You guys are the best. You know that, right? Two months ago, when I shared my roasted cauliflower and lentil tacos recipe, I asked you to hop over to Facebook and vote for my recipe. You did, and my tacos won!
That means my tacos will represent the United States at the United Nations’ 2016 International Year of Pulses celebrations. (Pulses are beans, lentils and other dried legumes and they were selected based on their significant health, economic and environmental benefits.) Basically, you’ve made this food nerd verrrry happy. Thank you! Thank you to the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council for letting me participate, too.
Since 2016 seems so far away, I thought we’d celebrate today with some more tacos! These are inspired by some that I ordered last week at my friend’s bachelorette party. I was sitting next to my college roommates, sipping my cocktail very slowly, and feeling sappy about how grown-up we are now.
The waiter came by and I ordered some quinoa tacos, hoping that they would be hearty enough to fill me up. They were, fortunately, and they were so tasty that I had to recreate them at home right away.
The quinoa and black bean filling takes cues from traditional ground beef fillings, but offers lots of plant-based protein and fiber. I couldn’t resist topping it with a generous spread of creamy, tangy avocado sauce and some romaine lettuce for some requisite crunch. To really make the flavors pop, add a few pickled jalapeños and/or crumbled feta cheese.
Perhaps the best part is that these tacos are ready in 30 minutes. I hope they are a new weeknight favorite for you, too!
Quinoa Black Bean Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 tacos 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
These quinoa and black bean tacos with dairy-free avocado crema are a simple and delicious weeknight dinner! They’re vegan and gluten free, too. Recipe yields about 6 hearty tacos.
Ingredients
Quinoa and black bean filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well in a fine mesh colander
- 1 cup vegetable broth or water
- 1 (14 ounce) can black beans or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Avocado sauce
- 1 large avocado, sliced into long strips
- 1 to 2 medium limes, juiced
- 1 medium jalapeño, deseeded, membranes removed and roughly chopped
- 1 handful fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Everything else
- 6 to 8 small, round corn tortillas (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce or spring greens
- Optional garnishes: pickled jalapeños or radishes, crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- To make the filling, warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic with a dash of salt for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are softened and turning translucent. Add the tomato paste, cumin and chili powder and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup broth or water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess liquid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the drained black beans and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and set aside for a couple of minutes to warm up the beans.
- To make the avocado sauce: Simply combine the ingredients as listed in a food processor or blender. Blend well and season with salt, to taste.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the tortillas in a single layer, flipping halfway. Wrap the warmed tortillas with a lint-free tea towel until ready to serve. To assemble the tacos, spread quinoa and black bean filling down the center of the tortilla, then top with a generous drizzle of avocado crema, a handful of chopped romaine and any additional garnishes you’d like to add. Eat up!
Notes
Recipe inspired by Picasso Cafe in Oklahoma City and adapted from my roasted cauliflower and lentil tacos and southwestern kale power salad.
Make it vegan/dairy free: Just don’t add cheese!
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free corn tortillas.
Make it tomato free: Skip the tomato paste.
Storage suggestions: Store individual components separately. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the avocado sauce to prevent oxidation. Warm the tortillas and filling just before serving, then top with avocado sauce and chopped romaine.
Love this recipe? Check out more taco recipes here!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Congrats Kate! Woo!! I am a firm believer in bachlorette parties including tacos (mine did!) and these are perfect!
Barbara
These look so good, I *almost* regret buying the ingredients for your cauliflower and lentil tacos earlier today.
I just started reading your blog and I’ve already made 3 recipes from it. I keep finding more to try and I am going to add these to the list!
Kate
No regrets! :) Maybe you can make these next week. Thank you for saying hello, Barbara. I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes!
Mira
That looks very delicious! I really have to try both recipes! x
Melissa
Making these next week. Congrats on the win!
Kate
Thank you, Melissa. Hope you love them!
Laura
Tacos are the one veggie thing that I don’t mind a little meat mimicking, and your quinoa treatment here sounds so, so delicious. How amazing that you get to rep the USA! Proud of you, girl :)
Kate
Thanks, lady! I’m generally anti-meat mimicking, too, but these are just right. xo!
Dorcas@feelgoodfoodblog@gmail.com
You had me at garlic and black beans. Pinned.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth
That’s great that your tacos won – and will be proudly representing USA! These tacos look fabulous!
