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You are here: Home / Main Courses / Vegan Walnut Taco Meat

Vegan Walnut Taco Meat

Published: Feb 20, 2020 · Modified: Aug 27, 2020 by LarishaBernard · This post may contain affiliate links · 55 Comments

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This easy vegan walnut taco meat will blow away even the carnivores! Just 8 ingredients needed! Quick vegan dinner recipe idea!

If you are a busy person (insert: likely everyone), you are always looking for quick and easy meal ideas.  Oftentimes we get into ruts and loo for new ideas.  This vegan walnut taco meat is going to be your new go to!  

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 walnut 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. 

What ingredients do you need for Vegan Walnut Taco Meat?

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it is super flavorful, without needed a bunch of ingredients.  In fact, you only need 8 ingredients for this vegetarian walnut taco meat.  The ingredients that you need are: 

  • Avocado Oil (or Olive Oil — can sub for vegetable stock if oil free)
  • Walnuts
  • Red Onion
  • Garlic
  • Sun Dried Tomatoes
  • Taco Seasoning (we use this homemade taco seasoning – ensure if you are buying store bought that it is in fact dairy free as some are not)
  • Soy sauce (sub for liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or soy free, gluten free sauce)
  • Lime juice

How do you make Vegan Walnut Taco Meat?

The first step in making this vegetarian taco meat, is that you want to soak your walnuts to soften them more.  We do this by placing in a bowl and covering with hot water for at least 30 minutes.  You can also do this overnight if you need to prep ahead. 

Once your walnuts have soaked, drain them and you are going to put them into a food processor and pulse until you have meat like crumbles. They should be small in size.  Be careful not to over process or you will end up with walnut butter. 

Then, chop your onions, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes.  You want everything to be very small because you are using a finely crumbled nut as your meat base. 

Add a small amount of 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.  Then, add in your sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 1 more minute. 

Add in the crumbled walnut and stir very well.  Pour in the soy sauce (or substitute) and the lime juice.  Stir well.  Cook for another 4-5 minutes.  The color will go from a light brown to a robust, medium brown color hue. Take off the skillet and serve.  

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 walnut “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 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.

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 walnuts, 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 walnuts to make it Top 8 Allergy Free.  

Can I meal prep this Vegan Walnut 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 walnut 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

Pin this Vegan Walnut Taco Meat for later:

Print Recipe
4.73 from 40 votes

Vegan Walnut Taco Meat

This easy vegan walnut taco meat will blow away even the carnivores! Just 8 ingredients needed! Quick vegan dinner recipe idea!
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: dairy free main course, dairy free recipes, dairy free tacos, vegan main course, vegan recipes, vegan tacos
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 451kcal
Author: LarishaBernard

Ingredients

  • 2 cups walnuts
  • 1 red onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil (*See post if avoiding oil)
  • 1 tbsp avocado (or olive) oil
  • 1 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 2 tsp soy sauce (*See post for soy free options)
  • 1 juice of a lime

Instructions

  • Soak walnuts in a bowl, covered with water for at least 30 minutes.  *See post for tips on prepping ahead
  • Drain walnuts.  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 walnut 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 walnut and stir very well. 
  • Pour in the soy sauce (or substitute) and the lime juice. Stir well. 
  • Cook for another 4-5 minutes. 
  • Take off the stove and serve. 

Video

Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
*Please see notes for tips and tricks

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 434mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 15.9mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2.2mg

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Share to Instagram and tag us @makeitdairyfree so we can see and share it!

This post was originally published on 5/17/2019 and updated on 2/20/2020 to include a video. 

Filed Under: Main Courses, Recipes Tagged With: main course, recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sun johnson

    September 07, 2019 at 9:26 pm

    5 stars
    I made this and it is fantastic!!! I subbed chipotle peppers in adobo for some added spice… completely vegan & dairy free!! So filling and satisfying!

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      September 10, 2019 at 9:55 am

      YAY!!! I’m so happy that you loved it and found a sub for the peppers that worked for you! Have a great day!

      Reply
  2. Carrie

    September 19, 2019 at 5:50 am

    Can I freeze this taco meat?

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      September 19, 2019 at 7:58 am

      We honestly haven’t tried. It all goes so fast! But I don’t see why you couldn’t as long as it’s in an air tight freezer container. I’ll plan to make it next week and try it and report back

      Reply
  3. Rifqah

    December 24, 2019 at 3:48 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      December 24, 2019 at 11:54 pm

      Thank you so much! We are happy you like it!

