Made with spiced roasted butternut squash, black beans and creamy avocado mash, these butternut squash tacos are both delicious and easy to whip up! They're vegan and gluten-free too!
A good vegan taco is always a wining dinner in my house. We love taco night! And there are so many options when it comes to meatless taco fillings. From mushroom tacos to chickpea tacos to cauliflower tacos and even corn tacos, they've all got a place in my dinner rotation.
These butternut squash tacos are one of my new favorites. You really can't go wrong with roasted butternut squash, but I find it works especially well with the combination of black beans and Tex-Mex spices, as I discovered back when I created this butternut squash chimichanga recipe.
Aside from the delicious combination of flavors, this recipe has the advantage of being super easy to throw together. The filling is made on a single sheet pan and roasts in the oven while you warm up some tortillas and mash some avocados.
Let's get to the details on how it's done!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Butternut squash. A good butternut squash will make all the difference in how these tacos turn out. Choose one that feels heavy and has dark beige flesh to ensure maximum sweetness.
- Red onion.
- Olive oil. Olive oil is my favorite variety for roasting, but other high heat oils such as vegetable oil, canola oil, and corn oil will also work.
- Spices. You'll need ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and optionally some cayenne pepper (for heat) to season your roasted butternut squash.
- Lime juice. Freshly squeezed juice is essential here! The bottled type doesn't have nearly as much flavor.
- Canned black beans.
- Fresh cilantro.
- Salt and pepper.
- Avocado.
- Shredded cabbage. I like using red cabbage for the pretty color it adds, but green cabbage is just fine.
- Corn tortillas. Feel free to use small flour tortillas or premade taco shells if you prefer.
Tip: Feel free to add your favorite taco toppers (although they're by no means necessary!). Shredded vegan cheese, vegan queso, salsa, vegan sour cream or cashew cream and hot sauce would all be great additions to these tacos.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by peeling and dicing your butternut squash, and slicing your onion into strips. Place both on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, rub them with some olive oil and sprinkle them with spices. Pop the baking sheet into the oven.
Make the avocado mash when the veggies have just a few minutes to go in the oven. Mash a couple of avocadoes with a fork, then stir in some freshly squeezed lime juice and salt.
Tip: If you want to go the extra mile, make some homemade guacamole instead. If you're feeling lazy, use store-bough guac.
Take the veggies out of the oven and season them with salt, pepper and lime juice. Add some black beans and fresh cilantro to the baking sheet, then use a spatula to toss everything a few times to mix up the ingredients.
Warm up your corn tortillas in a hot skillet (just until they start to crisp), then slather the inside of each with some avocado mash. Add a bit of shredded cabbage, then stuff it with your butternut squash black bean filling. Dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
If possible, store the components of your butternut squash tacos separately. The squash and black bean filling will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.
The avocado mash will also keep for about 4 days, but could start to turn brown over time. To minimize this, use avocados that are ripe but not overripe (showing no brown when cut), and place a layer of plastic wrap directly over the mash before sealing it in a storage container.
More Butternut Squash Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Butternut Squash Tacos
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and diced (about ½ inch)
- ½ medium red onion, sliced into strips (about ½ inch wide)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 (15 ounce/425 gram) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Avocado Mash
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
For Serving
- 10 corn tortillas, warmed in a hot skillet (Note 1)
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
Instructions
To Make the Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the butternut squash and red onion on the baking sheet, then drizzle them with the olive oil and sprinkle them with the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, if using. Use your hands to rub the oil and spices into the squash and onion, then spread everything out into an even layer.
- Roast the squash and onion for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.
- After removing the squash and onion from the oven, add lime juice, beans, and cilantro (Note 2). Toss everything to combine, the season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
To Make the Avocado Mash
- While the squash and onion roast, place the avocadoes into a medium bowl and mash them with a fork. Stir in the lime juice and salt.
To Assemble the Tacos
- Spread a bit of the avocado mash inside of each tortilla, then top the avocado mash with shredded cabbage, followed by the butternut squash filling.
- Serve.
Notes
- To warm the tortillas, lightly oil a large skillet and place it over medium heat. Place a tortilla (or a few, if they'll fit) into the skillet and allow it to heat briefly on each side, until it begins to crisp. Optionally, sprinkle each warmed tortilla with some salt.
- The hot squash and onions should warm the beans, but if you'd like to you can heat them up a bit before adding them to the filling. Microwaving them briefly is generally the easiest way to do this.
- This recipe makes 10 tacos (2 tacos per serving).
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