It’s football food time! Instead of tacos, try crunchy vegan taquitos. This vegan taquitos recipe has various filling choices and two cooking options!
One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom making taquitos when I arrived home from school. But, of course, those taquitos were frozen and by no means vegan. Since then, I learned how to ‘veganize’ my favorite foods, but vegan taquitos taste much better than I remember. My vegan taquitos recipe are baked or air-fried with various filling options.
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Taquitos, also called rolled tacos, are traditionally fried, but I bake or air-fry my vegan taquitos.
My mom, for example, gave us guacamole, salsa, and hot sauce to dip in our taquitos.
Vegan taquitos make a great snack, lunch, or dinner regardless of what fillings and toppings are chosen. And kids LOVE them!
Vegan Taquito Fillings
I decided to fill my taquitos with the lentil taco meat from my vegan lentil tacos recipe for tonight’s taquitos. Also, I’d like to suggest other filling options that taste great in these tiny rolled tacos.
Lentil Taco Filling Ingredients
- Brown Lentils: Brown and black lentils are more solid when cooked than green or red lentils. I love Trader Joe’s steamed lentils in the refrigerator section.
- White Onion: White onion has a strong flavor profile, ut when sauteed, it sweetens up.
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves as opposed to a jarred or garlic paste.
- Jalapeño: I like my lentil taco meat a little spicy, so if you don’t like spice skip this ingredient. Also, make sure to wear gloves when working with jalapenos.
- Rotel Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilies: This type of canned tomato already are flavored and contains green chilies.
- Organic Vegetable Broth: I always buy it in bulk at Costco because I often use it.
- Vegan Taco Seasoning: Choose a vegan brand of taco seasoning, or use a homemade seasoning mix.
Lentil Taco Filling Ingredient Substitutions
- Reduce the vegetable broth to 1 cup instead of 4 cups if using canned or pre-cooked lentils.
- Use red or yellow onion instead of white onion.
- Skip the jalapeno if you don’t like it spicy. Or make sure to remove the seeds and vein to reduce the spiciness. For extra spicy lentil meat, add in a few seeds.
- Try regular canned diced tomatoes and add green chilis.
- Yondu is a great option to replace vegetable broth.
- Make taco seasoning and store to use for Mexican recipes: 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin,1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
How to Make Vegan Taquitos
First, choose the type of tortilla. If using corn tortillas, heat them in a pan or microwave before filling them to make them more pliable so they don’t break.
On the other hand, flour tortillas only need heating after use because of their sturdiness. However, since the taquitos require hand rolling, allow the chosen filling to cool before handling.
Unlike a standard taco, vegan taquitos use a small amount of filling on one side of the tortilla. Then, roll each taquito tightly.
This is my favorite if you are looking for an oil-free tortilla recipe.
Baked Taquitos
Brush each taquito with fresh lime juice and sprinkle them with chili powder as an added fun extra.
- Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees.
- Cook for 20 minutes until crisp.
Benefits of Baking
- Can bake several taquitos at one time
Negatives of Baking
- It takes twice the time as the air-fryer
- Not as crispy as the air-fryer
Air-Fried Taquitos
The vegan taquitos are rolled, brushed with lime juice, and sprinkled with chili powder like the baked version. However, instead of placing on a silicone baking, place a single layer of taquitos in the base of the air fryer.
Benefits of Air Frying
- Very crispy like a fried taquito
- It takes half the time of an oven
Negatives of Air Frying
- You can only air-fry 3 to 4 taquitos simultaneously unless you have a larger air fryer with a separate pan.
What to Serve with Vegan Taquitos
Once cooked, serve the vegan taquitos recipe with a salad dressed in vegan southwest dressing, homemade guacamole, jalapeños, and lime wedges.
Other Suggested Toppings
So, the next time you consider Taco Tuesday, think about making taquitos instead of tacos. Not only are vegan taquitos crunchy, but they also taste fabulous. When planning a meal for the family, kids love vegan taquitos.
