Air Fryer Vegan Taquitos
These crispy air fryer vegan taquitos are made with a meaty, flavorful jackfruit and refried beans filling with a quick dairy free queso sauce. This tasty vegetarian appetizer recipe is fun to make and is always a huge hit! Serve them with your favorite dips for a game day plant-based platter or for a cozy date night in. Or serve them with some rice and beans for a complete family dinner.
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Hey there! Here we are again with a killer vegan air fryer recipe. I know I say this a lot, but we are SO PUMPED to share this one with you: Vegan taquitos, anyone?!
Perfect for game day or ANY day – “Taquito Tuesdays”? Kids LOVE them (and love to help make them), but they’re also great for a date night in without the kids!
These vegan taquitos were part of the sampler platter in our Super Bowl Snack Trays we offered to our seasonal catering clients several years ago. To say they were a huge hit might be an understatement. We got so many compliments and personal requests for more!
And I totally understand why, and so will you. These little tortillas are filled with vegan queso and a zesty vegetarian jackfruit meat combined with refried beans (to help everything stick together), rolled up and cooked in your air fryer to crispy perfection.
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Jackfruit Taquito Ingredients
Have you worked with jackfruit yet?! Have you even heard of it?
If you are not familiar, jackfruit is a great animal-free “meat” that takes on an awesome “pulled” texture and can be flavored however you like. It’s great for replicating pork, chicken, crab, etc.
You can find it canned at Asian grocery markets for a really great price, but a lot of major chain grocery stores are also starting to carry it now. Of course, there’s always Amazon. Make sure you get the jackfruit canned in water or brine and NOT syrup.
To season the jackfruit, you’ll need:
- Limes
- Agave nectar
- Taco sauce
- Taco seasoning
- Vegan chicken-style bouillon powder
We also need some refried beans to add a sticky element to our filling that will help the tortilla stay rolled up and not become a big mess all over your air fryer.
Our quick dairy free queso is made with a silken tofu base, which offers a punch of protein as well as a smooth creamy texture.
To flavor the silken tofu queso, you’ll need:
- Nutritional yeast
- Taco sauce
- Miso paste
- Salt
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper (or canned chipotle peppers for super spicy!)
Substitution Options
If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the ingredients for this vegan taquitos recipe, here are our best substitution tips:
For the silken tofu: You can replace the silken tofu in the vegan queso with raw (soaked) cashews or sunflower seeds, but you will have to add enough extra water to get it moving in the blender.
For the taco sauce: We love this taco sauce, but feel free to use whatever kind of red chili taco-like sauce you want. Salsa could work in a pinch, and enchilada sauce would work too. Add a drop or two of hot sauce or adobo sauce if you want it spicy!
For the miso paste: This adds a fermented cheesy flavor to our queso and I don’t recommend skipping it. If you really can’t find the stuff though, try using some stone ground mustard or vegan mayo!
For the agave: The agave can be replaced with coconut sugar, light brown sugar, or maple syrup.
For the taco seasoning: Make your own taco seasoning or make it easy and buy it at the store! Just be careful and be sure to read the ingredients as some brands contain dairy and/or chicken fat. Our homemade chili seasoning is a pretty good taco-type blend that we’ve enjoyed in this recipe.
For the tortillas: We have not tried this recipe with corn tortillas. I would be worried they would break more easily than the flour tortillas. We have also not tried this recipe with whole wheat tortillas for the same reason. We have used 6-inch tortillas and 10-inch tortillas. Both sizes will work, but when we use the 10-inch tortillas, we usually cut these taquitos in half when serving.
For the fillings:
Feel free to use this cooking method with your own fillings! I think some cooked Beyond Beef or our Vegan Taco Chicken (diced up small) would be awesome in these vegan taquitos. You can switch up the vegan cheese sauce with your favorite vegan queso as well. We’ve occasionally used the potato/carrot cheese sauce from our Vegan Mac and Beer Cheese recipe for these taquitos with great success!
If there’s a substitution you need that we haven’t listed here, please leave it in the comments so we can make this a better resource for future readers! 🙂
How to Make Vegan Taquitos in the Air Fryer
This vegan jackfruit taquitos recipe is easy and fun to make! Because it requires a fair bit of assembly time, it’s a great recipe to make with your partner or kids. To make the process faster and easier, the jackfruit and vegan queso fillings can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.
Step 1: Make the filling.
First, you’ll marinate the jackfruit by mixing all the ingredients together and pouring it over the drained jackfruit. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is preferable for optimum flavor!
Then, you’ll cook the jackfruit by adding the jackfruit along with the marinade it’s in to a large saute pan and bringing it to a low simmer. Cook it on low, covered for about 10 minutes.
And finally, you’ll stir in the refried beans and cook until everything is warmed through.
While the jackfruit marinates, I like to make the queso. Just add all the ingredients to a small food processor and blend until smooth!
Step 2: Assemble the taquitos.
Next, it’s time to assemble! Lay your warmed tortilla flat and spread a thin layer of jackfruit on top, leaving some space around the edges. Then, spread a thin layer of queso on top of that and roll ‘em up!
Step 3: Air fry the taquitos.
Finally, it’s time to cook our vegan taquitos! Spray your air fryer basket lightly with oil (skip this part if you’re oil-free) and place 4-5 taquitos, seam-down, next to each other into your air fryer basket.
