These flavor-packed, meatless Quinoa Tacos couldn’t be easier; we dump everything into the slow cooker (no chopping or sautéing beforehand) and let the appliance work its magic! Once the quinoa is cooked, load the satisfying filling on warmed tortillas and add your favorite taco toppings. It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe!
We’re obsessed with good tacos, even if they don’t have any meat! Try some of our other favorite meatless tacos like these black bean and corn Healthy Tacos, these Pinto Bean Tacos, or these sweet potato Vegetarian Tacos.
Quinoa Tacos
This recipe aims to have a ridiculously quick and straightforward prep time while still delivering a flavor-packed nutritious meal. That’s a challenging combination!
Nutritious and vegetarian (or vegan) meals made in the slow cooker are hard to come by, and that makes me just that much more excited about sharing this recipe. It is quite literally one of the quickest prep recipes — simply open cans or bags and throw everything in — no prepping ingredients, no chopping — just dump it all in, stir it up, and forget about it until dinnertime. Game changer!
Quinoa Tacos are certainly unique, but totally satisfying, nonetheless. They’ve got so much flavor and plant-based protein (thank you beans and quinoa) that you won’t miss the meat.
Quinoa Tacos Ingredients
- Uncooked quinoa. That’s right! The quinoa doesn’t need to be cooked prior to putting it in the slow cooker. Quinoa has a natural saponin coating that needs to be rinsed before eating to avoid bitter-tasting quinoa. A lot of brands advertise they have already rinsed the quinoa so if you’d like to save a minute or two, grab pre-rinsed!
- Chicken or vegetable stock. I highly recommend Swanson’s® vegetable or chicken stock (not sponsored) which I’ve found to have the most robust flavor for a store-bought stock.
- Black beans. Thoroughly rinse and drain the beans before adding. If you’d like, you can also use leftover from-scratch black beans in this recipe.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes. The tomatoes make a big difference flavor-wise in these Quinoa Tacos, so It is worth good-quality fire-roasted tomatoes. This type of tomato is charred over a flame before being crushed and canned. Contact with that flame brings out the tomato’s sweetness and gives a distinct smoky flavor; essentially, you’re getting more flavor without any extra work. Muir Glen® is my personal favorite brand (not sponsored).
- Enchilada sauce. Enchilada sauce varies greatly in heat from brand to brand. I personally love and recommend Old El Paso’s® red enchilada sauce (not sponsored). I would say this particular brand keeps these Quinoa Tacos much milder. If you aren’t able to find this specific brand, I’d recommend tasting the enchilada sauce first and making sure it isn’t too spicy.
- Frozen corn. If you opt for canned corn instead, be sure to drain it first.
- Taco seasoning. Again, taco seasoning packets can vary in the spice level and even in overall flavor. I’ve generally found the cheaper the taco seasoning packet, the less flavor it has. Our personal favorite is McCormick’s® Mild Taco Seasoning (not sponsored). If you don’t mind spending a couple of extra minutes of prep time, you can always make your own. Check out my “quick tip” box below!
Quick Tip
If you’d prefer to make your own taco seasoning blend instead of using a store-bought mix, here’s my go-to taco seasoning blend (this mix evenly replaces the store-bought mix in this Quinoa Tacos recipe):
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder (McCormick for mild chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, fine sea salt, and pepper
Quinoa Taco Topping Ideas
This quinoa-based taco filling is pretty stellar straight out of the slow cooker, but, as with most taco recipes, the toppings really seal the deal. Our “must-have” toppings include lime juice, avocado, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Below are some other ideas:
- Grated sharp (or extra-sharp) Cheddar cheese (pretty much any cheese you enjoy on tacos will work well with these!)
- Chopped cherry tomatoes or pico de gallo
- Fresh chopped cilantro or thinly sliced green onions
- Fresh lime wedges
- Thinly sliced jalapeños
- A large scoop of sour cream (we use fat-free to keep these on the light side); you can also use Greek yogurt.
- Sliced avocado or a scoop of guacamole
- Pickled red onions (I share a quick pickled red onion recipe on these chicken tinga tacos)
- Add a sauce! The cilantro-lime sauce on these shrimp tacos would be satisfying. A quick lime crema would also be great.
Recipe Tips
- Use a large 6-quart slow cooker so the quinoa has plenty of room to properly cook.
- Cook on high. Unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t cook well on low. The quinoa needs higher heat to “pop” and cook through.
- Generously grease the slow cooker or use a liner. The quinoa has a tendency to stick to the edges.
- Additional add-ons. If you aren’t optimizing for quick prep, feel free to get creative with add-ins like sautéing some onion and garlic before adding it to the slow cooker along with everything else. Try a diced jalapeño for some heat. You can also add some meat if desired. Add some raw boneless skinless breasts or thighs (cut into smaller pieces and submerged below all the liquid). Once everything is cooked, shred meat with 2 forks, and gently stir it back into the mix.
More quinoa recipes
- Quinoa Enchilada slow cooker ground turkey, black beans, and corn
- Mexican Quinoa made in the slow cooker with butternut squash
- Caprese Quinoa Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
- Chicken Quinoa Bowl with a mango-black bean salsa
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
