Soy Curl Vegan Street Tacos de Carnitas
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Vegan street tacos de carnitas featuring meaty soy curls cooked and flavored with orange juice and Mexican seasonings just like classic carnitas. Top with a fresh tomato salsa or give them an Argentinian flair with a drizzle of this garlicky chimichurri sauce.
I’ve got a new favorite for Taco Tuesday you guys!
Soy Curl Vegan Street Tacos de Carnitas!
This isn’t the first vegan carnitas recipe on the blog but I’d say probably the most accessible on a Tuesday no matter the season. Between our chanterelle mushrooms carnitas, the jackfruit carnitas tacos and these street tacos de carnitas you are sure to find a favorite.
The Soy Curls:
We’ve talked about them a few times already but for those new to this magical ingredient they are simply made from whole non-gmo soybeans, a minimally processed ingredient with meaty texture. Stock your pantry kids, because soy curls have a long shelf life and they absorb any flavor, sauces, marinades you wanna trow them in.
Also in case of Armageddon It would probably be my go to survivalist ingredient. From this hearty potato soy curl stew to this vegan chick’n with broccoli and vegan orange chicken you are sure to find a new favorite.
How to Make Vegan Street Tacos de Carnitas:
- Soak the soy curls.
- Sautee onion and garlic.
- Simmer the soy curls in a classic orange sauce seasoned with Latin spices.
- Serve inside mini vegan corn tortillas topped with fresh salsa, chimichurri, mango avocado sauce, chunky guacamole, or this creamy garlic aioli.
These Vegan Street Tacos Are:
- Crazy delicious
- Very filling
- Protein loaded
- Easy to prepare
- Gluten free
- Extra meaty.
P.S. As always If you make this recipe remember to snap a photo and tag  me with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it always makes my day!
Soy Curl Vegan Street Tacos de Carnitas
Vegan street tacos de carnitas featuring meaty soy curls cooked and flavored with orange juice and Mexican seasonings just like classic carnitas. Top with a fresh tomato salsa or give them an Argentinian flair with a drizzle of garlicky chimichurri sauce.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz soy curls
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chili powder or to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 cup vegetable stock low sodium
- 2-3 tbsp maple or date syrup optional
- 1 lime cut into wedges for serving
- 6 cups hot water
Fresh Tomato Salsa
- 1 lb heirloom tomatoes
- 1 small red onion or 2 scallions
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 habanero or chili peppers to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the soy curls in a large bowl and cover with the hot water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes. Drain well and use your hands to squeeze out the excess water. At this point you can shred the soy curls into thinner strips if you prefer.
- Meanwhile preheat a large skillet over medium high heat and sautee the onion with a pinch of salt in a splash of veggie stock or water until translucent. Add more liquid if needed. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Add the soy curls to the pan together with all the spices, orange and lime juice plus the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 30 to 45 minutes until the soy curls are tender to your liking. Adjust seasoning with sea salt.
- To this point the recipe is Plantricious and WFPB compliant and can be served inside street style corn tortillas topped with fresh salsa. You can warm up the tortillas on direct flame taking care not to burn them or on a hot cast iron pan.
- OPTIONAL: To make the carnitas more indulgent you can transfer them to a broiler proof roasting tray, spray with olive oil and drizzle with the maple syrup. Broil for a few minutes until caramelized at the edges taking care not to burn them.
Make the Tomato Salsa:
- Dice the tomatoes and onion into small cubes and transfer to a bowl. Chop the cilantro and chili pepper and add them on top of the tomatoes. Add the lime juice and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more lime if desired at this point and spoon over the tacos.
Notes
These sauces make a great addition to any street style tacos: chimichurri, aioli, mango avocado, roasted pepper sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 1223kcal | Carbohydrates: 189g | Protein: 119g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 2650mg | Fiber: 53g | Sugar: 98g | Vitamin A: 6350IU | Vitamin C: 402mg | Calcium: 1072mg | Iron: 31mg
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 1223kcal
Love it, great recipe !
Soy Curlz are the bomb…
A storage suggestion I learned recently is to freeze them for long term storage. It keeps the naturally occurring oils from going rancid.
Oh how cool, I did not even think of freezing the soy curls but that makes total sense as I do the same with all the nuts. Thank you for sharing and enjoy the tacos 🙂 ~ Florentina
Haven’t tried this yet, but it sounds super yummy!
A couple questions:
1) If you soak the soy curls first, squeeze out the extra liquid, and then submerge them into the orange juice, don’t they just plump back up?
2) Can you soak them in the orange juice sauce mixture to infuse more flavor into them to begin with?
I’m just getting in to using soy curls, so not really sure on these questions. I’ve been soaking them in a strong veggie broth, squeezing the liquid and reserving it for soups and such, so curious to know your input!
You soak the soy curls first to rehydrate them, they will soak up the flavors from the sauce. I suspect you could just soak them in the OJ or veggie broth but you would need so much more of it and in my opinion there will be too much waste that way. Hop you enjoy the tacos 🙂
Tacos look delicious and healthy! Can you tell me how many servings this recipe provides?? Thanks, Peggy
Thanks Peggy, this should be enough to serve 4 people (using the mini corn tortillas) unless you are relaly super hungry and don’t want to share 😉
These were a big hit last night, which is saying a lot as I am the only vegan in the family! We heated up some black beans in a skillet with oregano and cumin to put on top of the carnitas. Yum!
This makes me so happy Peggy! Thanks for reporting back Xo’s ~ Florentina