Vegan Potato Tacos with Cabbage 🌮 Crispy corn tortilla taco shells filled with lightly seasoned mashed potatoes and savory cabbage generously topped with rich and creamy vegan cheese.
Taco Tuesdays just got a lot tastier with this amazing mash-up of traditional south-of-the-border tacos with an Irish inspired spin - potatoes & cabbage! Crispy, baked (not fried) corn tortillas filled with the most scrumptious combo of caramelized sautéed cabbage on top of rustic mashed potatoes, plus all the fix-ins. Yes please!
What could be more festive than a plate of homemade vegan potato tacos with a side of the best vegan Mexican rice and my zesty 4 bean fiesta salad? Maybe a margarita perhaps?
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this recipe
- Super delish & satisfying!
- Prepare the fillings up to a day in advance.
- Perfect for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesdays or any day!
- 100% vegan
- Add toppings and extras you like!
Ingredients
- Potatoes - russets are our first choice for this recipe
- Cabbage - green
- Corn tortillas - fresh & soft are best
- Onion - yellow or brown
- Garlic - fresh preferred
- Vegan mayo - your choice
- Vegan butter - your choice
- Non-dairy milk - almond, rice, soy, cashew or oat (we used oat milk)
- Vegan cheese - your choice (we used vegan ricotta and mozzarella)
- Olive oil - or any light vegetable oil
- Apple cider vinegar - preferred
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
This recipe is prepared in 3 parts:
Potatoes🥕Cabbage🥕Taco Shells
First - the potatoes
- Wash, peel and cube potatoes.
- Place in a large pot and cover with water.
- Cover with lid. Place on stove over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil.
- Reduce heat to a low boil and cook until potatoes are just tender, not mushy.
- Remove from stove. Drain in a large colander.
- Transfer hot potatoes to a large bowl.
- Add vegan mayo, vegan butter, non-dairy milk and salt & pepper.
- Mash with a hand masher or large spoon until everything is combined. Don't over-mash or add too much milk. Keep the potatoes somewhat dry. A few lumps are perfectly fine, in fact, they're a good thing.
- Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
- See my recipe for Easy Vegan Mashed Potatoes for more tater tips.
Next - the cabbage
- Using a large knife, quarter the head of cabbage.
- Remove core.
- Slice cabbage into thin ¼" to ½" shreds.
- Place shredded cabbage into a strainer or colander and rinse under water.
- Drain thoroughly.
- Peel and dice onion.
- Peel and mince garlic.
- Place vegan butter & olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.
- Add onions. Sauté while frequently stirring until onions become transparent.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add minced garlic. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn for about one minute.
- Add seasonings. Continue stirring.
- Add shredded cabbage and apple cider vinegar.
- Toss cabbage to thoroughly combine with other ingredients.
- Continue cooking over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender and caramelized.
- Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Last, but not least - the taco shells
A taco simply isn't a taco without the shell - the vessel which holds all those fabulous fillings and toppings. We sometimes underestimate the importance of a really great taco shell - one that is crispy & delicious yet doesn't fall apart when you eat it. If you've ever experienced losing the contents of your taco onto your lap just as bite into it, you know what I'm talking about. Which brings me to . . .
🌮 Top Taco Tip
Use the softest, freshest corn tortillas you can find.
Have you ever noticed that corn tortillas are rather small in size compared to most flour tortillas, some which can be as wide as pizza crusts? Corn tortillas are less sturdy than flour tortillas and tend to crack or fall apart when bent or folded, particularly if they're not super fresh, which is challenging when you need them for taco shells. Fortunately in San Diego, where I live, there are restaurants and tortilla factories where we can buy them freshly made. The good news is, even day-old (or more) corn tortillas can be made softer for using with tacos. Here's how we do it at our house:
How to soften corn tortillas
- Cut an 18" long sheet of aluminum foil and parchment paper. Layer the parchment on top of the foil.
- Brush one side of each tortilla with a small amount of cooking oil.
- Place tortillas on top of each other (4-6) and place on parchment. Fold parchment paper over and cover securely with foil.
- Place wrapped tortillas in a pre-heated 350℉ oven for 3 minutes. Flip packet over and continue heating for 3 more minutes.
- If you prefer simple "soft" tacos, you can skip the next steps and go ahead & fill the taco shells with heated potatoes, cabbage, cheese and toppings. For crispy taco shells, continue to the next steps.
How to make crispy taco shells without frying
- Remove the soft tortillas from foil packet. Carefully place them on a hot (clean) oven rack, draping the tortillas over the rack. Close oven and allow tortillas to bake at 350℉ for about 6-8 minutes until lightly crisp around the edges.
- Transfer the baked tortillas to a medium size baking dish.
Now, fill those taco shells!
- Fill each shell with a heaping tablespoon of mashed potatoes.
- Repeat with cooked cabbage.
- Top with vegan cheese (we used a combination of ricotta and mozzarella).
