Because the vegetarians need dipping tacos too!
Ok. Vegetarian Birria Tacos. Who doesn’t love Birria Tacos? Crispy, cheesy tacos dipped into a rich, tasty consommé, and usually stuffed with slow cooked beef. Ahhh…. the answer is… vegetarians don’t usually love them. They never get the chance to try them because the birria makers aren’t looking out for them! Enter moi. When I had a major desire to jump on the Birria tacos trend I was at a bit of a road block because I have a vegetarian daughter and I refuse to make two separate meals for dinner. What is a mom to do?? You’re about to find out what she does, but first…
BEFORE YOU TRY THIS RECIPE READ THIS…
My friends, I AM AWARE that this is not an authentic recipe! Please do not feel the need to share this with me. Just carry on with making your beef birria tacos and leave me here eating my yummy inauthentic veggie birria tacos. Thank you. Good talk.
Also, before you feel the need to shame me about using powdered spices instead of dried peppers just know that I’m trying to simplify what is a more complex – albeit delicious – traditional recipe. I’m here for the less well-stocked busy people of the world who didn’t have time today to run to the Latin market. I got you.
There are also no oyster mushrooms in these tacos because who the heck knows where to find those?! Nor is there any jackfruit because I’m scared of jackfruit but that’s a story for another time. We are using straight up canned beans and powdered spices and we are not ashamed of it one darn bit.
What we are left with is nothing short of, dare I say, an amazing, crazy delicious version of birria tacos that will satisfy all the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians in your world. Promise.
Vegetarian Birria Tacos recipe, how to make them…
Step 1: make the consommé. And yes, I know consommé is actually a clear broth, so if you know how to extract broth from beans I am all ears. So, we are making what really isn’t actually consommé but what we’re going to call consommé because that’s what they call the stuff you dip traditional Birria tacos in. And don’t even get me started on the fact that consommé is a french word and birria tacos are Mexican. Let’s just move past all this before I get upset.
To make our consommé we’ll cook some onions and garlic and then we’ll add in a whole bunch of flavourful spices like ancho chili powder, cinnamon and more. We’ll add in some tomato paste, chipotle peppers and a little corn flour to slightly thicken the sauce. Lastly we’ll add some vegetable broth and a little bit of soy sauce to give us the umami we’re missing from the braised meat.
Step 2: once the sauce is cooked we’ll add a little vinegar to give it some zip and blend it all up. Keep it warm while you make your tacos.
Step 3: we’re using a combination of pinto and black beans, but use whatever you like. Heat them up with a little of the consommé and mash them just a bit too.
Step 4: Take a corn tortilla, dip one side of it into the consommé and lay it in an oil-slicked skillet. Spread some of the beans and a good handful of cheese on the tortilla, fold it in half, press it flat and allow it too cook until browned and crispy. Flip it and brown the other side. the cheese will leak out a bit and that’s a good thing… those crispy brown cheesy bits are my favourite part!
I usually cook two at a time and repeat until they’re all cooked.
Step 5: Serve the tacos with a side of the sauce for dipping.
Best vegetarian birria tacos you’ll ever have. 🙂
vegetarian birria tacos Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Beans – I use a combination of pinto and black beans, but use whatever you like.
Tortillas – corn tortillas are best (and gluten free if that matters to you)
Cheese – I’m a big fan of pepper jack cheese, but any melty cheese works here.
Spices – traditional Birria uses dried chiles and it is delicious, but in the interest of saving time and effort I’m using dried spices and canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Soy Sauce? – yes, soy sauce. Just a bit. This adds in a little extra of the umami flavour the meat gives the traditional dish. You can leave it out if you want to.
Corn Flour – just a little to slightly thicken the sauce. You can sub in corn starch or all purpose flour.
looking for more vegetarian dinner ideas that impress? try these…
- Miso Fried Rice with Brown Butter, Crispy Kale and Mushrooms
- Gochujang Pasta with Vodka and Cream
- Risotto Gorgonzola with Prosecco
- Spaghetti Arrabbiata with Fresh Basil and Parmesan
Recipe-ish…
Vegetarian Birria Tacos
Ingredients
For the Consommé:
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Ancho Chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp Corn flour
- 3 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the tacos:
- 1 15 oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed –
- 3 cups grated cheese*
- 10-12 Corn Tortillas
Instructions
- Heat the butter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and sauté until softened.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the ancho powder, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, oregano and 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper.
- Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the corn flour, chipotle peppers and tomato paste. Stir well.
- Add in the broth and the soy sauce and stir again.
- Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar.
- Add the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pot and keep warm.**
- Heat the beans in a saucepan with about 1/3 cup or so of the sauce. Mash them a little, but maintain some texture.
- Place some of the sauce in a shallow dish.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large skillet.
- One at a time, dip one side of the tortillas into the sauce and lay in the skillet. Add a scoop of beans and some cheese and fold in half, press down with a spatula and allow to cook until well browned, flip and repeat on the other side. Continue with remaining ingredients.
- Serve with a dish of the sauce for dipping.
Notes
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Vegetarian Birria Tacos Recipe then I know you’ll love Vegetarian Zuppa Toscana Recipe. It’s another great vegetarian twist on a fave!
