.

Dana this is amazing! I had some shallots I wanted to use up so I used that instead of the garlic. I also used sundried tomatoes in oil since that is what I already had. Because of the oil in the sundried tomatoes I didn’t need to add much water to get it to a consistency I liked. Very tasty and very fast! Will definitely make again

This is honestly the most delicious taco “meat” I’ve eaten since going vegetarian 3 years ago. AND to top it off, it’s raw! I could eat this everyday. I made it into taco salad and I didn’t find it to lack anything without a dressing or salsa. The “meat” is so flavourful that avocado, cherry tomatoes, green onions & lettuce was enough!

I made this today with Chiplote pepper in Adobe sauce. Wow! Delicious. Very easy to make. I had to add about 5-6TBS of water. Pinned already.

Made it today! Absolutely delish! Super happy. I had everything but the Habaneros. Added 2. Love.

Super super good! I used dried chiles (rehydrated them beforehand) instead of fresh and it came out spicy but super flavorful. Would def recommend!

Made this today and glad I tried it. I enjoyed the texture and flavors immensely, and honestly was inspired by the combination of ingredients, particularly the sundried tomatoes and walnuts.

However, the three cups of walnuts recommendation makes it a very expensive dish to make, and also not a dish I would make regularly since my body is not used to consuming such a large quantity of nuts in one serving.

I also added baked squash to balance out the flavors and make the servings less heavy. For the onions and radishes, I soaked them in water to take out the bite.

I would be pretty interested in trying a combo of the quinoa filling taco recipe with sundried tomatoes wrt cost and digest-ability.

Thanks for such a fun and creative recipe! My guests loved it and I’m looking forward to writing it down in my personal recipe book.

I was really excited about this because as a Vegan, everything is a taco. I wanted to like this dish and while it didn’t taste inherently bad, I just thought it was really labor intensive, and maybe I didn’t grind the walnuts enough, but I thought the crunchy walnut texture was distracting and too… walnutty. Super super filling too, which isn’t bad either but I tend to shove tacos in my face like it’s the last meal I’ll ever eat, so I definitely paid for it later. If you’re not a fan of soy, or have digestive issues with it, this is a good option to make in big batches and perhaps freeze for later. For just one person, I found it outlasted my desire to eat it after the 3 day. Even for a taco lover like me. I didn’t use very spicy peppers either so perhaps a spicier kick might off-set that walnut affront. Also – I forgot that I have issues with sun dried tomatoes giving me acid reflux. Again, I’m not a normal human and you probably won’t eat 10 tacos in a row; so shouldn’t be an issue if you go easy.

Really great flavor. I used Jalapeños instead of Habeneros only because no Habeneros in the grocery store.

This is so delicious! I followed most of the directions but used sun dried tomatoes in oil and rinsed and patted them dry like recommended. I used half the amount of Cumin because that seemed like too much to me. I don’t really like the taste of smoked paprika so I used regular and then I added a some chipotle in adobo sauce. I did not add any sweetener because I don’t eat sugar. It is expensive to make since it uses so many walnuts and pretty much an entire jar of sundried tomatoes but it makes a lot. We were able to to have it for dinner twice and I just had the last of it in a big taco. It’s so good with vegan sour cream, hot sauce and veges. It also freezes well. I will definitely make this again.

Thank you,
Gaby

Amazing recipe!!! I doubled the amount of sun-dried tomatoes because I love their taste and don’t like the taste of walnuts. The result was both spicy and bursting with flavour! I served on hard taco shells and soft tortillas and both were amazing. Leftovers also lasted 3-4 days for a quick and easy lunch.

Love, love, love….this is the best “taco meat” I have made yet, and believe me I have tried many due to my love of mexican food. This is a staple that I keep in the fridge. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

De.li.cious!! I haven’t had walnut meat in 20 years and I didn’t know how much I missed it! However, this mexican flavor is a whole new twist and I loved it. I didn’t have the pepper, so omit it. I added coconut aminos and used granulated garlic and dehydrated onions. I had it as a topper for salad and added avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream and vegan cheese, sauteed asparagus and mushroom. Thanks for a great and quick receipe!

SUCH A DELICIOUS RECIPE! It’s so quick to make, and so healthy with the walnuts – OMEGA! Thanks for a great recipe! Perfect for Taco Tuesdays!

This recipe was delicious!! I’m vegetarian and I love recipes that please vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. I loved it and my sister (non vegetarian) loved it too. The spices were perfect and I loved the consistency. I used adobo peppers because that is what I had on hand and it was perfect. Thanks for sharing!

