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!

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.

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 – burritos (or burrito bowls!), chilli, or, of course, tacos!

Just add some walnuts to make a beautiful black bean taco ‘meat’ – perfect for vegetarian tacos!

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.

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.

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!

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?

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

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!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Main meal

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex

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 1/4 cups, when drained)
• ~ 6 medium mushrooms
• 100 g (~ 1 cup) walnut halves
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt
• Black pepper

To assemble:

• 6 small flour tortillas or taco shells
• 6 tbsp 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.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/3 of the recipes (2 tacos), including taco ‘meat’ and small tortillas, but not including any additional toppings.

Love an easy, healthy Tex-Mex dinner? These veggie burrito bowls are just what you need: