Vegan Taco Bowl

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) to make these delicious and nourishing bowls.  They remind me of giant taco salads, but with rice!

The recipes for walnut lentil taco meat, cilantro 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 that unmistakable taco seasoning taste.  Then add fresh veggies to brighten up the dish and we can all use more veggies in our life, right?

Jump to:

• Tips
• Meal prep
• Tips for cashew lime crema
• Ideas to customize taco bowls
• Instructions
• Related recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Tips

• To make the vegan 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.

Meal prep

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. More nourishing bowls that work great for meal prep are chickpea vegetable rice bowls, vegan deconstructed sushi bowls, and zesty quinoa salads.

Tips for cashew lime crema

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.

Ideas to customize taco bowls

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

Add....

• Fresh or thawed frozen corn
• Roasted bell peppers
• Diced red onions
• Slice and bake some tortillas to make strips for a crunchy topping
• Grilled veggies 
• Pickled jalapeños
• Quick pickled radishes
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Fresh lime juice
• Vegan sour cream or cashew lime crema
• Instead of cashew lime crema, try vegan chipotle sauce or cilantro cashew dressing
• Diced avocado or guacamole
• Your favorite salsa or pico de gallo

Instructions

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 large preheated skillet on medium, 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 then use a 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.

Add the cooked lentils, ½ 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 the fresh 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. Then top with a dollop of lime crema.

Related recipes

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

The vegan taco salad bowl 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.

Print

Recipe