Description
Delicious and crispy black bean tacos featuring a savory walnut and mushroom filling seasoned with smoky spices, baked to perfection for a crunchy exterior, and served with creamy chipotle or avocado crema and fresh toppings for a satisfying vegan meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- ½ cup (56g) walnuts, broken up into pieces
- 8 ounces (227g) cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped (tough stems removed)
- ¼ cup (20g) nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon porcini mushroom powder (optional)
- 1 (15 oz / 425g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons (42g) olive oil or avocado oil, plus more for cooking tacos
- 4 fat cloves garlic (20g), finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (or 2 teaspoons for less heat)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano (or Mexican oregano)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ~10 twists of black pepper
- ½ cup (120g) mild salsa, strained of excess liquid
Assembly and Toppings
- 8 to 12 taco-sized flour tortillas
- 1 to 1½ cups (100 to 150g) shredded vegan cheese
- 5-Minute Chipotle Crema or Avocado Crema
- Lime Pickled Onions (optional)
- 2 to 3 cups (~100g) shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Prepare Pickled Onions: Make lime pickled onions first to allow them to macerate and develop flavor while you prepare the taco filling.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 425ºF and arrange racks on the top third and bottom positions to bake the assembled tacos later for crisping.
- Toast Walnuts and Prep Spices: Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat for a couple minutes. Add the walnuts and toast for about 5 minutes until golden and aromatic, stirring often to avoid burning. Meanwhile, drain, rinse, and pat dry the black beans. Combine chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper into a taco spice mix and set aside.
- Make Filling Base: Transfer toasted walnuts to a food processor. Pulse until finely crumbed but not pasty. Add mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and porcini powder, pulsing until mushrooms are finely chopped. Add black beans and pulse about 10 times to break up beans while retaining texture. The filling should be moist but not sticky.
- Cook Filling: Return the frying pan to medium heat. After 1 minute, add 3 tablespoons oil and warm. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to change color (2-3 minutes) without browning. Stir in taco spices and cook 20-30 seconds until fragrant. Add the bean-mushroom mixture; toss to coat with spices and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes. If mixture sticks, deglaze pan with a splash of water. Lower heat to medium-low, stir in strained salsa and cook 1 minute until mixture thickens and spreads easily. Remove from heat and adjust salt to taste.
- Assemble Tacos: Spread about ¼ cup (2 oz / 56g) of filling on one half of each tortilla. Sprinkle with shredded vegan cheese, fold the tortilla over to cover filling, and press edges to seal.
- Prepare for Baking: Brush a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange tacos spaced apart without overlap. Lightly brush tops of tacos with oil.
- Bake Tacos: Bake tacos on the bottom oven rack for 8-12 minutes until tops are crispy and golden. Flip tacos carefully and bake on the top third rack for another 5 minutes until bottoms are also crispy and golden.
- Serve: Let tacos cool slightly. Carefully open each taco and top with chipotle or avocado crema, lime pickled onions (if using), and shredded lettuce. Serve with extra crema on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Porcini Mushroom Powder: Adds a rich umami flavor but is optional if unavailable.
- Tortillas: Flour tortillas are recommended for best texture, but corn tortillas can be used as a gluten-free alternative.
- Vegan Cheese: Use your preferred shredded vegan cheese for meltiness and flavor inside the tacos.
- Lime Pickled Onions: Adds a bright acidic contrast to the filling but can be omitted if preferred.
- Baking Time: Baking crisps the taco shells evenly; avoid overlapping tacos on the baking sheet to ensure all sides crisp properly.
Keywords: black bean tacos, vegan tacos, crispy tacos, walnut mushroom filling, plant-based tacos, gluten-free alternative tacos, vegan cheese tacos, chipotle crema tacos