Even though many Mexican recipes are full of meat, fish and dairy, it is possible to create a vegan Mexican feast. Mexican food works well as a vegan option because many recipes are full of fresh veggies, zesty flavour and spices. Here is our list of our favourite Vegan Mexican recipes. You can make many more of our recipes vegan simply by substituting non-vegan ingredients for vegan ingredients.
1. Spicy Vegan Jackfruit Burrito
Often burrito recipes focus on meat eaters which of course don’t satisfy vegans and vegetarians. First up is our Spicy Vegan Jackfruit Burrito recipe. Here we offer everything that a meat burrito normally has, and make it look and taste just as good. If you’ve never tried jackfruit this is your chance to do so! It’s very easy to prepare, and when combined with a sauce and cooked in the oven, it resembles the texture of pulled pork! For this spicy burrito recipe we cover the jackfruit with Chipotle Paste and Chipotle Honey to create the perfect marinade for our plant based filling. Once it comes out of the oven steaming hot, it’s shredded and tastes as good as any meat option you’ve tried!
2. Vegan Nachos
Whether you are vegetarian or vegan, or simply like to switch things up sometimes and have meat-free days, these Vegan Nachos are for you. When it comes to making nachos it’s all about building up layers of flavour. As long as you introduce the elements in this recipe, we can guarantee that they will turn out amazing! For this recipe we have loaded them with butternut squash, avocado, Refried Beans, Tomatillo Salsa, and lots more!
3. Mushroom Sheet Pan Fajitas
Fajitas are quite easy to prepare already but this recipe makes them even more convenient to cook. All you have to do is to place all the veggies in a bowl and cover with our Mild Fajita Cooking Sauce and Garlic & Guajillo Fajita & Taco Mix. This will bring loads of flavour to them. Following on from that, coat your mushrooms and peppers in the mixture and finally place them on a baking tray to let the oven do it’s magic. This recipe is not spicy which makes it ideal to feed both little ones and grown ups.
4. Spicy Vegan Stew
There is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of a warm and hearty stew on a cold winter day. Perhaps we would normally associate a stew with meat, but our Spicy Vegan Stew is a plant based option that carries all the flavour without having to use any meat. It’s all about building flavours, using aromatics and good seasoning. Our Chipotle Paste is the star ingredient here.
5. Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Cauliflower has become a hero vegetable in the last few years, whether it is used to make pizza crust, fishless ceviche or a carbless version of rice! We think cauliflower is a pretty tasty vegetable and it makes a delicious filling in our Roasted Cauliflower Tacos recipe. For this recipe we rub the cauliflower with a full-flavoured paste made from white tahini, our bestselling Chipotle Paste, Garlic and Guajillo Fajita & Taco Mix, garlic cloves and lemon juice.
6. Guacamole
Guacamole is one of the most famous of Mexican recipes and definitely one of our favourites. We therefore had to add it to our list of Vegan Mexican Recipes! This guacamole recipe is not only great with Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips but would also be a perfect accompaniment to all of our Vegan Mexican recipes. For this recipe we decided to play with the ingredients and make a Mexican guacamole recipe with our Tomatillo Salsa. The result is really tasty, full of fresh flavour, and super easy to make with only a handful of ingredients!
7. Vegan Pulled Pork & Slaw
If you can get hold of it, using jackfruit in place of pork to make vegan pulled pork is well worth a try, even if you’re not vegan! The texture is slightly different, but the big smoky flavour will always be there using Gran Luchito. This recipe uses our Chipotle Paste and Chipotle Ketchup, as well as a little of our Chipotle Mayo in the awesome coleslaw, which makes that part non-vegan. Having said that, you can substitute the mayo for a vegan alternative. You can pick up cans of young jackfruit in some supermarkets, Asian shops and online.
8. Vegan Burritos
Stuffed full of jackfruit, chipotle refried beans and Mexican rice, this vegan burrito recipe is a real crowd-pleaser for vegans and meat-eaters alike! If you love jackfruit, try our Vegan Pulled Pork recipe as it also uses jackfruit in place of pork.
9. Vegan Tacos
This great vegan tacos recipe is inspired by Deliciously Ella. When we first started, British retailer Marks and Spencer challenged food blogger, Ella, to come up with a healthy wheat free recipe using our chipotle paste. She came up with vegan tacos and this is our take on them.
10. Vegan Chilli Con Carne
This vegan Mexican recipe is perfect for a healthy, meat-free meal. However, even if you are sharing with a meat-eater, the roasted butternut squash and smoky flavour from the chipotle paste means the taste of meat won’t be missed whatsoever in this vegan Mexican food, we promise.
11. Vegan Shiitake Mushroom Tacos
These delicious Shiitake Mushroom Soft Taco Wraps are one of the great vegan Mexican food recipes. The mushroom and veggies get a smoky kick from our Chipotle Fajita & Taco Mix and are served with a really delicious avocado, lime, and jalapeño sauce.
12. Vegan Fajitas
These fajitas contain sour cream, but you can easily make them vegan with a vegan sour cream or coconut yoghurt. Fajitas are always a must and this recipe is packed full of flavourful veggies seasoned with our Chipotle Fajita & Taco Mix and layered with our delicious Refried Beans. Having said that, they are so blooming tasty that even the meat-eaters will be happy! As far as classic vegan Mexican recipes go, this is the one to try!
13. Cactus Salad
Cactus (also known as Nopales) is a kitchen staple in Mexican food and the great news is that it is really tasty and healthy. Our favourite way to eat cactus has to be the vegan salads you find on the streets in Mexico City. For this salad we have teamed our Sliced Green Cactus with our Jalapeño & Pineapple, and added tomatoes, spring onions, fresh coriander, cabbage, lettuge, lime juice, a touch of oregano and stuffed it all into our soft Soft Taco Wraps.
14. Stuffed Courgette
Finally, whilst not technically a vegan Mexican recipe, these stuffed courgettes are so delicious that we had to include them. Filled with protein (thanks to the chickpeas and kidney beans) and epic Mexican flavour from our Habanero Taco Mix the stuffed courgettes make a perfect main or vegetable side dish.
In conclusion, if you are a vegan travelling to Mexico or would like some more tips, be sure to check out our Guide to Vegan Mexican Food. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our vegan Mexican recipes. If you’ve tried one of our recipes out, we would love to hear from you. Please scroll to the bottom of the recipe and leave your review! Happy cooking from all of us! Don’t forget to tag us #granluchito
Enjoyed reading this blog? For similar blogs please see: Guide to Vegetarian and Vegan Mexican Food, Favourite Summer Recipes, Mexican Fish Recipes, Avocado Recipes, Easy BBQ Recipes, Top BBQ Side Dishes, BBQ Tips, Big Green Egg Recipes, 10 Easy Mexican Recipes, Healthy Mexican Recipes, Family Meal Ideas That Will Have Your Kids Asking For More
This blog was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated in January 2021 with added content