Quinoa Taco Meat

Made this tonight for my husband and super picky children and they all loved it! The flavor was perfect! My youngest, the pickiest of them all, asked for seconds!! Thank you so much for sharing!! This will definitely be added to our weekly rotation.

Thank you so much for this recipe. It is wonderful. I prefer this to the nut meats because they can be higher in fat and calories. It also tastes much better than the “veggie crumbles” or other meat substitutes. We like using this on salad. Such a burst of flavour and a fantastic texture. This is just delicious!!!

This was easy and delicious! I’ll definitely be making it again.

I made these tonight. Outstanding!!! Thank you for this recipe. Loved it!

I love this recipe! I also added half a sautéed onion, a cup or two of sweet corn, and some cilantro served with home made guacamole (avocados, lime juice, jalapeños, jalapeño juice, and some sea salt) and extra salsa. Love!

Looked over the recipe and I won’t lie I was a little hesitant if it would be flavorful! Then I read that even picky eaters liked it sooo I pondered and thought of my picky 4 year old haha LET me just tell you! Happy plates all around ?? One of my favorites now! Family friendly and mama happy ?

This was AMAZING. My hubby and four kids loved it. I made it with your plantain tortillas and they begged for more. Thanks for bringing tacos back!

AMAZING! I made this for a road trip AND had extra for a three day ATVing road adventure! So good

Absolutely LOVED this recipe! As a Mexican food loving vegetarian I’m used to replacing meat with black beans in almost every meal, for the passed 12 years. This took Mexican food to the next level for me! Loved the texture and the flavor was spot on. Shares this recipe with my sister and she’s made it multiple times as well. Also, my meat loving husband loved it as well. Thanks for the recipe! Will make again. Over and over!

I made this for supper. Awesome! Thanks for convincing a new convert that meat is not needed for deliciousness!!!

I gave this a try over a baked potato. Awesome!

Tried this recipe for the first time two weeks ago, and my family enjoyed it so much that we made it twice in one week. SO tasty and has great texture! I see this quickly becoming a go-to recipe in my house. Thank you!!!

So good!!!

I decided to become vegetarian/vegan. It’s my second day. My meat lover hubby support me and is willing to try new food.
I made your quinoa tacos recipe for diner to night. My 3 & 5 years old kiddos told me that was good right at the first bite. It was a huge hit! No leftover!
So much better than the oily greasy meat version. The recipe is a keeper. We will eat those quinoa tacos again and again.

I made it exact to the recipe and Omg so so so yummy . I am literally turning flip at how delicious it is. I didn’t need anything but the Red salsa that I got from your recipe for this to be a hit! I can’t wait to let my husband try it!

I made this today! so delicious and so easy to make. way better than the vegan taco crumbles I’ve bought in the past at the store. also, I just realized after making this that Sophia Miacova ( check her instagram) had made a YouTube video on this SAME recipe last year! I had made hers last year and just went back today and realized she must have gotten the recipe from you.
Love all your recipes!

I made this last night, and it is amazing! I added some guacamole, and it was the best thing I’ve eaten in a while. It’s packed with a great spicy (but not hot) flavor that I love! It reheats very well, too. This recipe was so easy and quick, I will be making it a lot from now on.

This recipe is AMAZING! So delicious!

Tried this last night and it was great!

Make this last night and LOVED it! I added a few dashes of hot sauce to the mixture before I popped it in the oven…..turned out amazing! Thank you for all the fabulous eats :)

Life changing! I’m eating it as I type this. Thanks for sharing!

Absolutely loved it! It has such a nice chew, and the flavor is perfect. I used fresh garlic, instead of the garlic powder, and it worked fine.

I made this recipe yesterday and it is AMAZING!! It is quick and incredibly flavorful. Like ground beef, it is difficult to keep the quinoa in the shell as you eat it. I think next time I would put down a layer of guacamole, sour cream or melted cheese to stick the quinoa to. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I will forever use this as my taco base!

I made this and it is a wonderful meal substitute! Awesome in those taco shells with a topping of guacamole salad made with black beans, corn , peppers, onion, tomatoes, avocado blended with oil, cumin and chili powder. Yum!

