A zesty lentil walnut mix takes the place of meat in this scrumptious vegan taco salad. It's totally meatless, dairy-free, packed with flavor, and served up in a crispy (baked!) tortilla bowl!
I don't post too many salad recipes on this site. Although I eat a ton of salad, it's not something I usually get excited about. In order for me to get really excited about a salad, it has to be pretty darn special.
This vegan taco salad is just about as special as it gets.
First, let's talk vegan taco meat. I recently shared a recipe for some vegan tacos made with black bean and walnut filling. The texture is still one of my favorites when it comes to DIY meatless meats, so I decided to see how it would turn out with another type of bean, like lentils. Lentils actually worked really well to make a crumbly filling that's perfect for taco salad.
Then there's the bowls. In my younger years I waited tables at a handful of restaurants that served taco salads in fried crispy tortilla bowls. Could I recreate the bowls without frying? I did! I found a great little hack for baking crispy tortilla bowls.
It all gets topped off with a super creamy avocado lime dressing that's good enough to eat with a spoon. (I tried, can confirm.)
Let's talk about how these salads come together!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour tortillas. You'll need large (burrito-sized) tortillas to make the bowls. Smaller tortillas won't be large enough to hold much salad!
- Oil. You'll preferably need a mister or cooking spray for the bowl, though you could also brush the oil on. The recipe calls for olive oil to make the filling, but canola, corn, avocado, or any other high-heat oil will work just fine!
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Walnuts. Pecans would work as a substitute. Sunflower seeds would probably make a good substitute if you need to keep the recipe nut-free. You could also skip the nuts if needed. They add texture, but aren't crucial to the recipe.
- Spices. We're using ground cumin, ancho chile powder, and optionally some cayenne pepper.
- Lentils. The recipe calls for cooked brown lentils. Another variety of firm lentil like black or green would work, but I don't recommend using red lentils, as they'd probably be too mushy.
- Tomato sauce.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Salt & pepper.
- Avocado.
- Non-dairy milk. Use something unsweetened and unflavored. Soy milk, almond milk, and cashew milk would all be great choices.
- Lime juice. Use freshly squeezed juice to give your dressing the best flavor.
- Fresh cilantro. Skip this if you're not a fan.
- Fresh chives.
- Lettuce. The recipe calls for romaine lettuce, but you can absolutely substitute your favorite salad green.
- Cherry tomatoes.
- Black olives.
- Salsa. Use your favorite homemade or jarred salsa. My mango salsa or pico de gallo would be excellent with this salad!
Tip: Feel free to take shortcuts! Skip the bowl and instead top your salad with crushed tortilla chips, or use your favorite store-bought salad dressing instead of homemade avocado dressing.
How It's 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 making your bowls. You'll need something to bake your bowls in. A medium-sized oven-proof mixing bowl like I'm using works great! You could also use a tortilla bowl pan.
- Mist or brush both sides of your tortillas with a thin layer of oil, then place them into your baking vessel. For a mixing bowl you'll want to create little pleats in the tortilla so it fits.
- Bake your tortillas until they're crispy and browned in spots. Let them cool in the bowls for a few minutes before removing them, and be careful not to burn yourself on the hot bowl! It's easier to do than you'd think.
- Make the filling while the bowls bake. Sweat some diced onion in olive oil for a few minutes, until it begins to soften.
- Add garlic, finely chopped walnuts, and spices. Toast everything very briefly, stirring constantly to prevent anything from burning.
- Add cooked lentils, tomato sauce and soy sauce to the mixture, bring the sauce to a simmer, and let it cook for about 10 minutes, until it's nice and thick.
Tip: The vegan taco meat portion of this recipe can easily be prepared a day or two in advance.
- Make the dressing while the filling simmers. Place your avocado, milk, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chives and some salt into a food processor or blender and blend the mixture until smooth.
- At this point you can thin the dressing with more milk if you'd like, or add additional salt and/or lime juice.
- Assemble the vegan taco salads. Fill your tortilla bowls with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and taco filling, then top each salad with dressing and salsa. Feel free to pile on any other taco toppings you'd like to include as well!
Leftovers & Storage
If possible, store each of the components of these salads separately. The filling and avocado dressing can be kept refrigerated in airtight containers for 3 to 4 days, although the dressing may turn brown over time. The best way to avoid this is by using very fresh avocados.
The bowls will keep in sealed bags or airtight containers if you can find ones that will fit them, but your best bet is probably to just make as many bowls as you plan on eating, then make more for the leftovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven't tried making a gluten-free version, but I don't see why not! Use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce, and use gluten-free tortillas to make your bowls, or skip the bowls and serve your salads with tortilla chips or strips like I used for my vegan taco soup.
It has a slight kick to it. If you'd like to keep yours mild, simply skip the cayenne pepper and optionally use regular mild chili powder instead of ancho chile powder (which adds just a bit of heat).
More Vegan Salad Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Taco Salad (Restaurant-Style!)
Ingredients
For the Crispy Tortilla Bowls
- 4 large (burrito size) flour tortillas
- Oil mister or cooking spray
For the Lentil Walnut Taco Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 3 cups cooked brown lentils (Note 1)
- ½ cup canned tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Avocado Dressing
- 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
- ¾ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
For the Salad
- 6 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup black olives
- Salsa, and/or any of your favorite taco toppings
Instructions
Make the Crispy Tortilla Bowls
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Use a mister or cooking spray to lightly coat both sides of a tortilla with oil. Drape it into a large oven safe bowl, or you can use a tortilla bowl pan.
- Repeat for the remaining tortillas. (You can work in batches if you need to. I used a couple of small stainless steel mixing bowls, and baked the tortillas 2 at a time).
