Spinach Tacos (Baked or Air-Fried)

Crispy and hearty baked or air-fried spinach tacos! So satisfying and delicious! These Mexican-inspired tacos are not deep-fried and therefore not only healthy but also vegan (meat-free, dairy-free), gluten-free, and easy to make.

Crispy Baked or Air-Fried Spinach Tacos

How pretty are these oven baked green tacos? I just love the natural green color, which is so vibrant and rich! The secret? Spinach! I made my favorite Spinach Tortillas which are seriously my go-to recipe for healthy tortillas! These spinach tortillas are much healthier than any tortillas from the store. Why? Not only are they gluten-free, but they are also plant-based (dairy-free) and protein-rich.

No wheat, no corn, just two different flours (chickpea flour and tapioca flour), water, spinach, and salt! That’s it! No artificial colors, no preservatives or other questionable ingredients. However, if you are too busy, stressed or not in the mood to make your own tortillas, don’t worry! You can, of course, also use store-bought tortillas (I sometimes do too, but I prefer my homemade tortillas). Flour tortillas, corn tortillas, soft or hard shell tortillas are fine too!

Mexican-inspired Taco Filling

So, let’s talk about the filling. These baked tacos are stuffed with Mexican-inspired pantry ingredients. I wanted to keep it really simple and therefore only used kidney beans (you can use black beans or chickpeas), bell pepper (you can use red, orange, yellow or green pepper), mushrooms (canned or fresh are fine), onion, garlic, rice, and different condiments. And that’s it! If you want to keep this recipe grain-free, simply use quinoa instead of rice. If you don’t like pepper or mushrooms, just use different ingredients of choice. Some examples would be zucchini, eggplant, sweet potato, tomatoes, corn, etc.

Of course, I couldn’t resist adding my easy vegan cheese sauce. Because vegan cheese is a must for crispy baked tacos, don’t you agree?! However, you can always use store-bought cheese instead of the homemade vegan cheese sauce.

How To Make Baked Spinach Tacos?

It’s seriously super easy to make these vegan baked tacos. All you need is tortillas (either homemade, store-bought flour tortillas or corn tortillas, soft ones or tortillas with hard shells) and the savory filling. The filling is done in 10 minutes in a skillet. You just have to fry all ingredients in the pan and add about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto a tortilla. Top it with vegan cheese (either homemade or store-bought) and fold the other side of the tortilla over the filling (if you use soft tortillas). Check the pics above to see how easy it is!

You can reheat leftovers of the filling in a pan/skillet the next day. The rice mixture keeps well in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for a couple of months. You can also store the tortillas (covered with a bag) in the fridge or even freeze them (in freezer bags). The tortillas will become a bit dry in the fridge. Simply put them individually into a hot skillet (20 seconds from each side) until they are warm and pliable again.

Air Fryer Spinach Tacos

Gently spray the basket with cooking oil, then spread a single layer of tacos into the basket with space in-between and air fry at 400F/200C for 4-6 minutes, until crispy. Flip halfway.

Perfect For Kids

These oven baked spinach tacos are perfect for kids! Why? Kids normally don’t like to eat spinach (well, at least I didn’t really like eating lots of spinach when I was little). You can add lots of fresh spinach to these homemade tortillas, and the great thing is that it’s pretty much tasteless! I am not kidding! I really love these spinach tortillas so much, to me, they actually taste better than my regular homemade tortillas (without spinach)!

Great Side Dish Or Dinner

You can serve these vegan tacos for dinner or as a side dish. I normally eat a huge buddha bowl for lunch, but sometimes I am starving and make these baked tacos in addition. You can make big ones or small ones (depending on the size of the tortillas). This time I made the tortillas pretty small in a 12.5 cm (5-inch) skillet and in my opinion they turned out super cute!

These Spinach Tacos Are:

• Meat-free (no chicken, no beef, etc.)
• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Gluten-free
• Can be made grain-free
• Protein-rich
• Flavorful
• Hearty
• Healthy
• Easy to make
• A delicious dinner or side dish

Should you recreate these baked or air-fried Mexican-inspired spinach tacos, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan #elavegan because I would love to see how your vegan baked tacos turned out!

More Crispy Vegan Snacks

If you like crispy tacos, I am sure you will also love my other vegan and gluten-free snacks.

• Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos
• Chickpea Fritters with Veggies
• Easy Taco Cups
• Vegetable Fajitas
• Vegan Empanadas

Crispy Spinach Tacos

Author: Michaela Vais

Crispy and hearty baked or air-fried spinach tacos! So satisfying and delicious! These tacos are not deep-fried and therefore not only healthy but also vegan (meat-free, dairy-free), gluten-free, and easy to make.

4.86 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 9

Calories 247 kcal

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 9 small spinach tortillas (5-inch diameter)
• 2 cups of (360 g) cooked rice
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans or black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 small/medium onion diced
• ½ tbsp oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ½ bell pepper chopped
• ¾ cup (100 g) canned mushrooms or use fresh
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp ground ginger (optional)
• ¼ tsp black pepper or more to taste
• sea salt to taste
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
• 4 tbsp plant-based milk
• ⅓ cup (80 g) passata
• 2 tbsp hot sauce (or use less/more to taste)
• 1 batch (200 g) vegan cheese sauce or use 7 oz store-bought vegan cheese

Instructions

 

• Cook rice according to package instructions. You will need 2 cups of cooked rice for this recipe.
• Prepare the spinach tortillas (click for the recipe) or use store-bought flour tortillas or corn tortillas of choice.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan/skillet over medium heat and add the onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper.
• Sauté for about 3-5 minutes, then add garlic for a further minute. Stir occasionally.
• Add all spices, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, plant-based milk, passata, and hot sauce. Stir and let simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Add cooked rice and beans, stir and turn off the heat.
• Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Preheat oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit (210 degrees Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Make one batch of the vegan cheese sauce or use store-bought vegan cheese.
• Add about 2 tbsp of the rice filling on one side of a tortilla and 1 tbsp of the vegan cheese. Fold the other side over the filling and press it slightly down with your fingers (see pictures above in the blog post). Do the same for the remaining tortillas.
• Transfer all tortillas to the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until crispy. Enjoy hot!

  Check the blog post for the air-fryer method.

Notes

• Recipe serves 9. Nutrition facts are for one serving.

Nutrition Facts

Crispy Spinach Tacos

Amount per Serving

Calories

247

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

7

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

10

%

Carbohydrates

 

38

g

13

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

3

g

3

%

Protein

 

5

g

10

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically

Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!

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