Vegan Taquitos

Make the best ever vegan taquitos for your next weeknight meal. Also referred to as rolled tacos, taquitos deliver a crispy shell on the outside combined with a creamy filling. Serve them with a tasty avocado sauce for the perfect meal!

Vegan chicken taquitos are on a plate next to guacamole.

Do you look at this recipe and think “easy peasy”? Me neither, but come to find out, we should be thinking that. Because although it looks like a complicated dinner, these ten ingredients come together so naturally (aka, quickly). And the next thing you know, you’re sitting at the table enjoying a delicious dinner with your family.

Oh, who am I kidding? You’re sitting on the couch watching The Simpsons while eating a delicious dinner with your family.

I may be speaking from personal experience on that one. Don’t judge!

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • Dairy-free cream cheese is a tested ingredient that makes these crispy taquitos so good
  • Using vegan chicken adds flavor and plant-based protein
  • Baking taquitos (not frying), makes a crispy crust while keeping this a healthy recipe, too

What is a Taquito?

A traditional taquito is a small flour tortilla stuffed with filling and then deep-fried. However, you can make a taquito healthier by making it vegetarian or vegan and baking rather than frying them.

If you like cheesy, creamy goodness surrounded by a crispy tortilla dipped in avocado creaminess, you’re going to love this vegan taquito recipe.

What’s a taquito, exactly? It’s what happens when a taco meets a burrito and falls in love.

Looking down on ingredients such as flour tortillas, limes, fresh cilantro, chopped onion, and more.

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, including substitution ideas:

  • Vegan cream cheese — You can use storebought or make your own dairy-free cream cheese.
  • Onion — Use a white, yellow, or even a red onion
  • Green salsa — You can substitute a standard red salsa.
  • Fresh cilantro — You can substitute fresh parsley for those who don’t like cilantro.
  • Lime juice — Use either freshly squeezed or bottled lime juice.
  • Seasoning — You can use taco seasoning or fajita seasoning to season this filling.
  • Vegan Chicken — You can buy something like Beyond Meat Grilled Chicken Strips or Gardein Chicken Strips, or you can make your own vegan chicken.
  • Vegan Cheese — Use your favorite vegan cheddar or Mexican blend shreds, such as those made by Daiya or Follow Your Heart. Or you can substitute Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce.
  • Tortillas — You’ll need 10 flour tortillas. You can use regular or gluten-free tortillas.
  • Avocado  — One avocado will do the trick, or you can substitute vegan guacamole.
Looking down on a skillet with vegan fillets with gravy and lemon slices.

What is Vegan Chicken?

You can find vegan chicken made from various plant-based ingredients, such as soy or vital wheat gluten. You can make Homemade Vegan Chicken or buy store-bought products like Gardein, Sweet Earth, and Bocca, some of which are even gluten-free as well.

Don’t want to use vegan chicken products? You can substitute black beans or chickpeas. Mix things up by adding some Sofritas to your taquito filling. Or, try this Vegan Taco Meat as a tasty filling, too.

A closeup shot of rolled tacos with melted cheese sit on a plate. There is a bowl of mashed avocados beside it.

How to Make Vegan Taquitos

  1. Make the creamy filling by combining heated vegan cream cheese with salsa ingredients, like onions, lime juice, taco seasoning, and more.
  2. Cut vegan chicken strips into thin slices and add them to the creamy filling.
    Looking down on a bowl full of vegan chicken pieces and creamy filling. There's a red spatula in the bowl. Beside it is a bowl of vegan cheddar shreds and tortilla.s
  3. Warm tortillas until they’re soft and pliable.
  4. Add a bit of the filling to a warmed tortilla, spreading it out in a line across the tortilla. Top vegan cheese.
  5. Roll the tortilla tightly, placing it seam-side down in a prepared pan.
  6. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  7. Bake the pan of taquitos for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tortillas are crisp and browned on the edges.
  8. Make the avocado sauce by adding cubed avocado to a small bowl with some reserved creamy filling. Stir it and add more lime juice if it’s too thick.
  9. Remove taquitos from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving warm with the dipping sauce.

Some vegan chicken products are not as firm straight from the freezer. If your thawed chicken strips feel very soft, they should be cooked in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Then allow them to cool and cut them into strips.

