Vegan Taco Salad with Quinoa Taco Meat
Vegan Taco Salad! With quinoa taco meat, corn, beans, avocado, tomatoes, taco chips and homemade French-style dressing.
Let me introduce you to one of my favorite salads. When I first met my husband, his go-to salad was the 90s taco salad classic: iceberg lettuce, seasoned taco meat, crushed taco chips, shredded cheddar cheese, and a generous pour of both Western dressing and Thousand Island. Toss that all into a bowl and serve. Wow, so good—and at 22, it completely shifted how I thought of taco salad from then on out.
So this is my 40-year-old version of that same salad. It’s still got crunch– yes, chips crumbled on top. It’s got quinoa taco meat for the ground beef, plus a little more veg– like avocado, corn, olives, tomatoes and of course, beans. You know I can barely make a recipe these days without adding in beans!
Instead of Western dressing, I’ve made my own Catalina-style dressing. A French dressing with a base of oil, ketchup, vinegar, and a pinch of spices. It’s simple and tangy!
Vegan Taco Salad Ingredient Notes
I know this looks like a lot of ingredients, but it’s mostly pantry staples, plus some fresh vegetables to round out the salad.
For the quinoa taco meat, you’ll need quinoa, obviously. Along with broth, salsa, and spices. You’ll first cook the quinoa, then crisp it in the oven. If you want to use a ground meat, like Impossible or Beyond, then I’d recommend seasoning with taco seasoning and cooling slightly before adding.
How to Make Quinoa Taco Meat
The star of the show is the vegan taco meat, made from quinoa! While I often use lentils in my tacos, I wanted something with a bit more texture in this salad recipe.
First, you’ll cook the quinoa. For extra flavor, I like to cook it in broth but you can also use water. Once it’s completely cooked, mix the quinoa with salsa of choice (my homemade salsa is a good option), spices and spread in a single layer in a baking sheet.
Cook until nutty and slightly crunchy, about 20 minutes.
More Salad Recipes
If you like this vegan taco salad, you’ll love these additional salad recipes:
- Rainbow Salad with Edamame
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Summer Farro Salad
- Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Ranch Kale Salad with BBQ Tofu
If you make this vegan taco salad, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
Vegan Taco Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
French Dressing
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Quinoa Taco Meat
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
Vegan Taco Salad Ingredients
- 8 cups torn iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels
- 1 cup crushed taco chips
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Whisk together all the ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste and set aside.
Make the quinoa
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the quinoa and the broth together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook until quinoa is cooked through and fluffy, about 12-14 minutes. To the cooked quinoa, add the salsa, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and oil and stir until well combined. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook until golden brown and slightly crispy, about 20 minutes.
Make the salad
- In a large bowl, combine together the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, beans, olives, corn, and cooked quinoa meat. Drizzle on 1/2 of the dressing and toss together. Add in the crushed taco chips and divide into four bowls and drizzle with remaining dressing.