Vegan Al Pastor Tacos

You'll love these easy, sweet and spicy Vegan Mushroom Al Pastor Tacos! They come together in 30 minutes; perfect for a weeknight dinner. You can also meal prep the mushrooms for an extra quick option.

My husband and I typically make tacos once a week. Usually, we just use whatever we have leftover in the fridge, which means my vegan tacos end up being plain black bean + some avocado.

Every once in a while (when we prepare ahead!), we get a bit fancier. That usually means something like shredded chicken tacos for my husband, and something like these vegan al pastor tacos for me!

They're surprisingly easy to make – much easier than the traditional pork recipe. With sweet pineapple, smoky chipotles in adobo and tender caramelized onions, they're absolutely packed with flavor.

Meaty mushrooms make for a satisfying taco. Just pair with some avocado or guac and you're good to go!

What is al pastor?

Traditional Mexican al pastor is made with spit-roasted pork marinated in a variety of spices, chilies and pineapple. It's often served as street food in a tortilla with sliced onion and more diced pineapple.

It's slightly sweet, spicy, smoky, and altogether crowd-pleasing. It makes for an absolutely delicious taco, but the traditionally prepared recipe isn't easy to make at home.

These vegan mushroom al pastor tacos are so much easier. Seriously, they take less than 30 minutes to make!

Which mushrooms are best for vegan al pastor?

Portobellos are my mushroom of choice. They're easy to prepare and plenty meaty, tender and ready to soak up lots of flavor.

To prepare the mushrooms for these tacos, it's best to roughly dice them. I leave some pieces a bit larger to more closely mimic the texture of meat. Be sure to remove the tough, woody stem.

To clean portobello mushrooms, use a damp paper towel to gently remove excess dirt.

You can also substitute with cremini mushrooms, or even something like oyster mushrooms. Stay away from smaller, thinner mushrooms (like shiitakes) – you want something meaty and thick. Portobellos are probably the most cost efficient option, too.

Vegan Al Pastor Taco Ingredients

There are a few essential ingredients you'll need to make sure these tacos taste great.

• Pineapple. Fresh pineapple is best and adds so much fresh flavor! You'll only need about a cup for this recipe, so chop up the rest and enjoy as a snack.
• Onion. To add more texture and deep flavor to this vegan al pastor, I start by caramelizing some onions before adding the mushrooms. Don't skip this step – it adds so much flavor!
• Garlic. Fresh garlic is essential! If you're garlic-obsessed, an extra clove or two won't hurt.
• Chipotles in adobo. One of my favorite taco ingredients!! Chipotles in adobo are smoked and dried jalapeños rehydrated in a flavorful adobo sauce. You'll find them in the canned aisle, typically near other canned chilies. For this recipe, you'll use two whole chipotles, plus some of the sauce that comes in the can.
• Smoked paprika for extra smoky flavor!
• Cumin – a quintessential taco spice.
• Limes for acidity, to balance everything out. Always use fresh limes!

More Vegan Taco Recipes

• Spicy Black Bean and Cauliflower Tacos
• Vegan Taco Lettuce Wraps
• Spicy Breakfast Potato Tacos
• Vegan Portobello Sheet Pan Fajitas

If you make these Vegan Mushroom Al Pastor Tacos, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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