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    You are here: Home / Main Dish / Vegan Tacos with Chipotle from the Crockpot

    Vegan Tacos with Chipotle from the Crockpot

    Published: March 29, 2020. Last Updated: August 13, 2020 by: Ginny McMeans

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    Jump to Recipe -
    Two tacos slanted left with chipotle filling and spinach on the bottom. Limes and avocado on the plate also.

    Vegan Tacos from the slow cooker is an easy way to get dinner on the table. Spicy chipotle in adobo sauce and some unusual ingredients, that you would never guess, go into the crockpot and in a few hours - Whoa! A vegan taco recipe keeper.

    Two chipotle tacos leaning against each other on a small white plate with more toppings behind.

    Mexican food is my favorite and to me, it consists of any concoction encased in soft or crispy tortillas.

    The Slow Cooker Chipotle Tacos filling can be put in either kind of tortilla so that makes it doubly wonderful. I've also rolled the filling in soft tacos along with dairy-free cheese - like a burrito.

    You can even put them in those very small tortillas and have street tacos. It's just good stuff.

    Two taco shells filled with a hot pinto beans and corn mixture with greens and avocado.
    Jump to:
    • 🍽 Simple Dining
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 💭 Can you freeze taco fillings
    • 🌮 More tacos
    • 📋 Recipe

    🍽 Simple Dining

    Crock Pot recipes can be so easy and this Vegan Tacos with Chipotle in adobo sauce is one of the simplest.

    All you have to do is round up all of the ingredients, put them in the crockpot, turn it on and ... that is it.

    After the cooking time has ended all you need to do is spoon it down the middle of a taco shell and eat it up.

    I have made this recipe many times and there are actually three different meals with three different taco shells in the photographs on this page.

    This vegan taco recipe is just so easy and so tasty that I keep making it over and over again.

    Vegan taco recipe filling two tacos at an angle with lettuce and mix in shells on a blue slate counter.

    The recipe has an unusual list of ingredients. You would never guess what they are. I don't want to give it away. Try not to jump down to the ingredients list.

    It makes it more fun that way.

    If you do take a peek,  read slowly so you can be surprised - more than once.

    It is easy to double or triple the ingredients too. So take it to a potluck or serve to a huge crowd. The filling will freeze really well too.

    Now, let's take a look at the ingredients! Can you guess what some of them are just from the picture?

    Looking down at ingredients for a vegan taco recipe and each is in it's own individual white dish.

    🥘 Ingredients

    • Pinto beans - are traditional in Mexican fare and the main ingredient for this flavorful mix.
    • Corn - mixes so well with beans and they offer more nutrients too.
    • Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - are a very spicy addition that is just right for this recipe.
    • Tomato paste - adds rich flavors for the basis of this taco mixture.
    • Chili Sauce - is a surprise ingredient but what a wonderfully sweet addition. I've also used an Asian sweet chili sauce and it's really good too.
    • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - gives a hint of depth for this saucy base.
    • Ground Cumin - is also unusual but gives more of a tasty kick.
    • Ground Cinnamon - isn't used too much in Mexican cooking but occasionally it adds exactly the spice that is needed.
    • Taco shells - hard white or yellow corn shells or any of your favorites, hard or soft.
    • Favorite toppings - can be kept simple because there is already so much flavor. A nice addition can always be lettuce, avocado and lime.
    Two tacos slanted left with chipotle filling and spinach on the bottom. Limes and avocado on the plate also.

    🔪 Instructions

    Well, here we go. I am all about 'easy' cooking.

    Cut up the chipotle peppers into smaller pieces.

    • Put everything in the crockpot. You don't need a large crockpot for this size recipe. Stir well.
    Looking down into a blue crockpot with all of the ingredients needed.
    • Cook on low 3 to 4 hours or on high 1 ½ to 2 hours. If you cook on high stir occasionally so that the mixture doesn't burn or stick on the top edge.
    • Spread quite a bit on your favorite taco shells, hard or soft.
    • Top with lettuce or baby spinach or you could put it down as a bottom layer. In the photos I've used sliced romaine and on another night baby spinach.
    • You can also add avocado and black olives. Lime is a nice touch too.
    • Serve with rice if you like.

    Let everyone spoon up their own filling and add the toppings that they want.

    I do like a little lime squeezed on mine but that is just another quirk that I have. Lime is good with so many things.

    In fact, here is a recipe that would go really well with these tacos - Michelada, the Mexican Bloody Mary. See the limes?

