Vegan fish tacos with chipotle cashew crema will whisk you away to a beachside cabana.

A satisfying lunch or dinner that is very easy to make!

Vegan fish tacos on plates by chipotle crema.

Fish tacos weren’t a big thing growing up in the Midwest in the 80’s and 90’s.

So it was with a certain amount of surprise that I realized how popular they were once I moved to California.

In Southern California, fish tacos are widely available in taquerias.

They’re served in soft corn tortillas, grilled or fried with cabbage slaw, crema, and a lime to squeeze on top.

So while vegan fish tacos weren’t the first thing that came to mind when Gardein released their fishless filets a few years back, it was a close second.

(What was the first? Vegan fish and chips with peas. Plus, plenty of malt vinegar & lemon juice for splashing on Long John Silvers-style.)

Using packaged Gardein as the bulk of the filling, vegan fish tacos are very easy to make & weeknight friendly to boot.

In this post:

Jump to:

Why readers love this recipe
Ingredients
Where can I find Gardein fishless filets?
Where can I buy chipotle peppers in adobo?
Step by step instructions
Standard blender instructions
Make it your own
📖 Recipe

Why readers love this recipe

“These fish tacos with chipotle crema are a dish we’ve made over and over, but especially when we have guests. Everyone loves them. We always make a full supply of the crema because we end up using it on other foods… It’s soooooo good. Thanks, Cadry, for this great recipe!” – Don

Ingredients

Vegan fish tacos are stuffed with:

Gardein fishless filets
Shredded cabbage mix
Onions
Avocado
A drizzle of chipotle crema (Made with cashews!)
A sprinkling of cilantro (Optional)

Because it’s so convenient, I like to buy bagged shredded cabbage mix for the filling.

(Shredded cabbage is one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products. But it’s widely available in most grocery stores.)

You can use the rest of the bag in vegan coleslaw or on top of a vegan BBQ sandwich.

Where can I find Gardein fishless filets?

Gardein fishless filets are sold in the freezer section of many natural grocery stores, and in the health market of stores like Hy-Vee.

You can find them in the plant-based meat freezer section in some locations of Target and Walmart.

Where can I buy chipotle peppers in adobo?

The bulk of the crema comes together with cashews and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

Chipotle chile peppers are made from jalapeño peppers that have been dried and smoked. They’re then put into smoky adobo sauce.

You can pick up canned chipotle peppers next to the jarred salsas and packaged tortillas in most grocery stores.

The 7-ounce cans are usually a couple of dollars.

You’ll need just two peppers for this recipe. Put the remaining peppers and sauce in a container in the refrigerator for later use. (Sweet potato and black bean tacos or chipotle black bean dip, perhaps?)

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Chipotle cashew crema ingredients in blender before blending.

Make the chipotle crema with raw cashews.

Put the following in a high-speed blender:

Raw cashews
Water
Chipotle peppers
Adobo sauce from can
Agave syrup
Lemon juice
Salt

Blend until smooth.

Chipotle cashew crema in blender post-blending.

Refrigerate the chipotle crema in a covered container until ready to serve.

The crema will thicken as it cools.

Gardein fishless filets in metal basket.

Follow the package instructions on the Gardein fishless filets.

Use one of these options:

Cook them in the conventional or toaster oven.
Microwave and then pan fry.
Use a deep fryer.
Air fry them.

Warm corn tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet for about one minute on each side on a medium heat.

Chipotle crema being poured onto vegan fish tacos.

Top warmed corn tortillas with the following:

Fishless filets cut into four pieces
Shredded cabbage mix
Onions
Sliced avocado
Cilantro

Drizzle each taco with chipotle crema.

Serve with lime wedges.

Standard blender instructions

If you don’t have a high speed blender, you’ll need to prepare the cashews first for a fully creamy sauce.

You have three options:

Grind dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder until the cashews turn into a flour. Then put the ground raw cashews into the blender with the remaining ingredients.
Soak the raw cashews first for several hours. Then drain & add to the blender.
Boil the raw cashews in water to soften. Then drain & add to the blender.

Make it your own

You can make these vegan fish tacos your own by varying the ingredients or amounts.

Swap out the Gardein fishless filets

Don’t have access to Gardein fishless filets or prefer something homemade?

Use one of these filling options instead:

Reduce the heat

Chipotle peppers vary in size.

If you’re heat averse, minimize the heat by:

Choosing smaller peppers
Removing the seeds from the peppers
Or just use one pepper

(Remember that the spicy sauce will be drizzled on mild fishless filets, though. So even if it tastes pretty spicy right out the blender pitcher, the heat will be tempered by the rest of the taco.)

Vary the sauce

Instead of chipotle crema, use a different sauce to finish.

Here are a few ideas:

Replace the cabbage

Cabbage is a good choice in vegan fish tacos, because it really holds its crunch under the sturdy fishless filets and thick chipotle crema. It also has a mild flavor that lets the other elements shine.

But if you’d prefer to chop your own cabbage by hand instead of buying pre-shredded, or use romaine or green leaf lettuce instead, go for it!

For more plant-based alternatives to fish & other sea life, check out these vegan seafood recipes.

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