Here is a fun recipe to try for your next taco night: vegan black bean and kale tacos! They combine a spiced black bean mixture with corn, garlicky kale and a creamy chipotle lime yogurt-based sauce. Makes for a filling and healthy meal that's easy to customize and completely plant-based.
These delicious vegan kale tacos are so easy to whip up together and make for a hearty, flavorful and fun dinner idea everyone will love.
They pair spiced black beans and corn with chewy kale and a tangy and spicy vegan chipotle-lime sauce that brings everything together. For the sauce, I was inspired by my chipotle cashew mayo, but this time I made a yogurt-based sauce for a lighter version.
We love how quick and simple they are to prepare, making them perfect for a weeknight dinner, but they are also special enough to serve on the weekends.
There are a few layers in these vegan tacos, but each of them is super easy to prep and can be all done at the same time, so this recipe should not take more than 20-30 min to make. Using canned black beans makes it easy and the canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce really boost the flavor of the yogurt sauce without much effort.
All you have to do is heat up the black beans with spices and briefly pan-fried the kale until wilted, giving you plenty of time to whisk the sauce ingredients while it cooks. Then, assemble, serve topped with fresh veggies of your choice and enjoy!
For another black bean taco dinner, check out these 15-min avocado black bean tostadas!
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious blend of spiced, tangy and spicy flavors
- Easy to make and highly customizable
- Can be done in under 30 minutes!
- Healthy and packed with fiber, plant protein and antioxidants
- Combined chewy kale with creamy yogurt sauce and earthy black beans
- Inexpensive meal
- Fully vegan and dairy-free
What you will need (+ substitutions)
(full ingredient details below in the recipe card)
For the tacos
- Tortillas: you can use both wheat or corn tortillas. I think street taco-size tacos work best for this recipe.
- Black beans: use canned black beans for convenience. You could swap for kidney beans if you prefer.
- Kale: I used curly kale, although Lacinato kale (dino kale) would be great too and give a more chewy result.
- Garlic: to add more flavor to the kale.
- Corn: use frozen corn all year round or go for fresh corn when in season during the summer. If using fresh corn from the cob, simply remove the raw kernels with a sharp knife and cook them with the black beans.
- Spices: I used a blend of chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Other great spices to include are cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, sweet paprika, cajun spices and red pepper flakes.
For the chipotle lime sauce
- Dairy-free yogurt: my favorite vegan yogurt is this cashew-based yogurt from the brand Forager Project. The texture is ultra-creamy!
- Chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce: you can easily find canned chipotle peppers in most grocery stores in the Mexican or International isle. For this recipe, I used only some of the sauce, but you can also add chopped peppers to add a more spicy taste and extra texture.
- Lime juice: lemon works too. The lime juice will also be used to flavor the kale.
Taco toppings
- Fresh tomatoes: I prefer cherry tomatoes since they are sweeter and often less watery too, perfect for garnishing tacos.
- Red onion: you can use finely sliced red onion or pickled onions if you have them for a boost in flavor. I like to pickle onions myself and often will let them marinate only while I prep the rest. This quick Mexican lime pickled onion recipe would be a perfect match with these tacos, but these balsamic pickled onions are also a family favorite.
- Cilantro: always great over tacos, swap for mint or dill if you don't like it.
How to make vegan kale tacos with black beans
(full recipe details below in the recipe card)
Prepare the black beans
Rinse and drain the black beans, then transfer them to a large pan. Add the frozen or fresh corn, spices, salt and ½ cup of water.
Warm up on medium-high heat and let the beans simmer while stirring often until thicker, about 5-7 minutes.
Once done, transfer to a bowl and wipe the pan clean.
Cook the kale
Add some oil (I love using oil-spray) and then add the kale, garlic and a pinch of salt to the pan. Cook stirring often on medium heat until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Whisk the sauce
While the beans and kale are cooking, whisk together in a bowl the dairy-free yogurt, lime juice, adobo sauce (with or without chopped peppers), garlic powder and salt. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice and chipotle sauce to your preference.
If the sauce is too spicy or too tangy, then add a splash of sweetener, such as maple syrup.
