It happened... These Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce made me finally start a YouTube channel... eeek! I have been thinking about making videos for It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken for some time now, but what really kicked my butt into gear was a brand new red apron.
Let me explain. I went to a Pulse Feast Party (yes, that's a thing), because 2016 has been declared the International Year of Pulses. There I met Chef Michael Smith who is a really nice dude and happens to be exceedingly tall. (Note to self, if I ever meet Chef Michael Smith again, time to pull out the monster heels). The next day I got a package in the mail with a nifty red apron and an invitation to audition for Star of The Show.
To audition I had to make a little YouTube video showing a recipe featuring lentils (cue: Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce). If I win (fingers crossed), I get flown to Prince Edward Island and get to film a cooking show with Chef Michael Smith! (Hence the note about packing heels). How much fun would that be!? So this was the swift kick I needed to get my YouTube channel started.
So are you ready? Here I am! Gah. Be sure to like this video and leave a comment and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you think I should be the Star of the Show! 🙂
Did that make you hungry for tacos? It sure made me hungry! I managed to polish off 5 of these hand held numbers. Yes, I had tacos for lunch AND dinner that day.
These Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce are so quick and easy to make, they take under 30 minutes to prepare! The lentils are full of delicious spices, the tomatoes and mango add lovely fresh sweet notes, and nothing finishes off the taco better than this creamy dreamy avocado cilantro sauce.
To Make the Lentils:
Just sauté some garlic and onions. Then add in your spices to toast them up a bit and get fragrant. Now add in the lentils and vegetable broth. Cover and let simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes until the broth has been absorbed and the lentils are cooked. Those are some mighty fine looking lentils!
To Make the Avocado Cilantro Sauce:
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender, and blend to combine! Ooo saucy.
Slice the tomato, chop the mango, and finely slice the red onion. If you like warm tortillas, just wrap the tortillas in a bit of foil and then pop them in the oven for 10 to 20 minutes to heat through.
How to Assemble your Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce:
By adding a layer of the lentil mixture, followed by the toppings, and a dollop of avocado cilantro sauce. Yum!
Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
For the lentil filling:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup red lentils
For the avocado cilantro sauce:
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 avocado
- ½ cup water
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon agave
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the tacos:
- 8 flour or corn tortillas
- 2 mangoes, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- To make the lentils: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add in the spices and continue to cook for 1 minute more until the spices are fragrant. Add in the vegetable broth and lentils. Cover and bring to a low simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes until all of the broth is absorbed and the lentils are cooked.
- To make the avocado cilantro sauce: Add all of the sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender, and blend until your sauce is smooth.
- To prepare the tacos: On a gas stove, use tongs to hold a tortilla over a flame for about 20 seconds per side to warm them. If you do not have a gas stove, warm the tortillas, by preheating the oven to 350F (180C), wrapping the tortillas in foil, and baking for 10 to 20 minutes until warmed throughout.
- Assemble the tacos by spreading the lentil mixture on a tortilla, adding toppings, and dolloping some sauce across the top.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Sylvia W says
It happened... These Lentil Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce made me finally start a "Tacos Forever" subfolder in my already overflowing Food section of Pinterest 😉
I have been saving every new recipe somewhere in one section or another randomly - like "Easy Peasy Quick Meals", or "Meatless Monday or Any Time".... But your tacos finally have an official home so I can find them easily!
I am not actually vegan, but have been working at increasing the plant-based percentage of my diet, and also have a really nasty dairy allergy to all things cow-milk based. So following wonderful vegan blogs like yours has been a huge help in healthifying my day to day meals! I absolutely adore lentils, so this one is going to the to of the to-cook list ASAP 😉
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful! So happy you're enjoying so many plant-based recipes 🙂
Helen says
I was wondering if you have more nutrition info besides the calories.
