You’re going to love these vegan taquitos! They are soft corn tortillas filled with seasoned jackfruit and salsa verde. So good! Dip them in a Southwest Ranch Dressing for a delicious Cinco de Mayo snack.
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Did you know that this weekend is Cinco de Mayo?
That just snuck up on us, didn’t it? With the weather being so chilly the past few weeks (I mean seriously cold!), I had kinda forgotten it was even spring. And now, somehow, it’s almost May?!?
How did that happen?!?
I’m not sure what I can say (that I haven’t already said at least seventeen thousand times before) about life moving WAY too fast, but I will say that I’m happy for May’s arrival. Warmer and longer days are much needed after the rainy and chilly April that many of us have had. Summer is just around the corner and that gives us reason to celebrate. And so, let’s do just that; let’s celebrate by honoring Cinco de Mayo with Mexican-themed recipes all week long!
And we are going to start right here with these Vegan Taquitos.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Taquitos are a traditional Mexican street food that is kind of like a meat roll-up. Traditionally made with beef, chicken, or pork, spices, salsa, and cheese, these fillings are rolled up tightly into a corn tortilla and fried. For these vegan taquitos, I used one of my favorite whole food meat substitute.
Yep, you guessed it. Jackfruit.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil – I suggest olive oil but any neutral-flavored oil will do.
- Jackfruit – One of my favorite whole food meat replacements, the stringy texture is similar to that of chicken or pulled pork. Read more about jackfruit below.
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Spices – Chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt
- Fresh Cilantro
- Salsa Verde – Homemade or store bought.
- Corn Tortillas
- Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Recommended Equipment
You will need a baking pan, a good chef’s knife, cutting board, colander, sauté pan, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Taquitos
Step One – Prepare the Jackfruit
To begin, we must prepare the jackfruit. To do that simply follow these steps.
- Drain and rinse the fruit.
- Pat in dry with a kitchen towel.
- Shred the jackfruit.
When buying in a can, jackfruit comes in small triangles. At the base of the triangle, you’ll find a thick core. To shred it, hold the core between your thumb and forefinger and gently press up while pressing into the fruit with your thumb. The tops will easily shred into what you see below.
Watch this video to see it for yourself.
Step Two – Make the Filling
Sauté onions and garlic in a hot cast iron skillet until the onions are translucent and fragrant about 5 minutes.
Add the jalapeños, jackfruit, spices, and salt, stirring to evenly coat the jackfruit. Cook, over medium heat, until jackfruit begins to brown slightly around the edges, see picture above.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salsa verde, and fresh lime juice.
Step Three – Wrap and Bake
To prevent tortillas from tearing, it’s important to first steam them. To do this, wrap the tortillas in a kitchen towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds until they are warm and pliable.
Once the tortillas are soft, place about 3-4 tablespoons of jackfruit filling along with the bottom third of the tortilla. Tightly wrap the tortillas, push a toothpick through the middle, and place them seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the filling is gone.
Brush the tops of each taquito with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Serving and Storing
Serving – Serve these jackfruit taquitos immediately while they are still hot. As they cool, they will start to get soggy and lose their crisp. Serve with Creamy Chipotle Ranch as part of your vegan Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Storing – This recipe does not store well. They should be eaten the same day they are made.
Frequently Asked Questions
For those of you who are unfamiliar, jackfruit is a large green tropical fruit that, when green, has very little flavor. The stringy texture, however, is similar to that of chicken or pulled pork, making it one of the most popular whole food vegan meat substitutes.
While some people buy jackfruit whole, I find getting it canned is the most convenient way to introduce jackfruit into your recipes.
Jackfruit is an incredible whole-food meat substitute. It has a similar texture to that of chicken or pulled pork and it takes on any flavors you give it. (Hello, Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos!)
When buying jackfruit in a can, it comes in small triangles. At the base of the triangle, you’ll find a thick core. To shred it, hold the core between your thumb and forefinger and gently press up while pressing into the fruit with your thumb. The tops will easily shred into what you see below.
Watch this video to see it for yourself.
Can these vegan taquitos be made in an air fryer?
Yes! If you’ve got yourself an air fryer and are curious about how they would air fry up, then I would recommend setting your air fryer to 380 and frying them for 7-8 minutes. If you do try the air fryer method, please let us know how they turn out in the comment section.
More Vegan Cinco de Mayo Recipes
- Mexican-Style Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Loaded Vegan Nachos
- Cauliflower Queso
- Black Bean and Butternut Squash Skillet Enchiladas
- Restaurant Style Guacamole
Vegan Taquitos with Jackfruit
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1 (20 ounce) can jackfruit, drained and patted dry
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
- 1/4 cup salsa verde, homemade or storebought
- juice of 1 lime
- 12 (8") corn tortillas
- 1/2 batch Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking pan and set aside.
- In a cast-iron skillet, heat up oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent and fragrant about 5 minutes.
- Add jalapeños, jackfruit, spices, and salt, stirring to evenly coat the jackfruit. Cook, over medium heat, until jackfruit begins to brown slightly around the edges, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salsa verde, and fresh lime juice.
- While jackfruit is cooking, wrap your tortillas in a towel and heat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until tortillas are soft and pliable.
- Place about 3-4 tablespoons of jackfruit filling along with the bottom third of the tortilla. Tightly wrap the tortillas, push a toothpick through the middle, and place them seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the filling is gone. Brush the tops of each taquito with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- While taquitos are baking, make the Chipotle Ranch according to these instructions. Serve alongside warm taquitos.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Kristin says
the combination of these with the chipotle ranch sounds insanely good!
Sondra Oravetz says
Forgot this other solution if making the corn taquitos is to wrap and warm in an oven, then fill, roll and stick a toothpick through until you fry them. However you get them to stick together they are yummy good!
Sondra Oravetz says
Thanks for the reminder of a dish I have not fixed in years. Must make these but I’ll probably fill them with spiced up and shredded soy curls. Another solution to rolling corn tortillas is to treat them like you would if making enchiladas – dip them in warmed enchilada sauce and shake or let drip off excess. Super easy and then bake or give a quick fry in a non-stick frying pan. Small flour tortillas are also good and dry roll better. Serve with salsa and mashed avocado in whatever form you like it. Do love your site
Mariposa Burciaga says
Or you can Warm up the Tortillas on the stove or on a skillet. I prefer not to use,a microwave because the radiation isn’t good. Why eat healthy if you end up poisoning your food? I have been eating a healthy and clean life for over 18 years. I appreciate your recipes. Just giving you my perspective and food for thought. Please don’t believe me and do thorough research on microwaves. Big Love to you@
Here’s to health!