These Vegan Ceviche Tacos with Guacamole are the perfect summer taco recipe. They require just 10 minutes of hands-on cook time and are perfectly refreshing, especially if served alongside an ice-cold margarita or beer.
Hearts of palm are seasoned to mimic the ocean-y flavor normally found in white fish and served alongside creamy guacamole in a hard taco shell. I love using hard taco shells because the crunch is the perfect contrast to the creamy guacamole and the buttery hearts of palm.
What is vegan ceviche?
Ceviche is a Latin American dish made of raw fish and/or seafood marinated in citrus juice.
To replicate the somewhat firm texture of fish, I rely on hearts of palm, which are the inner core from certain palm trees. They make a fabulous substitute for various fish products, including ceviche and can be found in the canned vegetable section of your supermarket.
And to mimic the ocean-y flavors without the fish flavor in a cruelty-free way, I rely on dulse flakes. Dulse is a type of red seaweed/algae plan with a slightly briny, sea flavor and is a great source of plant-based iodine. White miso paste also injects the umami associated with animal-based foods. You can find dulse flakes in specialty grocery stores, Asian grocery stores, or online.
Why you’ll go crazy for this recipe
Ocean-y sans the fish. Hearts of palm get sliced very thinly to resemble the texture of white fish! These hearts of palm are mixed with dulse flakes, which are a type of seaweed that lend a hand in bringing that fresh seafood taste to these ceviche tacos.
Filled with wholesome ingredients. Loaded with healthy ingredients like cucumber, cherry tomatoes and chickpeas, you can rest easy knowing you’re fueling your body with the nutrients it needs!
A host of delicious flavors. Aromatic onions, spicy pepper, fresh cilantro and bright citrus add flavor and herbaceousness that bring this dish over the top!
Tips for making this recipe
Use english cucumber instead of a regular cucumber. I find regular cucumbers (AKA pole cucumbers) tend to water down this ceviche salad and cause the hard taco shells to soften. I highly suggest using english cucumber which are crisper and less watery.
Allow the miso paste to come to room temperature first. By letting miso paste sit out for a little while before making the marinade, it becomes much easier to whisk into the sauce evenly!
More Mexican-inspired recipes you will love…
Are you in the mood for even more Mexican inspired recipes? Check out some of my favorites below:
Watch this video!
These tacos are one of THREE vegan taco recipes featured in this Youtube video, so be sure to watch the video below (this recipe begins around the 08:38 mark).
VEGAN TACOS FOR SUMMER | tacos three ways
If you enjoy making these tacos, please let me know by commenting or tagging me on Instagram!
Vegan Ceviche Tacos with Guacamole
Ingredients
Taco Ingredients
- Ceviche Salad (recipe below)
- Guacamole (recipe below)
- Hard Taco Shells (store-bought, or recipe below)
Ceviche Salad Ingredients
Marinade
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ½ teaspoons white miso paste
- 1 heaping tablespoon dulse flakes (if not available, you can substitute this with a sheet of roasted nori; you’ll need to grind up the nori in a spice grinder or food processor)
- 1 (14-ounce / 400g) can hearts of palm, drained and thinly sliced in rounds
- Half of 1 (15-ounce / 440g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 6 ounces (175g) cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 of a small red onion, diced
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped (use 1 for mild heat)
- Half of a medium-large English cucumber, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro (~8g), finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Guacamole Ingredients
- 3 ripe medium avocados
- 1 large juicy lime, juiced
- 1 jalapeño, diced (or add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Kosher salt or sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Hard Taco Shells Ingredients
- Soft corn tortillas
- Taco holder tray
Instructions
Ceviche Salad Directions
- Make the marinade. Whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, EVOO, miso paste, and dulse flakes. It will take some vigorous whisking to break up the miso paste (it’s easier to do so if the miso is at room temperature).
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sliced hearts of palm, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño peppers, cucumber, and cilantro.
- Pour the marinade over the hearts of palm salad and stir to evenly coat. Season with the salt and pepper, taste the salad, and adjust the seasonings accordingly. Cover the bowl and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Guacamole Directions
- Scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice on top. Add the jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro, and mash everything up with a fork until smooth but there are still some rough chunks. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Hard Taco Shells Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Place a few corn tortillas on a damp paper towel and fold up the towels to seal the tortillas. For three tortillas, microwave for 20 to 25 seconds.
- Immediately transfer the tortillas to a taco holder tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Use immediately, as they will soften over time if they sit out for too long.
Hi Nisha! I just made this for dinner tonight, and it was a HUGE hit! Even with my kids! Easy to make and delicious. I left out the dulse flakes and still amazing! Thank you for this great recipe. Definitely a keeper!
Awesome, Alison. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Before going vegan, ceviche was one of my favorite dishes, so I was super excited to try this recipe. I’d never used or tasted dulse flakes and added them per the recipe. I wish I would have started with half that amount and added more, if needed, or left out altogether. The taste (and particularly the smell) was very overpowering, but that’s totally just my opinion. You are my absolutely favorite chef–everything I’ve made of yours was delicious and perfect…this recipe just wasn’t for me. There had to be a first! :) :) :)
Courtney, I’m sorry to hear that! Hopefully you can try the recipe next time without the dulse flakes or by reducing the amount and it turns out better for you.
Delicious, light, fresh and easy. Best of all I didn’t have to turn on the stove in this heat… loved it❤
That is great to hear, Ebbie! Thank you for the kind review!
Hi Nisha
I normally love all your recipes. But as we should try to act environmentally conscious this recipe really doesn’t work out. Hearts of palm are a nightmare from a sustainability point of view as most palms (except bactris gasipaes) can’t regrow their hearts and have to be cut down to harvest the palm hearts. Ecologically thinking we really should not eat this. Maybe you could substitute the ingredient.
And I would love it if you could keep in mind our environmental responsibility in future recipes!
Thank you so much for all your creative work!
Thank you seeking to impart your worldview on Nisha. The world needs more people like you to police them and save them from themselves!
Hello Daniela, if you watch the video you’ll see Nisha uses Rainforest Friendly hearts of palm. The main goal of this channel is to get people to eat more plants & less animals and this recipe assists them in doing just that! You’re welcome to omit if you don’t feel comfortable using this ingredient.
Thank you for pointing this out Daniela, I had no idea! I wonder if artichokes or white asparagus would be a tasty substitute?