Crispy beer-battered zucchini bites are stuffed into warm tortillas and served with creamy guacamole to make these irresistible vegan tacos!
Warning: once you start beer battering things, it's hard to stop. There isn't much that doesn't taste good when it's covered in a crispy beer-infused coating, and the zucchini filling in these tacos are no exception.
What You'll Need
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cumin
- Salt
- Beer (use a lighter brew, such as ale)
- High-heat oil
- Zucchini
- Tortillas (flour or corn will work)
- Guacamole
- Shredded cabbage
- Fresh cilantro
- Any other taco toppings you like!
How to Make Beer-Battered Zucchini Tacos
Start by whipping up your batter. Stir together the flour, cumin and salt in a bowl, then whisk in your beer. Now heat up some oil in a skillet — you'll need it to be about ⅛ inch deep. Place a few chunks of zucchini into the batter and roll them around a bit to coat them.
Remove the zucchini from the batter, one piece at a time, and carefully transfer them to the skillet. You might need to shake the pieces off gently to remove any excess batter before placing them in the oil.
Cook your zucchini for a few minutes on each side, until the pieces are golden and crispy. When they're done, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain while you cook the next batch. Be sure to keep an eye on the oil level in your skillet and add more between batches when it's needed.
Stuff your tortillas with shredded cabbage, guac, and beer battered zucchini, along with any other toppings you'd like.
Beer Battered Zucchini Taco Tips & FAQ
- Fried zucchini doesn't stay crispy for long, so these tacos are best served right away.
- If you do have leftover zucchini, store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, arrange the zucchini on a baking sheet and place it under a broiler until it begins to sizzle. Flip the pieces and repeat on the other side.
- Can these tacos be made gluten-free? I haven't tried, but I think an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend would work. Make sure your tortillas are gluten-free as well — corn tortillas generally are.
- Watch your zucchini closely while they fry. They can burn very quickly if the heat is even a smidge too high!
- Not all beer is vegan. Be sure to check with Barnivore to ensure yours is. I used Yard's pale ale.
- Looking for more savory ways to use up zucchini? Try my zucchini fritters, pasta primavera, or vegan chorizo-stuffed zucchini!
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Beer Battered Zucchini Tacos
Crispy beer-battered zucchini bites are stuffed into warm tortillas and served with creamy guacamole to make these irresistible vegan tacos!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ale
- 1 ½ pounds zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini), quartered and sliced about ½-inch thick
- ⅓ cup canola oil (or high-heat oil of choice)
- 12 small flour tortillas (or corn tortillas)
- Shredded red cabbage
- Guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
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Whisk the flour, cumin, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the beer.
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Generously coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil — you'll need it to be about ⅛ inch thick. Place the skillet over medium heat.
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Place a few pieces of zucchini into the batter. Roll them around with a spoon to coat all sides.
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When the oil begins to shimmer, remove a piece of zucchini from the bowl. Shake off any excess batter, then place the zucchini in the skiller. Repeat for as many pieces of zucchini as you can fit without crowding.
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After about 3 minutes, begin checking your zucchini. When the bottoms are browned and crispy, they're ready to flip. Carefully flip them one at a time.
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Cook the zucchini for another 3 to 4 minutes, until browned and crispy on the other sides.
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Transfer the cooked zucchini to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
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Repeat the cooking process until all of the zucchini are cooked, adding oil to the skillet between batches as needed.
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Fill the tortillas with cabbage, guacamole, fresh cilantro, and zucchini, along with any other taco toppings you like.
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Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information includes 2 tablespoons of guacamole per taco.
Made these tonight and they were great! I used a pale ale and next time I might try something with a bit more flavor. Also added some mango salsa because we had some already made. Came together pretty quickly for a weeknight dinner. Will make again for sure! Thanks for the recipe :)
There was some trepidation over the idea of zucchini tacos when I served these, but everyone loved them! The fresh cilantro is a must. We topped them with a jalapeno-cilantro dressing from the Cookie and Kate site, which was perfect on them.We are looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for another great recipe!