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Easy vegan black bean tacos are the perfect healthy kid-friendly dinner for taco Tuesday or any night of the week.
Tacos are a pretty ideal go-to dinner recipe. Even on the busiest of nights, I can throw together some savory fillings, warm some tortillas and let everyone pile on their own toppings. This vegan black bean taco recipe is a personal favorite for its versatility and how incredibly easy it is without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.
My family's favorite vegan taco toppings include:
- Vegan nacho cheese
- Vegan sour cream
- Chopped tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Pickled jalapeños
- Grilled corn
What do you like on your tacos? Let me know in the comments, I'll be sure to give it a try next taco night!
Ingredients
Pack a ton of flavor into your tacos without much extra work with dried seasonings. Reminder: You can find the printable, detailed recipe in the recipe card below.
- Black beans. Inexpensive, full of fiber and protein, black beans are a vegan's best friend.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic adds a wonderful savory, herbal flavor to the black bean filling. You'll bring out the flavor by quickly sautéing the garlic in oil.
- Chili powder. This adds just the right amount of heat to make sure these tacos are still kid-approved.
- Cumin. Dried cumin is a powerfully flavorful spice that gives your tacos a more Mexican flavor profile.
- Onion powder. This is the secret ingredient to amp up the allium flavor in your tacos without actually having to cut up onions.
- Oil. Use neutral canola or avocado oil to le the spices shine in the taco filling.
- Tortillas. I use soft flour tortillas, but you can just as easily use hard taco shells if you prefer crispier black bean tacos.
Substitutions & Swaps
- Spicy vegan black bean tacos: For extra heat, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper.
- Other beans: Swap out the black beans with pinto beans or chickpeas if that's what you have on hand. You could also make lentil tacos.
- Oil-free: Simply omit the oil. Instead, add all of the ingredients to the hot pan at the same time and heat until warmed.
- Gluten-free: Use corn tortillas.
Storage
You can make the filling ahead of time and reheat it for serving. Store cooled black bean taco filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw the filling in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave to serve.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!
Recipe
Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons water or tomato sauce
- 8 tortillas or hard taco shells
- your favorite toppings
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add oil and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add spices (cumin, chili powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt) and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Add the black beans and water to the skillet. Cook until warm, about 6-8 minutes. Leave the beans whole if you prefer, or mash them up a bit.
- Serve beans in warmed tortillas or taco shells with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Nutrition facts include tortilla, but not toppings.
- For extra heat, add some cayenne pepper.