This easy vegan pecan taco meat will blow away even the carnivores! Just 8 ingredients needed! Quick vegan dinner recipe idea!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & we'll send it to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week.
This vegan pecan taco meat is going to blow your mind! It is so easy to make and so so good.
The pecans soften even better than our vegan walnut taco meat recipe, which makes it a better option for people who aren’t excited about the crunch that walnuts still have even after soaking for 24 hours.
Still, it’s important to note that there is still a crunch.
It’s not only quick and easy, but it has minimal ingredients and can easily be meal prepped.
We don’t get to test every recipe on people who still consume animal products; however, with this vegan taco meat, I knew it was a must.
Multiple people have tried this meatless walnut taco meat and both plant based and non-plant based people alike, agree that it’s amazing. Even kids love it.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How much does this make and can I double the recipe?
We know some families are large and may need to make more. The recipe as written makes 2 cups of pecan “meat”. It’s enough for our family of four; however, you can easily double or triple the recipe for your needs. Just add the same amount line for line.
Where do I buy sun dried tomatoes?
Sun-dried tomatoes can be in either dry packs like dried pepper (ancho chilis for example) or packed in oil. We personally prefer the jars packed in oil; however, we know many people avoid those because of the oil.
If using the jar in oil, you can find the jars in the section where olives are or in the pasta aisle of most grocers, including places like Walmart and Target. You could also purchase sun dried tomatoes in oil on Amazon.
For dry packs, you can find those in the produce aisle or ask your local grocer. They are hit or miss in store. Sometimes Walmart has in the produce aisle, Whole Foods usually has also.
Another option would be to call ahead before driving to your store to verify they have it or purchase sun-dried tomatoes no oil from Amazon.
For the non-oil sun-dried tomatoes, you will have to place into water to soften before using.
Can I sub sun dried tomatoes for something else?
We have tested this recipe subbing out the sun dried tomatoes for both tomato paste and fire roasted tomatoes. While you can sub either of these for the sun dried tomatoes, the texture will be different.
It’s much more moist with either option and does not have a crumbly appearance like in our photos. The taste however is still great.
Note: That because of the moisture, it does make it even softer if that’s the texture that you are going for.
Can I make Top 8 Allergy Friendly vegan taco meat?
We can easily tell you how to make this Top 7 free, but the base of the dish is pecan, making it hard to say it’s easily Top 8 Free.
The soy sauce is the only other ingredient that we are concerned with. Depending on the allergies you have, you can replace the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari, coconut aminos or a Top 8 no soy sauce (click links to see each).
While it will taste different and the texture won’t be the same, you could also pulse chickpeas down and replace the pecans to make it Top 8 Allergy Free.
Can I meal prep this Vegan Pecan Taco Meat ahead of time?
Yes! This is actually a great meal prep planning dish to make. You have 2 options.
One, you can soak the walnuts for up to 2 days ahead of time, as well as chopping your vegetables (onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes) and store in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Then, when ready proceed with the recipe as normal.
The other option is to make the entire recipe at one time, but place the finished product in an air tight container for up to 7 days in the fridge.
What toppings should I put on top of my walnut taco meat tacos?
Anything that you would normally serve on top of tacos goes great with this vegan meat dish. Things like avocados, tomatoes, vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, lettuce, salsa, and more.
If you are looking for more creative dishes for taco toppings, you can try:
- Avocado Dip
- Mango Salsa
- Homemade Taco Sauce
- Kale Guacamole
- Spicy Jalapeno Cilantro Pesto
- Chipotle Corn Salsa
Can I use this to make vegan pecan meat quesadillas, burritos, etc?
Absolutely! This vegan “meat” option can be used in any dish you’d use taco seasoned meat for. Some ideas would be:
- Dairy Free Nachos
- Vegan Enchiladas (swap out the jackfruit for this)
- Added into our sweet potato and black bean tacos
- Sub for walnut meat in our vegan cheese fries
Pin this Vegan Pecan Taco Meat for later:
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Vegan Pecan Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 red onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil (*See post if avoiding oil)
- 1 tablespoon avocado (or olive) oil
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce (*See post for soy free options)
- 1 juice of a lime
Instructions
- Soak pecans in a bowl, covered with boiling hot water for at least 30 minutes. *Soak overnight for softer texture.
