Raw tacos with walnut taco meat pop with vibrant flavor. Serve on romaine lettuce leaves in lieu of a tortilla for a delicious and healthy lunch that’s ready in under 15 minutes. Vegan & gluten free.
When I lived in Los Angeles, I had a standing solo date at a phenomenal raw restaurant. You've got to love the wizardry of raw food that takes salad ingredients and turns them into comfort food.
I'd tuck in for a meal. Then I'd trot over to Griffith Park for a hike.
People sometimes complain that they’re hungry in no time after a vegetable-based lunch. But when raw food doesn't shy away from fat, it's satiating, filling, and energizing - even for a hilly hike.
Raw options where I live now are on the slim side. But luckily, it's fast and easy to make raw tacos at home. It just takes some chopping, a few pulses in a food processor, and lunch is ready.
The “meat” in these raw tacos is made with walnuts, which work surprisingly well as a taco filling. They can stand up to bold spices. And the filling gets a sticky, tomato-y flavor from sun-dried tomatoes.
Raw tacos pop with all of the flavors you already know and love from traditional tacos. There's cumin, ancho chili powder, paprika, coriander, and onion powder. Then they're finished with sliced avocado or a dollop of guacamole.
Raw tacos are especially good in the summer months. No stove is required, and they're ready in about 15 minutes. Plus, they feel nice and light when it's muggy outside.
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“Made these for my husband for Father’s Day. It was all incredibly delicious! The nut mixture with sun-dried tomato made me cry a little it was so yummy. This will now be a staple dish for us. Filling but not too much, just right!” – Caroline
Ingredients for raw tacos
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Walnut taco meat ingredients:
Walnuts: Choose shelled, unsalted walnuts.
Sun-dried tomatoes: For a stickier filling and stronger punch of flavor, I recommend oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. However, if you're avoiding oil, rehydrated or bagged sun-dried tomatoes also work.
Tamari: This Japanese-style soy sauce adds umami, salt, and hydration, so the spices can cling to the nuts. It can be replaced with your preferred soy sauce or soy sauce alternative. (To keep this dish gluten-free, choose a gluten-free option.)
Seasonings: Ancho chili powder, paprika, onion powder, coriander, cumin, and salt.
Ancho chili powder is different from a chili powder blend. It’s made with just one ingredient – ancho chilies. It is flavorful, but not hot.
Raw taco toppings:
Romaine leaves: Choose fresh, crisp leaves that can stand up to taco filling and toppings.
Tomato: Choose a tomato that’s heavy for its size with vibrant, consistent color, and a fragrant aroma near the stem. (If tomatoes are out of season, use cherry tomatoes, which tend to be more forgiving in the winter.)
Bell pepper: Choose red, orange, or yellow bell pepper for the sweetest, juiciest flavor.
Cilantro: Select bright green cilantro, and steer clear of any that are wilted or yellowing.
Green onions: Mild green onions add that allium flavor without being too harsh. Look for ones with bright green tops and firm white base bulbs.
Optional toppings: Add any other flavorful ingredients you enjoy like pickled jalapeños, avocado, or guacamole.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
1. To make walnut taco meat, put all of the following ingredients into a food processor:
- Walnuts
- Sun-dried tomatoes (Oil-packed preferred)
- Tamari
- Ancho chili powder
- Paprika
- Onion Powder
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Salt
2. Pulse or combine on low until the walnut mixture has a crumbly, sticky texture.
Stop and scrape down the sides while you combine, so that everything is evenly chopped.
Be careful not to over blend. You don't want to turn it into walnut butter.
3. Fill romaine leaves with toppings:
- A smattering of walnut taco meat
- Diced bell pepper
- Sliced green onion
- Diced tomato
- Cilantro
Make them your own
You can personalize these raw tacos by varying the ingredients.
- Replace romaine leaves with cabbage or collard leaves (with the hard center rib removed)
- Add optional toppings like sliced olives, avocado, or easy guacamole
- Add pickled ingredients like pickled jalapeños, pickled red onions, pickled shallots, or quick pickled green garlic
- Add a finishing sauce like cashew queso, salsa verde, roasted tomato salsa, cilantro chimichurri, or vegan sour cream
Serving suggestions
This raw dinner recipe is terrific on its own or served alongside any of the following sides:
- Black bean corn avocado salad
- Vegan 7 layer dip
- Vegan refried pinto beans
- Vegan refried black beans
- Peach & black bean salsa
- Watermelon salsa
In addition to being great on raw tacos, add this walnut taco meat to your vegan nacho bar!
Storage instructions
Store all the walnut taco meat and toppings separately in airtight containers in the fridge. When refrigerated properly, walnut taco meat will last 3 to 4 days.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Raw tacos with walnut taco meat (vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts unsalted
- 2 Tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes oil-packed or rehydrated dried tomatoes*
- 2 teaspoons tamari
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Pinch of salt
- 4 to 6 romaine leaves rinsed and patted dry**
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 red bell pepper or orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- To make the walnut meat, process the walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, tamari, ancho chili powder, paprika, onion powder, coriander, cumin, and salt in a food processor until crumbled into small pieces. Take time to stop and scrape down the sides, if necessary, as you process. The mixture should be sticky and crumbly in the fingers. You don't want to blend until it's walnut butter.
- Fill each romaine leaf with a scoop of walnut taco filling, chopped tomatoes, and red bell pepper.
- Garnish with cilantro and green onions. If you like, add any optional ingredients on top like jalapeno slices, sliced olives, guacamole, or avocado.
Watch how to make it
Notes
Nutrition
Content updated March 3, 2026. Originally posted February 12, 2012.
Rose A Saulus says
Delicious 😋
Cadry Nelson says
So glad you enjoyed it, Rose!
