Are you looking for a low-cost and quick vegan taco meat recipe? This is the easiest vegan taco meat I have found. It has an appealing texture and nice flavour, requires minimal preparation, and is high in protein and low in fat.

For this taco meat, I use dehydrated soy mince. It is also called textured vegetable protein or TVP, and is made from soy flour. Soy-based vegan meats have a very meaty texture and readily absorb flavours of the seasonings and spices added during cooking.

All you need for this taco meat is TVP, water or vegetable broth, and taco seasonings. The rehydrated soy mince is great for more than just tacos. Add it to pasta sauce, stir fry, meat balls, or a variety of other dishes to add a beefy texture and taste.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup water or vegetable broth
• 1 cup TVP
• Seasonings (1 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, chili powder, nutritional yeast, onion flakes)
• Optional: 2 tsp of soy sauce and 3 drops of liquid smoke
• One small red onion
• 3 cloves of garlic

Instructions

First, rehydrate the soy mince. Preheat a frying pan at the same time. You can use boiling water to rehydrate the soy mince (add boiling water, stir together, and let sit for 2 minutes), or mix cool water or vegetable broth with soy mince, stir together, and microwave for 2 minutes.

Add seasonings to the  rehydrated soy mince and stir until it is all mixed together (see picture of rehydrated soy mince and spices in a bowl). Seasonings include garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, chili powder, nutritional yeast, onion flakes. To keep the taco meat low in sodium, I do not add salt. You can add salt or additional seasonings to taste, if desired.

Chop the onion and garlic into very small pieces (see picture of minced onions and garlic in frying pan). Fry diced onion and garlic in the preheated frying pan in 1 tsp of oil. Stir frequently until softened, about 4 minutes. Once the onions and garlic are cooked, add the above mixture of hydrated soy mince and spices.

Stir constantly so the mixture does not stick to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute until the entire vegan taco meat mixture is hot.

Optional: add 2 tsp of soy sauce and 3 drops of liquid smoke. Stir thoroughly to mix evenly throughout the mixture.

Remove the pan from the heat, and use the vegan taco meat mixture in hard or soft tacos, with taco salad, or with rice. Leftovers can be refrigerated and used later cold or reheated.

To make hard shell tacos, layer vegan taco meat, lettuce, diced tomatoes, and salsa in crisp corn taco shells. Add any additional desired toppings (vegan cheese, avocado, peppers) and serve.