11 Mouth-Watering Vegan Tex-Mex Recipes (2024)

From vegan enchiladas to burritos, vegan nachos to dairy-free sour cream, these vegan Tex-Mex recipes are filling, full of flavor, and most importantly full of whole food, plant-based ingredients!

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I don't think I'd ever turn down some Tex-Mex.

Especially if it's vegan Tex-Mex!

I didn't even grow up in Texas (or Mexico), but whenever I eat the food, I leave the table full and satisfied.

Tex-Mex is good for so many reasons, but the reason I love it so much is that it's flavorful, versatile and allergy-friendly.

It's so easy to make an entire Tex-Mex meal that is both vegan and gluten-free!

Even if you have a soy or nut allergy, you can easily find a healthy and delicious vegan recipe to meet your dietary needs (and palate!)

Today we're looking at flavorful, healthy and versatile vegan Tex-Mex recipes. I'll be sharing which foods are almost always vegan and which ones you may need to find a substitute for.

I'll also be sharing 11 of my favorite vegan Tex-Mex recipes!

What is Tex-Mex?

"Tex-Mex" is short for Texan-Mexican. Even though the term Tex-Mex was first used to refer to the Texas Mexican Railway in the 1800s, when people say "Tex-Mex" today, they are referring to the Tex-Mex cuisine.

Tex-Mex vs Mexican vs Southwestern

You could say that Tex-Mex food comes from Texas, Mexican food comes from Mexico, and Southwestern food comes from the other Southwestern US states, but that would be an oversimplification.

While there are a lot of similarities among these cuisines, there are some key differences.

Tex-Mex

Tex-Mex food typically features the use of shredded cheese or "queso" (which is cheese dip, Americans love cheese!), black beans, pinto beans, and meats such as ground beef, chicken and pork. The use of cumin as a spice is also characteristic of Tex-Mex cuisine.

Yeah, most Tex-Mex food isn't vegan, but that doesn't mean we can't make it vegan (and delicious!)

Looking for more of the best vegan dip recipes? Check out my best vegan dip recipes page!

Southwestern

Southwestern food is distinguished from Tex-Mex food by its use green and red chiles, especially green. You could broaden this even further by saying that southwestern food is also characterized by its use of the "three sisters" - squash, corn, and beans.

Southwestern food has many variations in the states of New Mexico, Arizona (also called Sonoran food named after the Sonoran desert which is found in Arizona), California, Nevada, Utah, and Texas.

Authentic Mexican

You won't find much yellow cheese south of the border. Mexicans typically use white cheese, so the use of white cheese is a distinguishing characteristic of authentic Mexican food from Tex-Mex or southwestern cuisines.

Non-Vegan and Vegan Tex-Mex Ingredients

Thankfully, the primary dishes most people enjoy such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas and fajitas can easily be made vegan if you want.

Vegan Tex-Mex Ingredients

The vast majority of ingredients in a Tex-Mex dish are vegan or can easily be made vegan.

Vegan Tex-Mex ingredients include:

• rice
• tortillas
• tortilla chips
• black beans
• pinto beans
• refried beans
• mushrooms
• guacamole
• avocado
• salsa
• tomatoes
• shredded lettuce
• grilled veggies.

If you're buying these items from the store yourself or making them at home, it's easy to ensure they are all vegan.

However, if you are eating out at a restaurant, you'll need to ask the server if certain items are in fact vegan.

For instance, some restaurants cook their beans in lard or use lard in their tortillas.

Sometimes veggies are also cooked in animal fat or butter, so you may want to ask about that as well.

Non-Vegan Tex-Mex Ingredients

Obviously there are quite a few ingredients that are not vegan which are often found in Tex-Mex dishes.

If meats such as chicken, beef, carne asada, carnitas, or barbacoa are added to a Tex-Mex recipe, it makes the recipe non-vegan.

Since seafood is an animal product, recipes with fish or shrimp are not vegan.

Dairy products, such as shredded cheese and sour cream also make a recipe not vegan.

To find vegan substitutes for these ingredients, see below.

How To Make Tex-Mex Recipes Vegan

Again, if you're cooking for yourself at home, it's easy to make vegan version of popular non-vegan Tex-Mex ingredients.

For a vegan substitute for ground beef, use my Vegan Taco Tofu Crumbles.

For a vegan substitute for other meats, try grilled portobello mushrooms.

As for vegan substitutes for shredded cheese, you should try out my Super Simple Nacho Cheese Sauce! Or you can purchase store-bought vegan shredded cheese from brands such as Daiya, Chao, or Violife.

For a vegan substitute for sour cream, use my 5 Ingredient Vegan Sour Cream.

Flour vs Whole Wheat Tortillas

Substituting whole wheat tortillas for flour tortillas is a great way to reduce the amount of processed flour in your diet and increase your whole grains!

Check our my Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas {Lightened Up!} recipe for a healthy homemade whole wheat tortilla recipe.

Flour vs Corn Tortillas

Below is a quick comparison of flour tortillas and corn tortillas in case you're wondering which tortilla to choose for your next vegan Tex-Mex feast.

• Health: Corn tortillas are typically seen as a healthier alternative to flour tortillas because they are made from whole grains.
• Calories: Corn tortillas have fewer calories than flour tortillas, but they are typically smaller in size.
• Strength: Corn tortillas are weaker than flour tortillas, so some people use two corn tortillas for one taco to make it stronger.
• Texture: Some people prefer the softness of flour tortillas.

11 Mouth-Watering Vegan Tex-Mex Recipe List

Vegan Tex-Mex Recipes FAQ