Jessie @ Chasing Belle
I love your avocado sauce recipe, I use it on so many things! Looking forward to adding this dish to my avocado sauce repertoire
Kate
Thanks, Jessie! I’d put avocado sauce on everything if I could get away with it!
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats
Ahh congrats Kate! I definitely think of you as a pulses expert so it’s well deserved :)
Kathleen
Congrats! We LOVE your cauli lentil taco recipe and make it all the time. Looking forward to trying this one.
Kate
Thank you, Kathleen! :)
Olga
I’d like to make this but I was wondering if you heat up the black beans? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Olga! Good question. If you mix the beans into the warm quinoa as directed, they’ll get nice and warm by the time you’re ready to assemble the tacos.
Olga
Thanks for the reply! I made it this weekend and it was delicious!
Kate
Hooray! Thanks, Olga!
Cassie
Yummy! They have to make quinoa tacos stat!
Trish
Well Congrats! I think I’m probably your number one fan of that lentil/cauliflower taco recipe. I’ve made it countless times. It deserves its honor! Kate, Kate, Kate, you’ve done it again with this recipe. It’s another WINNER! Made it tonight and we chomped down more than we should’ve. Husband said to make sure I save this recipe ;) The best part is that I had everything already so no need for a special trip to the store. Doubled the recipe (so glad I did!), and now I have a little left over for tomorrow :) Simple, quick and bursting with unimaginable yumminess ;) Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
Trish, thank you! Delighted to hear that you’re loving my taco recipes! Yay! The ingredients in these tacos also make a great taco salad. Might have to post that version soon!
Lisa Hau
This looks delist! Can’t wait to try it out!
Kate
Thanks, Lisa! Hope you love them!
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life
Congratulations Kate! Those tacos were a winner from the first bite! And these ones are similarly praise-worthy! I cannot wait to make these, and I love that they are weeknight friendly :)
Also, all bachelorette parties should include tacos and cocktails, isn’t it in the ‘lady rule book’ somewhere ;)
Kate
Thank you, Amy! Yep, I agree, all proper bachelorette parties should include both tacos and cocktails.
Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks
This looks fantastic! I’m a huge fan of vegetarian tacos.
Abbie
Yay! Woohoo! I’m so glad you won! I was hoping you would! I was going to vote, but I couldn’t since I don’t have Facebook. :( But I am a big fan of yours, so I’m super geeking out right now that you actually won. :D
Kate
Yay, thanks Abbie! :)
Kathryn
Yeah! Congrats on your taco victory; such a worthy dish to represent the US! You are definitely the queen of veggie tacos. I’m so excited to try these ones.
Kate
Why thank you, Kathryn! :) Hope you love these tacos!
Anna
I’ll be trying this for sure!!! looks so yumy
Taylor @ The Girls on Bloor
I never thought of adding quinoa to tacos!! I’ve been thinking of making an avocado cream sauce for forever though! Might have to try with a bit of roasted red pepper!
Kelsey
Hi Kate! I love your tacos, literally all of them :) Sadly, acid reflux has lately demanded I stop eating pretty much any tomato product :( Any ideas for a good substitute for tomato paste that will still have a similar end-texture result? Appreciate any thoughts! Thanks for your wonderful blog!
Kate
Hey Kelsey! I’m sorry for my delay and sorry to hear that you have to avoid tomato products! You can skip the tomato paste altogether. I think the tacos will still be great without it, albeit not tomato-y.
Alexa @ Sweet Little Kitchen
Congrats! Way to rep the US at the UN 2016 International Year of Pulses Celebration. I’ve never had tacos with quinoa before, but I like how quinoa kind of mimics the texture of ground meat. Thanks for making a veggie taco recipe that I can give to meat-lovers :)
Kate
Thanks, Alexa!
lisa @garlicandzest
These look great, Kate. I’ve come to the conclusion that pretty much anything is better on a tortilla! Kudos!
Kate
Amen!
Kate
These were pretty much perfect. I love your sweet potato and black bean tacos, but these are much more manageable for a weeknight. I mixed the leftover taco filling into scrambled eggs for a breakfast burrito the next day. Thanks for a total keeper!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kate! Happy to hear it! I love your breakfast burrito idea.
