Quinoa Taco Meat

I made this tonight and it was delicious. I added some sautéed shallot, peppers, mushrooms and some black beans and some vegan cheese. Unfortunately didn’t have a ripe avocado or I would have added that too. I will next time

Thank you for the recipe! The seasonings were perfect. The whole family enjoyed it so much. Who would have thought meatless tacos could taste this good. My husband, who never tries or likes anything healthy, LOVED these tacos!

I used to use tofu to make tacos with but I much prefer this recipe and make it all the time! A fantastic alternative, and my (meat eating) boyfriend also loves it! Thanks Dana!

Thank you for this! We stopped eating meat in March (I’m nudging us in a more vegan direction now) and the transition has been tough for my kids! My 5yo loved this recipe!!! She ate it right up in a flour tortilla!
Your site has been an amazing find for me. Thanks again for putting up all these amazing simple recipes!!!

I made this for dinner tonight. Hubby was skeptical, but he at it with no complaints! If he could’ve found a fault, he would have! So this is a home run in my book :) Hubs proceeded to google “quinoa” during dinner and recited all the health benefits of this ancient grain. DD13 thought it was great and wants to see it again. Definitely adding this recipe to my rotation. Thank you for the great idea.

I made this and am obsessed! Sooo much better than ground turkey tacos! Also, it froze and reheated SO good!!!

I made this tonight and it was delicious! Great texture and tasted just like taco meat. Thanks for the recipe!

We have made this sooo many times and it’s always a hit! It is my go-to recipe for a taco meat substitute. The texture is unbeatable.

It was delicious and very easy to make!! Even my super picky children requested seconds. The only change I made was using 1 1/2 cups liquid instead of the 1 3/4.

Love it!

I made this tonight because I was really craving Taco Bell and their vegetarian options just aren’t doing it for me because it’s the spices in thei questionable beef that I miss lol so I gave this recipe a go and I think the saving grace were the toppings (cheese, sour cream, pinto beans, lettuce, tomato). The quinoa tasted more like a Spanish rice for some reason but i think it’s because of salsa that I used. Wasn’t what I was envisioning in respects to flavor and texture but it worked and was filling!

I have made this. Overall, very good. Will decrease spices next time way too much for me. Perfect replacement for meat in tacos and nachos with vegan cheese, beans and guacamole. Wil make over and over. Enjoy.

Your recipes are always so on point I never second guess them. My go to for vegan dishes.

I made this recipe last night since Ellen fisher recommended this. I just doubled the spices /salsa and it turned out very tasty! I put this on a bed of chips with smashed black beans with spices… It came out amazing! My husband wouldn’t stop eating from my plate. I’m using the leftovers for enchiladas tonight.

I attended a vegan taco dinner party last night and made this and it was a hit ! Everyone loved it.

This is absolutely delicious!! I made the quinoa in my Instantpot, toasting it on “sauté” before adding the broth. After I fluffed it and let it cool, I mixed all of the other ingredients right into the pot and then dumped it onto the cookie sheet. I baked mine for 19 minutes and it was perfect. The only thing I’ll do differently next time is to double the recipe, especially since I ate about a half cup of it right off the pan. Sorry not sorry.

This recipe is a game changer that I keep going back go to impress non-vegan dinner guests! Thank you so much, Dana, I finally had to figure out how to leave a glowing review because this recipe absolutely deserves it!!! It’s so simple, try it out once if you’re on the fence and then you’ll fall in love and be glad you did!

Oh my!!! I just made these for lunch. I stuffed them with cilantro and avocado. Incredible!!!

This recipe was great! My three year old loves “helping” in the kitchen, and this meal was one he could easily get his hands in…on. While the quinoa was simmering, we added all the other ingredients to a mixing bowl. By time we were finished, the quinoa was ready to rest the 10 minutes so my son used a butter knife to cut up the avocado. It’s also really yummy without baking, so I sat some aside for my son since he was getting impatient. We’ll definitely add this to our meal rotation. Not only was it easy and yummy, it allowed us some bonding time. Thanks for sharing!

We tried this a couple years ago before going vegetarian and really enjoyed it. We ate it pretty regularly. Now that we don’t cook meat, this is a staple at our house! Love the flavor and texture. A filling a yummy recipe.

