5 Delicious Vegan Tex-Mex Recipes (low-calorie and tasty)
What do you get when you combine vegan and Tex-Mex? You get the most guilt-free, flavorful fiesta in your mouth.
After my favorite local Tex-Mex restaurant became a casualty of the pandemic, I was forced to look into creating my own family favorites. Around this same time, I was looking for creative ways to introduce more vegetables into my little ones’ diets. Then the idea came to me: Vegan Tex-Mex.
I began with some of our staples when we have a craving for Tex-Mex. Chips and salsa are a must, and of course, you can’t turn down queso. But vegan queso? Challenge accepted.
From there, I took a trip to flavor town and began flipping my recipes upside down and creating them vegan-style. My little ones did not miss the meat in any of these dishes, and I guarantee you won’t either. Suitable for vegans, vegetarians, or just food lovers in general, hopefully these vegan Tex-Mex recipes make their way into your rotation too. Enjoy!
5 Vegan Tex-Mex Recipes
1. Tex-Mex Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 head cauliflower, riced
- 3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
Directions:
- Heat EVOO over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, garlic, and jalapeno.
- Once the onions are translucent, stir in tomato paste, cumin, and paprika.
- Add cauliflower rice and stir until all ingredients are combined.
- Cook until cauliflower becomes fluffy.
- Remove from heat and add cilantro and lime juice.
- Serve as a side dish or a main course.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yields 4 servings
- Calories: 91
- Fat: 4 g
- Carbs: 15 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 4 g
2. Tex-Mex Slaw
Slaw Ingredients:
- 4 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Dressing Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp hot sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Whisk mayo, lime juice, and hot sauce. Set aside.
- Thinly slice cabbage. If you have a mandolin—great. If you have a food processor or attachment on your KitchenAid®, that’s great too.
- Slice green onions and chop cilantro.
- Combine cabbage, green onions, and cilantro in mixing bowl.
- Add dressing and mix well.
- Refrigerate for a few hours until flavors marry.
- Enjoy.
Chef Note: I generally eyeball the dressing ingredients until I have enough to coat all of the cabbage. Depending on your taste preference, you can add a little more or less of any of the dressing ingredients.
Nutrition Information:
Yields 6 servings
- Calories: 62
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbs: 7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
3. Tex-Mex Tostadas
Ingredients:
- 4 corn tortillas
- 15-oz can black beans
- Shredded lettuce
- 1 avocado, sliced
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 green chili pepper or jalapeno, chopped
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 lime
- Optional: Vegan sour cream (2 Tbsp)
- Optional: Salsa (2 Tbsp)
- Optional: cilantro
Directions:
- Layer corn tortilla, then beans, lettuce, avocado, onions, and peppers.
- Sprinkle with cumin. Then squeeze lime juice on top, or you could give a small squeeze on each layer.
- Top with your favorite toppings (i.e., vegan sour cream, salsa, cilantro)
- Enjoy!
Chef Note: If you wanted to add grilled tofu to this vegan Tex-Mex recipe, that would make an amazing addition.
Nutrition Information:
Yields 2 servings
- Calories: 412
- Fat: 16 g
- Carbs: 56.5 g
- Fiber: 23 g
- Protein: 16 g
4. Tex-Mex Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, diced
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 4 cups water
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 15-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 can corn (or frozen or even fresh if its available)
- 1 fresh hot chili, seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: avocado
- Optional: vegan sour cream
- Optional: tortilla strips
Directions:
- Sauté onions and garlic in EVOO over medium heat until onions are translucent.
- Add water and all remaining ingredients (sans cilantro and optional toppings).
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro, reserving a little bit for garnish if you desire.
- Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yields 4 servings
- Calories: 303
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Carbs: 40 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
5. Tex-Mex Salsa and Queso
Salsa Ingredients:
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients and fold together gently.
- Keep in refrigerator for an hour for flavors to marry.
- Enjoy with sliced veggies or tortilla chips.
Queso Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup water
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4-oz can green chili peppers
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Soak cashews for roughly 5 minutes in room temperature water.
- Add cashews and remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender, and blend until creamy.
- Place either over the stovetop or in a microwave and heat until warm.
- Serve with tortilla chips or sliced veggies.
Nutrition Information (for salsa):
Yields 4 servings
- Calories: 28
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbs: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
Nutrition Information (for queso):
Yields 4 servings
- Calories: 204
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Carbs: 12 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 9 g