Caitlin
HI Kate! I can’t wait to make these tacos. For the Quinoa, is the 1/2 cup of dry or cooked quinoa?
Kate
Hi Caitlin! I’m sorry for the confusion. Dry/uncooked!
Kimberly Olson
I am so fired up to make these – thank you for posting:) And congrats on winning; so happy to see a movement on healthy eating!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kimberley!
Tiffany
Holy Guacamole these are good! My 4 yr old and 1 yr old even ate it! I just found out about your website and will definitely be making more of your recipes after this homerun. Thank you for making healthy taste good! Love from Texas!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Tiffany! So glad you found my site and enjoyed these tacos! Hope you love the other recipes just as much. :)
Susan
Just made these for dinner tonight. Super yummy! That avocado creama – <3 Thanks for another great recipe Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Susan! So glad you enjoyed it!
Candice
Wow, had these for dinner tonight and so delicious. My partner said “these taste better than the meat variety”.
★★★★★
Kate
Awesome! Thanks, Candice!
Sheree
Let me start by saying I love that Kate’s recipes are vegetarian friendly and find that a lot of my pins lead me to her site!
Anywho, I made the quinoa and black bean tacos this morning. They came out delicious and something I rarely find with plant-based eating, I was full. I must admit I am a heavy-handed chef, but I found that this meal has a great balance of flavors. Some ways I adapted the recipe were:
-I used smoked paprika and chipotle chilli powder (instead of chili powder) as an additional spice when preparing the black beans and quinoa. This gave the beans and quinoa a smoky flavor, reminiscent of BBQ. Damn good!—Did I mention I’m from Texas. Um, yep.
-I did not use a food processor for the avocado sauce, thus it was just guac. I prefer chunky to liquid. It turned out delicious.
I’d make it again!!
★★★★★
Kate
Yay, thanks again Sheree! Love the sound of your smoked paprika/chipotle/guac version.
Emma
Really amazing! I just stumbled across this recipe and I thought I would make it. I would say its better than regular tacos!
★★★★★
Kate
Woohoo! Thanks, Emma!
Emily
Oh yum, Kate! Just got back from a family trip and I’m catching up on all of my favorite blogs. You’ve got so much good stuff posted lately, although you always do. :) Looking forward to trying this one!
Kate
Thank you, Emily! :)
Joanne
YAYYYY!!! Congrats. That’s so exciting. Love that you’re celebrating with MORE tacos. Good life choices all around.
Kate
Thanks, Joanne!
Raquel Ritz
Wow, Kate, I do not even know how I came across your website, but I decided to subscribe and save it, because everything looked good. I have just made this recipe and it is so good, even my meat lover husband was impressed.
I have filling left, I think you could easily fill 10 tacos with it. Which is great, because I do not have to think about my lunch for tomorrow ;)
BTW, love your dog!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Raquel! I’m so glad you both enjoyed the tacos! Cookie says hi. :)
Quinn
Making these tonight and definitely adding grilled veggies. Thanks, Kate!
Kate
Hope they turned out great, Quinn!
Allison
Made these last night, took a chance and doubled the recipe so we’d have enough leftover for lunches for a couple days – LOVED them! Even my carnivore husband said they were really good. He’s pretty picky and swears he doesn’t like quinoa, but he ate 3 tacos without complaints ;)
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Allison!
Lesley
Just found your website and this recipe. Made it today, it is delicious, thank you so much
★★
Lesley
Sorry that should be 5 stars
Kate
Thanks, Lesley!
Amanda williams
We are having a Mexican themed dinner tonight and I now I have what looks and sounds like a delicious meal to prepare him too….and maybe I will enjoy it more than the meat!
Kate
I hope your dinner turned out great, Amanda! Sounds like fun!
Shani Cottrell
These are amazing, especially the avocado sauce, my husband and I could not get enough. Super quick and easy too, very helpful when you have a 7 month old:) I just stumbled across your blog and am so grateful, you have so many fresh and delicious sounding recipes. Tomorrow we’ll be trying the lentil-chickpea burgers, mmmm can’t wait!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Shani! Happy to hear it! Hope you enjoyed those burgers, too.
Todd & Susan
Cookie & Kate-
We really enjoyed this recipe, and were pleased to find one more way to add some healthy quinoa to our dinner.
