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    Home » Appetizer Recipes

    Quesadilla with Walnut Taco Meat

    Published: Oct 7, 2020 · Modified: Oct 7, 2020 by Richa 28 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Vegan Walnut Taco Meat Quesadillas are a super easy and quick plant-based dinner or lunch that is perfect for all fans of Tex Mex Cuisine! Can be made gluten-free + nut-free option included. Jump to Recipe

    close-up side view of a stack of cut vegan walnut meat quesadillas

    Love Tex Mex Food? Try my vegan Quesadilla’s with Walnut Taco Meat

    If you are a busy person and always looking for new quick and easy vegan meal ideas then definitely bookmark these Vegan Quesadillas with walnut taco meat.

    Trust me, that vegan walnut taco meat is going to be your new go-to! Something about that mix of walnuts, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes and spices just makes it super addictive! The meat mixture comes together super quickly using a food processor, no cooking needed!  And you don’t have to stop at quesadillas. Make lots and use for making vegan burritos or tacos. It is also a great addition to all kinds of bowls.

    vegan walnut taco meat on a chopping board

    Got leftovers? Pop leftover quesadillas in the fridge for meals for the next day or two. Refrigerate any grilled quesadilla leftovers for up to 2 days, then reheat on a grill, and serve. That’s dinner!
    These vegan quesadillas are my new favorite quick dinner fix and with all those veggies and the melted cheese, I just can’t get enough of them!

    two stacks of quesadillas filled with vegan walnut taco meat on a chopping board

    Print Recipe
    4.93 from 14 votes

    Quesadilla's with Walnut Taco Meat

    Vegan Walnut Taco Meat Quesadillas are a quick plant-based dinner or lunch perfect for all fans of Tex Mex Cuisine!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time5 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: vegan quesadilla recipe, vegan taco meat, walnut meat crumbles
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 325kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    For the Walnut Chickpea Taco Meat:

    • 1/2 cup (58.5 g) raw walnuts
    • 3/4 cup (123 g) cooked chickpeas
    • 3 tbsp sundried tomato packed in olive oil or 1 tbsp tomato paste
    • 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/4 tsp onion powder
    • 1/2 tsp oregano
    • 2 tsp chili powder blend, I use chipotle powder chili blend, which a lot more flavor of the chipotle chili
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    Toppings

    • 2 tbsp (1/2 ) Sliced jalapeno
    • 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
    • pickled jalapenos as needed
    • 1 recipe nacho cheese sauce OR
    • 1 recipe mozzarella cheese sauce

    Instructions

    To make the walnut chickpea taco meat:

    • Add the walnuts to a food processor, and process until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
    • Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until the mixture is homogeneously combined and there are no whole chickpeas remaining, but it still has texture.
    • Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and taste and adjust flavor. If the mixture is too dry add in a tsp or so of oil, or lime juice, and mix in.
    • Set the mixture aside, and prepare your nacho cheese sauce, or mozzarella cheese sauce, and set aside
    • Set up your quesadilla by adding a good layer of the walnut chickpea taco meat, some red bell pepper, pickled jalapeno, and a good drizzle of the cheese sauce.
    • Place another tortilla on top, and grill it on both sides on a regular skillet, or a grill pan.
    • Once they're golden brown, slice the quesadillas and serve immediately.
    • You can serve with some salsa on the side, or some more cheese sauce.

    Notes

    Nutfree: To make this without walnuts, you can use a mixture of other nuts such as cashews or pecans.
    To make it nut-free you can use pumpkin seeds.
     

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Quesadilla's with Walnut Taco Meat
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving taco meat - no tortilla, no cheese)
    Calories 325 Calories from Fat 144
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 16g25%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 584mg25%
    Potassium 491mg14%
    Carbohydrates 29g10%
    Fiber 8g33%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 14g28%
    Vitamin A 1694IU34%
    Vitamin C 40mg48%
    Calcium 45mg5%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

     

    Ingredients:

    • A blend of walnuts and chickpeas makes for the perfect meaty texture.
    • Sundried tomatoes add some umami.  Sun-dried tomatoes come either dried or packed in oil.  I use the ones packed in olive oil. As a substitute, use 1 tbsp tomato paste.
    • Tex-mex spices like smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder make these quesadillas worthy of a fiesta!
    • Fresh AND pickled jalapeno – trust me, they taste different and both add something so uniquely Mexican to these quesadillas! You can reduce the amount but you don’t want to skip them if you want to keep things authentic.
    • As for the veggies, I like a blend of red bell pepper, thinly sliced, and more pickled jalapenos as needed!
    • I always make sure to make a batch of my vegan nacho cheese sauce or use my homemade mozzarella cheese to make these really nice and cheesy!
    • As for the tortillas, you will need 2 large tortillas per portion. Use gluten-free if needed, or use my gluten-free flatbreads

    overhead shot of ingredients needed for making vegan walnut taco meat

     

     Tips:

    • To make this vegan taco meat without walnuts, you can use a mixture of other nuts such as cashews or pecans.
    • To make it nut-free you can use pumpkin seeds.
    • Use a pizza slicer to cut you vegan quesadilla into neat wedges.
    • These brown quickly, so make sure to watch to ensure your quesadilla doesn’t burn!
    • I use a chipotle powder chili blend which has a lot more flavor and a nice smoky note!

