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Perfect for your next Taco Tuesday, this easy, delicious, vegan lentil taco meat is nutritious, soy-free, grain-free, high in protein (11 g per 3/4 cup!), frugal, easy-to-make, and ready for use in your favorite tacos, burritos, nachos, and taco salads.
Vegan Lentil Taco Meat for Taco Tuesday
It may be Monday, but I am already thinking about Taco Tuesday.
I hope that you will be, too, as soon as you read this post. This is a filling you are sure to LOVE.
It’s my Vegan Lentil Taco Meat.
I made crispy tacos, stuffed with this lentil taco meat, for my carnivorous 11 year-old (who happens to love tacos) shortly after completing this batch. He devoured them, without noticing (in the least) that his meat had been swapped for lentils.
In short, this is a taco filling for carnivores, herbivores, and everyone in between!
It boasts the following attributes:
*Vegan
*Grain-free
*Soy-free
*High in protein (11 grams per 3/4 cup serving!)
*High in fiber (sorry bran flakes, lentils win)
*Super-frugal
Ready to make it?
Ingredients for Lentil Taco Meat
Here is your pantry list: regular lentils, an onion, spices, salt & pepper, nutritional yeast (completely optional, but it adds excellent umami flavor), and a bit of oil to cook the onion (I have an oil-free option in the recipe for those of you who do not eat oil).
Step 1: Cook the Lentils
Start by cooking the lentils for 20 to 25 minutes, just until they are tender, but not completely falling apart. One cup of dry lentils yields 3 cups of cooked lentils.
Onward!
Step 2: Cook the Onions and Spices
Next. cook the onions in the small amount of oil, followed soon after by the spices.
Step 3: Add the Cooked Lentils
For the home stretch, add the cooked lentils, (optional) nutritional yeast, and a bit more water. Release any accumulated stress by mushing and mashing the lentils, with a fork, until some of the lentils are broken apart and the texture resembles ground meat.
Cook everything for 5 or 6 minutes longer, until most of the water has absorbed, and, SHAZAMM, your taco meat is ready for eating!
Use the taco meat to fill tacos, stuff burritos, spoon over nachos, create taco salads, you name it!
Don’t forget to adjust and modify the spices and seasonings as much as you like to create your signature taco blend!
Happy cooking, everyone!
More Easy, Plant-Based Meat Recipes to Try:
Vegan Oat Mushroom Ground Beef
3-Ingredient Almond Flour Vegetable Nuggets
Mushroom Almond Flour Ground Beef (2 ingredients)

Lentil Taco Meat {Vegan, Grain-Free, High-Protein}
Perfect for your next Taco Tuesday, this easy, delicious, lentil taco meat is nutritious, soy-free, grain-free, high in protein, frugal, easy-to-make, and ready for use in your favorite tacos, burritos, nachos, and taco salads.
Ingredients
- 4 and 1/2 cups water, divided
- 1 cup tan (common variety) lentils (uncooked)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped relatively fine
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1/2 cup water
- Optional: 2 or 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of the water to a boil; add the lentils and reduce heat to low. Cook, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes until lentils are tender (but not completely falling apart). Drain any excess water.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook and stir for 7 minutes.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper to the skillet, cook and stir for 30 seconds longer.
- Add the lentils, nutritional yeast (if using), remaining 1/2 cup water to the skillet. Cook and stir, coarsely mashing the lentils with a fork, until the almost all of the water is absorbed. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro.
- Serve in any and all of your favorite meals that call for taco meat (e.g., taco, burritos, salads, nachos)!
Notes
Oil-Free Option: If you do not eat oil, feel free to simply spritz the pan with nonstick spray, or cook and stir the onion in a small amount of water until softened.
Lentil Options: I used the common (tan/brown) lentils from the supermarket for this recipe. Black or green lentils will also work, without adaptation. If you have red split lentils, reduce the cooking time in step 1 to about 10 to 12 minutes (because they are split, red lentils cook in about half the time; cook until just barely tender).
Storage: Store the cooled taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 6 months.
Seasonings: Adjust the seasonings (more less, other spices) to your heart's centent! For example,sometimes I add a bit of smoked paprika and a little bit of unsweetened cocoa powder,
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 3/4 cupAmount Per Serving Calories 137Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 0.6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 302.5mgCarbohydrates 25.7gFiber 12.8gSugar 4.2gProtein 11g
Ashley Rodriguez
Tuesday 29th of August 2023
Hi! Just curious, how many can this feed? Cooking for a family of five & am not sure if I should double the recipe. So excited to try this!! Thank you, Ashley
Camilla
Thursday 31st of August 2023
Hi Ashley, I would double the recipe (even if there are some leftovers--that will be a good thing!)
Frank
Wednesday 28th of June 2023
Camilla thank you for sharing this grain free recipe. Your description and insights are perfect. Simply lentils, onions, seasonings, and preparation technique. A simple recipe that made sense in my mind and sounded delicious… which it was. Of course I adjusted seasonings for us, it’s not baking. Great job Camilla!! Thanks again!!
Camilla
Wednesday 5th of July 2023
You are so welcome, Frank!
Kristen
Wednesday 9th of November 2022
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I have been a vegetarian for 32 years and have been flirting with veganism lately, so I have a good bit of experience cooking this way, but this is my new favorite recipe! Perfect exactly as written. Thank you again!
Camilla
Thursday 10th of November 2022
Kristen, that is a major compliment, thank you so much!!!
Gabi
Wednesday 5th of October 2022
I really want to make this!! I dont have chili powder can i maybe sub it for paprika? And the nutritional yeast also dont have any maybe some flax meal instead?
Camilla
Friday 7th of October 2022
Hi Gabi,
Sure, you can definitely use paprika as a sub for chili powder!. You can omit the nutritional yeast if you do not have it, but yes, adding some flaxseed meal will add some protein (like the nutritional yeast adds).
Mandy
Saturday 23rd of July 2022
This was really delicious! I wasn’t able to mash the lentils with a fork, so I threw about three-quarters of the mixture into my food processor and pulsed it a bit, then added it back to the pan to mix all together. That texture worked out well for me! This might be my new go-to taco “meat” recipe!
Camilla
Monday 1st of August 2022
Awesome, Mandy! Thanks for sharing your tip about pulsing the lentils in the food processor, too :)