Vegan Taco Meat with Lentils and Walnuts Fitnessnacks

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Last modified: March 30, 2024. Originally posted: March 30, 2024 By Sophia DeSantis

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This vegan taco meat is made with lentils, walnuts and seasonings for the tastiest result that has a perfect “meaty” texture! Healthy and easy to make.

This taco meat is so versatile. Put it in tacos, enchiladas or use it in burritos. Super flavorful and family friendly!

This post was originally published on 7/16/2020.

Having an easy vegan taco meat on hand is my go to for busy nights. I make this in bulk for the week or even freeze for another time. Add to tacos for dinner or even vegan breakfast burritos!

Ingredients

When it comes to a meaty like taco meat made from plants, there are many ways you can go. One of my favorite bases to emulate ground beef is walnuts paired with lentils like I do for my Vegan Shepherd’s Pie. This combo gives a great texture and satisfying flavor when combined with taco seasoning.

• Plant based protein – a mix of lentils and walnuts create the ‘meaty’ feel of this dish. Soak raw walnuts overnight to soften them up. Choose either green or brown dried lentils.
  • For a nut-free version you can try using sunflower seeds.
• Broth – to keep this recipe vegan make sure use vegetable broth. Pick a low sodium variety if you need to watch your salt intake.
• Onion – yellow or sweet onions are excellent because they’re not overwhelming. However, white onions or red onions can be used as well.
• Seasonings – the beauty of making your own taco seasoning is that you can customize it to your taste! This recipe uses a mix of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika (use smoked paprika for added depth!), sea salt, and cayenne pepper. However, you can leave out the cayenne pepper to make it mild, or anything else you don’t like. Feel free to experiment by adding in onion powder, oregano, coriander, or anything else that sounds good!

There are two types of walnuts, English and black walnut. I prefer to use English walnuts as they have the most health benefits and can be grown in the USA. Most walnuts are grown in California, which ensures you can buy quality nuts and support local businesses.

You might be thinking, taco meat made out of walnuts? And I am here to tell you absolutely! Walnuts are a great vegan alternative to make things like taco meat and can be bought in bulk, making your life even easier.

How To Make Lentil Walnut Taco Meat

1. Saute onions, walnuts, and lentils in olive oil, or veggie broth to keep the recipe oil free.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cook until the lentils are soft and the broth has evaporated.
4. Serve!

NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!

How To Use Lentil Walnut Taco Meat

This vegan taco meat can be used in so many different recipes. My favorite is in good, old fashioned tacos. But I also enjoy putting this meat into:

For tacos, choose corn tortillas or flour. (Most corn tortillas are gluten-free, but double check the package if needed.) Then pair your vegan walnut taco meat with any of the following toppings:

Preparation and Storage Tips

This is a pretty full proof recipe, but here is some info to help you along the way!

1. If you want to add some veggies to this, you can definitely pulse in some neutral things like cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, or zucchini. If you mince greens you may be able to get away with adding a little and pass it to the kids as herbs.
2. This can easily be prepped ahead of time by making sure everything is chopped and the spices are pre-measured.
3. Make this walnut taco meat at the beginning of the week to eat all week in different ways. It goes great in tacos, but also in burritos, bowls, enchiladas, quesadillas or even soup!
4. Store unused lentil taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for longer shelf life.
5. It lasts about one week in the fridge and a good 6 months or more in the freezer.
6. Reheat it in a pan on the stove, bake it in the oven, or quickly reheat in the microwave.

Common Questions

How do you mince walnuts?

The easiest way to get walnuts nice and finely chopped is using a food processor.

Can you freeze walnut taco meat?

Yes! I like to put a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the top of the walnut meat so it is touching it. Then store in an airtight container. This helps prevent freezer burn.

What can you substitute meat with in tacos?

This lentil walnut taco meat is delicious in tacos, but other meat substitutes include beans, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, soyrizo, and potatoes. I also love all the toppings! Any traditional taco topping would go great, but you can also add some roasted veggies for a little extra nutrition.

More Vegan Taco Recipes

Love these lentil tacos and want more vegan taco filling ideas? I have you covered! Check out these tasty pplant based recipes:

Vegan Taco Meat with Lentils and Walnuts

Sophia DeSantis

This vegan taco meat is made with lentils, walnuts and seasonings for the tastiest result that has a perfect “meaty” texture! Healthy and easy to make.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course 30 Minutes or Less, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8

Calories 244 kcal

Shop Ingredients on Jupiter

Instructions 

• Using a food processor, pulse dry uncooked lentils until partially chopped and chunky. Set aside. You can also skip this step and pulse the cooked end result.

• Next pulse walnuts until chopped into small pieces. Set aside.

• In a large pan over medium heat, sauté chopped onion in oil or broth until onion begins to get translucent. About 5 minutes.

• Add walnuts and sauté 3 more minutes until mixture begins to caramelize.

• Add chopped lentils to the pan and sauté for 1 minute.

• Add 3 ½ cups veggie broth and spices and mix well.

• Cook covered for 10-15minutes until lentils have softened and broth is almost gone.

• Uncover and sauté until all broth is gone and mixture begins to brown and get dry, about 3 minutes. If you prefer, pulse once cooled a bit instead of at the beginning.

• Serve however you please!

Notes

• It’s best to soak the walnuts overnight, however, if you forget, you can also soak in hot water for 2-3 hours or boil for 30 minutes in a pinch.
• You can also use brown lentils for this. The green will cook a little more “al dente” than the brown.
• This makes about 4 cups. Serving size is ½ cup.

Baby/toddler food idea:

• Cook some lentils separately and add spices of choice from those listed. Puree and serve. You can also add cooked onion before blending. For toddlers make as is without the spice.

Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 12gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 381mgPotassium: 540mgFiber: 12gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1461IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

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