Author: Get ready to fall in love with my new Easy Vegan Tacos recipe made with Shredded Tofu Taco Meat! This is the BEST vegan taco meat you'll ever taste! The secret is to use a cheese grater to grate the tofu into shreds- this gives it a texture similar to pulled chicken! The tofu is then sautéd with onion, garlic, tomato, and a homemade spice blend for the best taco seasoning. Just 30 minutes to make, these shredded tofu vegan tacos are bursting with flavor in every bite. 🌮🥳
These easy vegan tacos are even better with a drizzle of my avocado crema.
I adore a good tofu taco, and my trusty tofu crumbles recipe has been a kitchen staple for years. Yet, there are moments when I either lack the time or simply don't fancy firing up the oven. That's why I love this new tofu taco meat recipe! It's quicker and made in just one pan on the stove. This new vegan taco recipe has a texture and taste similar to chicken, which is a change from the beefy flavor of my original recipe. But both are favorites for Taco Tuesdays!
Serve this pulled tofu taco meat in a soft flour tortilla, or a crunchy taco shell with your favorite taco toppings. You can also wrap it up in a burrito, pile it on a taco salad, or sprinkle over vegan nachos! This vegan taco meat is about to become your new go-to recipe for taco night. So grab that cheese grater and let's get shredding for some seriously tasty vegan taco goodness!
Common Questions:
How do you make vegan taco meat with tofu? Very easily! Just shred a block of extra-firm tofu using a cheese grater. The sauté in a pan with onion, garlic, tomato, and taco seasoning for a delicious meaty taco filling.
What are some easy vegan taco recipes? Other than these Easy Vegan Tacos, you can find other super-simple vegan taco recipes on my blog like my Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos, Easy Soy Curl Tacos, Easy TVP Tacos, or my Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles. Head over to the Vegan Taco section of my blog to see these plus many more ideas.
What seasonings are best for shredded tofu tacos? Onion, garlic, soy sauce (which adds salt and umami) chili powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, ground cumin, and crushed red pepper flakes.
What are some creative toppings for vegan tacos? There are so many options when building a scrumptious vegan taco, but if I had to choose I'd go with: vegan shredded cheese, vegan sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced red onions, avocado chunks, cilantro, and spicy salsa. You could even add some sliced black olives or Tabasco Sauce for a bit of a kick!
Are shredded tofu tacos healthy? Yes! Tofu is an excellent plant-based source of protein, is low in saturated fat, and is cholesterol-free. Also (here's a little talked about fact): Tofu is an excellent source of calcium and magnesium, which are essential minerals for maintaining strong and healthy bones. Making tofu a staple part of your diet could help promote bone density and lower the risk of osteoporosis. Take that dairy industry!!
How To Make These Vegan Tacos:
There is no need to press the tofu as any excess moisture cooks out in the pan. Simply drain off the excess water and pat dry. Use the large side of a cheese grater to grate the block of tofu into shreds. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion just begins to brown, 3 - 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and mix in the shredded tofu. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until the tofu begins to brown. The less time you cook the tofu the more tender it will be, and the longer you cook the tofu the more dry and chewy it will be, so cook to your desired texture.
Tip: don't stir the tofu too much, let it cook for a couple of minutes without stirring so that the bottom can brown. Stirring too often will make it difficult for the tofu to brown.
Once the desired texture is reached, add the tomato, soy sauce and all of the spices and mix in. Continue to cook for another 2 - 5 minutes to heat through.
Fill your taco shells with the tofu taco meat, and top with desired toppings. Allow leftover tofu filling to cool before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This Shredded Tofu Taco Meat...
- Quick & easy to make
- Meaty, juicy, and bursting with flavor
- Can also be used in burritos, on nachos, or taco salads
What to Serve with Vegan Tacos...
Guacamole
Salsa or Pico de Gallo
Vegan Sour Cream
Vegan Nacho Cheese
Re-fried Beans or Black Beans
Fresh Veggies (Shredded Lettuce, Diced Tomatoes, Sliced Red Onions, Cilantro, Sliced Black Olives)
Lime Wedges (or lime juice)
Tortilla chips
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Easy Vegan Tacos: Shredded Tofu Taco Meat
Servings: (makes enough filling for about 8 tacos or 4 burritos)
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Ingredients
For the taco meat:
- 1 block (350 g/ 12.3oz) extra-firm tofu, drained and shredded (see step 1)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, (optional for spice)
For the tacos:
- 8 hard or soft taco shells, (or 4 burrito wraps)
- Toppings of choice such as tomato, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, vegan cheese shreds, vegan sour cream, jalapeno slices, or fresh cilantro
Instructions
- There is no need to press the tofu as any excess moisture cooks out in the pan. Simply drain off the excess water and pat dry. Use the large side of a cheese grater to grate the block of tofu into shreds. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion just begins to brown, 3 - 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and mix in the shredded tofu. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until the tofu begins to brown. The less time you cook the tofu the more tender it will be, and the longer you cook the tofu the more dry and chewy it will be, so cook to your desired texture.Tip: don't stir the tofu too much, let it cook for a couple of minutes without stirring so that the bottom can brown. Stirring too often will make it difficult for the tofu to brown.
- Once the desired texture is reached, add the tomato, soy sauce and all of the spices and mix in. Continue to cook for another 2 - 5 minutes to heat through.
- Fill your taco shells with the tofu taco meat, and top with desired toppings. Allow leftover tofu filling to cool before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕More Vegan Taco Recipes You Might Enjoy...
