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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Tex-Mex Recipes

    Aug 3, 2020 · Modified: Jul 14, 2021 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Black Bean and Walnut Tacos

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    Total time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 6 tacos
    5 from 3 votes
    Jump to Recipe Rate this Recipe

    These black bean and walnut tacos are quick and easy to make, with a simple homemade vegetarian taco 'meat' and plenty of extra toppings!

    A vegetarian black bean taco on a board topped with avocado, tomatoes and grated cheese.

    Tacos are one of those meals I should make far more often. Cook up pretty much anything, pile it up in a tortilla or taco shell, and you'll always end up with a tasty meal. These black bean and walnut tacos are super tasty, full of protein, and the black bean taco 'meat' makes the perfect base for all sorts of toppings.

    A vegetarian taco topped with avocado and tomatoes, served on a white board.

    Black bean tacos

    Black beans are one of my favourite ingredients ever, especially for Tex-Mex recipes. They much richer than most other types of beans, and they're also smaller and softer.

    The superior bean in every way.

    They're also perfect for making anything Mexican-inspired - vegetarian burritos (or burrito bowls!), bean chilli, or, of course, tacos!

    Just add some walnuts to make a beautiful black bean taco 'meat' - perfect for vegetarian tacos!

    Vegan taco 'meat' made from black beans and walnuts in a food processor.

    Walnut taco 'meat'

    I've combined beans and walnuts loads of times before, to make all sorts of things - vegetarian pâté, spaghetti bolognese, savoury mince, chilli cheese fries, lettuce wraps...! It's such a versatile combination. The beans make the mixture rich and hearty, and the nuts add a lovely bit of extra texture.

    Just blitz up the walnuts and beans together to form a coarse paste - it's absolutely fine if there are still a few bigger chunks in there too!

    Don't forget to add plenty of seasoning and spices to the mixture. Beans and nuts aren't overly flavourful on their own, but they're perfect for amping up with heaps of extra flavours.

    Vegan taco 'meat' being cooked in a frying pan.

    Vegetarian tacos

    Cook the bean and walnut taco meat in a pan for a while, to deepen the flavours and to make it extra tasty. If you let it catch just ever so slightly on the bottom of the pan, it will introduce beautiful little crispy bits to the taco meat, which add even more flavour!

    When the taco meat is nice and hot, crumble it into mini tortillas or hard taco shells - I like to serve it on a bed of sour cream to keep it feeling fresh.

    A vegetarian taco topped with sour cream and black bean taco meat.

    Get topping!

    I know I'm like a broken record when it comes to Tex-Mex toppings - I seemingly can't post anything remotely Mexican-inspired without nagging you all to remember your toppings! A few fresh toppings can really transform these black bean and walnut tacos from just 'beans wrapped in bread' to something really spectacular.

    A few ideas for toppings you could use:

    • fresh tomatoes
    • avocado or guacamole
    • sour cream (as mentioned above!)
    • grated cheese
    • fresh coriander (cilantro)
    • a squeeze of lime juice
    • chopped spring onions
    • fresh salsa
    • pickled jalapeños

    or whatever else you have in the fridge that you think would help to bring your tacos to life!

    A vegetarian black bean taco topped with avocado and tomatoes.

    Family-friendly dinner

    This is one of my favourite types of dinner to make when I'm cooking for a crowd, or when we have friends with different dietary preferences over for dinner.

    You can serve up a big bowlful of the black bean and walnut taco 'meat', and allow everyone to add their own toppings. That way, everyone gets a plateful they're happy with.

    These black bean tacos can easily be made vegan, if you just avoid the non-vegan toppings, and you can add spicy salsa or pickled jalapeños if you're a lover of all things spicy!

    The walnut and black bean taco meat just gives a really hearty, tasty base for whatever else your heart desires.

    What toppings would you add to your black bean and walnut tacos?

    More Black Bean Recipes

    • Enchilada Stuffed Pasta Shells
    • Black Bean and Lentil Vegetarian Koftas
    • Spicy bean hotpot with crispy potato topping
    • Mexican Bean and Potato Bake
    A veggie taco with black bean and walnut taco meat, avocado and tomatoes.

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    Black bean and walnut tacos

    These black bean and walnut tacos are quick and easy to make, with a simple homemade vegetarian taco 'meat' and plenty of extra toppings!

    If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!

    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 6 tacos
    Calories: 496kcal
    Author: Becca Heyes

    Ingredients

    For the black bean and walnut taco 'meat':

    • 400 g tin black beans drained (240g, or ~ 1 ¼ cups, when drained)
    • ~ 6 medium mushrooms
    • 100 g (~ 1 cup) walnut halves
    • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
    • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • Salt
    • Black pepper

    To assemble:

    • 6 small flour tortillas or taco shells
    • 6 tablespoon sour cream
    • Your choice of toppings, e.g. tomatoes, avocado, grated cheese, etc. (see blog post for more ideas)

    Instructions

    • Add all of the taco 'meat' ingredients to a food processor. Blitz for a few seconds at a time, scraping the sides down regularly, until you get a coarse paste (it's ok if there are still a few larger pieces!).
    • Transfer the bean mixture to a frying pan, and place over a medium heat. Stirring once every couple of minutes, allow the mixture to cook for around 10 minutes, becoming slightly browned on the bottom before stirring.
    • When the bean mixture is piping hot, assemble your tacos. Spread some sour cream over some small flour tortillas (or dollop it inside taco shells), and crumble over the taco 'meat'. Add plenty of fresh toppings for extra flavour.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2 tacos - Calories: 496 kcal - Carbohydrates: 53.2 g - Protein: 20.4 g - Fat: 24.9 g - Saturated Fat: 2.5 g - Cholesterol: 0 mg - Sodium: 596 mg - Potassium: 554 mg - Fiber: 10 g - Sugar: 3.3 g - Calcium: 158 mg - Iron: 6 mg

    Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @EasyCheesyVeg or tag #EasyCheesyVegetarian!

    More Vegetarian Tex-Mex Recipes

    • Vegetarian Chilli Mac (One Pot!)
    • Vegan Taco Soup (with Crispy Tortilla Strips)
    • Creamy Cowboy Caviar (with Avocado Dressing)
    • 10 Minute Air Fryer Quesadillas
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    Comments

    1. Heather Strom says

      April 17, 2022 at 7:47 pm

      This was pretty good. We doubled the recipe except for the chili powder because the grandkids were here for dinner. Some ate it in corn tortillas, some on salad. Everyone said they liked it and there were no leftovers. I wondered about spreading it out on a stone and baking it in the oven. This will be one of my go to recipes.5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says

        April 20, 2022 at 8:56 am

        Thanks Heather, so glad your family enjoyed it! :)

        Reply
    2. River says

      December 07, 2020 at 9:03 am

      Would this mince mix freeze well? 

      Reply
      • Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says

        December 07, 2020 at 10:16 am

        I haven't tried freezing it so I can't say for sure, but I imagine it would work ok! :)

        Reply
    3. Rebecca says

      August 28, 2020 at 9:41 am

      Delicious! Super easy, tasty, and satisfying. Got thumbs up from my meat-loving hubby too.
      Since you like mushrooms so much, do you ever cook with dried mushrooms?5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says

        September 02, 2020 at 10:43 am

        Thanks Rebecca! :) I don't ever use dried mushrooms actually!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

    More about me →

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