Vegan Taco Meat Nachos

Holy guacamole! If you don’t like nachos then I’m a nacho friend (get it?!). Okay, in all seriousness, this nacho recipe has vegan taco meat made from delicious walnuts and is loaded with toppings that make this the perfect snack for game-day, great for after school, or perfect for a movie or date night. You can really make these nachos however you like with whatever toppings you have on hand. Isn’t that the best part about nachos? I’ll give you some of my recommended toppings below but feel free to get creative! 

Why you’ll love these vegan taco meat nachos: 

• They’re vegan!! 
• They are totally versatile 
• Make them in just 40-minutes 
• The whole family will love them 

How do you make vegan taco meat? 

A plant-based best friend is walnuts when it comes to making fake meat that has a meat-like texture but is suitable for their dietary needs and preferences. Walnuts are the critical ingredient to make this taco meat seem like it’s taco meat, so it’s important to not substitute these for another nut. To make this faux taco meat, you’ll need to do the following…

Ingredients you’ll need: 

• Walnuts (I like to use California Walnuts for the best quality) 
• Sea Salt
• Tomato Paste
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Oregano
• Basil 
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Olive Oil 
• Red Chili Flakes (use more or less depending on how spicy you like things) 
• Cayenne Pepper (same note as above) 

As you can see the key ingredients to transform raw walnuts into vegan taco meat is a lot of different spices. Feel free to get creative and experiment with different spices, but this is personally what I like to use for both nachos and tacos. Next, here’s how you’ll put all this together:

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend till well combined and crumb-like. It will resemble and smell like taco meat. The texture will feel slightly moldable and easy to remove from the processor
2. Transfer the walnut mixture to a bowl and begin preparing your nachos

The benefits of walnuts 

Walnuts provide nutritious fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and they are so much more than just a topping for these vegan fudge brownies. Some of the other added benefits walnuts have are: 

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• They’re rich in antioxidants 
• They are a super plant source of Omega-3s
• Can decrease inflammation 
• Promote a healthy gut 
• May reduce the risk of some cancers 
• Can help with blood pressure 

So not only do you get a delicious taco meat nacho recipe but you also are soaking up the benefits of walnuts when you eat these! Bonus!! 

Other recipes you’ll love:

• Greek-style One Pot Pasta
• Crunchy, Feta & Olive Wrap
• Plant-Based Jackfruit Gyros
• Simple Homemade Greek Salad

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Vegan Taco Meat Nachos

5 from 5 votes

This perfect vegan taco meat nachos snack is great for lunches, game-day or after school. Made with walnuts, you'll have even meat eaters guessing how you did it.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Vegan Meals

Cuisine American-Inspired

Servings 4 -6

Calories 334 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Spicy Walnut Meat:

• 1 1/2 cup walnut
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Tomato paste
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Up to 2 tbsp. Water

For the Nachos:

• Tortilla Chips
• Refried Beans
• Vegan or Regular Cheese
• Walnut Meat all of it
• Garnish: tomatoes avocado, cilantro, pickled onion, sour cream, lime, jalapeño, hot sauce, cilantro

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
• For the Spicy Walnut Meat, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend till well combined and crumb-like.  It will resemble and smell like taco meat. The texture will feel slightly moldable and easy to remove from the processor.
• Transfer the walnut mixture to a bowl and begin preparing your nachos.
• Start by adding a layer of tortillas, a little bit of refried beans, cheese of choice, and walnut meat.  Repeat for one more layer of chips.  Bake for around 15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and gooey.
• Once cooked, garnish with the nachos with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, pickled onion, sour cream, lime, jalapeño, hot sauce, cilantro!  Remember to have fun with your garnishes! Enjoy!

Video

Notes

The walnuts are crucial for this meat recipe to have the right texture.

Feel free to play around with the spices and make them your own.  This can also be used in tacos etc.

Have fun with the cheese varieties, anything that melts will work!

Nutrition

Serving: 6 | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.6g | Protein: 7.8g | Fat: 25.5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 571.4mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 2.2g

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