Epic Vegetarian Tacos
Truly amazing vegetarian tacos featuring easy-to-make refried beans, quick-pickled onions, and creamy avocado sauce! Even meat lovers go crazy for these tacos.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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Meet my new favorite tacos! These meatless tacos will please even the most adamant carnivores in your life.
This vegetarian taco recipe features refried pinto beans, creamy avocado sauce, quick-pickled onions and fresh garnishes.
If you ask me, every great taco possesses the following qualities: something hearty (beans), something creamy (avocado), something crisp (shredded cabbage), something tangy (pickled onions and feta), and lots of fresh flavors. These tacos have those qualities in spades.
These vegetarian tacos were inspired by an authentic Mexican taqueria in town, Bonito Michoacan. They offer one-dollar tacos on Fridays. I order beans and cheese on mine, then I load them up with my favorite condiments from their epic salsa and pickle bar. You can’t miss me—look for the girl with big hair and drippy-saucy tacos, dancing in her seat.
Taco Tips & Notes
These tacos are fun to make when you have good company in the kitchen. Just assign the individual components (they’re all so simple) and you’ll have dinner ready in no time. I also offered some shortcuts in the recipe notes, if you’re in a hurry.
You could easily take these ingredients and turn them into a burrito or burrito bowl (just add rice) or quesadilla. They’re delicious in any form.
More Taco Recipes to Enjoy
Don’t miss the “Taco Party” menu in my cookbook (page 189). Those tacos are made with refried black beans, roasted mushrooms and poblano peppers, guacamole, and crisp kale slaw. Aren’t tacos the best?
Here are more taco recipes on the blog, too. Please let me know how you like these tacos in the comments! Your comments keep me inspired.
Watch How to Make Vegetarian Tacos
Epic Vegetarian Tacos
Truly amazing vegetarian tacos featuring easy-to-make refried beans, quick-pickled onions, and creamy avocado sauce! Your whole family will love these meatless tacos. Recipe yields 8 hearty tacos (about 4 servings).
Ingredients
Essential components
- Quick-pickled onions
- Creamy avocado dip
- Easy refried beans
- 8 corn tortillas
Recommended garnishes
- Salsa verde
- Shredded green cabbage (for extra crunch)
- Crumbled Cotija or feta cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the onions, avocado dip, and beans as directed, in that order.
- Once they’re ready, warm the tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat in batches, flipping to warm each side. Alternatively, you can warm them directly over a low flame on a gas range. Stack the warmed tortillas on a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.
- To assemble the tacos, spread refried beans down the center of each tortilla. Top with avocado dip and onions (for reference, I used all of the beans and about half of the avocado dip and onions). Finish the tacos with garnishes of your choice, and serve immediately.
- Leftover components are best served separately; reheat the tortillas and beans before serving. Leftover pickled onions and avocado dip are great on quesadillas, nachos or tortilla chips, sandwiches, etc.
Notes
Make it gluten free: Be sure to buy 100% corn/certified gluten-free tortillas.
Make it vegan: Skip the cheese.
Make it quick: You could, theoretically, substitute store-bought refried beans and guacamole for the avocado sauce. Or make the pickled onions and avocado dip in advance, so the tacos come together more quickly.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
i love the recipe, it is simple and easily described which helped me very much to make at home. Every one in our family loved your recipe, Thank you so much .
You’re welcome! I’m happy you loved it.
Absolutely delicious. No changes- perfect as written. I would say that the cabbage is essential, definitely need the crunch!
Yes, the crunch helps really make this epic. Thank you for your comment and review, Carol!
This was one of mine and my husband’s favorite meals! It’s so fresh and light, it definitely hit the spot! Next time I make it I’ll be doubling the refried beans so it lasts a little longer. :)
I made this with black beans. Pickled onions are the bomb! I have just started on a plant based diet journey and I know it will be on me to keep things interesting if I’m to help my husband stay on board. I just ordered your cook book as everything I’ve seen on the blog are foods and recipes that really appeal to me and I’m sure will satisfy the husband as well. Thank you.
These are amazing! Everything about them are so yummy! I’ve recently found my way back to vegetarianism and on my way to being vegan. And all your recipes have saved my life. I make your creamy tomato soup almost once week. Guess I should go leave a review there too.
I have to say it’s a relief to finally find a vegetarian taco recipe my boyfriend also loved (he is averse to mushrooms). Love the crunch the cabbage brings and how great the beans turned out with so little oil! And that cilantro dip with the jalapeno – yum! Am definitely adding this to the regular rotation.
These are so good!!!!!
