Easy Vegan Mushroom & Lentil Tacos - Baked or Grilled

The deliciously 'meaty' filling in these easy vegan mushroom and lentil tacos can be made ahead, then simply fill your mini tortillas with the mixture and cheese before baking or grilling until crisp.

Easy Vegan Mushroom & Lentil Tacos - Baked or Grilled

Get ahead with your meal prep and make this mushroom and lentil taco filling and chill it in the fridge until you are ready to make your tacos.

These vegan mushroom and lentil tacos are perfect for Taco Tuesday or any night of the week when you want a tasty Tex-Mex dinner without any fuss.

Simply fill your mini flour tortillas with lentil mixture, top with grated vegan cheddar (or smoked vegan cheese) and bake or grill them until the tacos are golden and crispy.

I like to serve them with Thousand Island dressing as a dip.

Tacos - crispy or soft?

You'll have seen those pre-shaped crispy tacos in supermarkets, but tacos can also be soft and just crisped up before serving.

It's oviously a personal thing, but for me it has to be the soft style tacos every time.

They are basically mini flour tortillas (or corn tortillas) that are filled, then heated.

Although, if you're adding salad, like crunchy iceberg lettuce, it's better to crisp up the tacos then add the prepared filling.

Luckily with this recipe, you can fill the tacos and then bake them.

Ways to cook tacos

Once you've filled those tacos, then it's time to cook them and there are a few ways to do that. Here are some options:

• On a lined baking tray (sheet pan) in the oven
• In an air fryer
• Baked in an oven until crisp, propped up between the moulds in an upside down muffin tin, then stuffed once baked
• Using a frying pan, either dry or with a little oil and flipped half way through cooking
• Cooked in a toaster, but do use a toastie pocket, so the filling doesn't tip into your toaster.
• On a crepe maker and flipped, so each side is golden (I use my electric crepe maker so much)
• A lightly oiled griddle pan to get those lovely charred lines

Taco seasoning

Taco seasoning is readily available in grocery stores and supermarkets, but you can make your own, without the additives and preservatives.

I often use my own taco seasoning blend, which I use in oven baked vegetable fajitas, fajita dirty fries and various other dishes, but for these mushroom tacos with lentils, I just added a few seasonings to the vegan lentil taco 'meat' as it cooked.

I kept the mushroom mixture warm with plenty of flavour rather than making it too hot, but you can add extra or a hotter chilli powder for more heat.

You will know your own palate and what you prefer.

What you need to make these easy homemade tacos

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make these tasty vegan lentil tacos.

• Mini flour tortillas - or mini corn tortillas

• Olive oil - or another mild oil like rapeseed oil
• Red onion - you could use white onion
• Garlic - of course
• Large flat cap mushrooms - like portobello mushrooms
• Green lentils - or brown lentils (I just used tinned lentils, but if you soak and cook them from dried, then that's ok too, you will just have to be organised the day before).
• Paprika - mild or hot and smoky
• Chilli powder - as hot as you like
• Chilli flakes
• Cocoa powder
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Soy sauce
• Tomato puree - also known as tomato paste
• Salt and black pepper - to season

• Grated vegan cheddar - or smoked cheese

The full printable recipe with ingredients, method, nutritional values and notes is at the bottom of this page or use the jump to recipe button at the top.

If you have a food processor or blender, use it!

Once I've cooked the spiced lentil filling, I like to blend some of it until it's the texture of refried beans, then mix it back into the rest of the mushroom and lentil mixture.

It gives you are really good texture, thick but with some texture and it clings to your tortillas (tacos) beautifully.

It would also be a good mixture for making quesadillas or you could add oats and shape it into burgers.

However, if you don't have either a blender or food processor, just give them as good a mash as you can with potato masher or fork.

Serve them with a dip

I like to serve this type of baked vegan taco with a dip for dunking.

If I was serving the crisp style tacos, you fill with your vegan taco meat, then top with lots of salad, I would just drizzle some dressing or dip over them before serving.

However, these are definitely dunking tacos.

Here are a few easy dips I recommend serving with your tacos (and they are all plant-based).

