Healthy and delicious vegan Cinco de Mayo recipes! Amazing dishes made entirely of whole-food plant-based ingredients and full of flavor.
I love Mexican food and could eat it any day of the week. And, it doesn’t help there are some excellent Mexican restaurants within walking distance of my house. It’s both a blessing and a curse.
But, one of our favorite things to do every is host a big Cinco de Mayo party with delicious vegan Mexican recipes. There’s an endless supply of tasty tacos, bean dip, and rivers of blood orange margaritas.
But, we also take time to understand why we actually celebrate. Before we dig in, a couple of our friends from Mexico take the time to give a us brief history of this significant moment in Mexican history. It’s very moving.
Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration that commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. If you’re not that familiar be sure and read more about it HERE.
Cinco de Mayo Shopping List
To facilitate this great celebration of Mexican culture be sure and try to use fresh veggies and ingredients. Here are some of the most common items I use most often in vegan Cinco de Mayo recipes:
- black beans
- pinto beans
- sweet potatoes (great for making tacos)
- lime juice
- corn tortillas: not only are these great for tacos, but you can bake them and make healthy crunchy tortilla chips for my amazing vegan cheese dip.
- bell peppers: green and red bell peppers
- whole wheat flour tortillas
- wild mushrooms: great for making vegan taco meat or fajitas
- fresh cilantro
- red onion and green onion
- sweet corn
- fresh jalapeño peppers
- rice: brown rice makes a really nice and nutty cilantro lime rice
This list is by no means exhaustive. But, as you will see in the recipes below with a little help from some of my favorite fellow bloggers, you can create one amazing Cinco de Mayo feast in the comfort of your own regardless of dietary restrictions.
Vegan Cinco de Mayo Feast
So, if you’re ready, let’s get to it! And, don’t be thinking just because these recipes are plant-based they’re not full of flavor. On the contrary, even your most ardent meat-eater friends will be blown away with this next level table spread.
Vegan Taco Recipes
Let’s start with my favorite recipes…TACOS! Anyone can throw meat and cheese in a shell and call it a taco. But, these delicious vegan taco recipes are full of delicious flavors that will tickle anyone’s taste buds.
Cauliflower Walnut Vegan Taco Meat
The BEST Vegan Taco Meat is made with cauliflower, mushrooms, walnuts, and spices. It’s so easy to make and ready in only 20 minutes. The perfect vegan taco meat substitute.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos
These roasted sweet potato tacos by Cookie & Kate is one of my my favorite recipes! It features spicy black beans and avocado-pepita dip. So delicious! This recipe is vegetarian and uses oil for the black beans. But, I easily make plant-based and vegan by removing the cheese and the oil from the recipe.
Crockpot Quinoa Tacos
These Crockpot Quinoa Tacos are from the team at Plantstrong! I truly believe I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Rip Esselstyn. This a great dish to make ahead and can easily serve a large family or to fill your fridge with leftovers. We love filling corn tortillas with this hearty mixture and then topping with avocado, cilantro, and hot sauce.
VeganMashed Potato Tacos
Yes, you heard right. Mashed Potato Tacos! The perfect way not to let leftovers go to waste. Layered with my vegan sour cream, hot sauce, crunchy fat-free potato chips, and delicious green onion. It’s whole-food plant-based comfort food at its finest!
Vegan Enchilada Recipes
A wonderful collection of plant-based enchilada recipes that will blow your mind! Cover with your favorite toppings for truly delicious Mexican feast.
The BEST Vegan Enchiladas
Seriously the BEST Vegan Enchiladas from Nora at Nora Cooks! Made with all whole-food plant-based ingredients, including easy plant meat, black beans, and vegan cheese sauce. This recipe will BLOW YOUR MIND! Serve it up with a side of rice for a complete meal.
Vegan Enchilada Casserole (Oil-free & Gluten-Free)
Sweet Simple Vegan is one of my favorite sites. She makes some amazing stuff! And, this dish is one of them. A healthy vegan enchilada casserole that is perfect for parties, weeknight dinners, and even meal prep for the week. This recipe is easy to make, free of oil & gluten, and just so dang good!
Vegan Side Dish Recipes
You don’t need a ton of sides. Rice and beans with incredible flavor is more than enough. Check out these easy recipes.
Unfried Refried Beans
Fat-free, low-sodium, vegan and healthy. These unfried refried beans are perfect as a side dish or making your favorite party bean dip. Top with fresh jalapeños for an extra kick.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Cilantro Lime Rice by Simple Veganista is so easy to make and a great side for Mexican cuisine. There are also easy directions for the stovetop, rice cooker, or instant pot!
Easy Vegan Black Beans
This Easy Black Beans Recipe is fast, delicious, and so easy to make. Made in one pot and with only 6 ingredients, this recipe is great for taco bars and makes great leftovers.
Dips & Appetizers
No Cinco de Mayo fiesta is complete without a collection of delicious dips and chips. And, the best part is all of these recipes are healthy and made with whole-food, plant-based ingredients.
Vegan Cashew Queso
This Easy Vegan Cashew Queso is the perfect plant-based cheese dip. It’s great for the big game or any gathering. Healthy, dairy-free, and delicious!
Best Mexican 7-Layer Bean Dip
This Vegan 7 Layer Dip is the perfect Cinco de Mayo treat! It’s made with healthy, whole-food ingredients and is the perfect appetizer or party treat.
The Best Guacamole Ever!
This guacamole recipe by Ambitious Kitchen is THE BEST EVER!!! A mix between creamy and chunky with bites of heat from fresh jalapeños and flavor from cilantro and lime juice. You need this in your life!
Spicy Mango Guacamole
This spicy mango guacamole from Simply Quinoa is made with less than 10 ingredients and it makes the best dip, spread or toast topper! Whole plant-based ingredients and incredible flavor.
Grilled Corn Guacamole
The first time I ever tried this recipe by Natasha’s Kitchen my knees buckled. Grilled Corn Guacamole is sweet, smoky and so satisfying! We love this spin on Classic Guacamole. The addition of sweet charred corn, red onion, and a bit of cumin make this an irresistible appetizer.
Salsa Verde
This authentic Mexican salsa verde recipe from Gimme Some Oven (best blog name ever!) is easy to make in the blender or food processor, and tastes absolutely delicious!
BEST Pico do Gallo
Pico de Gallo by Lisa at Downshiftology is an authentic Mexican chunky salsa recipe that’s simple to make at home with fresh ingredients. It’s delicious, addictive, and has a spicy kick. It’s fresh and so easy to make!
Oil-Free Baked Homemade Tortilla Chips
These Baked Homemade Tortilla Chips are crunchy, delicious, and so easy to make! You only need 1 ingredient and 15 minutes to make healthy restaurant-quality chips from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Happy Cinco de Mayo
I hope these recipes help you to have a delicious and healthy Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Dear Shane,
These are wonderful recipes! Yet as with so much of the success with these kinds of foods, the magic is in the preparatory technique. I would have loved a demonstration for the making of them all, in film tutorial form. Please make a film about it.
How do you prepare the tortillas for using them in the tacos, chips and enchiladas, short of frying them. Don’t take anything for granted. There is method in the processing. Thank you ever so much. You are my hero when it comes to vegan food preparation.
Are you by chance teaching vegan chefs to work in restaurants dedicated to WFPB NoSOS food preparation? I am contemplating opening such a restaurant and there seems to be a shortage of people prepared to quantity cooking preparation, vegan style. This is a problem with vegan food availability–where do you find it?
Thank you, again, for all the good you do.
Best,
Frances Morey