Vegan Mexican Lasagna
This vegan Mexican lasagna recipe is made with layers of seasoned veggie crumbles, vegan cheese, and avocados. It uses south-of-the-border ingredients to create a festive vegetarian makeover of a traditional pasta dish. Using corn tortillas instead of lasagna noodles creates a taco lasagna casserole worth serving time and time again!
Serve this tasty dish with these Air Fryer Tortilla Chips and Vegan Guacamole on the side.
I came up with the idea of this recipe years ago. I figured if you can eat lasagna with noodles, why not a vegan Mexican lasagna with tortillas? I love Italian vegan lasagna and even this vegan lasagna soup. I’m so glad that this Mexican version of lasagna is just as tasty.
What is Mexican Lasagna?
This vegan Mexican lasagna is a layered dish, substituting south-of-the-border seasonings and corn tortillas in place of lasagna noodles and Italian seasonings. It’s also a perfect meal prep casserole because it creates lots of leftovers. It’s made without meat or dairy, making it the ultimate vegan casserole recipe!
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Using corn tortillas instead of lasagna noodles makes this lasagna much easier to make because there’s no need to boil the noodles first
- Making an avocado-infused filling adds color, flavor, and creamy texture
- Adding cornmeal to the veggie crumbles provides texture and flavor, making every bite of this dish absolutely delicious!
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Onion — I used a yellow onion for its mild flavor, but you can use white or red onion.
- Olive oil
- Garlic — You’ll need 2 cloves of garlic or use 4 to 5 tender cloves from a garlic confit.
- Vegan crumbles — My favorite brands are Gardein or Better than Beef crumbles. You can substitute textured vegetable protein or see the plant-based protein options listed below.
- Cornmeal
- Tofu — We’ll be using extra-firm (or firm) tofu for the filling.
- Avocado — You’ll need 1 medium avocado.
- Chickpeas — I used a 15-ounce can of chickpeas, or you can substitute 1 3/4 cup of cooked chickpeas.
- Spices — You’ll need ground turmeric, onion powder, and garlic powder, taco seasoning, and salt.
- Mild salsa — If you like it spicy, opt for medium or hot salsa.
- Corn tortillas
- Vegan cheddar shreds — I prefer either Daiya or Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar shreds.
Marly’s Tips
If you prefer Mexican lasagna with noodles, simply use no-boil lasagna noodles in place of corn tortillas.
How to Make Vegan Mexican Lasagna
If you love vegetarian Mexican food, you’re going to be happy at how easy it is to make this recipe without meat or dairy!
- Sauté onion in an oiled skillet for 5 minutes until tender.
- Stir in garlic, soy crumbles, seasoning, water, cornmeal, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Make the avocado filling by combining the ingredients in a food processor and pulsing until smooth.
- Make the first lasagna layer by spooning some salsa across the baking dish, topping with corn tortillas, spiced vegan crumbles, and the avocado mixture.
- Repeat the layers, finishing with salsa and topping it with the remaining cheddar shreds.
- Bake for 30 minutes until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.
Here are more detailed step-by-step instructions.
Step One: Prepare the Veggie Crumbles
The first step in making meatless Mexican lasagna is to place a skillet over medium heat and cook some chopped onion in oil.
Once the onions are tender, add the chopped garlic and veggie crumbles. Add some fajita seasoning mix, water, and cornmeal and then cook until the crumbles are lightly browned.
Step Two: Avocado Cream Sauce
The next step requires a food processor or blender. Place these in the bowl of a food processor: Extra firm tofu, an avocado (peeled and cubed), chickpeas, and spices. Pulse that until nice and smooth.
Step Three: Layer and Bake
Finally, follow an order of layers just like a regular lasagna. Here are the steps:
- Pour and spread a little salsa across the bottom of the pan. Why? Because beginning any lasagna with sauce helps prevent a dry, sticky lasagna.
- Top with corn tortillas.
- Sprinkle half of the veggie crumbles mixture over that, followed by
- Spread half of the creamy tofu mixture.
- Repeat these layers
- Top with vegan cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are golden brown.
Storage Tips
Allow the casserole to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate it for up to 10 days or freeze up to 3 months. To serve, cook in the microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through.
Vegan Protein Options
There are lots of options when it comes to added protein to this recipe. Here are some ideas:
- Veggie Crumbles — You can buy these at the store, and some are even flavored with taco seasoning.
- Sofritas
- Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties — crumble these patties to add delicious flavor and protein.
- Vegan Taco Meat
Serving Suggestions
Here are some perfect sides to serve with this vegan Mexican lasagna:
- Air fryer tortilla chips
- Vegan black bean dip
- Cashew Cream
- Vegan Queso Blanco
- Corn Salsa
- Spanish Quinoa
Vegan Mexican Recipes
If you love vegan Mexican recipes, well, me too! Vegetarian Mexican food is a go-to favorite at our house! Here are some favorites you should check out:
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Vegan Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion , peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , peeled and chopped
- 2 cups vegan crumbles
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 14 oz package extra firm tofu
- 1 medium avocado , peeled and chopped
- 15 oz can chickpeas , drained
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups mild salsa
- 18 6″ corn tortillas
- 2 cups vegan cheddar shreds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, sauté onion in oil for 5 minutes until onions are tender. Add garlic, soy crumbles, and fajita seasoning. Stir in water and cornmeal and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool during the next step.
- Add tofu, avocado, chickpeas, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to a food processor and pulse until well combined.
- Spoon some of the salsa into the bottom of a 9×13 ungreased baking pan and top with 6 corn tortillas. Spoon ½ fajita-spiced vegan crumbles over tortillas, followed by ½ avocado mixture. Repeat layers, finishing with remaining salsa, and top with remaining Cheddar shreds.
- Bake 30 minutes until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze up to 3 months. To serve, cook in the microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through
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The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
I think this recipe sounds delicious! I love mexican anything!
Thanks, Mackenzie. I’m with you – but vegetarian mexican recipes are my favorite! 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! Could you share what brand of soy crumbles you used? I’m having difficulty locating a gluten-free product.
Hi Johnna! I haven’t found any gluten-free soy crumbles either. I note in the recipe (found here: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/foodandhealth/mexican-lasagna/) that to make the dish gluten-free you can use 2 cups of lentils instead of soy crumbles. I find it works just as well. I hope this helps!
wow this looks fantastic! I am SO glad to meet you in person! I wish we had talked more! Thanks so much for connecting and your kind words! Keep in touch. I have been a big fan of your site
Thanks, Alison! So glad to meet you as well! Glad you liked this recipe too! 🙂
I LOVE your photos-so elegant and clean. Very inspiring and hunger-inducing.
Thanks, Liz. Hunger-inducing is definitely what I’m going for! I mean, it’s good to be a little hungry in life…especially for good food!
It is funny how we think we come up with something so unique only to find that others have discovered the same thing years ago. Still worth sharing our own discoveries though. This Mexican Lasagna looks incredible!
Thanks, Jeanette! So glad you liked it!