Vegan Taco Salad with BBQ Ranch Dressing

This Vegan Taco Salad with Barbecue Ranch Dressing is delicious and refreshing. The perfect salad to eat on a warm day this is great as either a full dinner meal or as a side salad to bring to a party!

*Originally published July 5, 2021 and updated with new copy and photos 3/15/22.

Who doesn't love an easy Taco Salad on a busy day? I know I do! I love the flavors that come with taco salad and I love that it comes in any shape you can make it. If you like taco salad with beans, go for it. If you prefer a vegetarian taco salad with vegan cheese, go for it! The choices are endless. This Vegan Taco Salad with Barbecue Ranch Dressing has all the flavors of a traditional taco salad and is healthy and refreshing. The Barbecue Ranch dressing that it is paired with is divine. You really can't go wrong either way. So sit back, make a big bowl of it this weekend and enjoy, I promise you won't regret it!

For some other great salad recipes, check out this Vegan Buffalo Tempeh Ranch Salad or this 30 Minute Crunchy Thai Salad with Quinoa!

Why This is The Best Vegan Taco Salad

• Whole-Food Plant Based- There are no processed ingredients in this recipe which makes it perfect for those following a whole-food plant-based lifestyle. The taco meat is made from a mixture of chickpeas and walnuts in a spicy taco seasoning and the salad itself is loaded with vegetables!
• Easy and Quick- This salad will be on your table in 30 minutes flat! Perfect for those looking for an easy and quick meal!
• Creamy and Delicious Dressing- Remember a few days ago when I shared my Barbecue Ranch Dressing? Well friends, this is what we are using it for and it is SO delicious, you will want to dive right in!

Ingredient Notes

• Romain Lettuce- The base of this salad is romaine lettuce. It is one of my favorite lettuces because it holds up so well in salads. However, you can use whatever lettuce is your favorite. I have made this with a mixture of shredded iceberg and spinach before and it has been delicious
• Corn- The corn gives such a delicious flavor to the salad. It adds a sweetness that you didn't know was missing. I love buying frozen fire roasted corn from Trader Joe's and then letting it thaw out, however feel free to use traditional canned corn as well.
• Walnuts- Walnuts are part of the base for the taco meat. The nuts add a crunch to the recipe that helps with the texture and makes it resemble animal meat. If you want to keep this nut-free, you can swap the walnuts for sunflower seeds or pepitas as well.
• Garbanzo Beans- The other part of the taco meat is the garbanzo beans. They help to add a creaminess, heartiness and provide the protein for the salad. You would be shocked at how closely this comes to resemble taco meat. If you don't have garbanzo beans on hand, you can swap it for white beans.
• Barbecue Ranch Dressing-The pièce de résistance to this taco salad is the Barbecue Ranch Dressing. This dressing is so good, there is an entire post dedicated to it. You can skip it and add whatever dressing you like but you will be missing out for sure!

See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and quantities.

Instructions

How to Make the Chickpea Walnut Taco Meat

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• In a food processor, combine the walnuts, drained chickpeas, taco seasoning and water. Pulse until the beans and walnuts are broken down and the mixture resembles ground beef.
• Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring at the halfway mark.

How to Assemble the Vegan Taco Salad

• Add all of the ingredients for the Barbecue Ranch Dressing to a mason jar and stir to combine.
• Wash and chop the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and red onion
• Drain and rinse the black beans
• Layer the lettuce, corn, tomatoes, beans, avocado, onion and chickpea walnut taco meat in a large bowl and toss to combine.
• Serve with the Barbecue Ranch Dressing

Hint: Save more time by buying pre-cut romaine lettuce at the grocery store!

Substitutions

• Low Sodium- If you need to keep this recipe low sodium, make sure to use a low sodium taco seasoning or salt-free taco seasoning.
• Beyond Meat- If you want something a little closer to ground beef, swap the chickpea taco meat for some beyond or impossible ground meat it will taste almost identical!
• Beans- If you don't like black beans, feel free to leave them out or swap for a different bean like kidney beans!

Variations

• Alternate Sauce- For a fun variation, try serving this alongside a cilantro lime crema instead of the barbecue ranch.
• Creamy Guacamole- Skip the avocados and serve with guacamole instead!
• Fruity Salsa- Try adding this Mango Pico de Gallo for a fun and fruity component.
• Burrito Bowl- Serve this over rice to turn this into a burrito bowl!

FAQ's

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need to make this recipe.

• Mixing Bowl
• Measuring Cups
• Mason Jar for dressing
• Baking Sheet
• Food Processor
• Chef Knife

Storage

Store the taco salad separate from the dressing in the fridge. It will keep for around 3 days. I like to store mine in airtight glass containers that make it last even longer.

I would not recommend freezing this salad as the lettuce will have an off texture when thawing.

Vegan Taco Salad Meal Prep

If you want to meal prep this salad for the week, you can easily do that! Grab some wide mouth mason jars and layer the salad the following way, starting from the bottom going up:

• Dressing
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Corn
• Onion
• Black Beans
• Taco Meat
• Lettuce

Top Tips

• Layer this salad in mason jars for a great way to meal prep throughout the week! If you layer it properly with the dressing on the bottom, it should last up to 4 days in the fridge.
• Serve this Vegan Taco Salad alongside some chips and salsa, 4 Ingredient Guacamole, cornbread, Cilantro Lime Rice, or some fun margaritas!
• Add additional toppings if you like such as vegan cheese, vegan sour cream or some pico de gallo!

Other Great Recipes You Will Love

• SPICY AND FRESH WATERMELON SALAD
• WARM BASIL PESTO POTATO SALAD
• CREAMY TOMATO BASIL GNOCCHI

Vegan Taco Salad with Barbecue Ranch Dressing

kaydimaggio

This Vegan Taco Salad with Barbecue Ranch Dressing is delicious and refreshing. The perfect salad to eat on a warm day this is great as either a full dinner meal or as a side salad to bring to a party. 

5 from 13 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 599 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 heads of romaine lettuce
• 14.5 ounce can garbanzo beans
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 package taco seasoning I love the Siete blend
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tomato
• 1 avocado
• 1 14.5 ounce can black beans
• 1 cup fire roasted corn
• ½ red onion
• 1 batch Barbecue Ranch Dressing

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• In a food processor, combine the walnuts, drained chickpeas, taco seasoning and water. Pulse until the beans and walnuts are broken down and the mixture resembles ground beef.
• Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring at the halfway mark. 
• Add all of the ingredients for the Barbecue Ranch Dressing to a mason jar and stir to combine.
• Wash and chop the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and red onion
• Drain and rinse the black beans
• Layer the lettuce, corn, tomatoes, beans, avocado, onion and chickpea walnut taco meat in a large bowl and toss to combine.
• Serve with the Barbecue Ranch Dressing

Notes

• Layer this salad in mason jars for a great way to meal prep throughout the week! If you layer it properly with the dressing on the bottom, it should last up to 4 days in the fridge.
• Serve this Vegan Taco Salad alongside some chips and salsa, cornbread or some fun margaritas!
• Add additional toppings if you like such as vegan cheese, vegan sour cream or some pico de gallo! 

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 599kcalCarbohydrates: 65.9gProtein: 24.1gFat: 30.3gSaturated Fat: 3.4gSodium: 554mgFiber: 18.4gSugar: 5.5g

Keyword Gluten Free, Salad, Vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Food Safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.