Refreshing raw vegan tacos made with seasoned walnut taco "meat", fresh pico de gallo, and homemade cashew sour cream for a delicious and wholesome meal that can be made in just 30 minutes.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Who could go for some raw vegan tacos right about now? I know I could.
It has been cold and snowy in Portland the last several days and what I once looked forward to with so much anticipation - winter - I am now eager to have come to an end. I find myself dreaming back to long summer days, warm nights, freshly picked salads, and lime infused Coronas, all which feel so very far away.
What do I do when the winter won't end and summer is months away? Lighten the mood with a little warm-weather food, of course!
Ingredients for Raw Vegan Tacos
For these raw tacos, we need to make several components. We will need:
- Walnut Meat
- Pico De Gallo*
- Cashew Sour Cream
- leaves of romaine lettuce
- avocado
- fresh cilantro
*While the recipe below has instructions on how to make your own, feel free to buy your pico de gallo at the store for a quicker healthy meal.
What is Walnut Meat?
Walnut meat is a great raw, vegan alternative to taco meat. I love it as a non-processed alternative that still fills you up and provides you with tons of protein. It's my favorite option for this vegan taco salad recipe.
To make the walnut meat, blend all taco meat ingredients in a food processor until walnuts break down into small crumbs. Do not over mix, they will quickly form a paste. Remove from processor and set aside.
What is Cashew Sour Cream?
Cashew sour cream is a tangy sour cream-like sauce made from cashews, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. To make cashew sour cream, drain and rinse the cashews. Transfer to a high-speed blender with remaining sour cream ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.
When making cashew creams, it is important that you use a high-powered blender. If you don't have access to one, make sure to soak your cashews 8 hours before using it.
ASSEMBLING THE VEGAN TACOS
Now that we have our components made, it’s time to assemble the tacos. To assemble, place 2-3 tablespoons walnut meat on the bottom of a leaf of romaine lettuce. Top with pico de gallo, avocado, fresh cilantro, and cashew sour cream. Once assembled, serve immediately.
SERVING AND STORING RAW TACOS
Once assembled, these vegan tacos should be eaten immediately. However, leftovers can be stored separately. The walnut meat and cashew sour cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the pico de gallo in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to eat, simply assemble and serve.
Serve these tacos as part of your Cinco de Mayo meals or summertime potlucks.
MORE VEGAN TACO RECIPES
And, of course, I love my vegan taco recipes. Here are a few I highly recommend trying:
- Crispy Coconut Lime Cauliflower Tacos
- Balsamic Portobello Tacos with Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
- Teriyaki Tofu Tacos with Pineapple Slaw
- Orange Glaze Tempeh Tacos
But before you run off and check those out, let’s take a look at these Raw Vegan Tacos with Walnut Meat.
Raw Vegan Tacos
Ingredients
Walnut Meat
- 2 cups raw walnuts
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of cayenne
Pico De Gallo
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt to taste
Cashew Sour Cream (optional)
- 1 cup cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Extras
- 12 leaves of romaine lettuce
- 1 avocado
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- To make the walnut meat, blend all taco meat ingredients in a food processor until walnuts break down into small crumbs. Do not over mix, they will quickly form a paste. Remove from processor and set aside.
- Combine the ingredients for pico de gallo and refrigerate until ready to use.
- If making cashew sour cream, drain and rinse the cashews. Transfer to a high-speed blender with remaining sour cream ingredients. Blend until completely smooth. Transfer to a small container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To assemble tacos, place 2-3 tablespoons walnut meat on the bottom of a leaf of romaine lettuce. Top with pico de gallo, avocado, fresh cilantro, and cashew sour cream. Once assembled, serve immediately.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Markishia says
OMG great recipe. The taste is so awesome. Thanks for sharing : )
Jeanine M says
Amazing besides delicious. Will make again for sure?
Tiane says
This was awesome!!!! I've been eating on these tacos all week and they're amazing!
Maria Koutsogiannis says
These look so simple and tasty! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Diana says
Do you have to soak the walnuts first for the walnut taco meat? This recipe does not say, but your other recipe (raw taco salad) said to soak the walnuts first. Does it matter? Thank you!
Sarah says
It depends on the strength of your blender/food processor. I doesn't hurt to do that but if you're using a Vita-Mix or something similar, you don't need to.
Sarah says
These were very good and very filling. Would make these again. Thank you.
Erica says
What do you think would be a good substitution for the walnuts? My husband is allergic.
Sarah says
Are you still looking for it to be raw? If not, the best whole-foods substitute would probably be brown lentils. Otherwise, try another nut with a similar texture or raw sunflower seeds.