Frosty Morning Vegan Tacos (Printable)
Hearty vegan tacos with roasted veggies, spiced black beans, and avocado-lime crema for chilly mornings.
# List of ingredients:
→ Roasted Winter Vegetables
01 - 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
02 - 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced
03 - 1 small red onion, sliced
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
05 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
07 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Spiced Black Beans
09 - 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
12 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
13 - Pinch of salt
→ Avocado-Lime Crema
14 - 1 ripe avocado
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
16 - 2 tablespoons unsweetened plant-based yogurt
17 - 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
18 - Pinch of salt
→ To Assemble
19 - 8 small corn tortillas, warmed
20 - 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
21 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
22 - 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
02 - Toss sweet potato, butternut squash, and red onion with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and lightly caramelized.
03 - Combine black beans with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
04 - Mash avocado in a bowl until smooth. Stir in lime juice, plant-based yogurt, chopped cilantro, and pinch of salt until creamy and well combined.
05 - Heat corn tortillas in a dry skillet or microwave until pliable and warmed.
06 - Distribute roasted vegetables and spiced black beans evenly among the tortillas. Top each with shredded red cabbage, a dollop of avocado-lime crema, fresh cilantro, and pomegranate seeds if desired.
07 - Serve immediately, garnished as preferred.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- These tacos are surprisingly filling despite being completely plant-based—the roasted vegetables get so caramelized and sweet, they taste indulgent.
- You can have them ready in less than an hour, which makes them perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something that tastes like you spent all afternoon cooking.
- The combination of warm spiced vegetables and cool, creamy avocado sauce creates this perfect temperature and texture contrast that just feels comforting.
02 -
- Dice your vegetables to similar sizes so they roast evenly—if some pieces are twice as big as others, they'll finish cooking at different times and you'll have some burnt edges and some undercooked centers.
- Don't skip the lime juice in your avocado crema; it's not just flavor, it's what prevents the avocado from browning and gives the whole thing brightness. If you don't have fresh limes, the recipe loses its soul.
- Warm your tortillas right before assembling—cold tortillas are flimsy and break easily, but warm ones are flexible and sturdy enough to hold all these beautiful ingredients without falling apart.
03 -
- Room-temperature roasted vegetables actually stay crispier at the edges than piping-hot ones—you can roast them an hour ahead without losing any appeal.
- The secret to that restaurant-quality avocado crema is mashing the avocado just enough that it's creamy but still has a tiny bit of texture; over-processing makes it gluey.
- If your avocado isn't quite ripe when you need it, you can speed the process by wrapping it in a paper bag with an apple or banana for a few hours.