We used red quinoa – and topped it with garden-fresh, diced tomatoes.
Initially, if was kinda’ soupy, after the :05 min sit. I threw it back on the burner & within a few mins it thickened up nicely. I added the black beans, gave it a stir & then let it sit for another :05 min (covered). In the end, if pactually looked like your photograph above. Voila!
Thanks, and we’ll continue coming by for more great recipes, and continue giving your site to friends & family.
T & S
Kate
Thank you, Todd an Susan! I’m glad you rescued the quinoa. I’m not sure what happened there. Thank you so much for sharing my site with your friends and family!
Alyssa B
Well let’s see… My husband ate six and my toddler asked for “more” I’ve made them before but THESE are way better. Y U M !!!
Kate
Fantastic!!! Thank you, Alyssa!
Erik B.
Made these tacos tonight and they were a big hit! Posted a photo on Instagram, as you requested. I added fresh garden tomatoes and served with Mexican corn and Blue Corn chips on the side. Awesome!
Kate
Awesome! Thanks, Erik! I’ll go find your photo.
Erik B.
Checked your instagram hashtag in a different part of your blog and realized it had an exclamation point at the end. You should be able to find my photo now, I added the e-point. Thought you were just being enthusiastic where you say “share a photo on instagram with hashtag #cookieandkate!”.
★★★★★
Kate
Oh no, sorry about that! It shouldn’t need an exclamation point on the end. I’m behind on checking my Instagram, I’ll go do that right now! I’m sorry!
Sandra Sanchez
Hi Katie!
I loved this recipe!! The quinoa and black bean filling was so good and that avocado sauce is something I’ll sure to make again for another meal.
I featured your recipe on my taco tuesday blog – www.tacotuesday.xyz
Thanks!
Sandra
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Sandra! Love your post. Looks like a very fun night. :)
Maggie
I love tacos and this is a delicious and satisfying vegetarian version.
Kate
Thank you, Maggie! :)
Betty Boop
Just made the quinoa black bean tacos and they were delicious. Even my eat meating husband liked it.
Betty Boop
HA HA meat eating that is!
Kate
Haha! Glad you all enjoyed the tacos!
Leesa
Hi Kate! I’m so not a vegetarian, but me and my hubby like to have a meatless meal at least once a week, and my friend introduced me to your blog. I have yet to try a recipe, but I’m just absolutely drooling at all of your pictures! I cannot wait to try so many of these! Actually, me and my girl friends are doing a cooking lesson next week and we are trying to decide which one of your recipes to make :) Thanks for all of these healthy meal ideas!
Kate
Hi Leesa! Don’t worry, non-vegetarians are welcome here. :) Please thank your friend for me for sending you to my blog! I hope you all love the recipe you pick!
Tara
I made these tonight and they were soo good! My boyfriend loved them also. I substituted the quinoa with brown rice and it tasted great. Thanks for the recipe, will make these again for sure.
Kate
Thank you, Tara! Glad to hear it!
Jena @fuelingafitfam
We are trying to incorporate more meatless meals in our house and tacos are always a favorite! These look delicious! Thanks!
mitra
My husband, a card-carrying carnivore, recently decided we were going to eat vegetarian for dinner a couple nights a week. I tried out this recipe last night and he DEVOURED it!! The only change I made was I added the black beans in with the quinoa so they’d cook a little bit more so I added more broth. Thank you for this recipe, I’m off to check out your other ones for future dinner ideas!
Kate
Thank you, Mitra! I’m glad you found my blog! You have my full support in your vegetarian endeavors. :)
Dessi
This is one of my favorite dishes ever! Followed the instructions (first time ever was not inspired to change anything) and enjoyed a yummy dinner with my partner, twice now. He loved it as well! Thanks for sharing and good luck! :)
Kate
Thank you, Dessi! Glad to hear it!
Verena
I’ve just made these and o-m-g, they left my sister and I speechless! I added some diced red bell pepper because I had a half pepper left over in my fridge and I think it really added something, but I’m convinced they would have been as good without the bell pepper.
