The Meatiest Vegan Taco Meat

Do you know what is the meatiest vegan alternative to taco meat? Without a doubt it is TVP (textured vegetable protein). As it mimics both the texture and the taste of ground beef perfectly. If you are looking for real beef-like vegan taco meat, this is the closest you will ever get.

If you are looking for even more vegan meat alternatives that are not only delicious, but a close match to the real meat, try one of these recipes: Vegan Meatballs, Vegan Shredded Chicken, Vegan Gyro Meat, or Vegan Cheesesteak.

Why is TVP the meatiest vegan ground beef?

I would say more and more meat substitutes came to be as plant-based and vegan diet becomes more and more popular. All of them have pros and cons. What you decide can be based on personal taste, but sometimes it has to be based on medical issues like allergies and intolerance.

TVP* (textured vegetable protein) is a dehydrated ingredient that you can use in place of meat in vegan and vegetarian recipes. It is actually only soy flour, no other ingredients. They add water to it to make a paste, then it is pressure-cooked, then dehydrated. The texture is spot on. This is the best plant-based alternative to vegan ground beef by far. You can read more about TVP in our ingredient guide titled “What is TVP? 10 TVP Recipes You Should Try First“.

Other popular alternatives are

• walnut,
• mushroom,
• tofu,
• cauliflower, or
• any combination of the above ingredients.

Some can give a good minced texture albeit much smaller, while others can mimic the meaty flavors, but none of them is as convincing as TVP. We make our Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese with a cauliflower walnut mince, which is delicious but would not fool any meat-eaters for sure.

How to make the best vegan taco meat?

Soaking and squeezing

Boil water in a kettle and add veggie stock or bring veggie broth to boil. Take a heat-resisting bowl or saucepan and soak TVP* in the hot veggie broth for 10 minutes. When the time is up, squeeze the liquid out. As a result, you need to have moist, soft “minced meat”. (See below picture for reference.) Why do you need veggie broth? You can soak TVP in hot water as well, but veggie broth will provide additional flavors.

Spice it up!

1. Pre-heat your frying pan or skillet over medium to high heat.
2. Add olive oil and softened TVP. Stir.
3. Add taco seasoning mix* (chili powder, smoked sweet paprika powder, cumin, oregano), onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix well.
4. Fry the TVP for about 5 minutes to get them crispy on the edges a bit.
5. Now, your meatless taco meat is ready to add to tacos.

DIY Vegan Taco without a recipe

Obviously, TVP taco meat can be a great addition to any Vegan Tacos. You can make a DIY taco or taco bowl to match your taste with ingredients like:

• canned beans (black beans, kidney beans or other ones),
• canned sweet corn,
• fajita veggies (bell pepper and onions),
• jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers
• sweet potato rice,
• cilantro brown rice,
• chopped tomatoes,
• chunky salsa sauce,
• fresh tomato corn salsa,
• hot salsa,
• shredded lettuce,
• vegan sour cream,
• guacamole, or just chopped avocado,
• vegan nacho cheese sauce,
• vegan queso dip,
• shredded vegan cheese,
• spring onion, chives, cilantro,
• lime
• tortilla chips
• flourless tortilla

What to serve with vegan taco meat

We have lots of delicious Mexican or Tex-Mex inspired ideas you can use this meatless taco meat in.

• Vegan Taco Soup – We love to add it to this soup as it is the only vegan taco meat that will not disintegrate even if it stays in there for long.
• Mexican Sweet Potato “Rice” Bowl – It is colorful, delicious and rich, but can be even better with some spicy TVP ground beef.
• Copycat Chipotle Veggie Bowl or Veggie Burrito – Is there anything that wouldn’t fit into a burrito or burrito bowl? Nope. This vegan taco meat would be a perfect addition.
• Vegan Fajitas – We love them with portobello mushrooms or with shredded oyster mushroom, but this TVP minced meat would give any extra meaty texture.
• Vegan Bean Chili – We used millet as an alternative to ground beef, but you can substitute this vegan taco meat for it.
• Loaded Vegan Nachos – We used vegan sausages but skip that and add this TVP taco meat. You will not regret it.

This TVP Taco Meat recipe is vegan (so meat-free, egg-free and dairy-free) and vegetarian. It is gluten-free, nut-free but not soy-free.

More vegan recipes using TVP

You can read more about TVP in our ingredient guide titled “What is TVP? 10 TVP Recipes You Should Try First” or check out

• Vegan Moussaka,
• Vegan Cabbage Lasagna,
• Vegan Meatballs
• Vegan Taco Soup
• Vegan Mexican Rice Casserole