My friend suggested this recipe for our Saturday tacos and game night, after a couple of our friends announced they were trying to go vegan. I used the red quinoa, as I figured it would look a bit more ‘meaty’, and doubled the recipe, since there are 6 of us who like to eat. The recipe was easy to follow and the end result was a huge hit with all of us. It is now our standard protein filling for tacos/burritos on Saturdays. Additional sides and toppings we use are homemade Mexican friend rice, black beans, sauteed pepper medley and fresh tomatoes and avocado. For those of us who can’t let go, there’s also cheese and sour cream, but nobody’s perfect! ;) Thanks, Dana! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!

Without a doubt, this is the best-tasting quinoa I’ve ever made. My plan was to put in on a kale taco salad, but it’s good enough to eat on its own. What a great idea–and recipe!

This is AMAZING! It tastes just like meat. We added our favorite veggies on top and chipotle sauce on top. Perfect!!

I loved this recipe. I’m a vegan who loved Mexican food. I have found my new addiction. It made into a taco salad with mixed greens, avocado, corn, tomatoes and a squeeze of lime juice. Thank you for this wonderful idea!

I made this tonight, my picky 6 year old loved it and my husband said he could eat it 3 times a week. My son assumed it was ground hamburger and I didn’t tell him otherwise. Thanks for the recipe.

Thank you for sharing this recipe and the technique of baking the quinoa. Excellent texture and flavors in the quinoa! I sauteed some sweet potato, yellow bell pepper, red onions, and black beans to mix into the quinoa taco filling. Will be making your recipe again!

Holy crap this is so freaking delicious. Thank you! Sincerely, a HUGE carnivore.

Just made this to put on nachos, and even before popping it in the oven I am amazed by how much this tastes like taco seasoned ground beef, excellent job with this recipe! :)

I would love to find a tweaked version I could use as a sub for regular ground beef, without that zesty taco seasoned flavor, to use in recipes with different flavor profiles.
I suppose for now I’ll just have to experiment!

Thank you! <3

I love this recipe and have made it multiple times. Tonight I decided to make tacos for dinner and realized I was out of quinoa!!! I had Aramanth on hand so I used it and it turned out great! I made a couple of additional modifications to the recipe: 3 cups of liquid (half broth, half water), doubled the nutritional yeast and all of the seasonings, added 6 TBSP of polenta (corn grits). My daughter actually liked it better this way!
Thanks for all of the awesome recipes!

Just made this. We cut fat from our diet, so made it without the oil. Still delicious! Thank you for great recipe!

Okay. It’s finally official. I’m obsessed with this stuff!!!!! I make it at least once a week. I use it in tacos and over salad. Sometimes I mix in refried beans. Sometimes I just shovel it in my mouth with a spoon. So. Flipping. Good!!! I make the quinoa in the pressure cooker because it allows me to eat it sooner :)

Unbelievably happy I stumbled upon this recipe. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about tacos for a week or so now. You have saved me. The flavor in this is spot on, I loved it. Husband actually enjoyed as well, his only comment was that the quinoa can be a bit crunchy/hard here and there, but overall we have a winner! I may add an extra spice or two in the future, up the heat a bit for fun, but I couldn’t be more pleased. Thank you for saving me from my taco-less night mare!

This is the perfect topper for salads, potatoes, wraps and more! I have made this recipe at least a dozen times, most recently for Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes. I do bake for longer than suggested, because I like the quinoa to be extra crispy. Absolutely delicious!

WOW!! I made these for our friends last night and we all LOVED it!! Who needs ground beef! At first they were apprehensive when hearing it was quinoa however after the first bite, they were hooked!!

Thank you for this recipe!!

So good!! I’ve made them twice now and even my picky child loves them!

Made these about a month ago and they immediately became a family favorite and are a repeat im our house!! They are so full of flavor and delicious!! They may take a little more time than some quinoa recipes but welllll worth it!!! Thanks for a delicious recipe!!! Will continue to try more:)

After pinning this a long time ago I finally made this and I’m so glad I did! I don’t eat meat anymore but missed it in tacos. This is a perfect substitute and tastes so good. Thank you so much for this recipe! I can now enjoy tacos, taco salads and all the stuff I love!

Normally love everything on this blog. We’ve come to expect greatness from all minimalist baker recipes. Maybe that’s not fair, but these just didn’t work.