Storage Tips

Store taquitos in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. Transfer them in the fridge overnight to thaw. Then reheat in the oven or toaster oven until heated through and the crust is crispy.

Plant-Based Protein Options

You can mix up the protein options in your vegan taquitos. Use these as additional layers or substitute them for the vegan chicken. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Sofritas is tofu-based and adds lots of delicious flavors
  • Vegan Taco Meat is infused with seasonings
  • Black Bean Dip could be used as part of the filling or served alongside taquitos
  • Chickpeas make a good substitute for vegan chicken.
A plate holds vegan taquitos with herbs on top. Theres a bowl of mashed avocados on the side.

Serving Suggestions

Serve vegan taquitos with any of the following, either as sauces for dipping or side dishes:

When it comes to beverages, you can’t go wrong with these:

Marly’s Tips

Use these tips to make these vegan taquitos perfect every single time:

  • Are taquitos gluten-free? Not if you use traditional flour tortillas. However, you can use gluten-free tortillas (corn or gluten-free flour tortillas) to make gluten-free taquitos.
  • You can add a cup of cooked black beans to make black bean taquitos.
  • Add Steamed Broccoli to make a tasty and healthy vegetable taquitos recipe.
  • Adding even more vegan cheese makes some tasty cheesy taquitos.

Vegan Mexican Recipes

These vegan taquitos are the best! Here are even more tasty plant-based Mexican meals and sides to choose from:

That’s it for this vegan taquitos recipe. Enjoy!

Vegan chicken taquitos are on a plate next to guacamole.

Vegan Taquitos

Vegan Taquitos are super easy to make. A tortilla has creamy plant-based filling and is rolled and baked until crispy. Then serve them with a delicious avocado sauce for the ultimate vegan comfort food!
5 from 4 votes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 196kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup dairy-free cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons white onion chopped
  • cup green salsa
  • 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
  • 2 cups vegan chicken
  • 1 cup vegan cheddar or mexican blend shredded cheese
  • 10 small flour tortillas regular or gluten-free
  • 1 avocado peeled and chopped

Instructions

  • Heat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with foil.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, add the vegan cream cheese. Place it in a microwave and heat it for about 10 seconds, to soften it up. Next, add the onion, salsa, cilantro, lime juice, and taco seasoning. Stir to combine, reserving two tablespoons of this mixture into a bowl.
  • On a cutting board, cut the chicken strips into long, thin slices. Add this and the cheese to the creamy filling mixture in the medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Place the tortillas in a microwave and warm them up for about 10 seconds or so. This makes them soft and pliable.
  • Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling mixture slightly off-center on one of the warmed tortillas. Spread it out in a line across the tortilla, then sprinkle with cheese shreds. Roll the tortilla tightly and place it seam-side down in the prepared pan. Repeat until you run out of the vegan chicken mixture.
  • Place the pan of taquitos in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the tortillas are crisp and browned on the edges.
  • In the meantime, make your avocado dipping sauce by adding the cubed avocado to the small bowl with the reserved cream/cilantro filling. Stir together to combine. You can add more lime juice if it's too thick.
  • When the taquitos are done, remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then serve warm with the Avocado Dipping Sauce.

Recommended Equipment

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 3.4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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 2018 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

6 Responses to Vegan Taquitos

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyDan Reply

    This looks so delicious. Cant wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing the recipe Marly.

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyVeggie Veggester Reply

    5 stars
    Dear Marly, I have been looking at a couple of your recipes now and I have to say, you are my favorite food bLogger! Never have I connected with the numerous opposing contemporaries in this industry, they leave a “bad taste in my mouth l.m.a.o. as my kids say. I’m afraid I have to rate this a good ol’ five (5) stars! ⭐️ be seeing you!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Ah, thanks V.V. Your comment made me smile. I’m so glad you like my recipes. 🙂

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyHanne Reply

    5 stars
    I always enjoy your breezy writing style and accessible recipes. This recipe looks delicious and easy enough that my hubby could make it. Lol

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks so much Hanne! Yes, easy peasy does it with this recipe!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for Marlybarrie Reply

    5 stars
    This looks awesomely delicious! The whole family, including the teen, would eat this!

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