This mushroom tacos recipe is quick to make and bursting with savory flavor, starring meaty portobellos and creamy refried beans!
Here’s a quick and easy taco recipe perfect for weeknights: try these Mushroom Tacos! Portobello mushrooms have enormous savory flavor: throw them in a skillet with some punchy seasonings and they make plant-based magic. This recipe is for when you have just a few minutes to throw together a meal: combine those portobellos with creamy refried beans and the quickest slaw, and you’ve got dinner!
Ingredients in mushroom tacos
This mushroom tacos recipe comes together in a flash: it should take you about 20 to 25 minutes to put together. The taco is a Mexican invention, likely from the Aztec times, and was first introduced in the US in 1905. We honor the great tradition of Mexican cuisine in this recipe! The only part that requires cooking is sautéing the portobello mushrooms with a few spices. Combine those with canned refried beans to add enough protein to keep these tacos filling. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Portobello mushrooms
- Garlic
- Cumin seed, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper
- Lime
- Refried beans
- Cabbage
- Avocado
- Pico de gallo
- Queso fresco (optional)
- Tortillas
All you’ve got to do is sauté the mushrooms with spices, then make a quick slaw and top them with toppings. You don’t even need to make a sauce, though you can top with sour cream if you like. They’re juicy and delicious as is!
Refried beans are key for protein
These mushroom tacos are plant-based and vegan. But here’s the important thing to know about thsee tasty fungi: mushrooms can’t stand in for protein! The flavor of these portobellos is like a bite of steak (literally!). But it has no protein, so you’ve got to add other elements with plant based protein to make a filling meal!
Don’t like refried beans? You’ll want to make sure to add other plant based protein here:. Try Seasoned Black Beans or even Vegan Walnut Taco Meat, which has nuts for added protein. You could also try
Serving size for these mushroom tacos
This mushroom tacos recipe is so simple to make and bursting with flavor! Here’s one note to keep in mind on serving size:
- The mushrooms shrink down in the pan. It looks like a lot at first, but as they cook off the water the mushrooms shrink in volume.
- Add just a handful of mushrooms per taco. It will still add massive flavor. Place them on a generous helping of refried beans.
- If you’re feeding very hungry eaters, make 1.5 times the mushrooms and double the beans. Or, you can accessorize with more hearty side dishes! See below.
About Portobello mushrooms (and substitutes)
The Portobello variety of mushroom makes these tacos: it’s so hearty and savory! But there are a few substitutes if you can’t find them. Here’s what you need to know bout this mighty mushroom:
- Portobello mushrooms (aka portobella or portabella) are one of the most widely consumed varieties in the world. They taste intensely meaty and savory, with loads of umami.
- Where to find them: You can find portobello mushrooms at most mainstream grocery stores. Often they come packaged in containers with 3 to 6 mushroom caps. If you get 6, make 1.5 times this recipe! (See below.)
- Fun fact: the button mushroom and cremini (also known as baby bella) are the same variety of mushroom, just earlier growth stages! The portobello is the oldest stage, so it has the most meaty and savory flavor. So you can substitute the cremini or baby bella if you can’t find portobellos.
Tips on warming tortillas
One last thing about these mushroom tacos: make sure to warm tortillas! It’s impossible to make a good taco with a cold, leathery tortilla. Here’s how to warm tortillas like a pro:
- Place them over the flame of a gas burner (preferred!). Place each tortilla directly on a gas burner for a few seconds per side, turning with tongs. This lightly chars the edges and warms the tortillas (so they’ll look like the photos). Then throw them into a tortilla warmer!
- Warm them in the oven. If you don’t have a gas burner, you can warm them in the oven. Go to How to Warm Tortillas. You can also char them with a kitchen torch, if you’re a stickler for a charred tortilla (which is what we did here, because we cook on induction!).
Make it a meal: side dishes for mushroom tacos
Want to make these mushroom tacos into a filling meal? Here are a few side dishes that go with tacos:
- Salad: This Mexican Chopped Salad is colorful and covered in a cilantro dressing, or opt for Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad.
- Coleslaw: Opt for Mexican Coleslaw (which you can use on the tacos, if you like!).
- Chips and salsa or bean dip: Try our Best Salsa with tortilla chips, or this fan favorite Bean Dip or Vegan Queso.
What else would you serve with these vegan tacos? Let us know in the comments!
More mushroom recipes
Love mushrooms? Here are a few more tasty mushroom recipes you’ll enjoy:
- Try Easy Stuffed Mushrooms or Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
- Go for Portobello Mushroom Pizza or Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Grab Mushroom Pasta with Parmesan or Creamy Mushroom Risotto
- Try Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
Easy Mushroom Tacos
- Prep Time: 13 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 tacos 1x
Description
This mushroom tacos recipe is quick to make and bursting with savory flavor, starring meaty portobellos and creamy refried beans!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 large portobello mushrooms*, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seed
- ½ teaspoon each ground cumin and smoked paprika
- Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon lime juice (1/4 lime)
- 15-ounce can refried beans
- 1/4 medium red cabbage
- 1 ripe avocado
- For serving: pico de gallo (required), queso fresco or feta cheese crumbles (optional)
- 8 tortillas
Instructions
- Sauté the mushrooms: Slice the mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices. Mince the garlic. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the additional 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, cumin seed, cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt and black pepper. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant, then turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice.
- Heat the beans: Heat the refried beans in a small saucepan until warm. Taste and add a few pinches of kosher salt if necessary.
- Make the quick slaw: Shred the red cabbage. Place it in a bowl and add the juice of 1 lime quarter and 2 pinches of kosher salt. Dice the avocado, if using.
- Warm the tortillas: Warm and char the tortillas by placing them on an open gas flame on medium for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm. (See How to Warm Tortillas.)
- Assemble the tacos: Add a generous spoonful of refried beans, a small handful of mushrooms*, slaw, avocado, pico de gallo, and cheese crumbles, if using.
Notes
*The serving size makes 8 modest tacos. If serving very hungry eaters, you may want to make 1.5 times the mushrooms and double the refried beans, or add some hearty side dishes.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Mushroom tacos
“These mushroom tacos are plant-based and vegan. But here’s the important thing to know about thsee tasty fungi: mushrooms can’t stand in for protein! The flavor of these portobellos is like a bite of steak (literally!). But it has no protein, so you’ve got to add other elements with plant based protein to make a filling meal! ”
OK, I have to call BS on this statement. Every single cell on the planet (animal, plant, bacterial, fungal (mushrooms)…) is composed of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids (fats), nucleic acids. The issue is AMOUNT of protein and the amino acid composition of the proteins (these are the building blocks of proteins). As animals, we can make many amino acids ourselves but need to get others from our diet–the so called essential amino acids that we extract from proteins we ingest.
Loved them! Thank you
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