- Drain pecans. Put them into a food processor and pulse until you have meat like crumbles. *Be careful not to over process or you will end up with pecan butter.
- Chop onions, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes very fine.
- Add oil to a skillet, and saute your onions until translucent (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add in the garlic for 1 more minute.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning across and stir to combine.
- Add in sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Add in the crumbled pecans and stir very well.
- Pour in the soy sauce (or substitute) and the lime juice. Stir well.
- Cook for another 7-8 minutes.
- Take off the stove and serve.
This was amazing! I loved the flavors and the texture!! So simple too, as I had all the ingredients on hand. I didn’t have taco seasoning, so I used your recipe for that as well – I’ll be making up a batch of that for other recipes! I used “the meat” in quesadillas for dinner – with sauted peppers, red onion, jalapeno, then some cheese, folded it up and topped with avocado slices and scallions. This texture took me back to my meat eating days – loved it!
I used the left-over a couple of days later, on top of a baked potato – felt like bacon bits but with a more complex flavor. I think I’ll try it on top of nachos next. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Love that you’re using it in so many ways!
I made this today, it was lovely.
Thank you.
Thanks for the kind words!
I made this recipe on Friday night and we had it leftover for dinner on Monday night. My Boyfriend is a hardcore meat eater. I decided I wanted to start eating vegan at 69 years old. Not easy for me when I always planned a meal around a meat protein. But my honey said he doesn’t even miss the meat. Thank you for creating and sharing this delicious dish
I love that for you both Francine!
I was searching for meatless recipes and came across this one. I wasn’t sure how this would taste but I was pleasantly surprised. I used lettuce as my “taco” shell and simply topped with avocado and jalapeños. I agree the pecans should soak overnight for a more meat like texture but it was still delicious. The layering of the flavors were amazing. This one will be a go to for me.
so glad you enjoyed it
Larisha and Andrew, THANK YOU. This year is our first foray into focusing on a whole-foods, plant-based diet, and frankly I had my doubts my husband would stick with me on this. I showed him some of Andrew’s videos, though, and he said “Huh. I’d eat the bearded-guy’s food. That looks good” My first of your recipes was this taco filling, which I made in complement with your cauliflower fajita vegetables. We made a whole spread, topping it with a simple cabbage slaw, on cassava tortillas, and it was amazing! It reheats beautifully and is so flavorful I can’t wait for leftovers!
So happy to hear that you gave it a try! That sounds like a wonderful combination. I’m really glad your husband is joining you
Amazing! I absolutely love this, my roommates were stunned that it was pecans. They would’ve never guessed!
That’s the best kind of compliment! thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We really appreciate it.
Looks great! Can’t wait to try! You state to “see post” for oil-free and soy-free options, but I am not finding that section, and I am likely overlooking. Could you please tell me where to find that area on your website? Thank you!
Happy to help. Here’s what the post says:
For the non-oil sun-dried tomatoes, you will have to place into water to soften before using.
We have tested this recipe subbing out the sun dried tomatoes for both tomato paste and fire roasted tomatoes. While you can sub either of these for the sun dried tomatoes, the texture will be different.
It’s much more moist with either option and does not have a crumbly appearance like in our photos. The taste however is still great.
The soy sauce is the only other ingredient that we are concerned with. Depending on the allergies you have, you can replace the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari, coconut aminos or a Top 8 no soy sauce.
Yum! I love these kind of recipes. I added riced cauliflower to the onions while cooking (to stretch out the nuts) and added toasted sesame and extra seasonings. So good!
Sounds great!
🤩🤩
Thanks!
can I substitute with walnut pieces? I have them on hand
Yes