I am just about crying right now, tears of joy! This recipe is so amazing! Although I was a vegetarian for a long time, I’m relatively new to the vegan world ( 1 year ) I mean I LOVE beans thank goodness, but I’m about over bean tacos and burritos and I avoid the fake meats and crumbles as I have rheumatoid arthritis and I find the preservatives and added whatever makes it worse. Just happened to google vegan taco meat and your recipe came up. Thank you! Oh , and I don’t really like quinoa , but this may change my mind and my life! It’s chewy and moist and a very “meaty” texture , just fabulous!!!

This recipe is absolutely wonderful! My husband and I enjoyed our tacos so very much and this will become a regular repeat meal for sure! We had pre made taco seasoning we used this time, but are looking forward to using the spices listed in the recipe for the next. Thank you!

I made this tonight. It was really good. I think I probably should have gone with a organic taco though…the ones I choice probably had too much salt.

Sooo good !! We had this with homemade tortilla wraps, vegan cheesesauce, salsa and avocado. I couldn’t get the salsa here in Germany, so I made my own. I definitly will do this more often !!

Just had this for dinner,it was fantastic, added vegan refried beans to my shell,quinoa, salsa lettuce tomatoes, did my shells in airfryer (no oil)I will be making this all the time

I made these last night and had the leftovers tonight! These are AMAZING!!!!! So easy and delicious! Best taco recipe ever!!!! It will definitely be a weekly meal now. I’m in love with these tacos!

This is my go-to recipe for tacos, and I’ve made it numerous times! EVERYONE loves this, even my meat-eating friends and family!

Sorry, but it was just too spicy. Once we got through the heat it did taste nice. Doubt we will try it again–if we do, it will be minus the chili powder and cumin

This was delicious!! I also added half a can of lentils to the spices and salsa before putting in the oven and it was the besttt taco ‘meat’ ever! Definitely a yummy taco Tuesday recipe that I’ll be doing again and again!!

We used to love a good hot dog with all the toppings of an old fashioned drug store counter. Since we no longer eat meat products, we gave this a try by switching the ingredients over to a chili recipe to make a great chili dog. Add a few more toppings on a bun and it’s perfect. You’ll never miss the meat products.

This was delicious! After the quinoa was cooked, I used half of it and half cauliflower rice, tossed with spices and baked per your directions, served on tostadas. . Yummmmmmy!

Alone this is just OK, but it shines and is wonderful in a hard-shell taco. I didn’t miss the ground beef taco meat at all. A new keeper! Thanks

I couldn’t sleep tonight so I got out of bed and made your cinnamon rolls to surprise my husband with in the morning. Then I thought well might as well make the quinoa taco meat for dinner tomorrow night. What’s especially funny about this is that before i became vegan I never really cared about cinnamon rolls or tacos!! Now both recipes are huge favorites in my home.
So grateful to you and all the other vegan food bloggers that make this way of living so easy for all of us.
Now I’m off to buy an ice cream maker to make your chocolate ice cream!??

Two extremely grateful and satisfied thumbs up.

I made this tonight. Still cooling, but smells wonderful! I plan to make a wrap for lunch at work tomorrow and use the rest through out the week. Thanks for a great recipe!

This was great, thank you ?. I made some fresh pico for garnish, amazing, we’ll be having this often!

We have been using this for awhile for tacos and it is a great recipe. Tonight we wanted enchiladas so I made this “meat” and my wife used it as replacement in her beef enchilada recipe. It blew us away…worked perfectly and was over the top delicious. I honestly don’t think someone who didn’t know would realize it was vegan meat.

The only change we made was to skip the baking step which made it a bit easier to work with as enchilada filling.

We are Texans who like our meat and Tex Mex and this crushed it on both counts.

As always, thank you for all you do. We know your recipes are going to be well tested and delicious.

Tom and Christine.

Love the quinoa taco meat!! I put the leftovers in a deconstructed enchilada casserole and it works so well!!! Thank you

Delicious! This is by far my favorite way to eat quinoa now. Baked mine for 25 mins. I’d even eat this just as is without any oven time! Just that delicious! Thanks Dana!

This is really good. I had it over ‘nachos’ with homemade salsa and guacamole. Extremely yum. I didn’t have a big enough pan to spread it all out on in the oven but with the leftovers I will spread it out and try it more crunchy. Thanks for the recipe!

Followed the recipe exactly and love it!! Before baking I thought it tasted good but was unsure how it would be a good taco meat sub, but man! It was so dang good after baking! I made soft tacos topped with lettuce,tomato, and cashew sour cream. Woke up in the middle of the night and ate a spoonful of it when I went to get something to drink to. Ha. Good stuff.

I made this for dinner tonight with your queso recipe. I personally loved it. I want to try quinoa in other things now. My family wasn’t as excited as I was but they’re meat eaters :( Thank you for the creative recipes.

