
FREE Plant-Based Protein Course with 40+ Recipes
Enter your email address to get the recipes and course! You'll need to visit your inbox and confirm your subscription to get it.
Vegan Lentil Tacos! These are the BEST swap for ground meat tacos with the same amount of protein and half the fat!
Of all the recipes that I’ve put on this blog, these vegan lentil tacos are my favorite. My I-hope-you-will-make-these-first recipe, as I am confident in their ability to win over any die-hard omnivore.
Not only is this meal healthy, it’s also pretty inexpensive and quick to make. A win-win in my book. Of all the subs for ground beef, lentils are probably one of my favorite. They are high in fiber, iron and protein and one cup provides almost all of your daily folate needs.
If you’re trying to lower cholesterol levels then try subbing lentils for ground beef, turkey or chicken in your pasta sauces, burgers, and these tacos. I’ve made these for many carnivores and everyone asks for the recipe. And, coincidentally, this lentil taco recipe is gluten-free if you sub corn tortillas for flour. Vegan, gluten-free, these lentil tacos please everyone!
The good news is that these tacos couldn’t be easier to put together! First, saute an onion until translucent and soft. This helps give the lentils more flavor and adds to the overall texture of the dish.
From there, you’ll add the spices and let cook until you start to smell them. Cooking the spices in the fat of the onions and oil is called blooming, which is just a fancy way of making the dried spices more potent.
Then, add in cooked lentils and cook until warmed through. The secret to getting these lentils to act like ground meat is to gently smash some of them using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher.
Canned lentils are fine to substitute here. A reminder that you don’t have to soak lentils first before cooking them, so you can cook a large batch at once to use in these tacos, then in my lentil loaf, lentil masala, or lentil tacos with cauliflower later in the week.
Brown or french green lentils are best as they hold their shape after being cooked. Split lentils or red lentils will turn to mush once cooked, so avoid them in this recipe. If you cannot find lentils, you can substitute cooked black beans or pinto beans.
If you’re short on time, sub in the spice mixture for a taco seasoning packet. You may need to add in a little vegetable broth along with the lentils as taco seasoning packets tend to have added thickeners in them that will absorb moisture in the recipe.
If you try these lentil tacos, make sure to come back to leave a comment and rate them! Your feedback helps others and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
PrintVegan Lentil Tacos! These are the BEST swap for ground meat tacos with the same amount of protein and half the fat!
Spice mix:
Tag @delishknowledge on Instagram and hashtag it #delishknowledge
Instant Pot Lentil Walnut Tacos, Vegan Zucchini and Lentil Tacos, and 10-minute black bean tacos.
The Ultimate Plant-Based Protein Cookbook + Course
(Includes 40+ recipes!)
FREE 7-DAY COURSE + COOKBOOK
I love using lentils as a vegetarian alternative, this recipe looks awesome!
★★★★★
This recipe was so good. I’m always looking for great vegan taco variations, and this hit the spot.
So glad you like it. Thanks, kelly!
[…] times and that is the worst time to discover you all hate lentils! Here is our current favourite Lentil Tacos! Super Tip 3: It is a good idea to go over what you have before doing a big shop. You might […]
Sooo I just made this and it was delicious!!! So easy to make! Easy cleanup and everything!! Thank you thank you! This is a perfect college recipe.
Wonderful! I’ve had to make it a few more times for my daughter!
★★★★★
I just made this for lunch. Absolutely awesome this recipe is a keeper
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!
I’ve just made these with brown lentils and it came out amazing. Great texture – creamy yet ground-like (hard to explain, really). I added a pinch of turmeric and substituted the paprika for smoked paprika. Thanks for the inspiration!
So glad you liked them! Thanks Mickey!
Giving these a try tonight in homemade sourdough spelt tortillas. We love sprouting buckwheat and cooking in the skillet with sautéed veggies in a similar way. Have you tried that in a taco?
That sounds delicious!
Alex, I now make this recipe weekly thank you! It is a family favourite with my kids especially (8 and 4) better than my usual Italian plain lentils as the kids then add vegetable toppings to their taco. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Greetings from Ireland! Maria
★★★★★
So glad you like it! Thanks Maria!
Love love love i can enjoy tacos again
★★★★★
Love hearing this, thanks Ashley!
We made these tonight and they were absolutely delicious! My husband and I both agreed we liked them more than any meat taco we’d ever had. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked them!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Yes! The lentil meat mixture keeps for about 5-6 days in the fridge.
This looks so good! I love that it actually looks like taco meat! What a great idea for a vegan taco salad too!
Thanks Suzanne! It’s one of our favorites!
You can never have enough garlic! . Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes and i Am a die hard omnivore but reading your recipes I could imagine giving up meat
★★★★
Thanks Sam!
Is this recipe spicy??
Your spice mix will determine how spicy the tacos are; the one listed here is mild, but if you add more cayenne pepper, it will be more spicy. To decrease any spice, remove the pepper all together.
I was blown away at how delicious these were! They will be added to our regular meal planning rotation. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it! Thanks Jeannine!
Does anyone no the nutrional info per serving ?
This is the fantastic!!! I asked my meat loving boys to try and they liked. Cheap, flavors are great and you can’t be the nutritional value of lentils. This will become a staple for meatless Monday’s.
PS.. I cook my lentils in the rice cooker .
Thanks a bunch.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it! Thanks Jan!
incredibly delicious…. loved it so much, thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
For a novice chef, such as myself, with barely any experience using lentils, it would have been nice to include preparing the lentils before adding them to the skillet
★
Hi Dave- just added that to the notes. Thanks!
I can’t wait to try these. I’m afraid I don’t have all the spices but I do know I have a package of taco seasoning. How much of it would I use? Does 1 cup dried lentils equal 1 lb meat?