Recipe FAQs
Taquitos are usually made of corn tortillas. Meanwhile, flautas are made of flour tortillas.
Not really. While many people regard the taquito as a Mexican dish, it is believed that it was invented in the US.
Crispy fried taquitos sold in Mexico are often called tacos dorados, “golden tacos.”
Tips
- When working with corn tortillas, the trick to prevent them from cracking or breaking is to get them moist first. Do this my warming them in a microwave with a moist paper towel or in a pan on the stove. Ir spray them lightly with water or lime juice.
- Skip making homemade guacamole and salsa and buy fresh guacamole and salsa in the grocery store deli section.
- Choose unique fillings to make different types of taquitos.
- Preheating the air fryer first helps to cook the taquitos evenly. If you don’t, remember that subsequent batches will cook more quickly than the first batch.
- If you have a small air fryer, preheat an oven to 325 degrees to keep the cooked taquitos warm while batch-cooking the others.
- Serve with Mexican rice, Mexican chopped salad, or Southwest coleslaw.
If you love crunchy tacos, give vegan taquitos a try for a healthy alternative!
Great Vegan Mexican Recipes to Try
If you love this vegan taquitos recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Taquitos
Switch up Taco Tuesday with oil-free, crunchy vegan taquitos. With various filling choices, tortilla choices, and even two cooking options, this vegan taquito recipe is fabulous, especially for the kids.
Ingredients
Other Taquito Fillings (Instead of lentil taco filling)
Instructions
Tortillas
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Corn tortillas need to be heated in a skillet or microwave to soften them before rolling the taquitos.
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Flour tortillas do not need to be heated.
Lentil Taco Meat (or choose one of the other filling options)
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Sauté the onion in a medium-sized saute pan with garlic and jalapeno.
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You do not need oil.
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The vegetables sweat and produce moisture.
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You can always splash with vegetable broth, but don’t waste the fat and calories on oil.
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When the onions begin to be translucent, add the lentils and 3 cups of vegetable broth, 1 can of tomatoes, and the seasoning packages, stir, and bring to a boil.
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Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and cook, covered for 30 minutes.
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After 30 minutes, remove the top of the saute pan, and stir the contents.
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Add the next can of tomatoes.
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Continue to cook on low, stirring often.
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Use the remaining vegetable broth if the mixture appears dry.
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The goal is for it to have a thick consistency.
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Allow cooling completely before rolling taquitos.
Rolling and cooking the taquitos
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Place each tortilla (corn or flour on a flat surface.
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Add a small amount of taco filling on one side of the tortilla (about 4 Tablespoons) and tightly roll each tortilla.
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Brush each taquito with lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder.
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Choose your cooking method: air-frying or baking.
Air Frying
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Set as many taquitos (fold down) in the base of the air-fryer.
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Cook at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes until crispy.
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Remove from the air-fryer and cover to keep warm while the other taquitos cook.
Baking
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
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Place a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
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Lay each taquito fold it down on the baking sheet.
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Cook for 20 minutes until crispy.
Notes
- When working with corn tortillas, the trick to prevent them from cracking or breaking is to get them moist first. Do this my warming them in a microwave with a moist paper towel or in a pan on the stove. Ir spray them lightly with water or lime juice.
- Skip making homemade guacamole and salsa and buy fresh guacamole and salsa in the grocery store deli section.
- Choose unique fillings to make different types of taquitos.
- Preheating the air fryer first helps to cook the taquitos evenly. If you don’t, remember that subsequent batches will cook more quickly than the first batch.
- If you have a small air fryer, preheat an oven to 325 degrees to keep the cooked taquitos warm while batch-cooking the others.
- Serve with Mexican rice, Mexican chopped salad, or Southwest coleslaw.
- For gluten-free taquitos, choose corn tortillas.
Nutrition
Calories: 339kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 17gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gSodium: 1607mgPotassium: 869mgFiber: 22gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1714IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 6mg
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