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This crumbly and flavourful vegan ground beef meat alternative is the perfect swap for soy filled, expensive fake meats (or ground beef!) Made from whole ingredients, vegan ground beef is surprisingly meaty. It tastes extremely close to ground beef if seasoned well making it a great meal for transitioning vegans.
Everyone has their own reason for why they went vegan. Whether it may be for the animals, health issues, or wanting to incorporate a more plant based diet. Whatever your reason may be, this recipe is sure to make taco Tuesday fun without the animal cruelty!
My meat eating mother said herself this vegan ground beef recipe that makes her not want to eat ground beef anymore.
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This recipe is easy to make and super versatile. Of course it can be served up on Taco Tuesday to pair with your favorite tortillas and delicious cashew cheese sauce. Top off salads, nourish bowls, spaghetti bolognese. Crumble it on top of nachos, sprinkled into burritos, or can simply serve as a quick snack.
Great news is the recipe can be made completely raw. Its is also naturally alkaline making it friendly to our raw vegan friends or anyone following Dr. Sebi’s diet. If you choose to eat this raw, simple pulse the nuts, add the seasoning, and you’re all good to go!
Need more soy free plant based recipes? Check the blog for a list of delicious and easy inspiration.
Gluten & Soy Free Meat Alternative
If you have a gluten sensitivity or like to exclude it from your diet, check out all of the other great gluten free recipes on the blog! It also has no soy because I used coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. I try to limit my soy intake as much as possible. Coconut aminos have been a great replacement with a similar flavour with just a hint of sweetness. If you’re interested, grab some bottles here.
Some recipes call for mushroom but I’ve found that the walnut meat tastes just as meaty, flavourful, and delicious without. Feel free to add your choice of mushrooms if you wish. I love making this when I’m craving something that has a meaty substance. It is so much more affordable than the price fake meat in grocery stores that are loaded with ingredients.
How to eat Vegan Walnut Taco Meat
Even though this meat replacement is commonly used by vegans in place of ground beef in tacos, it can be used in many ways! Incorporate the vegan walnut taco meat into many meals such as…
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Top off colourful salads
- Burritos
- Add in spicy vegan chili
Prepping the “meat”
Although this is a simple recipe, it takes a little bit of prep. I always soak my walnut in hot water 15 minutes before processing/blending and cooking. Of course the walnuts can be kept as is. However, I always soak any type of nuts I consume because it aids in better digestion. But if you’re running low on time or you’re super hungry, feel free to skip this step.
Apart from soaking the walnuts before hand, the only other item that needs to be prepped is the onion. Make sure to chop it very finely as it will be mixed and cooked with the walnuts. After the nuts have been soaked and drained, plop them in a blender or food processor until they resemble meat like crumbles. Be sure not to blend too much or else they will turn into a paste. If you’re looking for a good food processor to get the job done. The Hamilton Beach Food Processor has hundreds of good reviews on amazon.
Vegan Walnut Taco Meat: What you’ll need
The necessary items for this recipe are fairly basic and it does not take a long time to cook if you even decide to put heat on it. Here is everything you’ll need to make your Taco Tuesday full of flavour and reminiscent of the good ole days.
- Walnuts
- Onion/Garlic Powder
- Coconut aminos (soy free alternative but feel free to use soy sauce. Get your own bottle using this link)
- Sea Salt
- Paprika
- Cumin
And a little bit of water to cook down and steam the walnuts but this step can be skipped!
Yep, thats it! What I love about this recipe is that its extremely simple and friendly to almost all diets (not nut free of course). It has no gluten or soy and can also be incorporated into an alkaline diet.
Advice – Cooking Vegan Ground Beef
Here a few quick tips when preparing this dish. Sometimes I add a little bit of water to the walnuts when blending (because of my low power blender). Be careful of not adding too much.
One time I added a bit too much water when making a meat sub for my tomato pasta and it turned into a creamy taste. If you don’t have a proper food processor, either be patient with a blender and scrape the sides or chop the nuts with a knife.
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