So yummy! A cure-all to stuck-at-home blues – thank you!
You’re welcome, Kelsey! I’m happy you loved this recipe.
Wow! This was amazing!! What a flavorful dish. Love the pickled red onion, it was so good my family at it all in one sitting. Can you reuse the pickling juice? Or does it need to be hot when you pour it over the onion? I didn’t have cabbage so I used romaine lettuce and it added some crunch. Can’t wait to try it with cabbage. Thanks for the recipe! Will make again soon :)
Thank you, Shannon! Glad to hear it. I haven’t tried reusing the pickled juice. If it’s very fresh, as you mentioned, you could try re-warming it and pouring it over another batch of onions.
These tacos are amazing! I usually stick to your lentil cauliflower tacos because my husband and I cannot get enough of those, but these were just as good! Those refried beans in particular were a game-changer. Also, between your website and cookbook I must have made well over a hundred of your recipes at this point, and we still have yet to experience a flop! Thanks SO much for your epic recipes and easy-to-follow instructions. You make cooking such a fun and stress-free process :)
I love it! Yes, I agree. The refried beans really help to make these different.
I’ve made this recipe a few times as is. I most recently made it into a much better version of “7 layer dip” for a work party. It was a huge hit! I love them as tacos but I find it’s even better with the crunch of a tortilla chip. I like to add adobo seasoning to the beans, makes them mouth-watering! Thank you for the recipe!
I love that idea! I may just need to try that. Thanks for your review, Sydney.
Absolutely delicious! The pickled onions were the perfect addition to this. Really easy to make and prep.
Hi! I made these vegetarian tacos and loved, loved them! Have always made tacos with ground meat but these were just as good if not better! The pickled onions and avocado dip really went well with it. My son loved them as well. Thanks for the yummy recipes!
Do I have to make the whole avocado dip? We only have one avocado.
Hi Cora, you can always make a quick guacamole instead. Or, just serve with avocado on top. You may not be able to get enough to blend with just one avocado, but you could try.
You really inspired me. I have never made such delicious tacos. The pickled onions were the bomb! We ate half of them right off.
Truly delicious. I’ve never had pickled onions before and was surprised how well they work. I’ll use them as a garnish on my next vegetarian chili. The only thing I would do differently next time, and there will definitely be a next time, is i would cut down a little bit on the lime in the creamy avocado dip (also delicious on its own) because i thought it slightly diminished the avocado taste.
Fantastic! My family loved it. Perfect!!
All vegetarian recipes
Wow!!
These are my go to tacos from now on. I made everything in order and it all turned out amazing! The pickled onions are my favorite as I plan on keeping those on hand for so much more. I will never buy another can of retried beans again! I had no idea how easy it would be. I added a bit of vegetarian paste mixed with warm water to make my a little creamier.
Also, I warmed my corn tortillas in the oven in 2 stacks wrapped in foil.
We really enjoyed this meal and I enjoyed making it!
Thanks again!
Hooray! I love it. Thank you for sharing, Aria.
These were simple and amazing. I made the refried beans, pickled onion and avocado spread. Added queso fresca and shredded cabbage. Charring the tortillas a touch on the gas flame added to it all. Perfection!
These were epic in every way. Made these for my husband’s birthday and we both thought the meal was restaurant quality…! The beans were some of the most creamy and flavorful we’ve had, while the pickled onions (which came together so quickly!) add the perfect flavor punch. Can’t wait to cook these again. Thank you! <3
These really were EPIC. My husband and I try to eat vegetarian a few times a week and we were amazed by the combination of flavors and textures here. They will definitely be a regular in our house! Thanks for the recipe, Kate.
I didn’t care for this. I didn’t like the creamy avocado dip. Too sour.
Yikes. The sodium content is far too high. Or healthy. Taco Bell has less sodium.
Absolutely lovely, flavorful and fresh!
I used chickpeas cause that’s what I had. And I didn’t have the ingredients for the tomatillo salsa so I just chopped up some tomatoes with cilantro and lime juice.
Super healthy and delicious. I will make these again. Thank you!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Iva! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Is there a brand of corn tortillas you prefer? The ones I purchased are dry and break easily upon warming them up. I even tried making my own corn tortillas at home, with the same results.
Hi Diana! I’m sorry to hear you are having trouble. They can be finicky! Mi Rancho have worked well for me.
Thank you so much!
These are amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing. Can’t wait to try other vegetarian tacos. Great homemade refried beans and avocado dip. Overall incredible meal!