Tami says
This recipe is FANTASTIC! My husband and I both loved it! The combo of the lentils, avocado sauce and mangoes is like a flavor explosion in your mouth.This is coming from someone who is not the biggest fan of lentils. I made this in the Instant Pot, 6 mins on LOW pressure, with 5 min. natural release They were the perfect texture and still had a little bite, not mushy at all. Thanks for an incredible recipe!!!!!
Mindy says
Can I leave the cilantro out of the sauce? Cilantro tastes like soap to me.
Sam Turnbull says
Yep! But it will just be more of an avocado sauce of course 🙂
Marlo Cage says
Delicious and super easy! Even my 7 year old said she loved these tacos. Will definitely be in regular rotation. Thanks Sam for all your easy, great tasting recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed them, Marlo 🙂
Beata says
Thank you for a fantastic inspiration for the avocado cilantro sauce! I commented on your taco crumble post that I used this sauce to layer on the taco crumbles and it was an absolute hit!!! OK, I didn't make the sauce exactly as written because that's how I roll, lol, but I wanted an avocado cilantro SOMETHING on my tacos, and this sauce was it! I am not really a fresh herb kind of person (I know, I know, I should change that, but sometimes I'm just lazy like that) and I don't particularly care for added sugar in my sauces so I simply skipped the sugar altogether and used A LOT of chopped cilantro from a spice jar. Added a chopped shallot in addition to the garlic and used quite a bit more lime juice for the extra tang. I actually didn't put any water in the sauce so my concoction was more like a very smooth guacamole, and I actually pondered adding some water to make it more like a sauce, but decided against it last night. Great to know that I can still make it like a sauce by simply adding some water, though!
Yes, I know I really didn't make the sauce as stated in the recipe - but wow, what a great base recipe to use to make the sauce/dip/whatever, exactly the way I want it at any given time. I so appreciate your creativity, Sam - you rock!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you loved it!
David Graham says
Wow. This turned out even better than I expected, and that is saying a lot. I was looking for a recipe that combined lentils and avocados, and this came up. By some fluke I already had all the ingredients except for agave, for which I substituted organic sugar. Also, instead of using a blender I used a fork to whisk the avocado sauce. Otherwise, I stuck to the recipe.
The flavoring of the lentils is perfect for tacos. The amount of sweetness from the sugar and mangos is just right and perfectly complements the red onion. The dish is incredibly refreshing and tasty. And, as if that weren't enough, it's also healthy. My picky sister even said, "Damn. Whoever came up with this, especially the mangos, is a genius." Five stars.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, thank you so much, David 🙂
Amanda says
Great recipe! It has become a staple meal in our house as we cook it almost every week. My husband is an omnivore and I have been a vegetarian for 2 years now, working on reducing my dairy consumption. The avocado/cilantro sauce was a game changer; it is sooooo delicious that it made my husband give up on sour cream (and he was totally addicted to it). After we are done eating the tacos, I use the left over sauce for dipping corn tortilla chips and I could probably use it as a pasta sauce too 🙂
It is the perfect recipe for a weekday night as the red lentils cook super fast. We mix the spices in advance and keep them in a small jar so it is even more practical. And I never knew that mango tasted so good as a taco topping!
Thank you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Amanda!! Thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much 😉
Melanie says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this awesomely delicious recipe! I loved it! ❤️
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! You're most welcome, so happy you enjoyed it, Melanie 🙂
Dojjan says
My lentils came out quite tasty but fairly mushy, which was the only thing I would try to change until next time. I'd be curious to see if beluga lentils absorb enough flavor to be a chewier replacement. Still a winning weekday taco though!
Kristin says
My family isn't vegan, but I have encouraged them to try it out just for this week. I made this recipe tonight (Day 1) and everyone LOVED it! The lentil filling was a hit and so was the avocado sauce. Thanks! I'll be visiting your site again!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh wonderful!! Love that your family is game to try for a week! I hope they love everything they try! I recommend trying my chili or tofu bolognese recipe, I find meat eaters are always wowed by those ones!
