Vegan Taco Salad with Homemade Tortilla Bowls

My awesome little mama has been cooking up a storm for me during my stay in Ottawa and I thought it only fair that I return the favor by making her lunch earlier this week. My mom can make pretty much anything, but she had never made taco salads before. And I know that she loves the taco salad at a certain Mexican fast food joint south of the border. So I figured that homemade taco salads would be a nice little lunch that we could enjoy together.

Homemade vegan taco salad bowls - Super easy and tasty!

I first came across the idea of making my own tortilla bowls over at Emily’s blog, Ordinary Arts. It seemed kind of too good to be true until I Googled and YouTubed my way through dozens of ways to make homemade tortilla bowls. After trying it for myself, I realized that it’s really easy and such a great way to serve and eat salads. I’ve since perfected a method that works best for me, and I hope you’ll try making your own tortilla bowls at home too.

Homemade vegan taco salad bowls - Super easy and tasty!

My mom can’t eat spicy or super-acidic foods, so she opted for a creamy cilantro dressing instead of salsa, and yellow bell peppers instead of red ones. Be aware of your guests’ dietary requirements and adjust topping options accordingly – they’ll love you for it!

Homemade vegan taco salad bowls - Super easy and tasty!

My taco salad, filled with lettuce, black beans, bell peppers, corn, carrots, avocado, cucumber, salsa, cilantro, and green onions.

Filling Ideas

  • Beans (black or kidney are my favorite)
    • Serve them cold
    • Serve them warmed-up
    • Serve them in a refried style, mashed and sautéed with oil and onions/garlic/cilantro
  • Salad greens – Lettuce/spinach/kale, shredded
  • Bell pepper (capsicum), sliced
  • Carrots, shredded/julienned
  • Cucumber, shredded/diced/sliced
  • Corn kernels
  • Mushrooms, sliced and sautéed (portobello are awesome here)
  • Tofu strips, sautéed (to mimic chicken)
  • Rice or Quinoa (with Mexican seasoning)
  • Salsa (store-bought or quickly made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime, cilantro, chili)
  • Creamy cilantro dressing (in a blender, whiz soft silken tofu with a bit of water, olive oil, garlic, and cilantro)
  • Guacamole or avocado
  • Vegan shredded cheese
  • Vegan sour cream
  • Fresh cilantro (coriander)
  • Green onions
  • … whatever you have on hand and love in your salads!
  • OR, fill it with Avocado Mango Black Bean Salad

Garden Fresh Gourmet Salsa

I love Garden Fresh Gourmet salsa. If you’re in Canada, you can get a huge container of it at Costco for about $5!

Homemade vegan taco salad bowls - Super easy and tasty! Homemade vegan taco salad bowls - Super easy and tasty!

Homemade vegan taco salad bowls - Super easy and tasty!

Homemade vegan taco salad shells/bowls - Super easy and tasty! Homemade vegan taco salad shells/bowls - Super easy and tasty!

Homemade vegan taco salad shells/bowls - Super easy and tasty!

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Vegan Taco Salad with Homemade Tortilla Bowls

Make your own taco shell bowls, and fill them with healthy and tasty vegan ingredients!

  • Author: Angela @ Vegangela
  • Cook Time: 7 mins
  • Total Time: 7 mins
  • Category: Salad, Main
  • Cuisine: Mexican, Southwestern

Ingredients

  • Flour tortillas (make sure they’re vegan)
  • vegetable oil (canola, peanut, etc)
  • Medium oven-safe bowl
  • Kitchen string

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400C.
  2. Find a medium-sized bowl on which you can lay the tortilla – ideally, a bit bigger than the tortilla so that it doesn’t go beyond the edge of the bowl.
  3. Flip the bowl over. Brush the tortilla with oil on both sides, and place it over the bowl.
  4. Fold-down the tortilla so that it “hugs” the bowl. Tie a piece of string half-way down, to help keep it in place (easiest if you have help, but I’ve done it alone too).
  5. Place the bowl on a baking sheet, and bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until it is slightly brown and can hold its shape.
  6. Using oven mitts, remove the bowl from the oven, and carefully remove the tortilla shell from around the bowl. Place upright on baking sheet (with string intact) and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes, until browned inside, but not burnt on the edges.
  7. Remove from oven, remove string, and let cool before filling with desired fillings.

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Homemade vegan taco salad bowls - Super easy and tasty!

Other Uses

  • Host a taco salad party! Pre-make all your tortilla bowls the day before, and then set-up a station with all the fixings, so your guests can make their own salads. Kids would love this!
  • Don’t stop at salads. Next time you make guacamole for a party, serve it in a tortilla bowl. Or serve your fajita condiments, such as guacamole and salsa, in tortilla bowls.

Homemade vegan taco salad shells/bowls - Super easy and tasty!

Homemade vegan taco salad shells/bowls - Super easy and tasty!

24 thoughts on “Vegan Taco Salad with Homemade Tortilla Bowls”

  1. I’m going to try this with small pie tins. I have 24 of them which cost around Au $3.00 for a pack of 4, at K-Mart (an Australian variety store) You can cut rings to suit the size using a pastry cutter and place the rings of tortilla over the inverted tins. This way you can make many smaller ones on multiple trays and can serve more people. There’s no need to waste the off-cuts either; these can be baked in the spaces between tins, and eaten as dipping chips on the side. Yum! Can’t wait.

    Reply
  2. Jazz up taco salad night by making Homemade Tortilla Bowls! They are fun to make and fun to eat! And the best part, you don t have to do any dishes. You eat your bowl so clean up is a breeze!

    Reply
  3. Am really excited to make for a small potluck gathering. My husband and I have been trying to go completely vegan for a while now, just need to break free from those old habits. Thought I would use the small tortillas for the potluck.

    Reply
    • Hi Cheryl – Good luck on going vegan. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but eventually you’ll get into the groove of it – let me know if you have any questions at all! Good luck also with the pot luck. Let me know how these turn out! 🙂

      Reply
  4. In our family we make the taco shells like this all the time! So much better baking it than the deep-fried version at many restaurants. I don’t feel so guilty eating the shell after filling myself with a healthy salad 🙂

    Reply
  5. Wow. I’m not vegan, but your creations always leave my mouth watering. This is no exception. These look absolutely delicious!

    Reply

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