Vegan Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Dressing

This Vegan Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Dressing recipe offers major flavor, spice, and color with beans, red cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, mango, and jalapeños. This is a healthy lunch or dinner packed with plant-based protein in minutes.

Whether you’re looking for a new go-to recipe for meatless Monday, taco Tuesday, or really any day of the week, you can’t go wrong with vegan bean tacos topped with fresh zesty avocado dressing. 

You won’t miss the meat in these savory, protein-rich tacos. With a simple, gently spicy bean filling and all of your favorite crunchy taco toppings, this makes a quick and easy do-it-yourself dinner to share with friends.

With the tropical mango and avocado dressing, these vegan tacos have an island vibe that adds a sunny note to even the chilliest of winter nights. And the great part about this recipe is that you can use frozen mango, which is in season all year long. There’s never a bad time to treat yourself to these healthy vegan black bean tacos with mango avocado dressing.

How to Make Vegan Black Bean Taco Filling.

While the zesty mango and avocado dressing might steal the show, this easy bean taco filling is packed with flavor. Not to mention it’s incredibly easy to make. 

You’ll need a few pantry-staple ingredients:

Black beans. Use canned, drained, and rinsed beans for convenience. In a pinch, you can also use another canned bean, such as pinto or garbanzo if that’s what you have on hand. 

Homemade taco seasoning with chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. This is my go-to taco flavor enhancer. However, if you have a favorite pre-mixed taco seasoning, feel free to use it to make a fast two-ingredient vegan black bean taco filling. 

If you prefer a less spicy taco, you can omit or reduce the amount of cayenne pepper and/or chili powder in the black beans. Or, if you’re all about spice, amp up the flavor with extra cayenne and/or chili powder. And don’t forget to pile your tacos high with jalapeños (leave the seeds in for extra spice)!

To make the black bean tacos, simply heat the black beans in a large skillet. Season with the spices, and you’re done! Remove the bean filling from the skillet and cover it to stay warm. You can use this same skillet to heat your taco shells.

How to Make Avocado Dressing for Vegan Tacos.

To really bring your black bean tacos to life, do not skip this creamy avocado dressing with mango and basil. It’s slightly sweet, herbal and so satisfying. 

All it takes to make this silky-smooth dressing is to add avocado, mango, basil, a bit of olive oil, and lemon juice to a blender and purée until fluffy. Season the sauce to taste with salt, garlic powder, oregano, and parsley for an extra herby finish. 

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can also make this creamy dressing in a food processor or with an immersion blender. If you’re having trouble blending a smooth sauce, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the ingredients blend smoothly. 

Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps.

This recipe is fairly easy to customize. If you don’t have every item on the ingredient list, here are some simple swaps and substitutions that won’t sacrifice flavor:

• Substitute the lemon juice in the avocado dressing with lime juice. 
• Swap fresh basil for another fresh herb, such as cilantro, parsley, or dill.
• Try another fruit instead of mango. Pineapple will add a nice tropical spin and sweetness.

You can make this quick taco sauce with frozen or fresh mangoes. Frozen mangos will need a bit more blending and added water to loosen up a bit. Avocado adds a delicious creaminess and thick texture to the sauce for perfect drizzling over your tacos. 

Assembling & Topping Black Bean Tacos.

Now that you have your spicy bean filling and zesty avocado dressing ready, it’s time to build your vegan tacos. When it comes to toppings, I love a mixture of brightly colored fresh crunchy ingredients.  

My favorite vegan taco topping ideas include:

• Shredded red cabbage
• Spinach
• Grape tomatoes
• Avocado
• Jalapeños (pickled or fresh)
• Dairy-free yogurt or sour cream
• Shredded vegan cheese

To soften the cabbage so it’s easier to eat and digest, I like to sauté it briefly until it’s still crunchy but not too chewy. However, it works just as well in its raw state. Just be sure to slice or shred your cabbage nice and thin. You can do this in a food processor if you like for mess-free shredding.

Before you fill your taco shells, warm small flour or corn tortillas in a skillet until they’re lightly charred and pliable. I like to get a nice dark char in spots for extra crunch and a smokey flavor. Finally, fill them up with black beans and all the toppings and dig in!

What Kind of Tortilla is Best for Vegan Tacos?

