Vegan Taco Salad is made with sunflower seed "meat" and slathered with spicy chipotle aioli and cashew sour cream. This no-cook meal is ultimate dish for hot summer days when it's too hot to cook. It's raw, vegan, and gluten-free.
Raw Vegan Taco Salad
I love all things taco! I'll make tacos with just about any type of filling – cauliflower, soy curls, tofu, tempeh, and beans. If you can cook it, I'll make a taco with it. Occasionally, I have a hankering for a taco but I find myself with out tortillas – gasp! On those occasions, I'll make taco salad.
The "meat" for this raw vegan taco salad is so simple it almost seems like there are ingredients or a few steps missing, but it really is just sunflower seeds, sun-dried tomatoes, and some spices mixed together in a food processor. The end result is super tasty, and it can be used in traditional corn or flour taco shells, as well as raw lettuce leaf shells if you'd prefer handheld tacos instead of a salad. The combination of chipotle aioli and taco "meat" can be a little on the spicy side, so I've included cashew sour cream to cool things down.
What You Need
Don't let this long ingredient list fool you – this recipe is really easy to make!
- Sunflower seeds
- Sun-dried tomato halves
- Taco seasoning
- Raw cashews
- Water
- Lime juice
- Garlic
- Chipotle powder
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
- Raw cashews
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Romaine lettuce
- Red cabbage
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Black olives
See recipe card for exact amounts.
How to Make Vegan Taco Salad
This recipe may look a little daunting, because of the long ingredients list, but it’s super easy to put together.
- First, you mix all of the taco "meat" ingredients together in a food processor until it it's all ground together.
- Then you mix all of the spicy chipotle aioli ingredients together in a blender.
- Next you mix all of the sour cream ingredients together in a blender.
- Finally you mix all of the salad ingredients together and top your salad with the sunflower seed meat. Drizzle your salad with the aioli and sour cream, and enjoy!
Taco Seasoning
I've used my own homemade taco seasoning here, but you can use store-bought if you like. I like Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning Mix and Simply Organic Seasoning Mix.
Raw verses Roasted
While this recipe will work with roasted cashews and sunflower seeds, but raw, unroasted, and unsalted work best. Raw nuts and seeds are softer and easier to blend than the roasted variety. I’ve also found that using the roasted type can change the taste of the recipe, giving it a slightly burnt flavor.
How to Customize Your Taco Salad
You can easily make this recipe your own!
- If you’re pressed for time, you can use store-bought dairy-free chipotle dressing rather than making your own. I like Chipotle Bitchin' Sauce.
- The same with the sour cream - you can use store-bought vegan sour cream, if you like. I like Follow Your Heart, Kite Hill, and Forager.
- You can add any of your favorite taco fixings to the salad. Try guacamole, salsa, and pickled jalapeno slices.
Raw Vegan Taco Salad with Spicy Chipotle Aioli and Cashew Sour Cream
Equipment
- Blender
- Food processor
Ingredients
For the Taco “Meat”
- 1 cup sunflower seeds soaked for 2 hours, drained and rinsed
- 6 sun-dried tomato halves (not the oil soaked type) soaked for 2 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ tablespoons Taco Seasoning or store-bought taco seasoning
For the Spicy Chipotle Aioli
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked for 2 hours, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the Cashew Sour Cream
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked for 2 hours, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the Salad
- 6 cups romaine lettuce shredded (about 1 large head or two small heads)
- 2 cups red cabbage shredded
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 avocado chopped
- ⅓ cup black olives chopped
Instructions
For the Taco “Meat”
- Place the sunflower seeds and sun-dried tomatoes in food processor fitted with an S-blade, along with the taco seasoning. Process until sunflower seeds are well ground and all of the tomatoes are chopped. Set aside.
For the Spicy Chipotle Aioli
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a high powered blender. Set aside.
For the Cashew Sour Cream
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a high powered blender. Set aside.
For the Salad
- Divide all of the salad ingredients among 4 plates. Top with the taco “meat”, spicy chipotle aioli, and cashew sour cream.
If you enjoyed this salad, you might also like:
- Tahini and Tofu Kale Salad
- Grill and Chill Salad from Vegan Yack Attack on the Go! by Jackie Sobon
- Strawberry Kale Salad
- Asparagus and Arugula Farro Salad
Liane
Gorgeous! This looks so tasty. I have to try it. Happy mofo 🙂
Jill
I had a taco salad today for lunch, but it doesn't look nearly as good as yours! Wow, it's amazing! I'm sitting over here drooling. I love the way you made the taco meat. I'm not huge into the raw thing, but I think I may have to try this!! Thank you for posting!
Cadry
This sounds fabulous! I love raw taco salads!
Dianne
Thank you, Cadry!
Dianne
Thank you, Jill! It doesn't really have that raw taste to it, so if you try it I hope you like it!
flavourphotos
I love the vibrant colours in this salad and am really intrigued by the sunflower seed, tomato and taco spice combo.
Thanks for bringing this idea along to the VVLP. x
Dianne
Thank you!
Nicole @ Fitful Focus
Stopping by from the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck. I LOVE taco salads and this one looks delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dianne
Thank you, Nicole!
teresa@sweetveg
Yum. I love all the flavors you have in this salad! I am going to have to try the taco "meat".
Dianne
I hope you like it!
Deborah Davis
Hi Dianne ,
I just hopped by from Virtual Vegan Potluck to check out your Raw Taco Salad. What a healthy and delectable fun food!
I can’t wait to try this yummy recipe. My family will love it! It's such a pleasure it is to explore your blog and your wonderful vegan recipes. I am sharing this and following you on social media to stay in touch! All the best, Deborah
Dianne
Hi Deborah, Thank you so much! I hope you and your family likes it!