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Vegan Taco Salad with Chili

5 from 2 votes

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This vegan taco salad features homemade chili, crisp lettuce, sweet tomatoes, and a crunchy edible tortilla bowl. It’s packed with flavor and is an easy weeknight meal. Customize it with your favorite taco salad ingredients.

Vegan taco salad on a red plate, with salad ingredients in background

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I used to love to order taco salad when I went to vegan restaurants. The beans, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and salsa in those crispy fried tortilla bowls were so tasty, but also so high in fat.

I haven’t stopped loving taco salads, but these days I make my own.

This vegan taco salad is kind of a cross between Taco Bell’s taco salad and Wendy’s taco salad. It has a crunchy tortilla bowl like the one from Taco Bell, and some tasty chili like the one from Wendy’s. But mine is meatless and fat free!

Whenever I make chili, my family loves to put this healthy taco salad together! It’s so easy, and everyone can customize it to their own taste preferences.

Two taco salads on square red plates with ingredients in background

Ingredients for this vegan taco salad

How to make this homemade taco salad

Step 1: Make the homemade taco salad shells. Warm up the tortillas by placing them between a couple of damp paper towels or wrapped in a damp kitchen towel, and microwave for about 30 seconds. This will make them softer and more pliable. Gently press the tortillas into a taco salad bowl mold.

If you don’t have taco salad bowl molds, you can press your tortilla into an oven safe bowl and place a ball of aluminum foil inside to help the tortilla keep its bowl shape.

Bake your tortilla bowl for 5 to 10 minutes at 375° F, until they are crunchy and beginning to brown.

Step 2: Place a scoop of rice in the bottom of your baked taco salad shell. Add some vegan chili, then top with lettuce, cheese sauce, and tomatoes.

Step 3: Add as many of your favorite taco salad ingredients as you like. Some ideas are:

Can I make this salad gluten free?

It’s so easy to make this meal gluten free! If you want a gluten free taco salad, skip the tortilla bowl. Fill a salad bowl with rice, chili, lettuce, tomato, cheese sauce, and your other chosen taco salad ingredients. To add some crunch, make some tortilla strips to top your taco salad bowl as follows:

Cut a few corn tortillas into narrow strips. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 350°, until they are lightly browned and crunchy.

It may look like a simple green salad, but there’s plenty of rice and chili underneath those crispy greens!

Vegan taco salad bowl in front of taco salad ingredients

What goes with taco salad?

This easy taco salad is a meal in itself, but if you are looking for something to go with it, how about some baked tortilla chips with my Cherry Tomato Salsa? If you opt to leave the rice out of your taco salad bowl, my Mexican Brown Rice is a nice accompaniment.

Here are some other tasty Mexican recipes:

Check out my Vegan Cinco de Mayo Recipes post to see all of my Mexican and Southwestern cuisine recipes.

Overhead shot of vegan taco salad ona red plate

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Overhead shot of vegan taco salad ona red plate

Vegan Taco Salad with Chili

Teresa Sklenicka
This vegan taco salad features homemade chili, crisp lettuce, sweet tomatoes, and a crunchy edible tortilla bowl. It's packed with flavor and is an easy weeknight meal. Customize it with your favorite taco salad ingredients.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 1
Calories 519.7 kcal

Ingredients
  

Optional Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Warm a tortilla between two damp paper towels or wrapped in a damp kitchen towel for about 30 seconds in the microwave to soften it. Then gently press it into a tortilla bowl mold.
  • Bake the tortilla bowl for 8 to 10 minutes at 375 F, until it is lightly browned and crispy.
  • Add a scoop of cooked rice and some vegan chili in the bottom of the tortilla bowl.
  • Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, vegan cheese sauce, and any other taco salad ingredients you enjoy.

Notes

Nutrition calculations are approximate and will vary depending on your choice of ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1saladCalories: 519.7kcalCarbohydrates: 93.5gProtein: 21gFat: 8.6gSodium: 819.3mgFiber: 16.4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 7347.21IUVitamin C: 25.8mgCalcium: 145.92mgIron: 9.26mg
Keyword Beans, Brown Rice, Cheese sauce, Chili, Oil Free
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
By on January 16th, 2022

About Teresa Sklenicka

I love creating tasty, oil-free, vegan recipes that everyone will love (even non-vegans)! Here you'll find vegan versions of your favorite comfort foods, as well as some new tastes! Join me on a path to improving your health, helping the planet, and saving animals.

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