All your recipes look so good, I just love your blog (and your dog!). I tried out your pineapple fried rice last night (I tagged you on Instagram, I’m @allanwinberg) and we loved it too, thank you so much and keep up your good work!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you so much, Verena! I’m glad the tacos were a hit. :)
Chinoiseries
I regularly make your recipes, because they are easy to follow and tasty :-) And these quinoa and black bean taco’s are no exception! Thanks for sharing this, it’s going into our meal rotation <3
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you! Happy to hear that. :)
Sondra
Oh man, you should see how many recipes I saved from your blog yesterday. I’m bored by what I’ve been cooking and have been leaning towards more seeds and legumes these days. I whipped these up and topped it with your simple seedy slaw and it was DIVINE! I made 3 filled-to-the-brim tacos and was stuffed. My man could only eat two they were so filling.
The beans I used were canned so they lacked a bit of punch. Next time, I’ll go for fresh ones.
Already looking forward to whipping up more of your goodness!
★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I hope you love each one of them. Great idea to serve these tacos with slaw on top. I kinda just want to eat slaw and tacos these days (cookbook stress!).
Liz
I did these tacos today, and a great hit, I ate lunch and I’ll repeat for dinner :) so delicious!!
★★★★
Tim
Stumbled on to these looking for a new black bean taco recipe. Fantastic!!
Poked around a bit and subscribed. Which isn’t something I normally do. Great site, Kate! Thank you!
★★★★★
Andrea
I made these tacos for my carnivorous boyfriend: he was blown away by how simultaneously healthy and flavorful they were. I used a spicy tomato-based salsa instead of tomato paste–highly recommend this variation. These will absolutely become a weeknight staple. Great recipe.
Debbie
Perfection! As suggested by others, I added a bit of smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder. I broke in my tortilla press and the corn tortillas were so easy. Served pico de gallo on the side and your Seedy Slaw (which I loved, but hubby prefers the creamy variety…luckily I only dressed the slaw we were eating right away). I do want to try your Cauliflower Lentil Tacos but these are so wonderful, I fear I will not want to try anything else! Thank you! Will post photo on Instagram.
Tiffany Fisher
I’ve already commented before but I need to say again that I’m obsessed with these tacos. My 2 & 5 year olds are obsessed too. I turn them into quesadillas for them. My 5 year old said tonight “Mommy thank you for dinner, these are SO YUMMY yummy yummy, i love them and i love you!”, i mean come on – can’t get a better review than that! Thank you thank you!! xo
★★★★★
Kate
Adorable!!!! Thank you, Tiffany. :)
Ashlyn
Thank you for this recipe! It’s honestly all I ever eat now because it’s so healthy and so easy to make!
★★★★★
hershey
I made this the other week for two non-vegetarians and they loved it. It was pretty easy to make, but I found the quiona/black bean ratio was a little too quinoa so next time I make it (this week) I’m going to add less quiona or more black beans. 9/10
★★★★★
Cindy Nipper
That Avocado sauce is the Bomb!! I added a tomato and an onion before processing! Had this for dinner as pictured and for lunch the next day over a bed of kale and topped with fresh salsa!!!!
Minelli Eustacio
I have been secretly making recipes from your blog for a while and EVERY SINGLE RECIPE I’ve tried has been AMAZING! And, now these tacos! Even my husband who looooves meat prefers these over meat tacos.The one thing I’ve missed the most since becoming vegetarian is good Mexican food, but these tacos (and the cauliflower and brown lentil tacos) are so delicious and easy to make.
Thanks for posting so many great recipes :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you so much, Minelli! Delighted to hear that you two are enjoying my recipes so much. I’ve been putting that quinoa and black bean mixture on lots of Mexican recipes lately!
Desiree
These tacos were absolutely delicious!!! Especially the avacado cream on top. My boyfriend is a gluten free vegan so these were perfect!!! We made them twice last week. Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Sarah
Really good and easy to make!! Will definitely make it again.
Alice
These tacos are so good and filling! The sauce was super easy to make too. I live in Austin and have eaten a lot of tacos and salsa – these are one of the best I’ve tasted.
Akil
Love this recipe and blog! I modified by adding some more veggies and didn’t have time, so just tossed everything into a slow cooker. The week’s dinners are done!
★★★★★
Kate
Awesome! Thanks, Akil!
Kate
This. Recipe. Is. The. BOMB!!!!
My avocados were bad, so I just substituted ranch dressing in the sauce for some jalepeno ranch :)
Can’t recommend this enough!
