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Quesadilla with Walnut Taco Meat

October 7, 2020 By Richa 21 Comments

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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
4.92 from 12 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

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes, Cinco De Mayo Recipes, Comfort Food Recipes, fall, kid approved, main course, mexican, nut-free option, refined oil free, snack, soy free Tagged With: bell pepper, chickpea, chickpeas, cumin, garlic, jalapeños, paprika powder, vegan, walnuts



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  1. Laura Reinhardt says

    October 7, 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 says

      October 7, 2020 at 9:24 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  2. Emily says

    October 9, 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 says

      October 9, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      5 stars
      Forgot to add rating

      Reply
  3. Dani says

    October 9, 2020 at 8:29 pm

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

    Reply
    • Richa says

      October 9, 2020 at 10:13 pm

      Awesome

      Reply
  4. Sudesh says

    October 10, 2020 at 10:06 am

    5 stars
    Very nice recipe

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    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 says

      October 11, 2020 at 7:36 am

      Awesome!

      Reply
  6. Kat says

    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
  7. Isabelle says

    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 says

      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
  8. Amy says

    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 says

      October 17, 2020 at 6:19 pm

      Awesome! Right it’s so quick and so delicious

      Reply
  9. Laana says

    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 says

      October 18, 2020 at 2:04 pm

      Awesome

      Reply
  10. Hannah says

    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 says

      October 23, 2020 at 10:06 am

      Ole! another spicy quesadilla!!!

      Reply
  11. Jill says

    November 17, 2020 at 1:54 am

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

    Reply
  12. Ramona says

    December 2, 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 says

      December 2, 2020 at 5:55 am

      Awesome

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options. Read more about me and the blog...

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