Vegan Taco Bowl Recipe

These vegan taco bowls are loaded with walnut lentil taco meat, cilantro lime brown rice, your favorite toppings, and cashew lime crema!  They’re even oil-free, plant-based, and gluten-free (if you use tamari instead of soy sauce).  They remind me of giant taco salads, but with rice!

The recipes for walnut lentil taco meat, cilantro lime brown rice, and cashew lime crema are already on my blog but combine them all and now we have a taco-inspired rice bowl.  

Plain brown rice would be fine in this dish, but it doesn’t take much work to really amp up the flavor with lime juice, garlic powder, and finely chopped cilantro.  The lentil walnut taco meat is hearty and filling; the spices give you that unmistakable taco seasoning taste.  Then add fresh veggies to brighten up the dish because we can all use more veggies in our life, right?

Jump to:

• Ingredient notes and substitutions
• Tips
• Meal prep and storage
• Ideas to customize taco bowls
• Instructions
• Related recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Brown rice - This can be substituted with white rice, or instead of cilantro lime brown rice try it with Mexican-inspired brown rice.  Alternatively, the rice recipe can be skipped, and try it with quinoa or oil-free roasted potatoes.

Lime juice - Fresh lime juice is best.

Cilantro - If you're not a fan of cilantro, then it can be skipped.

Brown lentils - I've only used brown lentils to make this recipe, but green lentils should work.  I don't think red would work well, they become creamy once cooked.  Don't have brown lentils, try it with pinto or black beans. 

Either substitute the cooked brown lentils with cooked beans and use them as you would with the lentils in the recipe.  Or for an easy weeknight meal skip the spices and just add cooked beans to the bowl with the rice, veggies, and flavorful sauce like vegan chipotle sauce.

Walnuts - Use raw unsalted walnuts.  They give texture to the vegan taco meat, but you could also try chopped sunflower seeds or skip them if you need a nut-free version.

Vegetable broth - Use low sodium or salt-free.  I wouldn't recommend substituting it with water.

Tamari - Try low-sodium soy sauce as a substitute.

Cashews - Use raw unsalted cashews.  If you need a nut-free version, the cashew lime crema can be skipped, and add avocado for creaminess.

Tips

• To make the veggie taco bowl recipe go a little faster, make the lentils ahead of time or use canned ones. For more information on cooking lentils check out the post for lentil walnut taco meat.
• The cashew lime crema can be made ahead of time.  The cashews will thicken as they chill in the refrigerator; so if you prefer a thinner consistency add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix into the crema to thin it out when you’re ready to use it. Instead of cashew lime crema, top the bowls with vegan chipotle sauce or cilantro cashew dressing.
• Soak the cashews overnight or for a couple of hours in hot water.  If you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, then you probably won’t need to soak your cashews.  A smooth crema will depend on the power of your blender and how long your cashews are soaked.
• Instead of rice try the taco bowl with oil-free oven-roasted potatoes.

Meal prep and storage

The vegan taco bowls work great for meal prepping too.  Store the brown rice and taco meat separately from the toppings and add them to the bowl after you heat up the rice and lentils. For more vegan recipes that work great for meal prep check out chickpea vegetable rice bowls, vegan deconstructed sushi bowls, tofu Buddha bowls, and zesty quinoa salads.

Ideas to customize taco bowls

These vegan deconstructed taco-inspired rice bowls are simple to put together and easy to customize.

Add...

• Thawed frozen or fresh corn
• Roasted bell peppers
• Diced red onion
• Slice and bake some corn tortillas to make strips for a crunchy topping or tortilla chips
• Grilled veggies 
• Your favorite fresh vegetables
• Shredded green or red cabbage
• Pickled jalapeños
• Quick pickled radishes
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Romaine lettuce or another green
• Fresh lime juice
• Vegan sour cream or cashew lime crema
• Instead of cashew lime crema, try vegan chipotle sauce or cilantro cashew dressing
• Creamy avocado or guacamole
• Your favorite salsa or pico de Gallo
• Your favorite hot sauce
• Vegan cheese

Instructions

Start the vegan taco salad bowl by cooking the lentils if needed and cook the brown rice according to the package. The garlic powder can sometimes clump, so l like to stir the lime juice, salt, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Then when the rice is done cooking and still warm, add the lime juice, garlic powder, salt, and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine everything together.

While the rice is cooking, cook the lentil taco meat. For oil-free cooking, sauté the onion with a pinch of salt in a preheated large nonstick skillet on medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion is translucent.  Add water as needed if the onion is sticking, about a tablespoon at a time. If you don't cook oil-free, use neutral-tasting oil to cook the onion.

Turn down the heat and add the chopped walnuts and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder and coat the onions and walnuts with the seasonings, cook for about 30 seconds-1 minute.

Drain the cooked lentils before adding them to the pan with the vegetable broth and tamari. Simmer on low (no need to bring it to a boil) and cook covered for 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally and check on the liquid, the liquid should be cooking out, but if the mixture gets too dry before the time is done add a little more vegetable broth to hydrate the lentils.  Everything is already cooked, so 10 minutes just gives the mixture time for all of the flavors to blend together.

If the liquid has not cooked out after 10 minutes, remove the lid, and stir frequently until the excess liquid is gone. When 10 minutes are up and the excess liquid is gone, taste and adjust for seasoning.

Tamari is salty and will season the taco meat, but taste and adjust to suit your preference. The flavors should pop, but not taste too salty. I like to mash some of the lentils for a creamier texture and then stir in a squeeze of lime juice.

To make the cashew lime creme, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. To assemble the bowls, add the rice, taco meat, and any toppings to a large bowl. Then top with a dollop of lime crema.

Related recipes

• Butternut squash Buddha bowl
• Burrito Bowl
• Tofu Buddha bowl with peanut sauce
• Peanut tempeh bowl
• Vegan deconstructed sushi bowl
• Roasted sweet potato nourish bowl
• Chickpea vegetable rice bowl
• Vegan Southwest sweet potato bowl

The vegan taco bowl recipe is perfect when you need something delicious, filling, and healthy.  I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

Originally published on January 13, 2020, updated on July 9, 2021.

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