I just made this tonight. I must say it was absolutely delicious! I only had 2 tacos and I am stuffed! I am shocked at how great it was! My friend was shocked as well! We will definitely be adding this to the taco Tuesday menu. We didn’t miss meat one bit! Thank you for the wonderful alternative, and helping me enjoy a more plant based diet a bit more easily!

Had to work with what I had on hand so I increased the veggie broth in the quinoa, didn’t add nutritional yeast, added a 1/2 tsp onion powder to the quinoa, and substituted a half tbspn tomato paste, some cilantro, some chopped red onion, and juice from 1/4 of a lime for salsa. Served with fresh jalapeño, refried beans, cucumber, sautéed bell pepper and red onion, and hot sauce and was quite pleased with the results.

This was first meal as my family embarks on eating a plant-based diet…and we LOVED it. Looking forward to trying the meals in the ebook.

This is life changing, I swear. I’ve been a vegetarian for decades, but I still miss the authentic texture of meat, not to mention the ease ground beef allows. I’ve tried other crumbled alternatives, including a great chorizo made from tofu, but always found the texture just slightly off. This, though! Yes, you must let it get crispy, to not do so will leave you with tasty quinoa mush. And it is really important to use broth when boiling the quinoa. It provides a depth of flavor necessary for the umami taste. Finally, this stuff is amazing the NEXT day. Not only did it not get mushy, the flavor developed even more so. I toasted my leftovers in a pan just to warm them through. Fantastic!

I had vegan tacos and my mom made this quinoa “meat” for the recipe. It was really good. I like the texture of the quinoa better than any veggie meat. This is a keeper!

Absolutely delicious! It’ll be on heavy rotation. Thank you !

I put it in a homemade vegan chili and slow cooked all day. Delicious!!

Dana, my friend (I feel like I can call you friend), this is my most favorite recipe ever. It was the first thing I made when we transitioned to a plant based diet in 2017 and still makes me so happy. We had tri-colored quinoa this time & it was even tastier (if that’s possible)! Your recipes never disappoint and I am so thankful for them. I LOVE that you include metric measurements since we are Americans living in Bulgaria . Keep them coming!

My boyfriend and I are not vegetarian per say…
But we have been trying to eat that way during the week!
Two things: He LOVES tacos, and this quinoa taco meat wont make you miss a thing! We absolutely loved this recipe. Crispy texture, full of flavor. I adding 1/2 tsp of cayenne for a kick and make your chimichurri recipe to drizzle on top of my tacos.
SO GOOD AND WILL KEEP MAKING THIS FOREVER AND EVER!

Thank you!
Kelly

I’ve made this a few times and just recently this week for a quick weeknight taco dinner. I cook the quinoa in water but the taste is still very good! The kids gobble it up fast which is a testament to its goodness. We use leftovers for salads and as toppings for other meals. Quick, easy and delicious!

Made this last night to go on tostadas… DELICIOUS! Turned out even better than I expected (and my expectations are always high for your recipes, because I generally love them all).
Reheated it (in the oven) for a salad this afternoon, and it was equally good.

I can not say enough good things about this recipe. Do not hesitate! Make his for dinner TONIGHT! Being vegetarian, crunchy tacos have been one thing I miss and crave the most and boy did this #QuinoaTacoMeat satisfy that craving! I topped my tacos with spicy cabbage, cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a drizzle of Texas Pete. *Drools* Served along side some cilantro lime corn and lard free refried beans. One of my favorite meals of all time!

#minimalistbaker
#tacotuesday
#quinoa

This was seriously SO GOOD! I’m still amazed by how good it was. I’ll likely end up making this a staple around here. Thank you!

Your blog is one of the few reasons our family (we have 3 small kids) has been able to stay consistent with our vegan diet. THANK YOU for recipes like this. I’m so grateful for your blog (and your cook book, which I got for Christmas)!

This was amazing!

just made these for dinner tonight! delicious! will definitely be making these again :)

Very good! My mom and I are fasting and were looking for good filling began recipes this recipe came up and it was very delicious and filling.

I made this a couple of nights ago, and it was the bomb! Both my husband and I thoroughly devoured our tacos. This will be a regular in our meal rotation!

HOLY MOLY. THIS IS THE ONLY REVIEW I HAVE EVER DONE ON A RECIPE. trust me when i say that this is AMAZING and you need this in your life!! i have been eating this every night for dinner- in taco shells, in lettuce wraps, in tortillas, and in salads- for the past few weeks and i’m still not sick of it.

