Vegan Carne Asada Tacos are perfect for Taco Tuesday or any night of the week! Made with TVP and a smokey, citrusy marinade, you won't believe how well this recipe replicates the flavor and texture of Carne Asada.
At our house, we take Taco Night seriously, so when we decided to create a Vegan Carne Asada recipe, you can bet we tested it again, and again, and again... The result is the delicious TVP carne asada that hits all the right notes of citrusy and smokey with a touch of spice. Pile it on a corn tortilla for an absolutely perfect taco fake-out.
For this recipe, I decided to use larger TVP crumbles than what you'd find in my bacon bits or vegan spaghetti and meat sauce recipes. The idea is to replicate street-taco-style meat that has been chopped up and served on a corn tortilla with simple toppings.
My husband and I worked together on this one to create the perfect TVP marinade that replicates all the delicious flavors of carne asada. Along with our vegan street tacos and vegan fish tacos, these vegan carne asada tacos have truly become a staple in our house and I hope you love it as much as we do!
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You'll love this Vegan Carne Asada recipe because it's:
- Quick & Easy
- Vegan / Vegetarian
- Meatless
- Easy to make Gluten-Free
- Great for impressing your Omni-friends
- Perfect for Taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo!
- Absolutely Delicious!
What is carne asada?
Carne asada literally translates to grilled meat, and we aren't doing either of those here, so what gives? The truth is we were inspired by the marinade and the final product.
Carne asada is normally a steak that has been marinated in citrus and spices. Since we're using TVP to replicate the meat, it makes more sense to cook it in a skillet than grill it. The end result does a really nice job of replicating the street-taco-style carne asada that you can grab from vendors in Mexico.
What is TVP?
TVP, aka Textured Vegetable Protein, is a vegan meat substitute made from soy. You can read more about it in my vegan spaghetti and meat sauce post.
Can this be gluten-free?
To make this vegan carne asada gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce in the marinade. Also be sure to check the TVP to make sure it is certified gluten-free.
Ingredients
- large crumble TVP: This is slightly larger than the crumbles you'd use to make my vegan spaghetti for instance. You can see the difference here. If you prefer, you can also use soy curls for the recipe.
Marinade Ingredients
- water
- white onion, roughly chopped: any kind of white or yellow onion will be fine.
- cilantro
- garlic cloves
- jalapeno: For a little heat. If you like things extra spicy, leave the seeds in.
- soy sauce: For color and earthiness.
- lime juice: Fresh or pre-squeezed--both are fine.
- lemon juice: Same as above.
- orange juice
- apple cider vinegar
- olive oil (Optional)
- liquid smoke: for that smokey flavor. Use mesquite if you can find it.
- cumin
- black pepper
For the Tacos
- corn tortillas
- chopped white onion
- chopped cilantro
- restaurant-style salsa
- Any other toppings you like!
*See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- We usually use this as a filling for tacos, but it also tastes great as a salad topper or enchilada filling. Add it to a burrito bowl, breakfast burrito, or even fajitas. Carne Asada Fries are also a thing! The sky is the limit!
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the onion. Wash the cilantro (you don't need to remove the stems, but if the ends are woody, you can cut them off.)
- Place all of the marinade ingredients--except the water!--in the blender and blend to combine.
- Add the TVP to a shallow dish or container. Pour the marinade over the top.
- Add a ½ cup of water into the blender and swish it around to grab any remaining marinade. Pour over the TVP and mix to combine.
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
- When the TVP is done marinating, transfer it to a skillet. Add another ¼ cup of water to the marinade dish and swish it around, then pour into the skillet (this will help grab any leftover marinade that remained in the dish).
- Cook the TVP over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated and the vegan carne asada is nicely browned and crispy.
- Serve right away with corn tortillas, chopped white onion, and cilantro or store for later.
Troubleshooting
- Why is my TVP still crunchy? For best results, let the TVP marinade in the liquid for at least 4 hours or overnight. If the TVP is crunchy after cooking just add another ½ cup of water and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
How to serve
We like to serve this as the main protein on tacos with a side of Instant Pot Pinto Beans. Corn tortillas are my preference here, but you can use whatever taco you like. These also make a great addition to any vegan taco bar!
Some of my favorite toppings and garnishes for vegan carne asada include:
- Chopped white onions or pickled onions
- Radish slices or pickled radishes (you can find my recipe for pickled radishes in this vegan bibimbap recipe)
- Chopped Cilantro
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- avocado crema or guacamole
- Vegan Queso Fresco (crumbled vegan cheese) or Cashew Queso
Can I make it ahead?
You can make the TVP Carne Asada up to a day in advance. Just reheat in a skillet before serving.
How to store
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More vegan Mexican-inspired recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Carne Asada Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
Marinade Ingredients
- ⅓ white onion, roughly chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, loosely packed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (Optional)
- 15 drops liquid smoke
- 1 teaspooon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup + ¼ cup water
Other
- 2 cups large crumble TVP
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ white onion, chopped
- chopped cilantro
- restaurant-style salsa
Instructions
Marinate the TVP
- Peel and roughly chop the onion. Wash the cilantro (no need to remove the stems unless they are woody). Place all of the marinade ingredients--except the water!--in the blender and blend to combine.
- Add the TVP to a shallow dish or container. Pour the marinade over the top. Add a ½ cup of water to the blender and swish it around to grab any remaining marinade. Pour the water over the TVP and mix to combine.
- Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
Cook the TVP & Serve
- When the TVP is done marinating, transfer it to a skillet. Add another ¼ cup of water to the marinade dish and swish it around, then pour into the skillet (this will help grab any leftover marinade that remained in the dish).
- Cook the TVP over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated and the vegan carne asada is nicely browned and crispy.
- Serve right away with corn tortillas, chopped white onion, and cilantro.
Notes
- Ideally, you should marinate the TVP for 4 hours or overnight, but in a pinch, you could marinate for 1 hour, but you might need to add extra water while cooking the TVP.
- Soy curls can be substituted for the TVP.
- Feel free to use whatever toppings you like! In addition to onions, cilantro, and salsa, some of my favorites include avocado and pickled radishes.
Nutrition
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Adam says
These are really delicious! If you have extra time, I strained the TVP and reserved the marinade. Then I cooked the TVP in the skillet and added the strained marinade to the skillet 3 times (each time charring started). This give nice layers of crusty flavor on the TVP and gives a bit more citrus to the filling.
Add a bit of water here and there to rise out your containers to maximize the marinade you reserved. The water will sizzle out, not impacting the final flavor that much.