These Vegan Korean Beef Tacos are layered with seasoned vegan "beef", pickled zucchini, crunchy slaw and spicy mayo!
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If you want a vegan taco that packs a punch...look no further. There is layer upon layer of flavors going on. The vegan "beef" is a combo of soy crumbles and lentils that are cooked in a gochujang sauce with onions and garlic. The zucchini is sliced thin, then quickly pickled in a vinegar combo. The spicy mayo is a must. And we're throwing in some crunchy cabbage and green onions. Super simple, but so good.
How to make pickled zucchini
Since these aren't traditional tacos, I thought we should switch up the veggies. And this quick pickled zucchini adds the perfect tang to these tacos. You will basically follow the same instructions for my Pickled Onion recipe, but swap out the onion for zucchini (obviously) and the mustard seeds for sichuan peppercorns.
If you are sensitive to heat, you can also omit the peppercorns, but I love the flavor they add.
Heat the water, vinegar, sugar, salt and peppercorns in a sauce pan. Slice the zucchini super thin, and place it in a bowl or jar. Pour the vinegar mixture over top and allow it to sit and cool while you prep everything else. These will last for a few days in the fridge.
How to make Vegan Korean Beef
The sauce for this recipe is a combo of low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, gochujang and ground ginger. Mix it up and set aside.
Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat and cook down the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add in the cooked lentils and soy crumbles and cook for a few more minutes. Pour in the sauce and lower the heat until the sauce has thickened and been absorbed.
How to serve Vegan Korean Beef Tacos
To serve, heat tortillas over an open flame - the char is a must. Layer the "beef", shredded cabbage and pickled zucchini. Drizzle on some spicy mayo (just a combo of vegan mayo, sriracha and lime juice) and a few green onion slices.
There's so much to love about the tacos. The "beef" is super flavorful. The pickled zucchini has the perfect amount of tang. And the spicy mayo adds the creamy/spicy sauce element every taco needs.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Did you make this recipe???
If you made these Vegan Korean Beef Tacos I would LOVE to hear what you thought. Be sure to drop a comment and a rating below! You can also tag me on social media if you snapped a photo. I LOVE seeing your recreations!
Vegan Korean Beef Tacos
Ingredients
FOR THE PICKLED ZUCCHINI
- 1 medium zucchini thinly sliced, I used ½ green and ½ yellow
- ½ cup vinegar you can use apple cider or white
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ tablespoon sichuan peppercorns optional
FOR THE VEGAN BEEF
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1-3 teaspoons gochujang to taste
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
- 6 ounces cooked lentils
- 6 ounces vegan beef crumbles
FOR THE TACOS
- 8 taco-sized tortillas I used flour
- 1 cup red cabbage shredded
- spicy mayo*
- green onion diced
Instructions
- Place the sliced zucchini in a bowl or jar. Heat the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the liquid over the zucchini and set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang and ginger powder in a bowl. Stir and set aside. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion & garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until the onion is slightly tender. Add the lentils and beef crumbles and cook for a couple more minutes. Pour in the sauce, lower the heat and cook until the sauce has thickened and been absorbed.
- Heat the tortillas over an open flame. To assemble, layer each tortilla with the vegan beef, cabbage and pickled zucchini. Drizzle on spicy mayo and top with green onion.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Kathleen
Sensational tacos. We made these the other night for dinner and absolutely loved them. The zucchini pickles were so good with them. We needed to use our mushrooms up so we swapped those in place of the lentils. We will absolutely make them again, but try it with the lentils. Thank you as always for a delicious meal.
Jane
This is very delicious. My husband couldn’t stop raving about it saying it was a burst of flavor on your palate. He gave it 11👍. It is definitely a keeper. Will add it to my rotation of all the other yummy recipes from this site i.e., bang bang tofu, sweet and savory tofu, the breakfast casserole with the tater tots on top, (don’t forget) the lasagna and many more. I took my diet vegan in Oct 2021. Have not regretted it. And sites like ThisSavoryVegan make it so easy, flavorful and healthy. Thank you,Rene!
Rene
Thank you so much Jane! So glad you and your hubby are getting lots of inspo!