Amazing raw tacos! I made these for dinner tonight and they were absolutely delicious! Thanks for this recipe :-)

OMG this recipe is so tasty!! I made it with half the amount of sugar and no habaneros (since I can’t handle too much spiciness) and topped with pico de gallo, and added kite hill cream cheese. I will for sure be making this for my family.

Great job Dana!!!

This was so great. The whole family LOVED it. Thanks!

FANTASTIC! Absolutely fantastic! This is delicious and a really filling addition to a salad. Husband enjoyed the flavour, too. I would love to see you do more RAW VEGAN recipes as this one was epic and I love my raw food.
P.S ** Every recipe of yours I have tried has been a success, no ‘flops’. We have some favourites, and some maybes, but they always work out, which is great for someone like me who’s not a ‘natural’ with creating meals. Thank you!

I’ve seen a few different recipes, but this is the first one I saw with sundried tomatoes (I used a drained jar in oil as that’s what I had on hand. It worked great.) My husband mixed it in with his ground turkey taco meat and really liked it. He snuck some onto the kids’ plates also and we didn’t get any complaints! Oh, I used pecans instead of walnuts, also what I had on hand… great recipe, highly recommend!

We love this recipe! I made this to take camping last summer to make taco bowls. It stored wonderfully in the cooler and was a staple throughout the weekend.

This is amazing!! Plant based and so good you could fool even the most meat-and-potato-only loving folks. Made it for a work cook-off and it was a huge hit!
Served mine as a nacho appetizer – on a blue corn tortilla chip with a dice of avocado, a cilantro leaf, and a squeeze of lime.
Thank! You!!

Wow so many great reviews that it took time to scroll through and read them all. I have made this 3x. We use it on salads. The 2nd time, I used 2 tblsp of curry powder, some cumin, sugar and not the other spices. Indian, Mexican versions were both amazing. I may sub out the sugar for some dates next time and may add more garlic. Very impressed with this simple, delicious recipe.

This was so good! I am trying to include more raw meals into my diet— this can be hard when a ton of recipes out there include crazy ingredients that my local grocery store doesn’t carry and also cost an arm and a leg. This recipe was simple ingredients, easy to follow, and so good! This recipe is definitely going to make including raw meals into my diet much easier. I paired this with the collard green burritos- amazing!! Thank you!

This was amazing. I had to make do with tomatoes in oil – I patted them dry but figured it out. It makes quite a bit so I was eating it for days. I’ll definitely make it again!!

What a wonderful recipe! I eat mostly fruits/veggies, but sometimes you need something akin to a cooked meal. This is it! My daughter shared this with me and uses lettuce in place of tortillas—made once a week. For my 1st time I used gluten-free tortillas, but will try lettuce next time because it was a little too heavy for me.
I tweeked it a little—not having smoked paprika or peppers—so used a chipotle and pepper salsa instead. This was so amazing that even my picky, non-vegan husband really liked it! I don’t have many “keepers” but this is one. Thanks!

Made this for a work potluck. There are 3 other vegan/vegetarians in the office but to my happy surprise many people sampled this and they all loved it! They had no idea what the main ingredient was. :) This really is so yummy, and I heated it up gently in a pan to make the tacos warm. Making a big batch today for the week!

I’ve had this recipe on my to-do list for a while now, and finally got round to making it last night.
My tomato mixture didn’t look as creamy as in the picture above, it was maybe a bit too dry. It was gorgeous nonetheless :)

This is a home run recipe! I have loved every MB recipe I have made but this was the first one that I felt I needed to review. It was super easy, yummy, quick and versatile. My husband is not vegan and he loved it. It will be in our normal rotation and I shared with many friends.
Great!

This is SO flavorful! I used Jalapeno and 50/50 Ancho chili powder & regular chili powder. I finely diced zucchini, carrot, onion, bell pepper and tomato. Mixed it all together and put it in the dehydrator for 1.5 hours. It was amazing for taco salad. Even adding copious amounts of veggies didn’t take away from the flavor. We didn’t even need a dressing for the salads. Thanks for this staple recipe!

I made this, it was so delicious. I used it as a salad topping (with baby romaine, corn, and avocado) and used it again on a baked sweet potato with avocado. It is a tasty and easy protein to have in the fridge!

This recipe is absolutely delicious!!
I made it this evening for dinner as filling for corn tortillas, along with sautéed bell peppers, onions and melted vegan cheese, avocado and lime. The smoked paprika really adds a Mexican aroma and taste and the texture is fantastic. I can’t wait to make this for friends, vegan and meat eaters alike. This recipe is a real keeper!

Just made this and my boyfriend and I loved it! He heated it up a bit along with the corn street taco tortillas. He browned the taco mix a bit which was great. I also had butter lettuce so I alternated between tortillas and lettuce wraps. I’ll be making this again and again!

