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Easy Vegan Tacos with Smoky Cashew Crema

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 243kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

Taco Ingredients

  • Easy Refried Beans, recipe below
  • Sautéed Onions, recipe below
  • Smoky Cashew Crema, recipe below
  • Corn tortillas or tortillas of choice
  • Salsa of choice
  • Optional toppings: cilantro, diced avocado or guacamole, vegan cheese

Easy Refried Beans Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or a neutral cooking oil
  • 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 (15-ounce / 440g) can pinto beans or black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2/3 – 1 cup (160-240 mL) vegetable broth (or water)*
  • Kosher salt or sea salt to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 small handful of cilantro (optional), chopped

Sautéed Onions Ingredients

  • 1 large yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon oil of choice
  • Kosher salt or sea salt to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • Water

Smoky Cashew Crema Ingredients

  • 1 cup (140g) raw cashews**, soaked in water overnight, or in boiling water for 1 hour***
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup (120-180 mL) water (depending on desired thickness)
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (omit if you don’t have it)
  • Juice from 1 medium juicy lime
  • 1-2 jalapeño peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped (can sub with a pinch of cayenne pepper, or omit entirely for mild version)
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

Taco Directions

  • Heat the tortillas. Turn on a gas stove burner and use some tongs to place one tortilla directly over the flame. Flip after 15 seconds or when small brown spots appear, and cook for another 15 seconds. Stack them in a clean kitchen towel or in foil to keep them warm.
  • Assemble tacos. Top warmed tortillas with Refried Beans, Sauteed Onions, Smoky Cashew Crema, salsa of choice, and any other optional toppings.

Refried Beans Directions

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 6-7 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, oregano, chili powder, and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add in the drained beans, bay leaves, and broth or water. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the beans are warmed through.
  • Using an immersion blender or a potato masher, mash the beans, but leave some beans whole for texture. If the beans appear dry, add more broth or water as needed to moisten. Continue to cook the beans, stirring often, for 2-4 more minutes.
  • Season the beans with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat, and stir in the lime juice and cilantro, if using.

Sautéed Onions Directions

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the oil. Once shimmering, add the onions and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a light brown fond starts form on the surface of the pan, about 4-5 minutes. Add a few spoons of water to deglaze the pan, and continue cooking until the onions are softened and browned, about 9-10 minutes total.

Smoky Cashew Crema Directions

  • Drain cashews and pat dry. Add cashews to a high-powered blender or food processor along with all of the remaining ingredients. Blend on high speed until smooth, thick and creamy, scraping down the sides with a silicone spatula as you go. This will take about 2 minutes in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, or about 4 minutes in a food processor. Taste and adjust for seasonings, adding more jalapeño, lime juice, or salt as needed.

Notes

* See notes on “taco components” about substituting the broth or water with bean liquid.
** If you don’t have cashews or are allergic, hemp seeds are a good sub. Sunflower seeds would be the next best sub.
*** If you have a powerful blender like a Vitamix, you can soak for as little as 15 minutes, but I still prefer a full hour.