Assemble and serve
To serve, warm up the tortillas in a nonstick pan (no oil) on medium heat, flipping them once in a while until warmed up and soft.
Then, layer the black bean-corn mixture, the kale, the yogurt chipotle sauce and fresh veggies, such as cherry tomatoes, avocado and onion. Enjoy!
Helpful tips
- For a quick weeknight dinner, you can cook ahead the black bean corn mixture and the garlicky kale and combine the sauce ingredients together. Keep them in airtight containers in the fridge and then, all you have to do is reheat and assemble them in just about 10 minutes when ready to eat.
- You will be left with extra adobo sauce and chipotle peppers. You can chop and add them to your tacos or vegan taquitos if you are up for a spicy meal, but also, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge and use them to make sauces (such as hummus or chipotle mayo), sneak some in spicy quesadillas, add them to Mexican bowls or Mexican bean soups or include them in burger patties.
Serving suggestions
We love serving these vegan kale tacos on small street tacos. It would be perfect with vegan Mexican corn! Don't forget to warm them up on an open flame or in a skillet first and you can layer up 2 of them if you want before adding the filling ingredients.
Other topping ingredients to try include chimichurri sauce (check out these vegan chimichurri bowls for the recipe!), vegan feta cheese crumble some over the tacos) for a little cheesy flavor and more plant protein, vegan sour cream (make your own silken tofu sour cream in 5 minutes!) and this ultra creamy vegan lime cream sauce made with avocado.
If you are left with extra bean and kale fillings, then use the leftovers the next day to make a burrito! You can check out this vegan bean burrito recipe for inspiration.
As a side note, if you would prefer using something else than kale, then I would recommend going for another hearty leafy green, such as collard green or mustard green. Spinach works too, but it turns pretty soft once wilted.
Similar vegan recipes to try
- Vegan sweet potato and mushroom tacos
- Vegan fish tacos
- Lentil walnut taco meat
- Vegan kale wraps
- Vegan tortilla Mexican pizza
- Sheet-pan tofu fajitas
- Vegan taco bowl
- Vegan taquitos
I hope you like this vegan kale taco recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Black Bean and Kale Tacos with Chipotle Lime Sauce
Ingredients
For the black beans
- 2 x 15 oz canned black beans - rinsed and drained
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
For the kale
- 6-8 oz kale (about one small bunch) - chopped in bite size
- 1-2 cloves of garlic - crushed
- ½ lime or lemon - juiced
- ½ tsp salt
For the chipotle lime sauce
- ¾ cup dairy-free yogurt
- 2-3 tbsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers - or finely chopped adobo peppers
- 1 lime - juiced
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt
For the tacos
- 10 small tortillas
- ¼ red onion - finely sliced (or pickled onions)
- 1 avocado - diced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes - chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro - chopped
Instructions
Make the black bean mixture
- Add the black beans, corn, spices (chili powder, cumin powder, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika), salt and water to a large pan and bring to a simmer. Keep simmering gently for about 5 minutes or until warm and thicker (you don't want a watery mixture). Once done, transfer to a large bowl and wipe clean the pan.
Make the kale filling
- Transfer the pan back on the stove and heat up a small amount of olive oil (I like using oil-spray) on medium-high heat. Then, add the kale, garlic and salt and cook stirring often until wilted (about 5 minutes). Once done, add the lime juice, stir and remove from the heat.
Make the lime chipotle sauce
- While the bean and kale is cooking, then combine the chipotle lime sauce ingredients together in a bowl (yogurt, lime juice, garlic powder, adobo sauce or chopped chipotle peppers and salt). Taste to adjust flavor to your preference. You can add a small amount of maple syrup if needed to balance out the flavors.
Assemble and serve
- When ready to eat, warm up the tortillas in a pan (no oil), then layer the black beans, kale, chipotle sauce, cubed avocado, chopped tomatoes and red onion. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can make the black bean mixture, kale filling and whisk the sauce ahead of time, then reheat and serve within a few minutes on busy weeknights.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Yum yum, everyone loved it!
Glad to hear that! 😊