Vegan Taco Salad
This vegan taco salad is a feast of flavors, combining taco-infused veggie crumbles and all the right toppings over crispy lettuce greens. We’re always sure to serve ours with some Air Fryer Tortilla Chips to add some crunch.
I’m the queen of salads and this vegan taco salad has been a long-time favorite. In fact, coming together over taco salads is one of my family’s favorite feasts. Of course, we love having all the right toppings on hand. Toppings are the key to serving the best taco salads!
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Adding taco seasoning to veggie crumbles is a great way to make a plant-based taco topping
- Using black beans as a topping keeps this recipe simple to make and filling
- Placing dollops of vegan sour cream adds creamy texture and tangy flavors to every bite.
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:
- Olive oil — Just about any vegetable oil will work. If you prefer cooking without oil, cook the onions in a bit of vegetable broth or water.
- Veggie crumbles — Use your favorite vegan veggie crumbles, such as Gardein, Bocca, or Beyond Beef. If using plant-based meats, be sure to read the package for cooking instructions (many of them require precooking). Another option is to use homemade vegan ground beef.
- Taco seasoning — Use a store-bought packet or homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Shredded greens — My hands-down favorite is romaine, but you can also use iceberg, green leaf, or any of your favorite greens.
- Onion — I prefer red onion for its color and mild flavor, but you can substitute a sweet yellow onion or even green onions.
- Cherry tomatoes — I love cherry tomatoes for salads because they are more compact and sweeter.
- Vegan cheddar shreds — There are many brands of vegan cheddar these days. I rotate between Daiya and Follow Your Heart.
- Avocado — You’ll need one avocado or substitute Vegan Guacamole.
- Jalapeño — Removing the seeds takes away most of the heat, leaving behind some very flavorful pepper slices. I highly recommend it, but if you’re nervous about any spice at all, you can leave these out.
- Black beans — You’ll need one can of black beans.
- Salsa — Use your favorite salsa to drizzle over the top of your salad.
- Tortilla chips — You can crumble some tortilla chips over your salad or serve them whole on the side. I love using these Air Fryer Tortilla Chips to keep it healthy!
- Vegan sour cream — This is another optional ingredient, but it adds a lot of flavor. You can find vegan sour cream in most major grocery stores or health food stores. You can substitute Cashew Cream.
What Veggie Crumbles are Best?
Veggie crumbles are made from a variety of plant-based ingredients. You can use veggie crumbles as a substitute for ground beef in your recipes. Some plant-based meat products require cooking before adding them to your recipes, so read the package instructions. You can buy veggie crumbles at many grocery stores and health food stores.
How to Make Vegan Taco Salad
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.
- Cook onions in an oiled skillet until tender.
- Add veggie crumbles to the skillet and cook until heated through.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and remove from heat.
- Add the lettuce, cut cherry tomatoes, and slivered red onions to a large serving bowl (or 6 individual servings).
- Add the remaining toppings and veggie crumbles over the salad.
- Serve as is or add a favorite dressing (see options below).
Frequently-Asked Questions
Are there vegan toppings for taco salad?
Many taco salad toppings are plant-based such as jalapeños, corn, beans, salsa, and more. Simply substitute vegan veggie crumbles in place of taco meat and vegan cheese in place of cheddar cheese, and you’ll have a delicious vegan dinner ready in minutes!
Can you freeze taco salad?
Although you can freeze some of the toppings, such as beans and guacamole, the salad itself is not suited for freezing. However, having some frozen toppings on hand is a great way to make this salad fast!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this vegan taco salad with salsa or add some tasty vegan dressings. Here are my favorite sauce and dressing toppings for this salad:
- Vegan ranch dressing
- Catalina is a personal family favorite for taco salad, and this Vegan Thousand Island Dressing is a close second
- Vegan Big Mac Sauce (similar to Thousand Island Dressing)
- Vegan Queso Blanco
- Italian Vinaigrette
- Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
Storage Tips
Store individual ingredients in separate containers in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. Once the salad is combined, it can keep up to 2 days in the fridge, but the lettuce can begin to wilt quickly once combined with other ingredients. You can freeze the taco veggie crumbles, but the rest of the ingredients are not recommended for freezing.
Vegan Salad Meals
We hope you love this vegan taco salad as much as we do! If you’re a salad fan like me, serve any of these salads as a meal or side dishes to your favorite entrees:
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Vegan Taco Salad
Ingredients
Veggie Taco Meat
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 2 cups veggie crumbles (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
Salad
- 8 cups shredded greens (iceburg, romaine, or your favorite greens)
- ¼ cup red onion, cut into slivers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds
Toppings
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
- 1 cup black beans, drained
- ⅓ cup salsa
- 1 cup tortilla chips
- ½ cup vegan sour cream
Instructions
For the Veggie Taco Meat:
- Add the oil to a skillet over medium heat and cook until shimmering. Add onions and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add veggie crumbles and cook until heated through.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and remove from heat.
For the Salad:
- Add the lettuce, cut cherry tomatoes, and slivered red onions to a large serving bowl (or 6 individual servings). Add the remaining toppings and veggie crumbles over the salad.
- Serve as is or add additional dressing, such as vegan ranch dressing, Catalina, or Vegan Big Mac Sauce (simiilar to Thousand Island Dressing).
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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 was dinner tonight! Everyone, even the carnivores, gave it a thumbs up!
I have always loved taco salad and these vegan version is amazing!
So glad you like it, Bonnie!