These vegetarian tacos feature black beans and just a handful of other ingredients for a delicious and easy meatless meal that’s ready in 15 minutes!
Vegetarian meals are a staple in my house, even though none of us are vegetarian.
Some of our favorites are sweet potato black bean enchiladas, quick and easy vegetarian curry and easy chickpea burgers.
In cooler weather, we adore Instant Pot lentil soup and vegetarian quinoa chili, which is ready in just 30 minutes.
And I love having some easy baked falafel on hand for pitas, wraps and crumbling over salads or grain bowls. I also love making some vegetarian meatballs for a twist on spaghetti night.
Today though I’m excited to share these vegetarian tacos.
I make these all the time, either for the whole family or for just me, as a healthy version of taco night.
Though, to be honest, I make vegetarian tacos a million different ways and this is just one of those. (Check out these cauliflower tacos for a different twist.)
But it’s a super simple, flavorful version and it’s just 5 ingredients, so it’s often my go-to.
(Let me know in the comments below if you’d like to see more veggie tacos here on the blog and I’ll get on it!)
Here we’ve got black beans, bell pepper, canned green chilies, corn and taco seasoning.
Simple, but those flavors all come together really well to make a super flavorful taco.
These tacos are both vegetarian and vegan as is, as well as gluten-free and dairy-free. Just depends on how you serve them and what you use for toppings.
I say, the more toppings the better, but you do you. I’ve got a bit list of topping ideas for you down below.
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make vegetarian black bean tacos. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making vegetarian tacos:
- Red bell peppers have a great sweetness that work well here, but a yellow or orange bell pepper would work too. Green will do in a pinch.
- Fresh, frozen or canned corn are all fine here. Or you could omit the corn if you need this to be corn-free.
- We love the black beans for this recipe, but you could certainly substitute pinto beans or kidney beans if you’d like. Or use a mix.
- Homemade taco seasoning is super easy to make yourself and is way more flavorful than a packet, but you can use store-bought as well.
- This will serve 3-4 people, depending on how many tacos you make and how full you stuff them. Feel free to double the recipe if needed. It reheats great and I’ve got ideas below on repurposing the leftovers.
Want some extra veggies? I’m all for it! You can add a diced zucchini along with the red pepper or toss in a few handfuls of spinach to wilt down.
Like it spicy?
- You could sauté a diced jalapeño along with the red bell pepper.
- Or add a sprinkle of cayenne ore red pepper flakes along with the taco seasoning.
- Or use some Pepper Jack cheese and hot sauce for toppings.
About the taco shells:
You can use hard or soft shell tacos. We love this in soft corn tortillas that I’ve warmed on the stove.
If you have a gas burner, you can place a soft tortilla, one at a time, directly over the flame. Leave it for 5-10 seconds, until lightly charred, then flip and do the same on the other side.
The charred corn tortillas are so good here, so I highly recommend going that route.
Oh and if you have an electric stove instead of a gas one, you can broil your tortillas in the oven as an alternative. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
Or of course, you can wrap the tortillas in some damp paper towels and warm them in the microwave too.
OK, now we are about ready to serve. We just need to top these off!
Topping ideas for vegetarian tacos:
- Shredded lettuce or cabbage
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sliced avocado or a dollop of guacamole
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Hot sauce or sriracha
- Pickled red onions
- Pickled or fresh jalapeño slices
- Fresh lime juice
Finally, if you have leftovers of the mixture, or if you’re prepping this to have on hand for easy vegetarian meals for the week, here’s a note about leftovers.
What to do with leftover vegetarian tacos:
- Leftover vegetarian taco mix can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. Then add your toppings, your taco shells and you are set!
Or if you want to make the leftovers into something new, you can definitely do that too!
Other ways to use vegetarian tacos:
- Use this black bean mixture to make a rice or grain bowl
- Warm leftovers and make a wrap with a whole wheat tortilla
- Use as a topping for some vegetarian nachos
- Serve as an open-faced tostada
- Toss with some cooked pasta for a southwestern vegetarian pasta
- You can even enjoy it at breakfast, warmed with a fried egg on top
So many ways to enjoy this dish!
Definitely a good one to meal prep or to double so you’re sure to have some extras.
I hope you give these veggie tacos a try, whether you’re vegetarian or not.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. You might also like southwest vegetarian quinoa skillet, which has some of these same delicious flavors.
Or you can check out all of my easy vegetarian meals for more inspiration.
Vegetarian tacos
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (4.5 oz.) can green chilies (undrained)
- ½ cup corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
- 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning
For serving:
- Soft or hard corn tortilla shells, warmed
Optional toppings:
- Shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sliced avocado or guac, salsa or pico de gallo, Greek yogurt or sour cream, hot sauce, pickled red onions, fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the bell pepper and sauté for 6-7 minutes, until charred and tender.
- Add the black beans, chilies, corn and taco seasoning and stir well to combine. Heat for 1-2 minutes, until warmed through.
- Serve the black bean mixture in soft or hard corn tortilla shells with desired toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Johnnie
I wanted to start by saying these sound wonderful. Packed full of micronutrients, fiber, and flavor.
I put this into my calorie tracking app and got 523 for the whole recipe, not 320. A 15oz can of black beans just by itself is 360. There's a chance I have misunderstood your information, but it reads that your calculations are for all four tacos instead of one. But even then 523 divided by 4 isn't 320. Can you help me understand where you're getting your calorie and macro information?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi! The recipe makes 4 servings and the nutritional information listed is or 1 serving (or one-fourth of the entire recipe). I totally see how that's confusing. I use a nutrition calculator that automatically calculates based on the ingredients listed in my recipe card. It's considered one of the best for integrating into recipe cards for a website like mine and it's regularly updated, but I also know that these types of calculators are far from perfect. (My daughter has type 1 diabetes and I've had to compare many an auto-calculated carb count with a tally of individual ingredients, which is always more accurate.) Also, the type of tortillas you use and any optional toppings will also impact the nutritional info. I hope that makes sense and is helpful!