I made this and it is now our go to *meat* for tacos, burrito bowls, and used as a topper on jicama fries with no cheese cheese sauce! What a wonderful texture and flavor. We are unable to use the soy crumbles so this is a wonderful alternative! Thank you for creating and sharing!!

Delicious recipe!! I used this for soft tacos and taco salad. Very flavorful with a great texture as well. Thank you for creating it!!

This was spot on! As a still new vegetarian this was a welcome dish that really impressed. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Loved this recipe. As other commenters, wanted to stay away from meat alternative products. It’ll become a new part of my weekly menu!!
For the person who mentioned trying to “greek” the quinoa. How about a swarma seasoning? I think it would make a fantastic greek salad.

I consider this a keeper. I only had regular quinoa and I added 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. I made some homemade salsa. It would be good with chopped olives or mushrooms also. I will try that next time.

This is soooo good! I made it for my meat-loving husband and he said we need to have this in our house all the time! It is hard to find vegan, gluten free recipes that don’t suck! Thanks for the great recipe!

Amazing! Found this recipe about 2 weeks ago and have made it 7 times since then… a new favorite in our house. Thanks for a fun and easy dish that is great as, tacos, taco salads, and burritos (we made them all!)

This was fabulous! I didn’t use the nutritional yeast it s still very flavorful. Will also use it for burritos. I hate using mystery meat!

The quinoa meat came out really good and super simple. I made some guac on the side and cracked a can of beans. Delicious meal!

So good! I had quinoa “meat” for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was instantly hooked. I searched for a recipe and this one appeared. Cooked it tonite for taco Tuesday and my husband and I stuffed our faces. Luckily it makes a ton so tomorrow in going to have a taco salad for lunch. Will definitely be making this often. Thanks for another amazing recipe!

My husband and I are on a new quest to cut down on the amount of meat we eat. I made this recipe last night and it was a hit! The kids really loved it and didn’t even know they were eating quinoa. This was super easy to make. Thank you!

We love this recipe! Great for tacos, quesadillas, salad, and in the morning with fried eggs! Thanks so much!

Absolutely delicious! I used shredded Parmesan cheese as my nutritional yeast. My husband and I plan on using this as our new go to for tacos instead of TVP or Quorn Grounds. Easy, vegetarian, soy free, and cheaper!

Thank you for The recipe. This was delicious. I made it exactly according to your directions, but when I took it out of the oven, I added a can of black beans and some scallions. Didn’t even need the tacos. Ate it like it was a chili dish (partially cause I couldn’t wait – but it’s great on its own). Will make again, thank you!

Thank you for The recipe. This was delicious. I made it exactly according to your directions, but when I took it out of the oven, I added a can of black beans. Didn’t even need the tacos. Ate it like it was a chili dish (partially cause I couldn’t wait – but it’s great on its own). Will make again, thank you!

I made this last week and it was so delicious. The first night I put it on a baked potato and it was good but the next day I heated it up with a bit if water and I put it in taco shells with toppings it was really yummy. Tasted just like the taco meat filling I ate for years before I became a vegan last year. Thanks for a tasty and healthy dish.

I made this, however it never got crispy. It just seems like it was more dried out, maybe I did something wrong.

I made this for a get together, and everyone loved it! I have a pumpkin chili recipe that I make, and thought about putting this quinoa meat in it. I will let you know how it turns out!

I made this for lunch, it was delicious. I will definitely make it again and again…

Great recipe! We usually do tacos fajita style with a mix of black beans, peppers and onions, but the other day I was craving a more traditional taco and this totally hit the spot. We also topped with refried black beans to give a little more moisture but probably wouldn’t have needed to. I’ve been making your recipes for most of my meals lately – love them, thank you!

Thank you for this great recipe. I made tacos and I thought I would have some for a few meals. But this will not happen as my husband ate some and loved this. I am thinking of using this in a Shepard pie. Amazing recipe!

Wow! Marvelous, intense flavors! This deserves a lifetime achievement award. Saving us from the texture protein taco blues. Thank you for changing my menu.

