Easy soy curl tacos take just 20 minutes to whip up, making them the perfect easy weeknight meal. The soy curls are pan-fried until they are browned, and then seasoned with Mexican-inspired spices to make them perfectly juicy, tender, chewy, and bursting with flavour! The perfect vegan chicken taco!
If you are new to soy curls, they are this amazing affordable 1-ingredient dried soy product, that when prepared correctly has a similar taste and texture to chicken. If you're not new to soy curls then you already know their magical properties! Easy and super quick to prepare, soy curls can take on any flavor you throw at them, the perfect tender chewy juicy bite. In my opinion, they are one of the most underrated vegan meat options out there! I always keep a few bags in my pantry at all times. You can find soy curls at bulk food stores, health food stores, vegan grocers, or on amazon.
This juicy flavor-packed vegan taco meat is amazing layered on soft tortillas with tomato, avocado, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime. But if you have other favorite taco toppings feel free to sub whatever toppings you like!
To make Easy Soy Curl Tacos (Vegan Chicken Tacos):
Add the dried soy curls to a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak for about 10 minutes until the soy curls have softened. Once softened, drain the water and squeeze the soy curls to get out the excess water. This will allow them to brown up nicely. Set aside.
In the meantime, add the vegetable broth, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne to a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk together. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan. Add the squeezed soy curls and fry for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring as needed, until the soy curls are lightly browned, and even slightly charred in some places.
Pour in the spiced broth and stir to combine. If needed add a splash more vegetable broth or water as needed to keep the soy curls moist. Remove from heat.
Warm the tortillas according to the package directions. Top with a serving of the soy curls, some chopped tomato, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve hot.
These soy curls aren't just limited to tacos. Prepare the easy vegan soy curl tacos as written, stopping after step 3, and instead of making tacos, layer them onto a salad, serve them as a snack with ranch dressing for a dip, or toss them onto rice or pasta.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Soy Curl Tacos (Vegan Chicken Tacos)
Ingredients
For the soy curls:
- 4 oz (2 cups) soy curls
- warm water for soaking
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional for spice)
- 2 tablespoons light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
For the tacos: (or sub your favorite taco toppings)
- 8 small tortillas (flour, corn, or gluten-free)
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 avocado cubed
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced (optional for spice)
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Add the dried soy curls to a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak for about 10 minutes until the soy curls have softened. Once softened, drain the water and squeeze the soy curls to get out the excess water. This will allow them to brown up nicely. Set aside.
- In the meantime, add the vegetable broth, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne to a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk together. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan. Add the squeezed soy curls and fry for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring as needed, until the soy curls are lightly browned, and even slightly charred in some places. Pour in the spiced broth and stir to combine. If needed add a splash more vegetable broth or water as needed to keep the soy curls moist. Remove from heat.
- Warm the tortillas according to the package directions. Top with a serving of the soy curls, some chopped tomato, avocado, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve hot.
Jim Felder says
Hey Sam,
These were soooooo good. Inspired, I made the Soy Curls the same way again, but instead tacos, I made your Sweet Potato Enchiladas recipe and substituted the Soy Curls for the sweet potatoes, and added some of your vegan cheese, shredded, inside the enchiladas, covered them in a double batch of your Easy Vegan Mole sauce in two 9x13 pans, more cheese on top and baked them until the sauce was bubbly and the cheese was melted. So thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes.
Oh, and I also have to say another huge thank you for another one of your recipes. It absolutely made my wife's day. One of her all time favorite recipes in the before times when it was cold and snowy out and warm (but easy) comfort food was the order of the day, was breaded fried chicken strips served with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (made with a tiny bit of milk so it was really thick) over rice. When you published your Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe I was so excited because that was the piece I couldn't figure out how to veganize. I made her favorite recipe with your soup and breaded Soy Curls (toss all the rehydrated and drained soy curls with two flax eggs (for a whole bag of soy curls, one for a 1/2 bag) to coat, then dredge each longer strip in flour, fry in tiny bit of oil, remove to a plate. When just small pieces are left, sprinkle with remaining flour, toss and fry). She was never so happy.
I can't remember if I posted a thank you at the time, but just in case I didn't, thank you so much for your Cream of Mushroom recipe too. It really helped my wife not feel she had to leave all of her treasured meals behind.
Ann M says
I made these tonight and served them over greens with some salsa, guacamole and vegan smoked Gouda; and it was absolutely delicious! Like almost every recipe of yours that I have made, I already have most if not all of the ingredients in my house which is a huge win for me because I’m not a fan of going to the grocery store. Thank you, Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you loved it 🙂
Wes says
Excellent! I made 3/4 of the soy curls since it is really only me eating them. I served the tacos with shredded cabbage, avocado, sliced radishes, and salsa. I will definitely make them again.
Wes says
Update, I will not be the only one eating them, my grandson fell in love with them too.
Denette says
Quick, easy, tasty. I will definitely be back for more of your Butler Soy Curl recipes. Thank you.