    Tumbler full of an orange cocktail garnished with green olives and limes.

    💭 Can you freeze taco fillings

    • This one? You can!
    • IF FREEZING:
    • Let cool to room temperature and then pack in rigid sided containers as defined in my article How to Prepare Food for the Freezer
    • PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:
    • Remove from the freezer and put in the refrigerator a few (4 to 6) hours before serving.
    • Put the filling in a saucepan to heat through and serve. You could heat it in the microwave too.
    Slow Cooker Chipotle Tacos are two to a plate and leaning to the left. Filled with a veggies filling and topped with shredded lettuce and avocados.
    Slow Cooker Chipotle Tacos

    🌮 More tacos

    Ranch Cauliflower Tacos is another simple vegan taco recipe that is fresh and festive!

    You'll get lots of chewing satisfaction with the delicious and filling ingredients for these Vegan Chicken Meatless Tacos.

    Beefless ground beef is the base 'star' for the flavorful filling in these Mexican Sloppy Joe Tacos.

    Three shells filled with chipotle mix and on a blue slate round.

    If you take a photo of your vegan tacos I would love to see it. Follow me over on Instagram and tag me on your photo @vegan_in_the_freezer.

    Square photo of two close up pinto beans tacos on a white plate and open straw mat.

    📋 Recipe

    Square photo of two close up pinto beans tacos on a white plate and open straw mat.

    Vegan Tacos with Chipotle

    Ginny McMeans
    Slow Cooker Chipotle Tacos recipe is easy and has an unusual list of ingredients. You would never guess.
    4.97 from 27 votes
    Print Save Saved
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 4 hrs
    Total Time 4 hrs 15 mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine Mexican Style, Tacos
    Servings 10 Tacos
    Calories 184 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 30 ounces pinto beans, 2 cans, 15 ounces each, drained
    • 1 cup corn, canned, frozen or fresh
    • 3 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - from a can, chopped
    • 6 ounces tomato paste - 1 can
    • ¾ cup chili sauce
    • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 10 taco shells of your choice
    • favorite toppings - lettuce, avocado, lime

    Instructions
     

    • Well, here we go. I am all about 'easy' cooking.
    • Put everything in the crockpot except for the taco shells and the toppings.
    • Cook on low 3 to 4 hours or on high 1 ½ to 2 hours.
    • Spread quite a bit on your favorite taco shells, hard or soft.
    • Top with lettuce (I used sliced romaine and on another night - baby spinach).
    • You can also add avocado.  Lime is a nice touch too.
    • Serve with some rice if you like.

    Video

    Notes

    IF FREEZING:
    Let cool to room temperature and then pack in rigid sided containers as defined in my article How to Prepare Food for the Freezer
    TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:
    Remove from the freezer and put in the refrigerator a few (4 to 6) hours before serving.
    Put the filling in a saucepan to heat through and serve.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1TacoCalories: 184kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 7gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 774mgPotassium: 556mgFiber: 8gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 864IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jenn

      August 08, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and it is really good! We felt like it tasted more like a chili than a taco filling. So for the leftovers, I'm going to thin it down a hair and just eat it in a bowl with some onions and Daiya. It would be good over a bed of spinach with corn chips on top, too, a la taco salad. Great tasting, versatile recipe. Thanks!!

    2. Ginny McMeans

      August 08, 2017 at 8:34 pm

      Thanks so much Jenn. It really is an all around type of recipe. You have some great ideas coming with this and so glad you enjoyed it.

    3. Robin

      August 16, 2017 at 2:46 pm

      Can I substitute the unsweetened cocoa powder with something else? What would you recommend?

    4. Ginny McMeans

      August 16, 2017 at 5:00 pm

      Not really Robin. It helps bring out a depth of the other flavors. You'd have to leave it out.

    5. Lori

      September 14, 2017 at 9:07 am

      How would I make this less spicy besides leaving out the peppers? Should I reduce the chili sauce, too? Thanks! I want my kids to eat it and they can't handle spicy food. (And let's be honest, my taste buds can't handle too hot either. LOL!) Thanks in advance!

    6. Ginny McMeans

      September 14, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      I think just leaving out the peppers in adobo sauce will do it. Chili sauce really is sweet rather than hot. It has spice but shouldn't be hot.

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    For years I dabbled in cooking vegan food, but since I became a mom it has become more important for me than ever. What I’m after is a great collection of healthy and not time-consuming vegan recipes that make the whole family look forward to meals together.

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