★★★★★
Kate
Woohoo, thanks Kate!
Madeleine
Hey! Just made this and it tastes soooo good! Are you able to freeze the quinoa and black bean mix? xx
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Madeleine, I’m so glad you loved the tacos. I’m not sure about freezing the mix. I’ve never tried, but it’s probably worth a shot!
Christine
I love this recipe and keep coming back to make it again. Thank you Cookie & Kate!
Kate
Thanks, Christine! So glad to hear it!
Eleni Georgiadis
I just made this recipe for my picky-eater sister and almost-carnivorous boyfriend, and they loved it. I didn’t have lettuce, so I used finely chopped spinach with a homemade chili-lime vinaigrette. Maybe not as crunchy as lettuce, but very flavorful!
Kate
Great! Sounds like it worked out wonderfully.
Donna
So good!!! I wanted to take a pic but I couldn’t resist taking a bite immediately
★★★★★
Kate
Eating it is the priority! Happy you liked it, Donna.
Jake
Just made these tonight. Took out most of the chilli aspects (put in about an 8th of a teaspoon of the powder) as my 4 year old and 7 old aren’t big chilli eaters yet. I did double the amount of cumin and also added cilantro powder.
Also added some chopped baby zucchini and chopped mushrooms for extra veggie content.
Great recipe. Nutritious. The kids loved them and my vegetarian wife also loved them. Will become a mid-week staple.
★★★★★
Kate
Glad this was a hit with the whole family, Jake! Thanks for commenting.
Rae
LOVE these! These were an instant hit for my friend and me. I typically don’t experiment with new recipes when I have company over, but I decided to give these a try and I’m super glad I did. I am newly vegan, but I definitely do not miss the meat here. These tacos are hearty, flavorful and super tasty. And the leftovers are banging. This will be one of my go-to dishes for sure.
★★★★★
Kate
Awesome! I’m so glad this one worked out so well, Rae. Enjoy your new veganism!
jennie
This recipe ROCKS. will be my go to for tacos! The avocado sauce was slamming, had to add a little sour cream to it to make it blend better which I think worked out wonderfully as it cut some of the spiciness of the jalapeno so my 5 yr old could eat. He loved it! Thank you!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Jennie! So glad it was a hit.
Jennifer Nash
Are we supposed to combine the onions, garlic, seasonings and tomato paste with the quinoa and beans? You discuss cooking them but never combined them with anything.
Jennifer Nash
Please ignore my earlier comment.
Kate
Hi Jennifer, the onions/garlic/etc. are cooked in step 1, then the quinoa and black beans are added in step 2.
sona
Is there any substitutions for the jalapenos peppers?
Kate
Are you trying to tamp down the heat, or they aren’t available where you are? Some red pepper flakes would work if you’re looking for heat, but you can simply omit it if you’d rather not have them.
Maddy
I am not one to comment on recipes/blogs, but this avocado crema IS SO GOOD. I paired with the blueberry frozen margs. So much happy.
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds delicious with those drinks, Maddy!
Alpa
Tried it today with garbanzo beans and lentils, was delish to the max!!
Kate
Perfect!
Kelly P.
These look amazing and as we transition our family of 8 (mom and dad and 6 kiddos) I have to ask the terrible question… what do vegetarians do about the stomach issues (bloat and gas)? My kids don’t mind no meat meals but they (and us grown ups) are a bit stumped about how to eat this way and not be in major gastric pain after. Any tips from any longtime vegetarians??? Thx!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Kelly, I’m sorry I missed your question earlier! So, if you slowly and regularly increase your fiber intake, you won’t experience those unpleasant side effects. Truly.
Dianne
Kate, This taco filling rocks! I have your cookbook, which also rocks and made the taco salad recipe with the black bean quinoa taco filling. Awesome. Thank you for another great recipe here!
Kate
Thanks for getting my book, Dianne! I’m so glad you love the tacos and taco salad.
Abby
Made this last night. Absolutely delish. Not much work, either.
Kate
Perfect.
Becki
Kate,
This was my first recipe I made after discovering your wonderful website. I made these last night (vegan version) and fed them to a die-hard meat and potatoes college kid, and they were a hit! Delicious recipe that I definitely will be making again!
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I love hearing that. Let me know which other recipes you try!
Kim
These are awesome! Made them today. Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Kim!