I made this last night and absolutely loved it. Honestly, it was better than any meat tacos I remember eating. I added black beans for a little extra protein and paprika for additional flavor. This will definitely be a staple whenever tacos are on the menu.

Delicious! Threw this in a burrito bowl with black beans, lime-jalapeno marinated kale, avocado salsa verde and some nutritional yeast. Eating the black beans and quinoa taco meat together made me think this would make for a great veggie burger …

This recipe was really terrific. We’ve used lentils and Beyond Meat Crumbles, but the quinoa really was transformed with the additional oven time that resulted in a browning and crisy texture that made everyone want seconds and thirds…and it’s a very inexpensive meal too! Well done MB!

Girl this taco meat….BOMB!! I love it thanks so much. Btw I’m newly vegan and was starving tonight and ran across this recipe…I love it! Will be back for more recipes!!!

Wow! I made this for me and my dad, who is a carnivorous, meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. I left out the nutritional yeast and added a little tapatío and fresh salsa after they came out. He loved them, and said he might even choose them over meat tacos!!! Thank you so much for this great recipe.

I am transitioning over to a plant based diet and this will definitely be on rotation for Taco Tuesday! I thought it was very good. I’m the only one who ate it and it made a ton so I have plenty left over for the next few days. Thanks for sharing!

Made this and only changed the chili powder to taco mix. Everyone loves it. Thanks for the recipes.

I love this taco filling recipe. I have used it in taco bowls and taco salads and it is simply fantastic.

I just made this for lunch. It was so good! The person who shared the recipe with me thought that it was too loose for hard tacos, so I waited until the quinoa was already baked to add the salsa and it held together nicely. I also added the nutritional yeast after it was already baked so that the heat didn’t kill the B vitamins (I’m not sure that actually happens, but I’ve heard that before). I served it with guacamole and my own special pico de gallo slaw.

I keep coming back to your website for this recipe ? Just perfect, and super kid-friendly. My two toddlers LOVE this ? Keep up the good work.
Hugs from Norway?

These were quite tasty! I had leftover quinoa and this recipe was the perfect way to use it. The red quinoa gave the finished “meat” an uncanny resemblance to actual taco meat that might persuade non-veg people to give it a try. It was much better than previous taco attempts with veggie crumbles or lentils. I will definitely make this again!

This was perfect for me and picky meat missing boyfriend

Came out perfect!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!

So good! I think I undercooked it a little because I was scared to burn it, and the parts that are cooked more are my favourite, so I think I’ll cook a little longer next time. But it’s delicious. I was eating it straight off the baking sheet.

I loved this! Definitely a KEEPER! I made salsa from scratch and my batch was a bit spicy which intensified while roasting.

My cooking time was much longer due to my sheet pan being too small.

I was very impressed with the seasoning blend. I was concerned it wasn’t enough for the amount of quinoa but it worked out perfect.

Also, because I knew my salsa was on the hot side for my taste. I subbed 1/4 tsp each smoked paprika and oregano in place of black pepper.

I made this recipe last night and could not believe how amazingly delicious it was! I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect without any modifications. Looking forward to the leftovers tonight. Thank you !

I tell everyone about this recipe, it is amazing!!!!!! Thank you so much ☺️

This recipe has become a staple in our house! Everyone loves it and I have made it for guests to rave reviews. Before baking, I add in a can of black beans and it binds together nicely with the great crunchy layer from the oven. Love it! Thank you!

These tacos were amazing, I used them in nachos and they were a big hit. My whole family ate it!!

I’ve made several MB recipes, but I *had* to come here and comment because this recipe was that good. My favorite so far. Extremely simple to make, robust flavor thanks to the chili powder, garlic powder, and, most of all, cumin! I have put this on nearly every meal! I didn’t care too much for quinoa before now due to the lack of flavor. This fixes that. Am I allowed to post a meal picture here? https://www.instagram.com/p/BYcb_WeghEH/

Thanks for posting this. You’ve become quite the household name for us vegans :-)

Wow! What a great recipe. Totally tasty even without the nutritional yeast. We used spicy salsa to give the recipe an extra kick. Thank you!

So good. I made this for taco bowls and it was a big hit. I used Parmesan instead of nutritional yeast. Thank you!

I love how you get a mix of soft and crunchy quinoa. Yum! Made burritos/tacos topped with this and roasted mushrooms, cashew sour cream, salsa, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, corn, avocado and vegan cheese. Delicious!