Hi Cara- I’d do 1/2 of a packet with a little broth or water to see how that tastes- you can always add more, but I wouldn’t want it to be too salty!
Planning on making these tonight. My love just had bypass surgery almost 3 weeks ago and is working on building up his iron again and lentils are a great source of iron, along with other great health benefits. I’m thinking of using low sodium beef stock to boil then in to impart some flavor. Any thoughts on that?
★★★★
Hi Donna- I havent tried it with beef broth before but I can’t imagine that it won’t work. I often cook my lentils with vegetable broth, so I assume the same thing will work here.
best ive ever had
So glad you liked it! Thanks!
Hi there! Should I be using just 1 cup of dried lentils for this recipe? Or should I be using 2 cups? Thanks so much!
Hi Carla, it’s 2 cups cooked from one cup dried.
OMG these ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!!!!! I am at a loss for words! THANK YOU!
★★★★★
So glad you like them! Thanks for the kind words.
Love, love, love the lentil tacos!!! One of our first vegetarian meals, will be searching your site for more. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Thanks Sally! Glad you liked them.
These taste as good as any taco mix I have ever had – like ever. The taco seasoning mixture is perfect. Amazing, 100% healthy to my temple. Doing the Daniel Fast and these fit right in with rightly made taco shells. Thanks so so so much. Blessings.
★★★★★
I never leave reviews but I tried your recipe tonight as I try to live my life healthier. AMAZING!! Better than normal tacos even. Thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
So glad you liked them! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Can this taco filling be frozen and stored?
Hi Lindsey, yes, you can freeze this taco meat easily. Enjoy!
Unless you mean to use 1 cup of dried lentils…because I don’t see how 1 cup of cooked lentils can make 10 to 12 tacos!!
Hi Lyndsay, yes- the recipe uses 1 cup dried lentils, not canned.
Thanks! I guess the wording just threw me off. I assumed 1 cup lentils, cooked, meant 1 cup of cooked lentils. Oops! Giving these another go tonight.
I should have clarified! Let me know how they turned out with dried. Thanks, Alex
How do you recommend cooking the lentils? I love them but I’ve never cooked them before.
Hi Mackenzie, to cook from dried, cook on a stovetop, using 3 cups of liquid (water, stock, etc) to 1 cup of dry lentils. Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes.
[…] Favorite of the lentil recipes I’ve tried is lentil tacos. If you’re looking for a taco recipe, this is […]
[…] Try any extra sauce on potatoes, salads, nachos, or more tacos. […]
[…] will always be my #1 choice for tacos, both BL and I were getting a little tired of the constant lentil taco rotation. Taco flavors must be rotated! So, tempeh tacos it […]
[…] Lentil Tacos […]
[…] bacon! So I gave it up for awhile, but a few weeks ago I wanted to try it again. I made some amazing lentil tacos and didn’t tell the kids it wasn’t meat. They loved them, thank goodness. I was really […]
[…] Lentil Tacos https://delishknowledge.com/lentil-tacos/ and Roasted Green Beans (1 lb french cut green beans, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, […]
[…] inspiration, consider your go-to take-out choices. My starting points would be spaghetti pomodoro, lentil tacos, tortilla or vegetable soup, stir-fry and a […]
[…] now you are probably realizing that I only do quick and easy recipes. These Lentil Tacos are a simply yet delicious dish that I find myself eating several times a week. They are so good! I […]
[…] fritters aren’t exactly a dish you end up craving. I crave pasta, I crave cheesecake, I crave tacos. I don’t think I’ve ever craved […]
[…] proclaimed my love for lentils before: lentil stew, lentil tacos, lentil-walnut loaf, the list could go on for […]
[…] to add more. Like I mentioned earlier, the leftovers shouldn’t be a problem! Fold them into tacos, sloppy joes, chili, really, […]
Oh. My. Gosh. My husband is crazy about Mexican food. (Seriously crazy. If we visit a Mexican restaurant and English is the primary language on the menu, we leave.) It’s been difficult to transition that into a vegan diet, but he LOVED these. RAVED about them. I couldn’t believe it. A million gracias-es. 🙂
Yes! This makes me SO happy! Glad you- and your husband- liked them! 🙂
[…] Lentil Tacos […]
[…] Lentil Tacos / Vegan & Glutenfree […]
Does it matter what kind of Lentil’s you use ?
Hi Tracy, I use brown lentils in these but almost any kind: green, black or brown will work. Red Lentils will not work as they will become too mushy after cooking. Thanks! Alex
I was short on time and used red lentils tonight. No toothfeel but still delicious and enjoyed by the whole family!
★★★★★
Yum! What a great idea!
[…] can never go wrong with tacos, right? I made Alex’s Vegan Lentil Tacos for dinner a couple of weeks back and fell in love. I have been a major fan of using lentils in […]
[…] dining sans meat. When dealing with a mixed crowd, I usually choose between one of my pasta dishes, lentil tacos or these sloppy […]
[…] recipe adapted from: Delish Knowledge […]
I have been looking for vegetarian taco ideas. Ideas: found. Thank You.
You are welcome Jesse! Hope you like them!
How many does this recipe serve, looking to feed 15 ppl. Thanks!
I would double it!
nm!! I see 10-12 tacos
[…] and vinaigrette over a bed of lettuce Black bean burgers with sweet potato fries and cucumber salad Lentil tacos with all the […]
[…] What can I say? My love for quick and easy mexican food has been well documented on this site: lentil tacos, cauliflower and bean tacos, tortilla soup, copycat chipotle burrito bowl , mexican pizza and on […]
I heard these were amazing- looking forward to trying them!
leave a comment