Kathie says
We love all of your recipes! Thank you for sharing so many! We’ve heard of health benefits of freezing tofu before using it. How do you think this would work as far as shredding it if I let it thaw a bit? I’d probably have to let it sit to get some of the extra water out after shredding it though. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
HI Kathie, freezing tofu changes the texture quite a bit and make the tofu very spongey. Some people love this texture (personally I am not a big fan of it). You are welcome to try it tho! Freeze the tofu, then let it thaw completely, gently squeeze out any water then follow the recipe as directed. It may be difficult to shred after being frozen so you may just want to crumble it instead. Enjoy!
Caryn says
this looks delightful! and easy! and....Yum! taco Tuesday, here we come!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! Enjoy!! 💛
Judy M says
Delicious! We gave it a solid 10. Had it for dinner tonight. We didn’t have a tomato, so we used pico de gallo. We really like that. We’ve also made the tofu crumbles, but we think the pico de gallo took it up a notch. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, Sam. It came together really fast.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy you loved it Judy! 🙂
Tracy says
Wow! This was super yummy and so easy to bring together. Definitely a keeper.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We're so glad to hear it!
Kilby says
This is my go to taco 'meat' recipe. It's so good and flavorful. You'd think you were eating shredded chicken! Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Great! Thanks for sharing your review!
Susan Fordham says
Delicious! This will be a favorite for family and entertaining.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you loved it Susan 🙂
Robin Willson says
Oh my gosh these are fabulous. We just started the plant based diet a little over a month ago and the novelty was wearing off. This is the first time that we tried tofu at all - and we're so glad that we did! Very similar to meat and we think we actually prefer it to meat. You're such a blessing!! Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Aww thanks so much! So happy you enjoyed it. I am kind of obsessed with tofu (I know, how very vegan of me, haha). I recommend trying my tofu bites, tofu bolognese, and tofu tacos next 🙂
Raele Ohana says
This is the first recipe I've ever made of yours, and I was gobsmacked! Vegetarian for thirty years, and vegan for most of the last four, but have never heard of (or thought of) shredding tofu in this way! It worked! Perfectly. And was super delicious. This will be a weekly recipe now; I'm thrilled, and so is my omnivore spouse.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Aww that's wonderful!! Welcome to my blog and recipes, I hope you enjoy many more of them 🙂
DM says
Absolutely delicious recipe
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thank you so much!
Cristina says
I have made this recipe three times already! It's so very tasty, even if my shreds did not work out the second time. (For some reason, the tofu crumbled during grating then.) For time number three, I cut my tofu into little cubes. After it was ready, I added steamed red and green peppers and steamed potato cubes, so it wasn't a taco, but everyone here (they typically have meat - shudder) loved it. My sister asked for the recipe, so I sent her the link. I'll be making this again in a day or two! I'm hooked! 🙂 Thank you for this great recipe! (I'm new to tofu and never thought I could like it.)
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Haha that's wonderful! I love when we woo meat eaters to the tofu side 🙂
Avis Elinsky says
This is a super delicious dish. I was pleasantly surprised.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy you loved it Avis 🙂
Nancy Stein says
Delicious! Love the technique of shredding tofu!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy you enjoy it Nancy!
Jennifer says
This is my new favorite way to prepare tacos..the tofu taco meat is a great substitute- easy, great texture and flavor
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy to hear that Jennifer 🙂
Terry lawrence says
absolutely beautiful recipes...appreciate the opportunity to cook your recipes
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Aww thanks so much Terry!
Sandra says
Delicious! I hadn't seen the grating tofu technique in a recipe before so I had to try it. Worked beautifully - great flavor blend. Will definitely make again!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it Sandra 🙂
Danielle says
Hello! I love this idea (and I love your tofu crumbles), but when I tried to grate an ordinary block of extra-firm tofu, half of it just fell apart before it got to the grater. Any thoughts on what should I do differently? It was U.S. Whole Foods house brand.
Blair says
Mine did this too. I have a plastic cheese grater, instead of metal. Maybe that's the reason? But I feel like the unevenness of it made it even more "chicken-like" so it didn't bother me.
Blair says
I just realized you said *before it got to the grater
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Danielle, it sounds like the brand you are using isn't as firm as the brand I used. I would try different brands of extra-firm tofu to see what works best. If you can get your hands on super-firm that might be easier too. I use Sunrise brand here in Canada 🙂
Danielle says
Thanks! I was noticing it didn't look all that firm for extra-firm.
Blair says
This was really great and I loved how easy it was to make! Bonus points for not having to fire up the oven! I followed the recipe exactly, except for the onion. I was too lazy to chop one, so I used about a tablespoon of onion powder. I cannot decide which is better, this or your tofu taco crumbles. They are both really delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Aww thanks so much Blair! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Heather Knarr says
Yum!! We tried this recipe tonight & we loved it! Yum
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy to hear that Heather 🙂
Sue says
Piece of cake to make and it was delicious. Also reheated well. Nice work.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy you enjoyed them Sue!!
Gina Bisaillon says
The best! I love to top these with some of my homegrown radish sprouts and real, imported hotbMexican salsa casera that I buy at the store. Cannot make it here because the right kind of peppers (serrano) are not available.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy you love the recipe Gina 🙂
Mark McCoy says
Hi, I have regular paprika but I have liquid smoke. Should I add some of that to this? If so, how much? Thanks, have used your recipes for years and I am always happy (and so is my family)!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy to hear that Mark! Yes regular paprika with about 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke would work great. Enjoy!