      Reply
  4. Isabel

    January 30, 2020 at 7:27 pm

    5 stars
    It was SO delicious!! I want to make it everyday, I think about it all the time ? I’m obsessed!!

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      January 30, 2020 at 10:40 pm

      OMG thank you for taking the time to write a review and leave the star rating. We thank you so much and appreciate you for trying our recipe immensely. Have a great day!

      Reply
  5. Justine

    February 07, 2020 at 7:16 pm

    5 stars
    I found a bunch of walnuts on sale and bought them but I had no idea what I was going to do with them. So I obviously went to Pinterest for ideas & I ran across your recipe. I had never heard of using walnuts as a meat replacement but I was intrigued… & I’m so glad I was! This recipe is FANTASTIC!!

    I’m a meat eater and I prefer this over regular taco meat. My husband is very carnivorous and he even approves! It’s so good! I legit crave it all the time now!

    I’m back here re-reading the recipe to test it in enchiladas tonight!! ? So I thought I’d leave a review while I’m at it! Lol

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      February 09, 2020 at 9:43 pm

      You rock! We are so happy that you found our recipe and that it’s working for your family. We love to hear stories like yours! Let us know how the enchiladas are, those sound delicious!

      Reply
  6. Patricia Smith

    March 15, 2020 at 5:45 pm

    Fantastic walnut meat recipe!!!
    I made this for the first time a couple days ago, I had to admit I was skeptical at first….this was a totally new way of cooking for me. I will definitely make this one of my go to recipes. Even my 5yr old ate it & she doesn’t like nuts. Go figure!!

    However, I did something a little different from the instructions to speed up time. I combined all the veggies in the food processor at one time. I noticed the sun dried tomatoes did not chop up finely. I had to chop those by hand.

    Any thoughts on how to get a fine chop on the sun dried tomatoes via the food processor?

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      March 19, 2020 at 2:36 pm

      Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. We are so glad that you liked the recipe. If you want to do that, I’d recommend that you find sun dried tomatoes not in oil as the softness is what is preventing them from chopping in the food processor. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  7. Janet

    March 20, 2020 at 8:33 am

    Amazing!!! My husband and I both loved this recipe! The flavor is just incredible. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      April 29, 2020 at 11:01 pm

      yayy! We’re so excited to hear that you loved it. Have a great week!

      Reply
  8. Joyce

    April 19, 2020 at 6:02 pm

    Easy and delicious Diced fresh tomatoes instead of dried tomatoes and added black beans.GREAT!

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      April 30, 2020 at 2:19 am

      We’re so excited that you liked it. Thanks for sharing the substitutions you made. We appreciate you leaving a review. have a great day

      Reply
  9. Jeanne

    May 07, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing! My meat eating husband loved it and my vegan friends were amazed! Definitely making this again!

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      May 12, 2020 at 8:28 am

      So excited to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate it so much! Have a great week, stay safe!

      Reply
  10. Rachel

    May 11, 2020 at 7:23 am

    5 stars
    brilliant recipe thank you

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      May 12, 2020 at 8:26 am

      We’re so excited you liked it! Thanks for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate it so much! Have a great week, stay safe!

      Reply
  11. Dara

    May 28, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    5 stars
    This was absolutely amazing

    Reply
    • LarishaCampbell

      June 03, 2020 at 3:53 pm

      So happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to leave a rating, we appreciate that so much.

      Reply
  12. Mary

    June 23, 2020 at 4:09 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! I would not change a thing! I’m glad I found this recipe. Thank you.

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      June 23, 2020 at 4:40 pm

      Wow, we are so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a nice review, we appreciate that greatly! Have a wonderful day!

      Reply
  13. Tania Ramirez

    July 04, 2020 at 11:08 am

    5 stars
    Another amazing recipe!! I added it to my tofu scramble and it was delicious!
    So glad I found your page 🙂

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      July 10, 2020 at 11:01 am

      ohhh that sounds so good together! So happy to hear you liked it, we appreciate you taking time out of your day to leave a review!

      Reply
  14. Olivia Williams

    July 15, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    5 stars
    This Recipe was amazing I’m starting my Vegan Life Stye with my 6 year old son he was on his Third Taco !!! Can’t tell the difference with the Walnuts 😉 very simple and easy Healthy at that !!!!! I’m loving the Recipes you both created ….. WHATS NEXT FOR MY SECOND ROUND ?