I am currently, as in right now as I type this (okay maybe not simultaneously), stuffing my face full of quinoa taco deliciousness. White corn gorillas, spinach, black beans, low fat greek yogurt, a sprinkling a cheese and salsa? YUM!!! This wonderful recipe is definitely going in my regular rotation. Thank you for rescuing me from middle of the week menu blahness.:)

Loved this recipe, I didn’t have veggie broth so I substituted a really watery salsa, it worked out well!

I made this earlier this week and am right now making it again because it is so good! I used it to make burritos and while I was waiting for it to reheat I may or may not have eaten it with a spoon from the container…..ok, yeah, I definitely did. lol Thanks for such an awesome recipe!

I LOVE THIS RECIPE! I have made it several times. I usually double the nutritional yeast – it love the flavor it adds. I made it once without the nutritional yeast, and it wasn’t as good. When I’m making this recipe just for my husband and I, I add a little cayenne for some kick!

Hey,
Just made these last night…I have picky eating kids…and they loved it(so did I)! Your site has been my go to since we have gone Vegan. Keep posting these amazing recipes!

Surprisingly amazing. Very similar to the flavor and texture of hamburger taco meat.

Made these night before last – AMAZING!! The leftovers were great on a salad!!

I made this tonight (using tricolor quinoa) and followed the recipe with one exception — I omitted the nutritional yeast because I didn’t have any on hand. Even without the nutritional yeast, this tasted so freaking good! I did add a bit extra salt to boost the flavor. I made tacos with the quinoa meat for dinner for my boyfriend and myself and with the leftovers I packed us both taco salads which we’ll eat with tortilla chips for lunch. Will definitely make this again soon!

My husband just made these last night for me. We didn’t have vegetable broth, so we just cooked the quinoa in water. They were awesome! I’m on a journey to become vegan and this will definitely be a staple recipe in our house! Thanks!

De-freaking-licious! This was so so good. Thank you for recipes that never disappoint. Makes eating plant based meals so much easier in my omnivorous household. Awesome!

Made a delicious nacho bowl! Loved getting extra fiber in my dinner!

This was dank. The first go, I was like hell ya. Second time I did your method but instead of veg broth I used the lentil chorizo ingredients from kenji Lopez vegan experience (serious eats)… dude… like what? This is foreal.. the mf best.. also I’m really glad I found the ‘i made it button ‘ because I get so sick of reading reviews about how good it looks and people sucking up to you. I just want to see how people thinl it tastes. So THANK YOU for MAKING THAT BUTTON. I dig this site.

I made this for burritos with refried beans and Mexican rice on whole wheat tortillas. It was fantastic. Thank you.

This recipe definitely surpassed my expectations!!! I made it exactly how directed and even my carnivore husband loved it!!
Thank you.

Hi, Dana!

I made this recipe last night and it was phenomenal. Like most, I grew up eating tacos the traditional way, but since I became a vegan I’ve been on the hunt for something healthier and just as flavorful. The quinoa left me feeling more satiated than beef, and with the help of the vegetable broth and the grapeseed oil, the spices were better absorbed. Thank you very much.

Now I will peruse your site for the perfect Thanksgiving meal.

Cheers! And happy holidays!

I made a half batch of this tonight just for myself and topped it with black beans, romaine, onions, avocado, a little cheese and hot sauce and just ate it salad style – it’s amazing! Great flavor, great texture..just delicious. My husband tried a bite and loved it too! Next time I make tacos or tostadas this is definitely my go to filling! Thank you!

I found this on Yummly and tried it last night. Oh my gosh, so much flavor! We put it in spinach tortillas with lettuce and other toppings and they were outstanding. I’m new to plant-based eating and this will definitely be in my repertoire. I think my meat-loving 15-year-old son would even like this! (He’s been avoiding my dinners.) I will make a larger batch next time. I’ll be exploring more of your recipes. Thank you!

I found and tried this recipe yesterday and have to admit that I absolutely loved it. The recipe made Taco Tuesday even more enjoyable than usual. Thanks!

Just made this tonight and it is my new favorite vegan meal! This is the best “ground beef” alternative I’ve had it made! Thank you so much for the recipe!!

I made this last night and absolutely loved it! It was crisp with loads of robust flavor. To save time I used Trader Joe’s frozen quinoa and simply “cooked” it in the microwave. The leftovers went into a taco salad for lunch today. I promise you won’t miss the meat one bit.