You want to almost wedge them in so they don’t flip or roll open while cooking. Then, lightly spray the top of the taquitos with oil (again, optional) and air fry at 370F for 10 minutes.
How to Make Vegan Taquitos in the Deep Fryer
If you’d prefer, you can also deep fry these vegan taquitos. Use this trick if you’re trying to REALLY impress the carnivores in the crowd. No one can argue with anything deep fried in a tortilla, right? 😉
When we deep fry these taquitos, we do so at 375F and fry 2-3 taquitos at a time for about 3 minutes before removing and draining on a paper towel.
How to Serve Air Fryer Vegan Taquitos
This vegan taquitos recipe makes 8-10 taquitos if you’re using the medium-sized (around 10-inch) tortillas. When we use this size tortilla, we end up cutting the taquitos in half which will give you 16-20, perfect for a platter or to serve with lunch throughout the week.
ON A PLATTER: Serve these vegan taquitos fresh outta the air fryer on a platter with your favorite dips! Our picks are guacamole and some vegan jalapeno ranch. Salsa is, of course, always a win too!
AS A MEAL: These vegetarian jackfruit and refried beans taquitos are also awesome served as a side with a big bowl of tortilla soup! We also love them alongside a taco salad with vegan jalapeno ranch and plenty of rice and beans.
Jackfruit Taquitos + Wine Pairing
An obvious drink pairing here is a margarita or ice cold beer! But if you want a great wine to go with these vegan taquitos, I highly recommend a Verdejo!
Verdejo has high acidity and notes of citrus (especially LIME) which jives with all the flavors in these vegan taquitos so well. Verdejo is a herbaceous white wine (usually from Spain).
You can usually find a great quality verdejo for UNDER $20. We cannot get enough of this vegan-friendly Protos Verdejo with these vegan taquitos. It also pairs exceptionally well with the guac!
How to Store Leftover Jackfruit Taquitos
These air fryer vegan taquitos make GREAT leftovers. If you have any left after your family devours them, here are our best storage tips:
In the fridge: Store leftover vegan taquitos in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the freezer: Let your jackfruit taquitos cool completely and store them in an air-tight container or freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. We do not recommend freezing any of the leftover queso on its own, as it will really mess with the tofu-based texture.
How to reheat: Reheat these taquitos until warmed through in either the air fryer or oven at a low temperature (250-300F) until warmed through. In a pinch, you can also reheat them in the microwave, but be aware this will affect the crunch.
More Vegan Air Fryer Recipes
I hope you make and LOVE these air fryer vegan taquitos as much as we do! And if it’s your first time cooking with a vegetarian meat like jackfruit, I hope you enjoy the plant-based magic that it is!
When you make them, we’d love to hear all about it! Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment on the post below, or tag us in your taquito-rific photos on Instagram. If you’re not already hanging out with us over there, we are @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
Cheers!
Vegan Taquito Tray – deep fried or air fried
Ingredients
For the jackfruit:
- 1 14-oz can jackfruit in brine, drained
- 4 small limes juiced
- 2 Tbsp taco sauce
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 Tbsp vegan chicken-style bouillon powder
- 1 tsp agave
- 1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans
For the queso:
- 1/2 16-oz. package of silken tofu
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp taco sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
For the taquitos:
- small flour tortillas
- oil spray omit if oil-free
Instructions
- MARINATE THE JACKFRUIT: Drain your jackfruit and place it in a shallow dish or container. In a large measuring cup, mix the ingredients for the marinade (everything EXCEPT the refried beans) with a small fork or whisk until combined. Pour this marinade over the jackfruit. Cover the marinating jackfruit and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- MAKE THE QUESO: Add all the ingredients for the queso to a small food processor or blender and blend for a minute or two on high until completely smooth.
- COOK THE JACKFRUIT: Add the jackfruit along with the marinade to a large saute pan, cover, and bring the heat to medium-high until the liquid is at a low simmer. Then, lower the heat to low and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Then, use two forks or a potato masher to shred the jackfruit until it takes on a “pulled” texture and stir in the refried beans until everything is completely combined. Replace the cover and continue to cook on low for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture is warmed through.
- ASSEMBLE THE TAQUITOS: Turn your oven to warm, line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the tortillas out over it. Stick the baking sheet in the oven and let the tortillas warm up, so they are nice and pliable, just a couple minutes. Alternatively, you can warm each tortilla for a few seconds in the microwave. Remove 1 tortilla from the oven and lay it flat. Spread a thin layer of jackfruit mix on it, leaving about 1/2 inch of empty space around the edges. Then, spread a thin layer of queso on top (about 1/2 Tbsp) and roll the tortilla tightly from one end to the other. Place off to the side, seam-down, and continue until you have used all the filling.
- COOK THE TAQUITOS: Spray your air fryer basket lightly with oil (skip this part if you’re oil-free) and place 4-5 taquitos, seam-down, next to each other into your air fryer basket. You want to almost wedge them in so they don’t flip or open while cooking. Then, lightly spray the top of the taquitos with oil (again, optional) and air fry at 370F for 10 minutes.
- SERVE: Serve these vegan taquitos on a platter with guacamole and vegan jalapeno ranch for dipping! Leftover taquitos can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen up to 6 weeks. Reheat in the air fryer or oven until warmed through and slightly crisp.
