Anyone else struggle going vegan because most restaurants only have one vegan option? Living in SoCal so close to the border there are great Mexican restaurants but most have maybe a bean and cheese burrito, or a ‘veggie’ burrito which is literally just rice, beans, pico, guac, lettuce, and maybe sour cream. I can’t eat avocado, don’t like sour cream, and typically they have cheese too. With that said, we found a delicious restaurant that does street tacos that are delicious. Most use cheese but there are some really unique veggie options. That is where the inspiration for this recipe came from. These vegan mushroom street tacos are made up of delicious sautéed mushrooms, black beans, street corn, and a cilantro ‘crema’.
We eat at this restaurant more than I wish to admit so it’s great that I’ve been able to recreate this taco at home since it is our favorite of the vegetarian options. Since moving to California, we’ve found lots of great vegetarian and vegan cuisine but Mexican seems to be one of the harder ones to find that is more than a bean and cheese burrito or a burrito with just beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream (ick!). Throw another wrench into the mix, I have a hard time eating avocado now so finding something that’s filling including avocado is even harder!
What you’ll love about these vegan mushroom street tacos?
- They’re quite hearty for a vegetarian taco that isn’t a base of beans. It has beans on it but not a lot so we’re happy to share it’s still very satisfying.
- Vegan street tacos that are unique. I hate the usual ‘vegetarian tacos’ that are usually just beans, pico, guac, and lettuce. There is some variety of texture and flavors!
- Great leftovers if you don’t manage to eat them all (ours hardly last).
How to make these tacos?
- Wash and slice the mushrooms. Once they’re ready, heat up a pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cover. Allow them to saute for 5 minutes or so until they darken and shrink in size. Add garlic, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp cumin. Mix well and cook without a lid until the extra liquid cooks off.
- Remove mushrooms from heat. In the same pan, add 1/4 finely chopped onion and drained can of whole kernel corn. Cook until the onion browns (about 3-5 minutes). Add garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp chili powder. Also salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp). Cook until corn starts to char a bit and then remove from heat.
- Add one rinsed and drained can of beans, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp onion to a bowl. Stir well and heat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds.
- Rinse a bunch of cilantro and remove any bad leaves. In a blender add the cilantro, 1/3 cup yogurt or vegan mayo, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin, juice of a lime, 1 tsp garlic, 1/4 cup cashews (omit this if using mayo, helps to thicken if using plain yogurt). Blend until smooth.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Warm corn tortillas over medium heat. Once you heat one side, flip and melt cheese (about 1 tbsp) while the other side warms. You can use regular or vegan cheese for this.
- Assemble the tacos by over the melted cheese adding a spoon or two of the mushrooms, a spoon of black beans, spoon of corn, drizzle of the cilantro crema, and top with arugula. Enjoy hot!
Related Recipes
Vegan Tofu Taco Filling
Plant Based Fajita Veggies
Vegan Mushroom Street Tacos
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
Mushrooms
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ juice of lime half
Corn
- 1 can whole kernel corn drained
- ¼ onion finely chopped
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ juice of lime half
- ½ salt
Black Beans
- 1 can black bean rinsed and drained
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
Cilantro Crema
- 1 bunch cilantro
- ⅓ cup yogurt or vegan mayo
- ¼ cup cashews omit if using mayo
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 juice of lime
Tacos
- 8 corn tortillas
- ½ cup shredded cheese
- ½ cup arugula
Instructions
Mushrooms
- Wash and slice the mushrooms. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add some oil and then the mushrooms.
- Cover and cook until the mushrooms are starting to brown and release liquid. Add the garlic and continue to cook. Stir in the spices. Remove the lid and allow the excess liquid to cook off. Squeeze half a lime over the mushrooms allowing the juice to sizzle.
- Remove mushrooms from pan.
Corn
- In the same skillet add more oil. Add the onion and drained corn. Cook until onion starts to brown. Add the garlic and spices. Stir in well.
- Continue cooking until the raw aroma of garlic is gone and the corn starts to char. Squeeze half of lime over the corn and allow the juice to sizzle. Then remove from heat.
Black Beans
- Rinse and drain a can of black beans.
- Add black beans and spices to a bowl and stir well. Place in microwave for 60-90 seconds.
Cilantro 'Crema'
- Add rinsed cilantro, yogurt, juice of lime, spices, cashews, and garlic to a blender or grinder. Blend until smooth. If using vegan mayo instead of yogurt you can omit the cashews, they're used to thicken the sauce).
Taco Assembly
- Heat corn tortillas over medium heat. Once you flip the tortilla, add about 1 tbsp cheese to the top of tortilla and let it melt. Remove from heat and repeat for all tortillas.
- Add two spoons of mushrooms, a heaping spoon of black beans, a heaping spoon of corn, generous drizzle of cilantro crema, and handful of arugula to each tortilla.
- Enjoy hot! Leftovers can be kept for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Notes
Thank you for reading. I’d love to know what you thought of these tacos in the comments below! I know it takes time, but it helps me improve for the future and see what my readers like and should be the focus.
Cassie