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      July 21, 2020 at 10:55 pm

      We appreciate you so much for taking the time to leave a review and so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe along with your little one. Congrats on the new journey

      Reply
  15. Gail Maunula

    September 01, 2020 at 6:36 am

    5 stars
    This is absolutely the best vegan recipe I have made! I am so proud of this. #newfave

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      September 01, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      Hi Gail! We’re so happy to hear it was a hit, thanks so much for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate it so much

      Reply
  16. Lisa

    September 23, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    Seriously delicious! Thank you so much for this. I am not vegan, just fasting from meat and dairy right now. So I don’t have many recipes to go on. This was so satisfying.

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      October 09, 2020 at 8:43 am

      So happy to hear you loved the recipe. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate that a lot. Have a great week!

      Reply
  17. Teresa

    November 29, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    If I don’t have a food processor could I use high power blender to chop walnuts?

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      December 01, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      Yes, but we’d do it in batches so you don’t end up with walnut butter. You could also just chop fine with a knife

      Reply
  18. Tatiana

    February 04, 2021 at 5:47 pm

    5 stars
    WOW!! I just made this and it’s officially my new favorite vegan recipe!!! I didn’t have sundried tomatoes so I just used a 1/4 a cup of salsa and I added mushrooms! It was amazing!!!!!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      February 24, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      We’re so excited to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for taking time to leave a review, we really appreciate that. Have a great week!

      Reply
  19. Tatiana

    February 05, 2021 at 11:38 am

    5 stars
    Wow!!! This is officially my new favorite vegan recipe!!! I didn’t have sundried tomatoes so I used a 1/4 a cup of salsa and I added mushrooms. It came out amazing!!!!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      February 24, 2021 at 2:42 pm

      We’re so excited to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for taking time to leave a review, we really appreciate that. Have a great week!

      Reply
  20. Lo

    February 16, 2021 at 10:27 am

    5 stars
    THis was yummmmm, easy and affordable! Definitely recommend – especially for somone who ise trying to get back in the swing of cooking vegan food again.

    THanks!!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      February 24, 2021 at 2:29 pm

      So happy to hear you enjoyed it. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!

      Reply
  21. Jessica Norton

    February 16, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    5 stars
    A m a z i n g recipe! So simple yet so tasty…just the way I like it!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      February 24, 2021 at 2:29 pm

      So happy to hear you enjoyed it. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!

      Reply
  22. Mary

    June 28, 2021 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    I made this a year ago and decided to make again. My only regret is that I didn’t “double” or “triple” the recipe. This is sooo delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply
  23. Anne

    July 20, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    5 stars
    Second time making this recipe and it is just so flavorful and delicious. I prefer this to vegan ground meat alternatives (Beyond, Impossible, etc.) from the store, and with a food processor (I process the walnuts, then the onion/garlic/sundried tomatoes), it all comes together really quickly. Great recipe!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      October 21, 2021 at 7:38 pm

      So happy to hear that you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking time to leave a review

      Reply
  24. BakhariYah

    August 04, 2021 at 8:22 am

    Hi, I was wondering if there was a specific way that I should reheat the walnut meat to use again?

    Reply
  25. Lara

    February 17, 2022 at 7:49 pm

    5 stars
    I had made walnut meat years ago when I used to eat raw and my family really didn’t like it, though I loved it.
    I made this tonight and it was fabulous! My hubs and son approved as well! Love your recipes! You never fail me.

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      February 21, 2022 at 11:05 pm

      So happy to hear that it was a hit for everyone!

      Reply
  26. Paul

    March 26, 2022 at 3:26 am

    Yep… this is an absolute winner. Made walnut meat and onion pizza. Delicious 😋

    Reply
  27. Dawne

    June 02, 2022 at 8:30 am

    Definitely going to try this one. Anyone who can’t have nuts might like a mix of mushrooms diced very small with brown lentils.

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      June 03, 2022 at 3:47 pm

      yes! We have lots of alternatives

      Reply
  28. Chloe

    June 09, 2022 at 1:38 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. This is hands down the best vegan taco meat I have ever tried. We’ve added it to our favorites list right after the first attempt. Thank you guys!

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      June 09, 2022 at 9:17 am

      Yay! We are so happy to hear that!

      Reply
  29. Meg Field Jordan

    June 20, 2022 at 1:46 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic! I served it with some impromptu guacamole (mashed avocado, lime juice, and garlic salt) and tortilla chips. It was phenomenal.

    Reply
    • LarishaBernard

      June 22, 2022 at 9:23 pm

      Love it! So happy to hear

      Reply

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