     


    To make the vegan walnut chickpea taco meat:

    overhead shot of vegan walnut taco meat in a food processor

     

    Add the walnuts to a food processor, and process until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
    blended chickpea walnut taco meat in a food processor

    Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until the mixture is homogeneously combined and there are no whole chickpeas remaining, but it still has texture.
    walnut chickpea taco meat in food processor container ready for vegan quesadilla recipe

    Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and taste and adjust flavor. If the mixture is too dry add in a tsp or so of oil, or lime juice, and mix in.
    vegan nacho cheese, taco meat and bell pepper in separate bowls ready for making vegan quesadilla recipe

    Set the mixture aside, and prepare your nacho cheese sauce, or mozzarella cheese sauce, and set aside
    vegan walnut taco meat quesadilla being assembled in black skillet

    Set up your quesadilla by adding a good layer of the walnut chickpea taco meat, some red bell pepper, pickled jalapeno, and a good drizzle of the cheese sauce.

     

    Place another tortilla on top, and grill it on both sides on a regular skillet, or a grill pan.

    Once they’re golden brown, slice the quesadillas and serve immediately. You can serve with some salsa on the side, or some more cheese sauce.

    MORE GRILLED RECIPES TO TRY

    • Vegan Mushroom Quesadillas
    • 10 Minute Taco Spiced White Bean Pepper jack quesadillas
    • Grilled Cauliflower Cheddar Pesto Zucchini Sandwich
    • Black Bean Sweet Potato Chimichurri Quesadilla
    • Grilled Red Pepper Hummus Roasted Sweet Potato Sandwich
    • Grilled Buffalo Millet and Ranch Sandwich
    • Roasted Veggie Sandwich

    side view of vegan quesadillas filled with vegan walnut taco meat, bell pepper and melted cheese

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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Sue

      May 04, 2022 at 11:56 am

      5 stars
      Love this taco meat; it is very flavorful. Served it with the 10-minute nacho cheese sauce. Made them into tacos, using individual romaine lettuce leaves as the shell! We all thought they were fabulous, filling and quick. Thanks again Richa!! 💌

      Reply
      • Richa

        May 04, 2022 at 1:26 pm

        Yay

        Reply
    2. Lori

      December 20, 2021 at 12:15 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent addition to quesadillas! The flavor and texture is great. It reheats well too. Thanks for another great recipe!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        December 21, 2021 at 1:47 pm

        thanks for popping in

        Reply
    3. Megha Shah

      August 28, 2021 at 1:28 pm

      I made this today and it was absolutely delicious. I was pleasantly surprised as there is not lot of ingredients but it is packed with flavour. And this is without Nacho/ mozzarella cheese. Thanks vegan richa for this recipe

      Reply
      • Richa

        August 28, 2021 at 11:55 pm

        Yup this taco meat is super flavorful!

        Reply
    4. suzi

      July 20, 2021 at 7:33 am

      has anyone tried toasting this mixture in the oven a bit to crisp up?

      Reply
    5. Ramona

      December 02, 2020 at 5:37 am

      5 stars
      I made last night with the cheese sauce — EXCELLENT! I will be making again soon. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Richa

        December 02, 2020 at 5:55 am

        Awesome

        Reply
    6. Jill

      November 17, 2020 at 1:54 am

      5 stars
      I like things hot and spicey so used hot smoked paprika. Great recipe!

      Reply
    7. Hannah

      October 22, 2020 at 11:58 pm

      5 stars
      I love Mex Cuisine and love this recipe! It tastes so good!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        October 23, 2020 at 10:06 am

        Ole! another spicy quesadilla!!!

        Reply
    8. Laana

      October 18, 2020 at 12:52 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious, easy to make and it’s wholesome food! Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 18, 2020 at 2:04 pm

        Awesome

        Reply
    9. Amy

      October 17, 2020 at 5:08 pm

      5 stars
      This was so good, and it came together in ten minutes. I would never have guessed walnut and chickpeas could make such a flavorful, awesome filling for a quesadilla. Mind blown.

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 17, 2020 at 6:19 pm

        Awesome! Right it’s so quick and so delicious

        Reply
    10. Isabelle

      October 16, 2020 at 8:27 pm

      4 stars
      Made this recipe and I was surprised that my “meat eater” husband preferred it over the meat one. Because he doesn’t like cumin, I cut it by half and I found it tasted a tad too much smoked paprika. Next time I will put only 1 teaspoon. The good thing about this vegan filling is that it holds in the tortilla; I was able to eat it with my hands unlike the meat version which falls apart.
      Great recipe!

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 16, 2020 at 8:41 pm

        Awesome! Yes adjust the spices a bit to preference. the cumin was balancing the paprika a bit. Play around with the amounts to make it perfect for you!

        Reply
    11. Kat

      October 12, 2020 at 8:16 am

      5 stars
      I made the walnut meat to use on tacos, and it came out perfect! It comes together so quickly in the food processor. I will definitely make it again 🙂

      Reply
    12. Lisa

      October 11, 2020 at 6:09 am

      5 stars
      Hi Richa—great recipe. I made it and some vegan nacho cheese yesterday and had a quesadilla for breakfast this morning. 😋 Thanks again.

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 11, 2020 at 7:36 am

        Awesome!

        Reply
    13. Sudesh

      October 10, 2020 at 10:06 am

      5 stars
      Very nice recipe

      Reply
    14. Dani

      October 09, 2020 at 8:29 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight. So easy and yummy! I loved it!

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 09, 2020 at 10:13 pm

        Awesome

        Reply
    15. Emily

      October 09, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      These turned out so good. The kids cleaned up their plates! I added some some shredded vegan cheddar

      Reply
      • Emily

        October 09, 2020 at 2:17 pm

        5 stars
        Forgot to add rating

        Reply
    16. Laura Reinhardt

      October 07, 2020 at 8:30 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner tonight and the walnut taco meat was so flavorful and delicious! The recipe arrived in my email at the perfect time.

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 07, 2020 at 9:24 pm

        Awesome!

        Reply

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