Anthony says
Do i refrigerate the leftovers or leave it out?
Cadry Nelson says
You should refrigerate the leftovers.
Trevor Walker says
I just made this tonight, and I highly recommend it!
Cadry Nelson says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Trevor!
Anthony says
Thank you
Cadry Nelson says
You’re welcome. I hope you enjoyed the tacos!
Malikah Hugs says
Recipe bomb! Gratitude
Cadry Nelson says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Cindy says
I just made this today and I am hooked :-). The walnut meat is so delicious! Will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe x
Cadry Nelson says
I’m so glad you liked it, Cindy! Thanks for the great feedback!
Cat Moody says
Just made these! Wow! Amazing!
Cadry Nelson says
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks for the great feedback, Cat!
Kathy Boyd says
Finally got around to making these. These will be a staple for summer forevermore. It’s a perfect meal on this hot, humid August evening. The taco meat is so amazing. Next time I will make a double batch. I love that you can add whatever toppings you have on hand. I totally forgot about olives and jalapeños. Next time!
Cadry says
Thank you for the great feedback, Kathy! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them and that they will be a summer staple from now on.
Caroline says
Made these for my husband for Fathers Day and a raw blueberry “cheesecake” for dessert. It was all incredibly delicious! The nut mixture with sun dried tomato made me cry a little it was so yummy. This will now be a staple dish for us. Filling but not too much, just right! Thank you 🙏
Cadry says
Oh, tacos and cheesecake? Sounds like my kind of celebratory meal! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you for the feedback.
Jenn says
I have never thought to serve tacos in collard greens, but now I’m going to. I LOVE collard greens! I also love walnuts in taco “meat.” These sound so flavorful and delicious and, a big bonus, easy!
Cadry says
So easy! It’s amazing how much flavor & deliciousness you can get out of 10 minutes of work and no stove. 😀
Sarah says
Love walnut tacos! And LOVE your whale cutting board! So cute!
Cadry says
Thanks, Sarah! I just bought that cutting board recently. I’d had my eye on it all summer, and it finally went on sale! 😀
Ginny says
These raw tacos look so good! Cashew Queso? Yes, please 🙂
Cadry says
Thanks, Ginny! Cashews make everything better. 🙂
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
I’ve never been to SunCafe, but I’m always hearing great things about it. I am definitely making your tacos!
Cadry says
Oh, you should definitely go sometime! It’s one of my all-time favorite restaurants. The food is really inventive and fresh.
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen says
I love raw tacos! I love how versatile they are. Your recipe is completely different from mine – I’m going to have to try it!
Cadry says
Yes, so much versatility with raw tacos! And you can really taste the freshness. All of those flavors just pop. I hope you enjoy the tacos, Dianne!
Ashlae | oh, ladycakes says
I’m making tacos next week and I really need to acquaint myself with walnut meat. But I’m so addicted to making TVP meat – maybe I can combine the two? Hmm..
Cadry's Kitchen says
Maybe you could have a variety of taco options! The walnut taco meat is ready in less than five minutes. So after you’ve chopped toppings, which would work for both, you could have one raw taco and one TVP taco.
Richa@HobbyandMore says
i love all the greens and veggies in this taco! i love those bowls too!
Cadry's Kitchen says
Aren’t fresh vegetables so beautiful? Whenever I pull out a collard green leaf, I just have to comment on how stunning it looks.
Ashlae says
Ok, the tacos look and sound delicious (and ridiculously healthy) – but your bowls are absolutely gorgeous! Anthropologie? West Elm? Neither? Do tell me where you got them, please? 🙂
cadryskitchen says
You guessed it! I got these little prep bowls at Anthropologie. They offer them in several colors. I only wish I’d gotten more!
Cara says
How on earth did I miss those bowls???!!!! We have the same ones now 🙂
cadryskitchen says
Those bowls are taking the blogosphere by storm! I see them everywhere. They’re so cute and look great in photos.
Cara says
I have this big ol’ box of Anthro kitchenware that I just sit and stare at and tell each item how much I love and adore them 🙂 Is that weird? ha
cadryskitchen says
Absolutely not. I think that makes perfect sense. 🙂 I moved all of my favorite pottery from local artists and stores like Anthropology, and I keep them in one specific cupboard. Whenever I open that door, I feel a little mini wave of happiness.
Cara says
We are Anthro nerds 🙂 I wouldn’t have it any other way!!!
Ema says
Oh my goodness I just made this and my mind is BLOWN. But really…. WOWOWOWOOWOWOW soo good!!
cadryskitchen says
I’m delighted to hear that, Ema! So glad you enjoyed them!
Carrie says
oh wow – look at those colors! I love that taco night can be healthy. 🙂
Andrea says
I had raw nutmeat tacos at Vida Vegan and they were amazing. Your version sounds great and I especially like the addition of the sun-dried tomatoes. Thanks for including the info about where to buy them without oil. I made a ton of dehydrated tomatoes but they are almost gone and I’d like to be able to buy something similar that’s not packed in oil.
Cara says
Making these for dinner tonight!
cadryskitchen says
Yay! I hope you love them!
Kale Crusaders (@KaleCrusaders) says
Collard greens are a genius taco shell substitute! They won’t get soggy and fall apart upon first bite.
cadryskitchen says
Collard greens are great for taco shells or wraps. Plus, you get the added benefit of more raw collards in your diet! 🙂
Sarah (appifanie) says
Those look great! Tacos are by far the best raw food – yummy!
cadryskitchen says
Agreed! Raw pizza is also amazing, but it takes a lot more time and effort, and a dehydrator. The great thing about tacos is that they’re ready in ten minutes!