Deb says
Made these for the family tonight and they are a hit. Easy to make and such good flavors. Made a double batch so we will have leftovers. My daughter and I have been looking for something to replace shrimp tacos, we would like to stop eating fish. (We don't eat meat). This is the answer! I am excited to try more of your recipes. Even my carnivore husband loved these. Thanks for sharing with us.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! Thrilled you love them so much, Deb 😀 I hope you enjoy many more recipes!
Megan says
My family loves so many of your recipes, to say that one is a favorite almost feels sacrilege. But if I had to choose, these tacos are it. We eat this almost without fail once a week. The lentils are so amazing! We don't always have the sauce with them, and honestly they don't need it, but it does kick it up a notch when we do. Thanks for such an amazing recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahahaha love it!! You're most welcome, Megan!
Maya says
This was AWESOME!. I didn't think I liked avocados, but the sauce was my favorite. I didn't have fresh cilantro and agape, but substitued sugar and cilantro leaves seasoning, still turned out to be a tasty sauce!!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you loved it so much, Maya 🙂
Shari Savage says
Due a surprising health diagnosis, I've pulled the plug on everything my carnivorous husband holds dear. Your recipes are absolutely amazing and he hasn't revolted yet (hard to complain when your mouth is full of deliciousness). Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Love it. So happy you are both enjoying my recipes so much, Shari 🙂
Megan says
This recipe is awesome! It's become our taco Tuesday regular recipe (we tried at least 5 before deciding we liked this one best). I've had such success with your recipes, I have one planned for every cooking night this week 🙂 So thanks for the recipes and I can't wait to get your book when it comes out.
Sam Turnbull says
Wow! That's amazing! So flattered you love my recipes so much, Megan 😀
Sara Vinas says
Sam,
Your recipes are amazing! I keep wowing my family with every recipe.
Thank you so much for your talent and creativity.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww shucks! You're most welcome, Sara! So happy my recipes help you wow your fam 🙂
Srivani says
So I tried to "cheat" on you... tonight I was going to make a lentil taco filling from another site (gasp)... but after reading the recipe and steps, it was way too complicated and time-consuming. So I quickly jumped to IDTLC and had a delicious taco filling whipped up in under 15 minutes. These are reasons enough to keep me coming back: quick and delicious! Thanks Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahahaha!!! Too funny. Love it 🙂
Steph says
Friend made this for me and it was delicious! Now I want to make them, but do you have any suggestions if we wanted to use canned lentils instead? i,e, how would you modify prepping them? I have a lot of canned lentils in the cupboard....
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Steph, you have a very nice friend! 🙂 Yes, to use canned lentils, sauté the garlic and onions as normal, add the drained and rinsed lentils along with all of the spices, and then instead of the broth, add powdered vegetable broth, without the water (whatever amount would normally make 2 cups of broth). Heat through and enjoy 🙂
Megan RJ says
Made these last night, increasing the recipe because I wanted to use up my lentils (also, had to cook them for about 12 minutes, my stove top is lazy). No joke, my husband and I had 8 tacos EACH! And the avocado cilantro sauce? Do you know how hard it is to try and lick the inside of a food processor? Because I now do. Soooo gooood. I'm thinking I have just enough leftovers to make a big burrito for lunch. Definitely looking forward to it.
And I gotta tell you, my husband is Mexican. He was really impressed with the spices I'm also very happy to have something I can make and take along to his family get-togethers (not vegan friendly) and enjoy the experience of sitting around the table and actually eating something.
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahahahahaha! Love the licking of the food processor! Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Megan! So thrilled you and your husband loved them so much! Comment of the day for sure 😀
Jenny says
I loved the avocado sauce. I need to try the whole recipe now. I am sure it will be delicious. You seriously have the best vegan blog.
Sam Turnbull says
Awww shucks, thank you so much Jenny! Glad you enjoyed 🙂