- Bake until the tortillas are lightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bowls from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool for a couple of minutes before carefully removing the the tortillas. (Note 2)
Make the Lentil Walnut Taco Filling
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, walnuts, cumin, ancho chile powder and cayenne pepper to the skillet. Cook the mixture for about 1 minute, until it becomes very fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the lentils, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook the filling for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens up a bit.
Make the Avocado Dressing
- Place the avocado, milk, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chives, and salt into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Optionally, thin the mixture with additional milk and add more salt and/or lime juice to taste.
Assemble the Salads
- Divide the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and olives among the tortilla bowls. Top each salad with lentil walnut filling, a scoop of salsa, avocado dressing, and any other taco fixings you'd like to use. Serve.
Notes
- You can use canned/precooked lentils or cook them yourself. If you cook them yourself you'll need to start with about 1 ½ cups of dry lentils. Cover them with water and boil them for about 20 minutes, being careful not to overcook them.
- Please be careful not to burn yourself on the bowls. I don't usually put bowls in the oven, so I find it's easy to forget that they're hot!
- Tortilla bowls adapted from Livestrong.
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This recipe (just like all your others I've made) rocks! I absolutely LOVE your stuff. I've made at least 25 of your recipes, and you never disappoint. I credit your delicious recipes for making my first 2 years on a vegan diet easy and enjoyable. I was craving lentils tonight when I stumbled upon this. I typically don't eat lettuce (Crohn's Disease) but in small amounts I'm okay. I cannot believe how tasty this dish is! Thank you so much for what you do.
This recipe has changed my life, well the taco meat part of it has! I’ve omitted the walnuts from the recipe as I’m allergic and have used the taco meat to make a lasagna and a type of hamburger helper with Nooch and quinoa macaroni. It also freezes really well!
Thank you so much!!!!
really yum. to make tortillas crisp sooner and more evenly, heat bowl in oven as it's warming up before draping the greased taco onto bowl bottom. use a towel to conform tortilla onto bowl and listen to it sizzle! i used oven-proof bowls [the same one for serving] to toast the tacos. just wipe bowl bottom before serving. this dish would make a fun company meal - i served eveything separately so they can make their own.
Made this tasty dish for my daughter over just the salad fixings without the tortilla. Totally forgot about the tomato sauce and the lentils were still super delish. Made everything without oil because we are finding in support of health and weight. She loved the dressing and smothered the lettuce with it and then put the lentil/walnut mixture on top with tomatoes surrounding it. Loved that your dressing didn't have oil in it. Thanks again for great recipe!
Yay! I'm so glad you and your daughter liked it! Thanks Marina!
This looks amazing! We have a nut allergy in the house...any suggestions for replacing the walnuts?
Thanks! You could try sunflower seeds, or even cooked quinoa or finely chopped mushrooms. :)
This looks delicious! One quick question... Can I make the dressing the night before? I always worry with avocados and the browning that occurs.
The lime juice slows down the browning a bit, but it's probably going to be hit or miss as far as making it a day ahead. You might be able to get away with it if your avocadoes are extremely fresh. :)
I overcooked my lentils by accident so I added a bit more walnuts, even with the mishap this recipe was still delicious! I also didn't have any liquid smoke, instead I added smoked paprika instead?, but again it was delicious. Everyone in my family loved it!
Thank You!
Yay! Impovization win! I'm so glad you and the family enjoyed it!
That’s a lot of salt for one meal. Would using amino acids be alright to substitute? Also I have green lentils. I saw the comment about the red, what’s different about green and brown? Thanks! This looks delicious.
Liquid aminios would be just fine, adn I usually have good luck swapping green lentils for brown, so I think that would work! Enjoy!
I can’t believe how much this looks like meat! I’ll definitely be adding this to my veggie burrito bowl tonight, thanks for the recipe!
Oh, great idea! I'd love to hear how it works out!
Made this today. Easy to put together and more important flavorful. Am in love with the recipe and will certainly be making it again.
I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks AJ!
DEEEEELISHUS!!!! I made this tonite and it was so good. still my tummy feels all warm and happy :) subbed a can of pinto beans for half the lentils but followed everything else to a t. served in cristpy taco shells with lettuce, tomato and my homemade jalapeño cashew ricotta. I will keep this in my favorites file!! thanks for another keeper !!
Hello! This recipe looks awesome. All I have at home right now is red lentils, so I'm wondering if you think I could use those instead of brown lentils? I'm not sure exactly what the difference is. Thanks! :)
Red lentils tend to cook up way softer than brown, so I'm not sure if that would work out too well. I actually have a recipe for red lentil taco soup that you could maybe try out instead for now: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/red-lentil-taco-soup/
I don't have lentils on hand. But I love TVP and have a whole bag. Do you know how I could use TVP in this recipe ?
I think you could get it to work with TVP, but I can't say for sure without trying. I'd probably just substitute an equal amount of TVP for the cooked lentils.
Oh wow, I just grabbed a huge bag of walnuts last week for a vegan cookie recipe and still have a ton left. This will be the perfect recipe for them. Looks amazing. Now all I need are tortilla bowls. They MUST have them somewhere here in Vienna :)
Thanks!
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it!!
Also, we didn't use liquid smoke, parsley, or chives, and I used just regular chili powder instead of ancho chili powder (because I didn't have any of these ingredients on hand). We bought Trader Joe's steamed lentils in the package, which made it even easier! Cheers!
We made this last night - and it was fantastic! Thank you for posting vegan recipes that taste great!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!!
ooooh. this looks so good and filling -- and cheap! i love your trippy-lookin' wooden spoon.
Made this tonight, so good, it's a keeper for sure