These tasty and easy vegan Potato Tacos are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The potato filling riffs off my Indian style recipe for Masala Potatoes but with guajillo peppers, and on top goes salsa and guacamole for a delicious, well-rounded finish. Vegan, soy-free, nut-free and can be made with gluten-free tacos.
This is easily one of my family's favorite breakfasts, although I serve it just as often for a snack or even at a picnic lunch with friends. And practically every kid who's ever eaten it, Jay included, has asked for more. And more.
What's not to love? The filling is made of potatoes cooked with a flavorful chili and garlic sauce. And don't worry, it's not incredibly spicy-- just spicy enough to be really, really tasty.
I riffed off my own Masala Potatoes recipe for this filling, but I made it a touch more Mexican by using guajillo peppers instead of Kashmiri chilies. These are mild peppers but they add a lovely, brick-red hue to the potatoes, and they add great flavor. You can also use these delicious Bombay Potatoes in these tacos.
On top goes a simple, easy guacamole and a simple, easy salsa.
Tips for making tasty potato tacos:
- Cut your potatoes in a fairly small dice: ⅓rd of an inch would be perfect. That way you won't spend a long time waiting for your potatoes to cook.
- Soak the guajillo peppers in water for at least 30 minutes. Rehydrating the peppers this way helps them become more flavorful and also makes them easier to blend.
- You will need to make a paste with the peppers and the garlic, and you will need to roast your garlic first. Do that on a dry skillet or in the wok you'll make your potatoes in, just for a minute on each side, so the garlic is slightly soft. You don't need to cook them all the way at this stage-- they will have plenty of time to cook with the potatoes later in the cooking process.
- When you cook your potatoes in the wok or saucepan, use a rimmed lid to cover it, if possible, that can hold a few teaspoons of water. This is because you want the potatoes to steam without directly adding water to the potatoes, and not burn.
- I use a really simple salsa and guacamole to top these potatoes. I am not going to include the recipes here, but the guac is basically three ingredients: avocados, lemon or lime juice, and salt. I put it all in a molcajete and smush it together, but a bowl and a fork work just as well. The salsa has tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cilantro and salt.
- You can use any kind of tacos with these potatoes: regular, whole wheat, multigrain, gluten-free -- it's all good. You can even pile this filling into iceberg lettuce leaves and crunch on it for a delicious meal.
So what are we waiting for? Put these on your next Taco Tuesday menu and watch them disappear.
Ingredients for vegan potato tacos:
- Guajillo peppers
- Garlic
- Vegetable oil
- Black mustard seeds
- Fenugreek seeds
- Fennel seeds
- Turmeric
- Potatoes
- Lemons and limes
- Cilantro
- Tortillas (whole wheat, gluten-free, regular are all fine)
- Guacamole
- Salsa
Looking for more vegan Mexican recipes?
- Mexican Potato and Bean Cakes
- Curry-Glazed Carrot Tofu Tacos
- Oil-Free Lentil Tacos
- Mexican Sweet Potato Hash with Black Beans and Tofu
- Bolillos (Mexican bread rolls)
Vegan Potato Tacos
Vegan Potato Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 guajillo peppers (soaked in water for 30 minutes, stems removed)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 10 medium potatoes (cut into a ⅓rd or ½ inch dice)
- Salt to taste
- Juice of ½ a lime or lemon
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (for garnish)
For serving:
- 8 tortillas (soft or hard, your choice)
- Guacamole
- Tomato and onion salsa
Instructions
- In a dry wok or skillet, roast the garlic, skin on, for a couple of minutes, turning over once, until slightly soft. Peel and place in a blender with the soaked chilies and ¾ cup of water or the chili pepper soaking liquid. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Heat the oil the same wok or skillet. Add the mustard seeds and when they sputter, add the fenugreek and fennel seeds and turmeric. Stir for half a minute, then add the potatoes and stir.
- With the heat turned to medium, place a tight-fitting lid on the skillet or wok. Pour some water over the lid (a rimmed lid works best for this-- the water on the lid helps the potatoes steam without sticking or burning). Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until they are fork-tender but not mushy.
- Add the guajillo-garlic paste and stir well to mix. Let the potatoes cook in the paste for 2-3 minutes until the water dries out. Add salt to taste and lime juice and garnish with cilantro. Turn off the heat.
- To assemble the tacos, spoon the potatoes into the taco shell, sprinkle on some salsa and top with guacamole. Yum.
Recipe notes
- Nutrition info doesn't include the salsa and guacamole
Nutrition
Dani Jo
I made this for my kids' dinner last night--they are 9 and 12. They were licking their fingers and asking for more. This is going into our weekly meal rotation.