S.Johnson
I made this recipe today, I didn’t have jalapeno for the avocado sauce so with that I learned that next time, note to self, if I do not have jalapeno to use one lime instead because it was a bit sour. On the other hand it turned out good! I also sprinkled on chopped tomatoes to top it off.
★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it wasn’t too sour for you, S, and turned out okay!
Jazzy
Oh-my-gosh!!! This was amazing!!! My husband went back for seconds and my 17 month old couldn’t get enough. This was was pretty easy overall. Only thing is my quinoa took ALOT longer to cook, thus extending the cooking time significantly. Could have been the brand I used or my stove. My only complaint is that there is none left lol Next time I’ll double the mix. Thanks for sharing!!!!
P.S. I used red quinoa and I really like how it tasted and looked.
Kate
You’re welcome, Jazzy! This sounds like a hit with the whole family. And you’re right–stove and oven temperatures can vary quite a lot, so that might account for the extended cooking time.
Emily
Delicious! I made the filling and avocado sauce according to the recipe – so tasty! I put both over spinach instead of using tortillas. It was great! Definitely will make this again.
★★★★★
Kate
Great! The salad version of these tacos sounds great.
Carly
My girls ages 6, 4, and 2 DEVOURED this meal. My six year old kept saying “Thank you for making this for us, mom! I love it!” THANK YOU!!
Kate
Aw, how sweet! Thanks, Carly.
Hannah
Not sure what went wrong on this one- I was very excited to make this recipe due to so many positive reviews, but my filling was really lacking in flavor
★★
Kate
Sorry this one was disappointing for you, Hannah.
Kayla Mason
Just started my whole food plant based lifestyle you have awesome resources.
How much filling did you put in each taco?
★★★★
Dixie
I loved this recipe. These are now my favorite tacos. I used green chilies instead of jalepenos which I’d recommend as another option. I also used chopped green leaf lettuce or finely sliced cabbage and topped with crumbled queso fresco.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Dixie! I appreciate your review.
Rick Bailey
You, my dear, are a genius! I have avoided quinoa for years because of bad initial experiences. You actually explained WHY quinoa needed to be rinsed (I’m a “why” person…), so that helped considerably. In addition, you laid out exactly how to cook it successfully, such that when I took my first bite of my first vegetarian taco, I exclaimed “WOW! Vegetarians eat this good?!” Cookie must be lucky to have you as a friend!
★★★★★
Kate
You are so sweet, Rick! Thank you for giving it a try. I appreciate your review!
christina
This looks great! Will it work with already cooked quinoa (plain) – I didn’t saute the onions or tomato paste with it?
Kate
What I would recommend, is to do the first step and then combine the pre-cooked quinoa with the paste mixture. Then, combine and stir in the remaining ingredients from step two(omitting the water and quinoa cooked step). If it seems a little dry, add a splash of water. I recommend following the recipe step by step but this should provide a similar result. I hope this helps!
Christina
Great! Thanks so much!
jyoti
Do you add the black beans to the quinoa initially or to the onion tomato paste?
Kate
The black beans come into play in step two, after the quinoa has cooked. It is the later part of step two. I hope this helps!
Alli
I have made several of your recipes and all have been great. This might be the best yet. Absolutely delicious. This is my new favourite cooking website.
Kate
I love to hear that! Thank you, Alli.
Faye
I made this last night and it was AMAZING.
The avo sauce was so creamy while the quinoa was packed with flavour.
Will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Faye! Thanks for leaving a review and comment.
the Mooshems
Ok first off, these are amazing, and secondly the creamy avocado sauce is awesome and I will use this on EVERYTHING. We love it! I will smear it on my FACE when I sleep.
★★★★★
Kate
Ha! I’m glad you like it that much. I appreciate the review.
Annie
I’ve made this recipe multiple times, one of my favorite vegan taco recipes. I was able to make the black bean and quinoa filling in my rice cooker and it turned out so well!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing and review, Annie! I’m glad this is a favorite for you.
Ed
I tried the recipe and it came out very good. For me I would change one thing and that is to use a packet of taco seasoning.
Avocado sauce is spot on!! I also threw some chunky white onions to make the dish a little more crunchy with the romaine lettuce.
Love it!
Ed
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Ed! I appreciate the review.