You can choose either corn or flour tortillas for this recipe. If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, corn is your best bet. Whichever option you choose, I recommend the small street taco-size. They’re easy to fill, hold and eat by the dozen! 

Of course, in a pinch, larger tortillas will work too. You can also use hard taco shells if you prefer a crunchier taco. If that’s the case, skip heating the tortillas and simply fill your taco shells with black beans and toppings.

How to Store Leftovers.

You can store the black bean taco filling in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave to make more tacos. 

Store the avocado-mango dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. If you see any separation, simply give the dressing a good shake before serving. 

I don’t recommend freezing the beans or sauce, as they won’t have the same texture when they defrost. However, you can easily freeze leftover tortillas and pop them out to defrost when you’re ready for another round of vegan black bean tacos with avocado dressing.

More Healthy Vegan Dinner Recipes.

On a plant-based kick? You’ll love these other healthy plant-powered dinner recipes to try next:

• Roasted Plantain + BBQ Chickpea Vegan Bowl is the ultimate dinner with sweet and spicy chickpeas, fresh spinach, baked sweet potatoes, snow peas, and oven-roasted sweet plantains.
• Creamy Vegan Tuscan Kale Pasta is a deeply satisfying one-pot dinner perfect for winter nights. It’s hard to believe this creamy sauce is totally dairy-free!
• Vegan Spaghetti + Meatballs in Vodka Sauce features the most savory vegan meatballs you’ve ever tried in a creamy tomato sauce you’ll return to again and again. 

And if you’re more interested in the taco part of this recipe than the vegan part, be sure to give these meaty Sweet Heat BBQ Braised Rib Tacos a try next. It’s all about balance, right?

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Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Dressing

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Serves: 6 tacos

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Ingredients

Avocado Basil Mango Dressing:

• 1 Medium Hass Avocado, cored removed + peeled
• 2 cups mangoes, frozen or fresh (See Notes!)
• 1 handful basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• juice of lemon
• 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil (See Notes!)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Black Beans + Taco Seasoning:

• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, cooked (See Notes!)
• 2 Tbsps chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Tacos:

• soft flour or corn tortillas, any size (See Notes!)
• 1/2 medium red cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 cup organic spinach, finely chopped (See Notes!)
• grape tomatoes, halved (optional)
• 1 hass avocado, peeled, cored + diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced

Instructions

To Make the Avocado Basil Mango Dressing:

• Add together the mango, avocado, olive oil, basil leaves, and juice of a lemon to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. **NOTE: If using frozen mangoes, the sauce might be extremely thick, therefore, I'd suggest adding 1/2 cup of water + more as needed.**
• Then add sea salt, garlic, pinch of oregano, and dried parsley to sauce and blend for another minute or two, until completely smooth. **NOTE: Add additional seasoning to taste.**
• Add sauce to a small bowl or container and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To Make the Black Bean Tacos:

• In a medium skillet, add 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, add black beans and taco seasoning, mixing together and cooking beans on medium-low until cooked. through, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• To assemble tacos, add 2 Tbsps of black beans atop a charred tortilla (See Notes!), red cabbage, spinach, diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, and top with jalapeños. Repeat until desired amount of tacos are made. Drizzle a generous amount of Avocado Basil Mango sauce over tacos and enjoy!
• Bon Appetit!

Tips & Tricks

STORAGE: Place any leftover ingredients in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

MAKE AHEAD: All ingredients can be made and individually stored as meal prep (excluding tortillas) and assembled when ready to serve.

BLACK BEANS: When using dried beans, be sure to soak about 5-6 cups of black beans in a pot or bowl covered with water overnight. To begin cooking, rinse the soaked beans and add fresh water to a pot along with beans. Boil for the first 10 minutes and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until black beans are tender.

OIL: Instead of extra virgin olive oil, you can also use grapeseed oil or vegetable oil, if preferred.

MANGOES: If you decide to use frozen mangoes, be sure to add water to sauce when blending so that it becomes "liquid-y".

 

TORTILLAS: To lightly toast taco tortillas, preheat oven on 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place tortillas directly on rack. Turn off oven once heated and let tortillas warm for 2 minutes. Remove from oven. For char on a stovetop, pop one of the tortillas unto a gas burner until you begin to see a little smoke. Remove tortilla to rotate it onto opposite side until it’s lightly charred. Repeat until all tortillas are charred.

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Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Dressing.

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