Vegan Layered Lentil Tacos

These vegan tacos are filled to the top with hearty lentils, smashed sweet potatoes, and cabbage slaw. One bite and you will fall in love. Vegan Layered Lentil Tacos are made with wholesome ingredients and are the perfect meal for family taco night.

Taco Tuesday has never tasted so good. I literally drool over these tacos. It is quite honestly hard to just have one.

I love that there is another delicious protein option for tacos. My love for lentils is real. They are so flavorful, filling, and easy to make. What a great way to get vegan protein without eating traditional pinto or black beans.

Health Benefits of Lentils

Lentils are rich in fiber, folate, potassium, and protein which makes them the ideal vegan protein choice. They are one of the best whole foods when it comes to vegan Mexican food.

Known to be a great choice for heart health, managing blood pressure and cholesterol, and providing digestive benefits from fiber, these edible legumes need to be in your tacos the next time you have a Mexican meal.

Vegan Taco Toppings

Add your favorite taco topping and go big or go home. Here are some of our favorite toppings that are perfect for a plant-based diet.

-nutritional yeast

-vegan cheese

-guacamole

-avocado

-vegan sour cream

-salsa

-red pepper flakes

-jalapeno slices

What Makes these Vegan Layered Lentil Tacos So Good?

It’s all about the taco filling, am I right? The lentil mixture is easy to throw together and full of flavor. Lentil taco meat really does a good job replacing a beef taco.

This is a great recipe for the whole family. Personally, it is our go-to taco recipe!

The best thing about these tacos is the mashed sweet potato, in my opinion. They are creamed together with lime juice and a hint of spice from the hot sauce. This layer adds a creamy texture and flavor to the lentil taco meat.

They make for delicious leftovers. There’s nothing more I want in my kitchen life than to make recipes that heat up well the next day. Life is all about efficiency, in my opinion.

The Ingredients

For layer one: the lentils

Lentils: I like to use precooked brown lentils that I purchase from Trader Joe’s. Alternatively, feel free to cook up a pot of dry lentils.

Red onion: I enjoy using red onion however white or yellow varieties work, as well.

Veggie stock: I highly recommend using broth instead of water. It gives the lentils a nice flavor that doesn’t compare to water.

Garlic: Every good dish has garlic, am I right? LOL.

Taco seasoning: All of the typical Mexican taco seasonings including onion powder, cumin, bell pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

For layer two: mashed sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes: You will want to use large sweet potatoes for this recipe. This will be the base of layer two.

Lime juice: I love the citrus flavor of these mashed potatoes. It brings out the Mexican food vibe.

Maple syrup: Even though sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, maple syrup is used to help combine the spice and citrus in this recipe.

Hot sauce: This ingredient can be skipped if you prefer less spice but I highly recommend using a little bit. It gives the potatoes the perfect little kick. You can use chili pepper or cayenne pepper instead if needed.

Vegan butter: You can also replace this with coconut oil or olive oil. This ingredient gives the potatoes a perfectly creamy and buttery taste.

Plant-based milk: Like the butter, the milk helps to cream the sweet potatoes. Any type of milk will work for this recipe.

For layer three: citrus cabbage slaw

Shredded cabbage: Use red cabbage or a store-bought and precut bag of shredded cabbage and carrots mixture.

Lime juice: Fresh lime juice makes this slaw a citrusy salad that tops perfectly over these lentil tacos.

Olive oil: Oil balances nicely with the vinegar and citrus. Avocado oil will work, as well.

Maple syrup: This ingredient balances all of the flavors together nicely.

Apple cider vinegar: My favorite vinegar variety with many health benefits.

You will also need taco shells. You can use your favorite variety from flour tortillas, and corn tortillas, to hard taco shells.

To finish off this lentil recipe, you can add any of your favorite vegan toppings.

How to Make These Vegan Lentil Tacos

Step one: Make the Sweet potatoes. Add the peeled and sliced sweet potato coins to a large pot. Fill the pot with water until the sweet potatoes are totally covered. Add a dash of salt and boil them until they are tender. You can use a fork to pierce through the center to check. Drain the sweet potatoes.

Step two: Add the cooked sweet potatoes and the remainder of the ingredients to a large glass bowl. Using a potato masher or a whisk, mash the potatoes until they are creamy. Place a lid on the potatoes and set them aside.

Step three: Make the lentil taco meat. Grab a large pan and over medium heat, cook the chopped onion and avocado oil for a few minutes. Add in the remaining lentil ingredients. Turn the heat to low and use a potato masher to mash up the lentils. Allow the mixture to cook for another five minutes.

Step four: Make the slaw. Add shredded cabbage to a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and then drizzle over top. Toss the salad.

Tips + Modifications

If you are looking to cut carbs and remove the tortillas, this recipe would be good as a taco salad or taco bowl. Yum!

If you are looking to meal prep, feel free to make these three layers and store them individually in air-tight containers in the fridge. Build the tacos when you are ready to eat them.

To reheat the sweet potatoes and lentils, add the correct portion to a glass bowl, cover with a paper towel, and heat in the microwave until warm.

Check Out These Recipes

If you like these tacos, you will also love these recipes!

Vegan Roasted Bell Pepper and Veggie Pasta

Corn and Red Cabbage Slaw

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes