With a crispy beer-battered crust, flavourful pico de gallo, and creamy tartar sauce, these Vegan Fish Tacos make for the ultimate plant-based taco experience!
Sometimes even when you’ve been vegan for a while, you still crave certain dishes based on tradition or time of year. For me, one of these cravings was fish on Good Friday, which is a tradition here in Jamaica. When I wanted to whip up a dish that would satisfy that itch for something traditional and nostalgic, I decided to use my vegan fish sticks recipe as a starting point for these vegan fish tacos.
Vegan fish? Yes! My plant-based fish sticks are made with hearts of palm and dried nori , which give the faux-fish that authentic seafood flavor. Add Old Bay seasoning, which isn’t inherently fishy but is associated with seafood because it’s so often used to season it, and you’ve got a stellar stand-in for fish— especially when it’s paired with an irresistibly crispy beer batter.
Fish tacos always benefit from the addition of garnishes, and these vegan fish tacos are no different! I serve them with a plant-based tartar sauce and bright, acidic homemade pico de gallo. The contrasting textures and flavors in these tacos makes them a real treat, and the perfect dinner for Lent, Easter, or any day of the week!
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
For the Pico de Gallo:
- Onion – A white onion is traditional, but yellow or red onion will work too.
- Tomato
- Chili pepper – This is optional.
- Parsley – Or use cilantro if you prefer.
- Lime juice
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
To Assemble the Tacos:
- Vegan fish sticks – Grab the recipe for my vegan fish sticks .
- Vegan tartar sauce – Grab the recipe for my vegan tartar sauce .
- Lime wedges
- Parsley – Cilantro can be used here, too.
- Tortillas – Use any kind you like!
- Optional handful of pickled cabbage or pickled onions
How to Make Vegan Fish Tacos
To make these fish tacos, you’ll need to start with my fish stick and tartar sauce recipes. Once you’ve made those, follow the steps below.
Make the pico de gallo. Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and gently toss to coat.
Warm the tortillas. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Place a tortilla onto the skillet and warm until it’s puffy and golden brown, then flip it over and warm the other side. Transfer the warmed tortilla to a plate, then repeat with remaining tortillas.
Assemble. Top each tortilla with the pico de gallo, pickled veggies, crispy fish sticks, vegan tartar sauce, and chopped parsley. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Tips for Success
Here are my best tips for perfect vegan fish tacos.
- Getting the proportions right. I found that 1 ½ fish stick worked for one taco, but this will depend on the size of the tortillas you use.
- Making in advance. Make the different toppings and store them separately to keep everything fresh. When you’re ready to eat, make the fish sticks, heat the tortillas, and assemble.
- Meal prep advice . If you want to also make the fish sticks in advance, I recommend swapping the batter for seasoned panko breadcrumbs (to roll the fish sticks in before frying), which store much better. This will also allow you to bake the fish, too.
How to Store and Reheat
Just like real fish, these fish sticks taste best fresh. If you do have leftovers, they’ll keep in the fridge for about 3 days; store each component separately, then reheat the fish sticks in the oven, warm the tortillas, and put together your tacos.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
No, I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. If you’re looking for some freezer-friendly meal ideas, here are some of my favorites: 30 Freezer Friendly Recipes for Back to School
Ingredients
Pico de Gallo
- 1/2 small onion , diced
- 1 small tomato , diced
- 1 whole chili pepper , diced (optional)
- 3 tablespoons parsley , chopped
- juice of 3 small limes or 1 ½ large limes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
To Assemble Tacos
- 1 batch vegan fish sticks
- 1 batch vegan tartar sauce
- optional handful of pickled cabbage or pickled onions
- 2 limes , sliced into wedges for garnish and fresh squeeze over tacos
- 2 tablespoons parsley , chopped
- 5 taco soft shells , use corn tacos if gluten free
Instructions
Pico de Gallo
- Stir all the ingredients together and set aside until ready for it!
To Assemble Tacos
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat (if possible, brush with a pastry brush).
- Place a taco shell in the heat until golden brown spots appear and they are slightly puffy for a few seconds, then flip and cook the same. Set on a plate to assemble.
- Layer with pico de Gallo, pickled veggies, crispy fish sticks, vegan tartar sauce and chopped parsley over the soft taco shells. Add other toppings here if so desired. I found that 1 ½ fish stick worked for one taco.
- Serve with limes to squeeze over for a fresh burst of flavour. Enjoy!
Notes
Crispy Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Pico de Gallo
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 1 small tomato diced
- 1 whole chili pepper diced (optional)
- 3 tablespoons parsley chopped
- juice of 3 small limes or 1 ½ large limes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
To Assemble Tacos
- 1 batch vegan fish sticks
- 1 batch vegan tartar sauce
- optional handful of pickled cabbage or pickled onions
- 2 limes sliced into wedges for garnish and fresh squeeze over tacos
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- 5 taco soft shells use corn tacos if gluten free
Instructions
Pico de Gallo
- Stir all the ingredients together and set aside until ready for it!
To Assemble Tacos
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat (if possible, brush with a pastry brush).
- Place a taco shell in the heat until golden brown spots appear and they are slightly puffy for a few seconds, then flip and cook the same. Set on a plate to assemble.
- Layer with pico de Gallo, pickled veggies, crispy fish sticks, vegan tartar sauce and chopped parsley over the soft taco shells. Add other toppings here if so desired. I found that 1 ½ fish stick worked for one taco.
- Serve with limes to squeeze over for a fresh burst of flavour. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Crispy Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Tacos https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-fish-tacos/ February 23, 2022
This is the best vegan tacos recipe! They’re flavor-packed and filling, made with ground walnut meat, classic Tex-Mex spices, and a little brown sugar. Serve with your favorite tortillas, creamy guacamole, and tangy salsa.
This is another vegan tacos recipe that I think you’ll love! My vegan mushroom fajita tacos and black bean tacos are already a hit. But I wanted to share the best vegan tacos that mimic ground taco meat, similar to how jackfruit tacos mimic pulled chicken. Ground walnut meat is crumbly, juicy, and tender, and it’s so easy to season with your favorite flavors. I usually like mine a little spicy with paprika and chipotle powder.
Corn (or flour) tortillas are crisped up in a pan, piled high with walnut taco meat, and then topped with pickled onions, creamy guacamole, and homemade salsa in this easy vegan tacos recipe. Yum!
What Makes These Vegan Tacos So Good?
- Ready in 30 minutes. You’ll need to soak the walnuts, but this is easy to do ahead of time. Afterward, these tacos take no more than 20-30 minutes to prepare. It’s quick and delicious, my formula for a weeknight meal!
- Flexible recipe. Play around with the seasonings, add veggies, and spice up your tacos with jalapeños, extra chili powder, or cayenne.
- Family-friendly. I love serving my tacos with toppings like pickled onions, diced tomatoes, avocado slices, and more, and letting everyone build their own tacos.
Notes on Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the best vegan tacos ever. You’ll find the full ingredients list and recipe instructions in the printable recipe card below.
- Soaked Walnuts – You’ll need to boil the walnuts in water for 30 minutes, or soak them overnight so they soften. Afterward, drain them.
- Oil – Whatever cooking oil you like is fine. I generally use olive oil.
- Seasoning – Combine onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle powder or chili powder, paprika, cumin, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Alternatively, you can use a ready-made taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.
- Soy Sauce – You can use low-sodium soy sauce or regular, whichever you prefer. Swap soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari as needed.
- Brown Sugar – Coconut sugar , cane sugar, or any other kind of sugar will work as substitutes. The sweetness of the sugar balances the savory, umami flavors.
- Add-Ons – Add salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole to your tacos (all of which can be homemade or store-bought). Lime crema, vegan sour cream, spicy mayo, or your sauce of choice, plus the juice of a lime, are also good additions.
- Pickled Onions – I love to make my own pickled onions because it’s so quick and easy!
How to Make Vegan Taco Meat
Here’s how the walnut taco meat comes together in a few quick steps.
Soak the walnuts.
- Prepare the walnuts. First, boil the raw walnuts for 30 minutes, or soak them overnight, then drain them completely.
- Blend the walnut meat. In a food processor, add the drained walnuts, oil, a splash of water, and spices. Season with salt and pepper, then pulse until the mixture resembles a mince. (Depending on the saltiness, you may want to add the teaspoon of brown sugar to balance it out and tie in all the flavors.)
- Cook. In a pan over medium heat, add the walnut meat mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fully heated through. The walnut meat will be juicy and slightly crispy in some parts. Remove from heat, and assemble your tacos!
How to Assemble Vegan Tacos
Not only are these vegan tacos quick to make, they’re fun to assemble and perfect for your next taco night. First, you’ll toast the tortillas. Then, I’ll show you how I fix up these vegan tacos with my favorite toppings. Feel free to make them your own!
- Heat the oil. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat (if possible, brush with a pastry brush).
- Toast the Tortilla. Next, place a taco shell in the skillet. Heat until golden brown spots appear, and they are slightly puffy for a few seconds. Then, flip and cook the other side. Set on a plate to assemble.
Lay out the tortillas.
- Build the tacos . To assemble the tacos, spoon about ¼ cup of walnut meat onto each 6” inch tortilla.
Add pickled onions.
- Add toppings. Then add some pickled onions, pico de gallo, a dollop of guacamole/a dollop of lime crema, and some parsley or cilantro on top. Serve with lime and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Vegan Tacos
- Don’t over-Process the meat. If you blend the walnut meat for too long, it could turn into a paste. You want it to be nice and crumbly with regard to texture.
- Don’t vary the seasonings too much. Yes, these tacos are customizable. But, you want to keep the base flavors pretty similar to what is in this recipe. Otherwise, you may end up with a seasoning that is too overpowering.
- You don’t have to make everything from scratch. Don’t feel like you have to make the guac and salsa from scratch – it’ll taste great if you do, but you can also buy them and be just as satisfied!
- Walnut meat substitution. If you don’t have walnut meat, you could easily use a veggie burger, crumble it, and add the seasonings to it. I do highly recommend the walnut meat, though, because it tastes incredible!
Taco Toppings
When it comes to taco toppings, it’s hard to go wrong, and it’s hard to run out of ideas! There are so many fixings that will make your tacos taste next-level delicious:
- More veggies. Add some diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, corn kernels, lettuce, sliced jalapeños, and diced onions instead of pickled onions, if you prefer.
- Condiment toppings. Salsa , pico de gallo (borrowed from my breakfast tacos ), spicy mayo, guacamole , and even hot sauce are all welcome additions to these tacos.
- Garnishes. Chopped parsley or cilantro is a great way to finish off your taco.
Serving Suggestions
Need some ideas on what goes with homemade vegan tacos? I’ve got you covered! Here are some of my go-to simple side dishes for taco night.
- Beans. A side of black beans or a serving of vegan refried beans could go perfectly with these vegan tacos.
- Corn. You can also serve corn on the side of your tacos, instead of in them. Grilled Mexican street corn is a great summer side dish option if that sounds appealing to you!
- Salad. If you’re looking for a light side dish, make yourself a nice leafy green salad to go with your tacos.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. If you have leftover walnut meat, save it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend frying tortillas and then trying to save them, because they’re best when made fresh. You can save any homemade guacamole/pico de gallo in the fridge, though.
- Reheat. When you want to reheat the walnut meat, add it and a little bit of oil to a pan on the stovetop over medium heat, and then cook until it’s juicy and tender again. After that, fry up a couple more tortillas, and get to building!
More Vegan Tex-Mex Recipes
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
- Vegan Burritos
- Vegan Chili
- Taco Bake
- Vegan Birria Tacos
- Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the Walnut Meat
- 2 cups raw walnuts , soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, or overnight, then drained
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp chipotle powder , or chili powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar , or coconut sugar or cane sugar or any kind of sugar
For the Tacos
- 1 cup salsa , or pico de gallo, homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup guacamole , homemade or store-bought
- pickled onions
- ½ cup lime crema , or vegan sour cream or spicy mayo or your sauce of choice, plus the juice of a lime
Instructions
For the Walnut Meat
- Soak the raw walnuts in boiling water for 30 minutes, or overnight, then drain them completely.
- In a food processor, add the drained walnuts, oil, water, onion powder, garlic powder, soy sauce, chipotle powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, sea salt, and ground black pepper, and pulse about 10 to 20 times until it is ground down into a kind of mince. Depending on the level of saltiness, you may want to add the teaspoon of brown sugar to balance it all out and tie in all the flavors .
- In a pan over medium heat, add the walnut meat mixture. Stir for about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until fully heated through, juicy and slightly crispy in some parts.
- Remove from heat and use for your tacos!
For Taco Assembly
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat (if possible, brush with a pastry brush).
- Place a taco shell in the heat until golden brown spots appear and they are slightly puffy for a few seconds, then flip and cook the same way. Set on a plate to assemble.
- Assemble tacos by spooning on about ¼ cup of walnut meat per 6” inch tortilla, some pickled onions, pico de gallo, a dollop of guacamole/a dollop of lime crema, them some parsley or cilantro on top. Serve with lime and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t vary the ingredients too much. Yes, tacos are customizable, but you want to keep the base flavors pretty similar to what is in this recipe. Otherwise you might end up with a seasoning that is too overpowering.
- Not everything has to be homemade. Don’t feel like you have to make the guac and salsa from scratch – it’ll taste incredible if you do, but you can also buy them, and still have delicious tacos!
- Substitution: If you don’t have walnut meat, you could easily use a veggie burger, crumble it, and add the seasonings to it. I do highly recommend the walnut meat, though, because it tastes incredible!
