Vegan Mexican Menu From Start to Finish for Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! It’s the perfect day to indulge in all the tacos, nachos, and quesadillas you want! (And some margaritas, of course!) This year, indulge as you always do, but try something new. Amaze all your friends and party-goers with delicious plant-based takes on their classic Mexican-inspired favorites. We’ve got you set with a entire vegan dinner menu from start to finish with delicious appetizer, entrée, and dessert recipes from our Food Monster App!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out our Holidays & Festival Archives!

Appetizers

1. Black Bean Tempeh Nachos With Cashew Cheese 

Source: Black Bean Tempeh Nachos With Cashew Cheese

The cashew cheese in this Black Bean Tempeh Nachos recipe by Ginny McMeans is so delicious you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful.

2. Pico de Gallo

Source: Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo by Mireille Aikman is one great dip or salsa. This salsa Fresca is great with nacho chips, a delicious topping on your tacos, a super tasty side dish, or spice up your salad. Basically, you can make any recipe better with pico de gallo. It stays fresh for about a week so use it on any of your dishes.

3. Mexican Black Bean Soup With Sweet Corn, Tortilla Chips, and Avocado Cream 

Source: Mexican Black Bean Soup With Sweet Corn, Tortilla Chips, and Avocado Cream

This Mexican Black Bean Soup by Cassidy Payne is richly infused with sweet tomatoes, spicy chili, tangy lime juice, and fragrant coriander for an authentic Mexican flavor. This perfectly balanced soup, topped with avocado cream and crispy baked tortilla chips, makes for a hearty and healthy every-day meal. Enjoy a big bowl of it on a chilly winter day — all those spices will keep you warm.

4. Taquitos with Avocado Sauce 

Source: Taquitos with Avocado Sauce

Fry these Taquitos with Avocado Sauce by Lane Gold and you’re well on the way to making irresistible junk food.

5. Queso Tempeh Taco Salad 

Source: Queso Tempeh Taco Salad

Even though it’s a salad, taco salad is usually a far cry from a healthy dish. Its main ingredients typically include fried tortillas, taco meat, and cheese, which all come together to create a calorie-, sodium-, and saturated fat-loaded entree. This new and improved Queso Tempeh Taco Salad by Natalie Martin and Lexie Staten is a nutrient-dense, fiber-loaded entree with all the savory flavors intact.

Entrée

1. Lentil Tacos 

Source: Lentil Tacos

These Lentil Tacos by Lan Pham Wilson are so easy to make ahead of time and so they are great for meal prep. Plus, because they are packed full of lentils they are so filling and delicious!

2. Bean and Mushroom Fajitas 

Source: Bean and Mushroom Fajitas

These Bean and Mushroom Fajitas by Iva Mrdjanov are a great go-to dinner recipe for busy weeknight evenings. It’s quick to make, doesn’t create a lot of dishes; and if you don’t feel like mixing your own seasoning and making the pico de gallo and guacamole, these can be readily purchased in almost any store to speed things up. The biggest bonus is that everyone around the table gets excited when they realize it’s fajita night.

3. South-of-the-Border Potato Tacos 

Source: South-of-the-Border Potato Tacos

A cheesy potato taco that’s fried is out of this world. Try these South-of-the-Border Potato Tacos by Lane Gold and serve the creamy avocado sauce on the side (better just make a really big batch).

4. Protein-Packed Burrito Bowls 

Source: Protein-Packed Burrito Bowls

These Protein-Packed Burrito Bowls by Medha Swaminathan are both vegan and gluten-free and packed with spices and fresh herbs. They’re delicious, hearty, colorful, and not that hard to make! I won’t lie to you and say they’re super easy, but I will say they are worth the effort and very ‘Instagrammable’.

5. Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers 

Source: Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Some nights you just need a quick and easy summer meal. In these Quinoa Stuffed Peppers by Heather Poire, fresh corn from the cob, black olives, and cherry tomatoes are added to the quinoa along with refreshing, spicy salsa. If you want to make them extra tasty, crumble in some vegan pepper jack to the mix.

Dessert

1. Cinnamon Churros With Chocolate Ganache 

Source: Cinnamon Churros With Chocolate Ganache

You can now enjoy one of your favorite street foods from the comfort of your own kitchen! These Cinnamon Churros by Holly Jade can be enjoyed with a divinely rich dark chocolate ganache that makes the treat all that much more indulgent. These cinnamon churros would be great served at a party, summer BBQ, events … anything, really.

2. Tres Leches Cake 

Source: Tres Leches Cake

Yes, it’s true, the Tres Leches Cake by Gretchen Price has been veganized! How can this be possible you ask? Easy! With coconut milk, almond milk, and coconut cream!

3. Pumpkin Spice Empanadas With Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Filling 

Source: Pumpkin Spice Empanadas With Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Filling

These lovely Pumpkin Spice Empanadas by Larice Feuerstein are the perfect no-guilt nibble to offer your family and friends. The crust is crisp on the edges, yet tender, and delicately pumpkin-flavored with a touch of pie spices, while the filling is bursting with cinnamon-infused apples and tart cranberries. They are also just too cute! Sweet and neat little mini pies, no forks necessary. If you’re looking for a last-minute appetizer or dessert idea, look no further!

4. Flan de Elote: Mexican White Corn Flan 

Source: Flan de Elote: Mexican White Corn Flan

Azucena Noriega‘s delicate Flan de Elote is drenched in homemade caramel and will quickly make its way onto your list of favorite desserts. The custard is elegant and light with a hint of cornbread and the caramel is sweet and rich. This is the perfect dessert to serve at a celebration.

5. Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles 

Source: Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Here’s a take on classic snickerdoodles that will leave your tastebuds in amazement. Try these vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles by Emily von Euw.

If you’re looking for more delicious vegan Mexican-inspired recipes, check out 15 Vegan Mexican-Fusion Recipes for Cinco De Mayo and 15 Vegan Mexican Fiesta Favorites That Will Make You Forget All About Meat and Cheese.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home!

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!