This recipe is amazing. I made all the elements including the salsa verde and it was so tasty. Exactly what my tastebuds were craving. Thanks
I’m happy you loved the tacos, Ravita! Thank you for your review.
Hi, would love to make these but is there a substitute for the beans as not many people in my family like beans.
Absolutely LOVE this recipe. I follow the pickled onions and refried beans recipe to go with it. Sooooo good!
This was so delicious!! Thank you for another fantastic vegetarian recipe. I’m going to use the leftovers for breakfast burritos.
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Jamie.
These were 5 star! Very delicious
Not used to eating vegetarian but we love tacos and were intrigued with the pickled onions so decided to give it a try. This recipe is so delicious! The layers of flavors you combined are perfection. We ate the whole thing . This will be a regular on the menu.
I’m glad you liked them! Thank you for sharing, Jayne.
Used jicama tacos, turned out amazing!
Instead of onions, used pickled purple cabbage with coriander.
Avocado cream was a hit!
Thank you
Wonderful to hear, Alpa! Thank you for your review.
Just like the name says… Epic!!! I absolutely love these tacos. I have lost count on how many times I have made them.
Thank you, Jamie! I’m happy you enjoyed them.
Hi Kate,
I’ve been a long-time reader of your blog and have really loved a lot of your recipes. I just made these tacos with your quick-pickled onions, refried beans, and avocado sauce. I also made your queso for an appetiser. Just wanted to let you know that they all were delicious! I will definitely be making them all again. I really appreciate all the care you put into your recipes.
– Another Kate
That’s great! Thank you for your review, Kate.
I made these and they were AMAZING!!
I’m happy you loved them!
Looove these tacos! Ones of my old stand bys. I find the avocado sauce a tad fussy for a weeknight so usually just cut up some avocado instead. I also always roast some sweet potatoes with chile powder and salt/pepper in the oven for some added bulk (and sweetness!) and they are just perfect.
The homemade refried beans and pickled onions are a must and it’s a fabulous combo of different textures and flavor combos.
Thanks for a keeper, Kate!
You’re welcome, Kelsey! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
I’ve never left a comment on any recipe blog before, though I find the majority of my recipes that way. This recipe was FABULOUS! So easy, absolutely delicious. I’ve also never made my own refried beans, what a revelation! Easy and so flavorful and healthy! The avocado sauce is also to die for and the combination of the various simple elements elevate the simple bean taco to four stars!
I’m so glad you did! Thank you for your comment.
I made these and my whole family was oooh-ing and ahhh-ing they were so good! The pickled onions really sent them over the top. Thank you!
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I can’t make the salsa verde as we don’t get green tomatoes. What is it adding to the recipe or what do you suggest to replace it with, thank you!
Hi Anon! You can buy salsa verde in the store. Or, you can use my Best Red Salsa (Ready in 10 Minutes) recipe if you are looking to make some!
These tacos may be the best thing I’ve ever cooked!! I made everything as written except I put some smashed garlic in with the pickled onions and instead of tacos, I ate these components on top of tortilla chips. I am really thrilled with how everything tasted together but also excited that each component would work with other dishes as well. Thanks Kate!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Rebecca.
Oops, I commented but forgot the star rating! Def gets five stars, thanks so much for another awesome recipe Kate.
Thank you, Rebecca!
This is the only new recipe I’ve made in YEARS where I actually looked forward to eating leftovers. A good vegetarian recipe is HARD to find. Thanks for making one that was delicious and not weird and/or bland.
I’m glad you love it, Katie! Thank you for your review.
My favorite type of recipe, super easy and super delicious! I cheated and used store bought pickled onions. Definitely a keeper, my family loved them too. Thanks for sharing.
Great to hear, Halley! I appreciate your review.
If you have the time to really amp up the cabbage, then cut a quarter of a green cabbage so the pieces are little squares or very small chunks. Put it in a bowl and add finely diced jalapeño with no seeds, chopped scallions as desired, minced up grape tomatoes, finely chopped cilantro (I use a scissors), and one to two limes, squeezed for their juice. Combine thoroughly.
I adjusted this from a condiment bowl at La Morenita, near Fresno, CA. And then adjusted further from a farmers market purchase in Anacortes, WA. It is the bomb for tacos or tostadas. Guac on the side.
These are the best vegetarian tacos, truely epic. I personally find them very fun to make as well! 10/10 so delicious I never leave reviews but I really do love these that much!
Great to hear, Megh!
I love these tacos. So easy to prep in advance and then pull together. I switch up what goes inside so it’s the creamy avocado dip and pickled onions that really make it for me.
Great to hear, Kathleen!