Mexican cooking for vegans: 12 fully plant-based recipes

There is a persistent myth that Mexican cooking is all meat, lard and cheese. And yes, those ingredients are important. But the truth is that the foundation of Mexican cooking is deeply plant-based: maize, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, nopales, avocado, aromatic herbs and an incredible variety of vegetables and fruit. Pre-Hispanic cooking was mostly plant-based - meat was a luxury reserved for special occasions.

This means that Mexican cooking is, perhaps, the traditional cuisine in the world most easily adaptable to a vegan diet. It is not about 'veganising' recipes by removing ingredients: many Mexican dishes are already vegan by nature. In this article we present 12 fully plant-based recipes that are authentically Mexican, delicious and perfectly possible to make with ingredients available in the US.

1. Black frijoles de olla with epazote

Pot-cooked beans are the foundation of Mexican eating and are naturally vegan. You only need black beans, water, onion, garlic and epazote (or bay as a substitute). They are cooked slowly until the broth thickens naturally. They are served in their broth with warm tortillas. It is the most comforting and nutritious food there is.

Quick recipe: Soak 500g of black beans overnight. Drain and boil in fresh water with half an onion, 3 garlic cloves and a sprig of epazote. Cook for 2-3 hours over a medium heat (45 min in a pressure cooker) until soft. Salt at the end. Frijoles de olla are better the next day, when the broth thickens even more.

2. Classic guacamole

Guacamole is inherently vegan. Mashed avocado with chopped white onion, serrano chile (or green chile), fresh cilantro, lime juice and salt. Nothing more. Serve with corn totopos or as an accompaniment to any dish. Authentic guacamole contains no garlic, no cumin, no sour cream - those are Tex-Mex additions.

3. Grilled nopal tacos

Nopales (cactus paddles) are one of the most nutritious foods in Mexico: high in fibre, low in calories, rich in vitamins and minerals. They are grilled on a comal or pan with a little salt and oil until tender and slightly browned. They are served in a corn tortilla with onion, cilantro, salsa verde and avocado.

In the US: You can find fresh or canned nopales in Mexican shops. If you use canned nopales, drain them and let them rest to lose the slime (mucilage) before grilling.

4. Vegan esquites

Traditional esquites contain mayonnaise, but the vegan version is just as addictive: corn kernels cooked in broth with epazote, served with vegan mayonnaise, chili powder (hot paprika), lime and nutritional yeast (which replaces the grated cheese). The result is creamy, spicy and full of flavor.

5. Vegan green chilaquiles

Chilaquiles are naturally vegan if you leave out the cream and cheese - and in many fondas in Mexico they are served this way, just with salsa. Fry tortillas cut into triangles until crisp. Make salsa verde by blending cooked tomatillos with serrano chile, onion, garlic and cilantro. Heat the salsa, add the totopos and mix quickly. Serve with sliced avocado and pickled red onion.

6. Vegan tortilla soup

Traditional tortilla soup uses chicken stock, but a version with an intense vegetable stock is just as delicious. Fry strips of tortilla until crisp. Blend roasted tomatoes with toasted pasilla chile, garlic and onion. Fry the salsa, add vegetable stock and boil for 15 minutes. Serve with the crisp tortilla strips, avocado, pasilla chile fried in strips and a squeeze of lime.

7. Potato tacos with rajas

One of the most popular tacos de guisado in Mexican fondas, and completely vegan. Cook diced potatoes and sauté them with rajas (strips of roasted, peeled pepper) and onion. Season with cumin and salt. Serve in tortillas with salsa verde. Simple, hearty and delicious.

8. Vegan red pozole

Substitute the pork with mushrooms in large pieces and diced squash. Use an intense vegetable stock with the same guajillo and ancho chile salsa. Add cacahuazintle (pozole) maize. The result is surprisingly satisfying, with the depth of the chile and the texture of the maize that define pozole. Serve with the same accompaniments: lettuce, radish, onion, oregano and lime.

9. Rajas tamales with vegan cheese

Tamales are made with maize dough and lard. For the vegan version, substitute the lard with coconut oil (solid) or vegetable shortening. The filling: poblano chile rajas (roasted pepper) with sautéed onion and a melting vegan cheese. Wrap in corn husks and steam for 1-1.5 hours. The texture of a well-made tamal with coconut oil is surprisingly similar to the traditional one.

10. Vegan enfrijoladas

Enfrijoladas are the humble cousin of enchiladas: tortillas bathed in black-bean sauce. Blend cooked black beans with their broth to a smooth sauce. Heat the sauce. Pass tortillas through the sauce, fold and place on a plate. Bathe with more sauce and serve with avocado, red onion and cilantro. It is a simple and deeply satisfying dish.

11. Bean tlacoyos

Tlacoyos are oval-shaped maize dough, filled with beans and cooked on a comal. They are pre-Hispanic, they are vegan and they are one of the most underrated snacks in Mexican cooking. Mix masa harina (nixtamalized maize flour) with water to a soft dough. Form a thick oval, make a hollow, put in a spoonful of mashed black beans, close and flatten. Cook in a dry pan or with a little oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with salsa verde, chopped nopales and onion.

12. Mexican red rice with vegetables

Mexican red rice is naturally vegan if you use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Fry the rice in oil until golden. Blend tomatoes with onion and pour over the rice (mind the splatters). Add hot vegetable stock, diced carrots, chopped green beans and peas. Cover and cook over the lowest heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.

Key ingredients for vegan Mexican cooking

• Nixtamalized maize dough: The base of tortillas, tamales, tlacoyos, sopes, gorditas. It is the most important ingredient.
• Beans: Black, pinto or borlotti. The main source of plant protein in Mexican cooking.
• Dried chiles: Guajillo, ancho, chipotle, de árbol. They give depth and complexity to any dish.
• Nopales: High in fibre and nutrients. Versatile in tacos, salads, soups.
• Pumpkin seeds: For salsas (pipián), as a snack, as a garnish.
• Avocado: A healthy fat that replaces cream and cheese in many applications.

The secret: Mexican cooking is already vegan

The great advantage of vegan Mexican cooking is that you are not 'adapting' recipes: you are recovering the original pre-Hispanic cuisine. Before the Spanish conquest, the Mesoamerican diet was based on the sacred trio: maize, beans and squash. These three plants, combined with chiles and herbs, formed a nutritionally complete diet.

Explore more options in our section of Mexican recipes and find specialist ingredients in our directory of Mexican shops in the US. Vegan Mexican cooking is not a modern trend: it is a return to the roots.