Vegetarian Mexican Food

You might immediately think of carnitas and taco meat turns out the Mexican style cuisine is perfect for loading on the veggies. Why? The spiced, tangy, and savory flavors present in this style of cooking brings huge flavor to plant-based eating. Tacos, enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, and more can easily be made vegetarian by using refried beans, lentils, and even jackfruit as a stand-in for meat. Load on the beautiful veggie toppings and you’ve got a seriously plant-based meal. Here we’ve rounded up all of our favorite vegetarian Mexican recipes — you’ll notice that we have so many, we’ve highlighted 15, and then just kept going! So keep reading until the end.

Before we start: this is not a list of authentic Mexican dishes! Most of the recipes below are inspired by Mexican flavors and style. For authentic Mexican style recipes, head to this list at Saveur. See also: Easy Mexican Recipes.

Cauliflower Tacos

These crispy cauliflower tacos are like a vegetarian fish taco, and they’ve become one of our most popular Mexican-style vegetarian recipes! The charred taco is filled with breaded cauliflower (baked, not fried), refried beans, and a silky sauce. They’re all about one thing: big flavor!— even without the meat.

Black Bean Enchiladas

WOW is all we can say about this black bean enchiladas recipe! It tops the charts as one of our most crowd-pleasing plant-based recipes…ever. Tortillas are wrapped around a veggie filling oozing with flavor, and it’s all doused in a zesty homemade enchilada sauce. With the crunchy veggie topping, this dish looks simply incredible. It tastes even better than it looks!

Simple Guacamole

It’s a home run every time! When we serve it, a chorus of “Wow’s” fill the room. (Really. Not hyperbole!) What makes it so great? It’s classic and has the perfect balanced flavor: perfectly savory, creamy, and tangy. Serve this classic vegan Mexican dip with tortilla chips and your guests — and you — won’t be able to stop eating it.

Crispy Avocado Tacos

These crispy avocado tacos are destined to be your new favorite vegetarian Mexican recipe! You’ve got avocado fries, breaded and baked in a hot oven until crispy. Then top that with spiced black beans, pico de gallo, and the refreshing crunch of romaine lettuce. Drizzle on a creamy lime and cilantro sauce, and it’s heaven on a plate. It tastes like restaurant tacos, but it’s easy to whip up in your kitchen.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Here’s one of our favorite vegetarian Mexican recipes because of the intense flavor it packs in just over 30 minutes! The secret here is adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilis: it brings in a smoky flavor without adding too much heat! It’s filled with black beans, peppers, and corn, and topped with homemade crunchy tortilla strips. It’s a crowd-pleaser every time.

Easy Mexican Salad

This Mexican salad is a chopped salad with Latin-style flavors: colorful veggies, cilantro lime salad dressing, and tortilla strips. It all combines into a super-flavorful dish that can be served as a side or dressed up to work as a healthy main dish salad. It’s got 3 dressings to choose from, based on your tastes (easiest, easy, and vegan).

Vegan Fajitas (on a Sheet Pan!)

There’s no such thing as too many easy dinner ideas. So let us present our new favorite: these incredible vegan fajitas! Everyone loves this meal, even meat-eaters. It’s a great way to make a fun healthy dinner where no one notices there’s no meat! Roast up lots of veggies on a sheet pan with spices, and serve with refried beans and “guac-ish,” a super-fast version of guacamole.

Black Bean Burrito

Something about all those tasty fillings snuggled cozily into a tortilla makes a burrito irresistible. This burrito is packed with flavor from Spanish rice (aka Mexican rice), seasoned black beans, peppers and onions, and mashed avocado. Even better, step it up with a zingy vegan sauce.

Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

What makes elite (Mexican grilled corn) so irresistible is the contrasts of flavors and textures. Sweet corn is charred to smoky perfection on the grill. Then it’s slathered in creamy mayo and sour cream sauce, seasoned with chili powder and topped with chunks of feta or queso fresco cheese. The crunch of the corn against the creamy, messy sauce is pretty much to die for.

Easy Refried Bean Dip

This refried bean dip is seriously tasty, but guess what? It has no cheese to speak of. Somehow it’s just as satisfying as a cheesy Mexican dip, without the extra calories. This one uses our Instant Pot refried beans, stovetop refried beans, or canned refried beans, mixed with green chilis and cumin. Top it with salsa Fresca and it’s a healthy spin on a bean dip that’s seriously satisfying.

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