.Hi Dana,
Thanks so much for this recipe… for tacos which were absolutely delicious!
We omitted the peppers, but found they were very flavourful! I have enjoyed making several other recipes and appreciate your efforts and sharing.

Amazing flavor! Quick and easy! Two habaneros give the recipe a lot of heat! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!

Deeeeelish!!! Can’t believe how delicious this recipe is.

I have been following your recipes for years!! You have the best combinations that always pack lots of flavor. I am a raw vegan and I look for ways to add more protein into my diet. This recipe was perfect. Thanks so much!!

Not a huge fan of sun-dried tomatoes so I substituted with a small fresh tomato and it was delish! I incorporated this ‘meat’ in a layered dip and served it warm with tortilla chips. My husband and his friend were blown away. Thank you!

I made this and warmed it up on the stove, and it was sooooo good! (Note: I used a mixture of pecans and cashews, as my sister is allergic to wallnuts) I served mine on corn tortillas with butter lettuce, purple cabbage, avacados, and a simple vegan cheese sauce (basically hummus and salsa), and it was absolutely delicious. I also made taco salad one night with this ‘meat’ and it tasted exactly like beef taco salads my mom made when I was a kid! Huge fan of this recipe;)

Holy s$&@! That’s what I thought when I took my first taste test! Wow! That’s spicy, chewy, flavorful, and crazy fast. I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes so I had to throw in some jarred salsa. No matter. Delicious! I’m going to try it with the sun dries tomatoes because i know Minimalist Baker recipes are best followed to a T! Thanks for such good healthy food!

This recipe is fantastic! I wouldn’t change a thing! I can’t wait to use this filling in other dishes as well, like pasta with pesto, lasagna…

I also gave this to my meat eating boyfriend and he loved it!
It reminds me a bit of Chorizo. I made it in a corn tortilla with black beans and vegan mayo but really have been wanting to try the vegan sour cream recipe you have!
So simple and enjoyable thank you Minimalist Baker!

This recipe is amazing. Super easy and delish! Rich and hearty-my husband and son raved and wanted seconds.

This is so tasty! Even my omnivorous boyfriend thinks so!

I subbed the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for the habanero and it came out beautifully. This recipe is so versatile, we’ve used the leftovers in burrito bowls, burritos, and nachos!

This is delicious. The second time I made it, I was feeling lazy and substituted Frontier Organic Co-Op Taco Seasoning, and it was still pretty good. Right now, I’m eating a taco and wondering if soaked sun-dried tomatoes could be used to mimic pulled pork…

I finally tried this “taco meat” dish and it’s absolutely delicious. Seriously, I become a devout vegan all over again! Definitely adding this to rotation of weekly/monthly dishes. Thank you for sharing… the struggle for good plant based food is real, and this site never fails

Just made this and my husband and I both loved it! I am not a skilled person in the kitchen, but this was so easy and came together so quickly! We have been looking for a substitute for soy meat to use in tacos, salads, and other recipes, and this was perfect! My husband said it is his favorite “not meat meat” that we’ve tried ha! Thank you for this great recipe!

This was delicious, we omitted the habanero because we didn’t have any on hand. It reminds of us the SunChorizo they have at Sun Cafe in Studio City.

Hi Dana! Love your site and as I’m transitioning to a vegan diet I visit quite often. I did make this ALL WRONG and it came out so right!!! Two kids at home to keep me plenty distracted had me throw all ingredients into a food processor and pulse. What happened, after I almost cried from “wasting” all those beautiful sun-dried tomatoes, was an amazing rendition of your recipe. I added some cooked brown rice and black beans to the mix afterwards which was hearty and so flavorful that I had to write in! I’ve used it for tacos, added it to spaghetti squash with fire-roasted tomato sauce, and molded it like a veggie burger on a wonderfully soft wholewheat roll. It tastes even better after resting in the fridge for a day to allow all the spices to blend and the sun-dried tomatoes to re-hydrate a bit. I plan to try again according to the directions because yours looks saucy and sounds too good to pass over, but thought you might like the alternative too. Thanks for all your awesome food, looking forward to the next greatest thing, yum!

Great recipe- approved by my boyfriend who is very much a meat eater. I unfortunately do not have a food processor, so I did it by hand. I am sure it is better with a food processor but mine turned out great even with chopping everything very small by hand.

Smelled so good even while mixing it all up! I am not a vegetarian or a vegan, but after coming to this website from a duckduckgo search for making flax eggs, I poked around a bit, and this looked so tasty, I had to attempt it. Some of my walnuts didn’t chop up very small in the food processor before other portions were turning into a butter, so I stopped the processor and left the walnuts as they were, and continued with the recipe as written, only adding another 1/2 t salt. What can I say, I love salt! Anyway, this was delicious! I put a scoop on a lettuce leaf, added a slice of avocado, squeeze of fresh lime, 2 slices of tomato, and wow, what a treat! Looking forward to trying other recipes here. Thank you for sharing.