1. Thousand island dressing
2. Ranch dressing
3. Whipped feta
4. Smutty sweet chilli sauce
5. Creamy sriracha dip
6. Buffalo sauce - mixed with mayo
7. Creamy Italian dressing

I'll let you decide on what you are dunking them in, but those are all delicious options!

Make it ahead!

This plant-based taco 'meat' filling can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container in  the fridge for a few days until you need it.

The flavour will develop as it sits, so it's a delicious way to get ahead and make quick lunches or dinners.

Freeze them!

I know a lot of you love meal planning as well as making meals ahead and freezing them.

Well the good news is these dairy-free tacos can be frozen.

Just spread half of each mini tortilla with the mushroom lentil mixture, top it with cheese, then fold the other side over and press, so you have a half moon shape.

Freeze these between layers or freezer-friendly baking paper in a tub or freezer bag.

Defrost in the fridge overnight, then cook as usual (see recipe card below).

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How to make mushroom and lentil tacos

A step-by-step photo guide followed by a full printable recipe. 

Step 1

• In a large pan or frying pan, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft, then add the mushrooms.
• Season the mushrooms and cook until the liquid they release is almost absorbed.

Step 2

• Add the tomato puree, soy sauce and spices, then season well.
• Stir and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the lentils and mixing them in well.
• Cook for another few minutes to heat everything through.

Step 3

• Turn off the heat and scoop half the mixture into a food processor or blender jug and blend until you have a coarse paste.
• Scoop it back into the pan and mix it with the remaining mixture. This will give you are taco filling that's thick but retains some texture.

Step 4

• Spread some of the mixture onto half a mini tortilla, then top with grated cheese.
• Fold the other half of the tortilla over the mixture, making a half moon shape and press firmly.

Step 5

• Cook the tacos in a hot pan, skillet, griddle or on a crepe maker (you can also oven bake these or use your air fryer).
• Flip them so both sides get a chance to crisp up and turn golden.
• Serve with a tasty dip and side salad.
• Enjoy!

tacos, mushroom and lentil tacos, baked tacos, easy vegan tacos, plant-based tacos, dairy-free tacos. vegetarian tacos

Dinner, Lunch

Tex-Mex, Mexican

Yield: 8 taco fillings

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Easy Vegan Mushroom & Lentil Tacos - Baked or Grilled

The deliciously 'meaty' filling for these easy vegan mushroom and lentil tacos can be made ahead, then simply fill your mini tortillas with the mixture and cheese before baking or grilling until crisp.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated
• 5 large cap mushrooms, diced
• 780g (2 x 390g or 14 oz approx tins drained) green lentils (or brown lentils)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree
• salt and black pepper to season
• a splash of water to loosen the mixture

Instructions

1. In a large pan or frying pan, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft, then add the mushrooms.
2. Season the mushrooms and cook until the liquid they release is almost absorbed.
3. Add the tomato puree, soy sauce and spices, then season well with salt and pepper.
4. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the drained lentils and mixing them in well.
5. Cook for another few minutes to heat everything through. You may need a splash of water to loosen the mixture a little.
6. Turn off the heat and scoop half the mixture into a food processor or blender jug and blend until you have a coarse paste.
7. Scoop it back into the pan and mix it with the remaining mixture. This will give you are taco filling that's thick but retains some texture.
8. To serve, spread some of the mixture onto half a mini tortilla, then top with grated cheese.
9. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the mixture, making a half-moon shape and press firmly. Do this for as many tacos as you like, then you are ready to cook them.
10. Cook the tacos in a hot pan, skillet, griddle or on a crepe maker (you can also oven bake these or use your air fryer) for a few minutes.
11. Flip them so both sides get a chance to crisp up and turn golden.
12. Serve with a tasty dip and side salad.
13. Enjoy!

Notes

• Make this mixture ahead & store in an airtight container for a few days in the fridge, then make your tacos when you are ready to cook them.
• Add extra chilli powder or hot chilli powder for more heat.
• These tacos can be frozen. Freeze the uncooked tacos between layers of freezer-friendly baking paper in a tub or freezer bag. Pop in the fridge overnight to defrost, then cook like usual.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

381

Fat (grams)

3 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

63 g

Fiber (grams)

31 g

Net carbs

32 g

Sugar (grams)

3 g

Protein (grams)

27 g

Sodium (milligrams)

299 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

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