Sonya says
These were awesome and truly one of the easiest vegan dinners I’ve made. Thank you for an incredible weeknight meal that I plan to make over and over again
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Sonya! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Ann Mione says
Every single recipe of yours that we try we LOVE. This one is no exception! We are new to soy curls and these tacos just blew us away. And so easy and quick! Thank you so much Sam. And greetings from Connecticut in the US!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! I'm so happy to hear that Ann 🙂
Melanie says
This is the best taco filling I've eaten since going vegan. I didn't do a lot of chicken tacos, just beef and bean, but I had two packages of soy curls that needed to be used and I thought I had all the ingredients. Turns out I didn't have cumin so I used coriander. I also only added 1/4tsp of salt. These turned out so good I found myself eating them from the pan instead making tacos. I highly recommend them to everyone.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! So happy you loved them Melanie!
Sherry says
This recipe was awesome! The only change I made was to add some no-chicken bouillon to the water while rehydrating the soy curls. Such a fabulous recipe!! And so easy too…thank you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed Sherry!
Silda Mason says
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious!!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, so happy you enjoyed!
Mandy says
Hi Sam, I have a question. Do we use 4 oz of dry soy curls or 2 cups of dry soy curls for this recipe? Or do 4 oz of soy curls,once marinated puff up a bit and turn into 2 cups? Sorry, but I have them in my pantry to use but haven't tried them yet!
This recipe sounds great, as all your recipes have proven to be! I have two of your books and lean on them for most of the meals I prepare. So,thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Mandy, 4oz of dried soy curls is equal to 2 cups of dried soy curls. It's just another way of measuring. 🙂 Hope that helps! And so happy you're loving my recipes so much 🙂
Mandy says
Thanks so much for clarifying Sam! I don't have a "head for numbers", it seems! Haha! Now I'll venture to try my soy curls that are waiting for me in the pantry!
Lizzie says
I found that my soy curls needed more salt to taste, but this was a great recipe! I used the leftovers to make quesadillas. I may try to use some vegan chicken or beef broth powder next time instead of veggie broth.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Shanna says
This sounds so good. I have so much soy curl crumbs that I don't know what to do with. Can that be used for this recipe? If so, any idea if I should just weigh out 4 ounces of crumbs?
Sam Turnbull says
You could definitely use soy curl crumbs like vegan ground beef. I would soak them, and then use a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to drain them and squeeze them out. Pan fry them in a bit of oil and season. 🙂
Mary Ellen says
I made this for dinner tonight. The soy curls were awesome! This is the best vegan meat I have ever eaten.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it Mary!!! Soy curls are definitely one of my favourite vegan meat alternatives as well!
Susan Roman says
I ran out of soy curls so I had to use TVP chick'n strings. The spice blend with broth was delicious! It was so fast I actually whipped up a second batch so we'd have lots of leftovers.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it, Susan!
Maggie says
You can do the curls in your air fryer to avoid using oil. Love this and will try it soonest!
Sam Turnbull says
Great option!
Jim Felder says
Sam, you missed mentioning that you can order Soy Curls directly from the manufacturer, Butler Foods (butlerfoods.com). And if you love Soy Curls as much as we do, you can save money and get their 24 bag option. To avoid taking up to much space in our freezer (while they will keep on the shelf, Butler recommends keeping them in the refrigerator or freezer if you aren't going to use them in a month or so) we will usually split a box with our friends who are just as crazy for Soy Curls as we are.
I too find that browning the soy curls to be a critical step. To give them a wonderful beefy flavor I drain the water off and give them a good squeeze but try to not get them too dry. Then I make a marinade by whisking together a 1-2 tablespoons of tamari and a tablespoon of dry porcini mushroom powder. Add a little water at a time to get the mixture to the consistency of thin syrup.Then I pour this over the soaked soy curls and stir to distribute. I let it sit for at least 15 minutes for the soy curls to soak up marinade. If I have time before work, I will let them sit with the marinade in the fridge all day. Then I pan fry them until they are well browned. I use them in "beef" stew, "beef" stroganoff, and pretty much anywhere that calls for "beef".
Love all of your recipes, please keep up the great work! (oh and congrats on getting married!)
Sam Turnbull says
That's a great tip, Jim! I don't think they deliver to us here in Canada but a nice option for those in the US. My local vegan grocery store also sells them in bulk which is great!
Denette says
I am so glad you mentioned ordering directly from Butler, Jim. I did this when I ordered. No middleman, direct from the company, quick and easy. Cheaper than Amazon. And they sent two other products for me to try at no charge. It was a lovely surprise.
Beata says
Been making soy curls fajitas for almost a year now, but I will definitely try the dry frying technique; looks awesome! Thank you for the inspiration, Sam!
Regarding soy curls - they really are versatile. Over the past year, I've used the soy curls in fajitas, jerky, eastern European vegan hunter's stew with sauerkraut, mushrooms and other accompaniments, Asian seasoned curls for stir fry and curries (sometimes not even looking for recipes online; just winging it with my spice cabinet, ha!), but my signature achievement was "beef" bourguignon straight from Julia Child's cookbook - the only change I made was to use vegan fats and the curls in place of meat and soak the soy curls in red wine and add the soaking liquid (wine, essentially) to the pot with the stew. Both my boyfriend and I were blown away by the dish - and the soy curls!
Keep'em coming, Sam - thank you!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh wow that sounds amazing!! I must try it! 🙂
Kathy says
I have your cookbooks and your blog is my favorite. Thank you for all your cheerful YouTubes too!
Sam Turnbull says
THank you so much, Kathy!!
Deb Z says
Too damned hot to cook, so this recipe looks perfect. Simple and delish. Thanks Sam for your straight forward recipes! Will rate when I make it, but it looks like a 5 star.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it Deb!