Holy crap this is so good! I halved the recipe because I realized I didn’t have enough walnuts and I used one jalapeño pepper since the store was sold out of other types (and I’m not a big spicy person anyway). I had to add more water to the sauce than I expected but it turned out perfect. Thanks, Dana! This will be a staple in my diet now!

Wow Dana this is amazing. Another great recipe! I only substituted two medium spicy chillies for the habanero. Thanks again.

Made it. Loved it. Kids loved it. Husband loved it. (Pug looked at it longingly from beneath our patio table, but we didn’t share any with him.) Thank you!

Wow, that was perfect and absolutely delicious!
Thanks a lot for this recipe! :)
As always when I cook, I changed it a bit and it was so great! I had to take a lot more dried tomatoes (as they were soft and to get it into a good texture) and loved it!
Yesterday I had tortilla wraps filled with it (together with guacamole, fresh tomatoes, spring onions) and today I put the rest on my breakfast bread! Yummy! :)

I was trying to think of some words that would describe me dancing as I chewed this satisfying and delicious recipe but take my word for it, I did a little swerve and hip swirl… um um um. It is everything you described Dana. It was smoky and a little spicy (I didn’t have peppers, I used a scant amount of cayenne). This was another winner. Every one of your recipes has been a winner on my table. Thank you!!

I made this for a taco bowl.

Brown rice, black bean mixture, your Easy Red Salsa, fresh guac from Happy Pear recipe, red cabbage and fresh spinach. Better than restaurant quality and great colors

Made the recipe tonight. Used 2 chilis in adobo sauce instead of habaneros. Need to grind the walnuts a bit finer than you think as I found the mixture a bit too coarse. I think you can tone down the cumin just a little. It takes longer than 10 minutes to pull this together, but under 30 minutes. This recipe makes a large batch. I had 3 tacos and have enough left for at least 6 more. Great flavors. Could see adding black beans and corn. Garnished with red onion, cilantro, avocado and cherry tomatoes.

Just made this, and used siete cassava tortillas, avocado, and cilantro. Topped off with some hot sauce it was addicting and delicious!! I didn’t have chili powder, so I left that out and used 2 habaneros. Next time I will definitely add the chili powder but it was still SO good! I definitely used less than 1/2 cup per taco because I had 3 of them ????.

W O W, It looked good on paper but tasted even better!
Healthy, delicious and SO easy to make. It is the perfect summertime meal. Definitely a repeater.

I made this for dinner tonight. Followed the recipe as written. My husband and I loved it! So flavorful, and So much much better than meat.
Thank you for the recipe ❤️

Very yummy! I didn’t have enough walnuts so I subbed the remaining with almonds (that’s all I had). It was ok, next time, full walnut.

Hi Dana! Absolutely delicious! My family loved it. I did not use the fresh chili pepper or garlic because my daughter-in-law can’t digest it so I just used the dried spices. I used sun-dried tomatoes that were in olive oil because that is what I had on hand. I drained the tomatoes and dried them with paper towels to get rid of the oil. I also had to add a lot more water to make the sauce. I made a lot of different condiments to go with the tacos,e.g., mango salsa, onion and cilantro salsa, lime wedges, sliced avocados and sautéed veggies. This dish is easy and delicious and I look forward to making it again. BTW, I love your recipes and am thankful I found your site 4 years ago when my husband and I became vegans. You have made cooking healthy flavorful meals so pleasurable and easy for us and I’m sure for many others like us. Thank you!!

I made this with adjustments and it was still really good!

I took out salt, replaced walnuts with cooked black beans, and half’d the whole recipe except the beans (walnut replacement). So spicy!

I just made a “test batch” so that, if I like it, I can prepare a BIG batch for my nieces wedding reception, a pot-luck taco bar. Well, I don’t just like it, I LOVE it. I do have to remind myself that it IS based on walnuts and so is not low-calorie, but it has the taste and texture and mouthfeel of our beef-based taco seasoning and should please all the vegans and vegetarians on the guest list.

I used date nectar as my sweetener – just a little bit – and it does indeed balance the heat of the chipotles in adobo sauce (my choice of heat packing pepper). My other tweak was to eliminate the salt altogether. Between the chipotles and the sun-dried tomatoes, there’s more than enough sodium. These should be a huge hit!

Just made this deliciousness for lunch and it was outstanding! I did heat up the taco walnut mixture for a few minutes on low. I did not have radish on hand so I used bibb lettuce. This recipe is fantastic!