- Place taco-filled baking dish (uncovered) into the oven at 350℉ for about 20 minutes until they're good & hot and the cheese is nice & melty.
🥕Make it a fiesta with a build-your-own taco bar.
Offer a variety of colorful and tasty toppings like:
- Guacamole or avocado slices
- Chopped tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Black olives
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Salsas
- Pico de gallo
- Vegan cheese
- Vegan sour cream
Equipment you'll need
- Large covered pot (deeper is better, to prevent potatoes from boiling over)
- Potato masher or large spoon
- Large skillet - we love cast iron
- Large mixing bowl
- Colander or strainer
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- Rectangular baking dish (we used two 7"x11" pyrex dishes)
- Basting brush
- Aluminum foil
- Parchment paper
🌮 FAQ's
Yes, flour tortillas work fine, particularly for soft tacos. I suggest preheating them wrapped in parchment and foil in an oven or in a pan on a stovetop. I don't recommend heating them in a microwave as they will get tough.
If you prefer not to use tortillas, thinly sliced jicama or crisp bib lettuce make a fresh alternative to tortillas. You can also create a taco bowl with the filling served on salad greens and toppings, along with a few tortilla chips.
The filling for these vegan potato tacos with cabbage can be made a day in advance. Allow the hot ingredients to cool a bit, then transfer the potatoes and the cabbage into covered, airtight containers and refrigerate. I suggest waiting to prepare the taco shells until you are ready to serve them. The potato and cabbage fillings will heat in the oven while the tacos are baking.
Potato tacos aka "Tacos de papa" are a popular Mexican dish, often made with cumin-spiced potatoes, as well as peppers and other ingredients. For vegans, potatoes create a delicious, healthy and very satisfying plant-based filling that works beautifully in tacos and enchiladas.
Vegan tacos can be made with most any plant-based ingredient that would be tasty served in a tortilla! Think mushrooms, jackfruit, seitan, tofu, tempeh, beans, plant-based burger crumbles, potatoes, cabbage, vegan cheese. The sky's the limit - use your imagination!
Looking for other delish dishes to enjoy with tacos? I recommend serving them with my easy vegan Mexican rice, this colorful and zesty 4 bean fiesta salad, and a side of refreshing watermelon mango pico de gallo.
If you love this recipe ★★★★★ please be sure to rate it below! Sharing your experience lets me know that you enjoyed it and will help other readers decide if they should give the recipe a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Vegan Potato Tacos with Cabbage
Equipment
- Large covered pot
- large skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- Colander or strainer
- Potato masher or large spoon
- Wooden spatula or spoon
- Large rectangular baking dish or two 7"x 11" pyrex baking dishes
- basting brush
- aluminum foil
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 medium Potatoes russets are our first choice for this recipe
- 1 head Cabbage green - shredded
- 1 dozen Corn tortillas fresh & soft are best
- 1 medium Onion yellow or brown - diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Vegan mayo your choice
- 2 tablespoon Vegan butter your choice
- ⅓ cup Non-dairy milk almond, rice, soy, cashew or oat (we used oat milk)
- ½ cup Vegan cheese your choice (we used vegan ricotta and mozzarella)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil or any light vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon Cumin
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Potato Filling
- Wash, peel and cube potatoes.
- Place in a large pot and cover with water.
- Cover with lid. Place on stove over high heat. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a low boil and cook until potatoes are just tender, not mushy.
- Remove from stove. Drain in a large colander.
- Transfer hot potatoes to a large bowl. Add vegan mayo, vegan butter, non-dairy milk and salt & pepper.
- Mash with a hand masher or large spoon until everything is combined. Don't over-mash or add too much milk. Keep the potatoes somewhat dry. A few lumps are perfectly fine.
- Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Cabbage Filling
- Using a large knife, quarter the head of cabbage. Remove core.
- Slice cabbage into thin ¼" to ½" shreds.
- Place shredded cabbage into a strainer or colander and rinse under water. Drain thoroughly.
- Peel and dice onion. Peel and mince garlic.
- Begin heating 1 tablespoon vegan butter & oil in a large skillet over med-high.
- Add onions. Sauté while frequently stirring until onions become transparent. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add minced garlic. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn (about one minute). Add seasonings. Continue stirring.
- Add shredded cabbage and apple cider vinegar. Toss cabbage with a wooden spatula or spoon to thoroughly combine with other ingredients.
- Continue cooking over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Once cabbage is tender, lightly browned and caramelized, remove from heat and set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Taco Shells - Step 1 (soften tortillas)
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Cut an 18" long sheet of aluminum foil and parchment paper. Layer the parchment on top of the foil.
- Brush one side of each tortilla with a small amount of cooking oil.
- Place tortillas on top of each other (4-6) and place on parchment. Fold parchment paper over and cover securely with foil.
- Place wrapped tortillas on a rack in a pre-heated 350℉ oven for 3 minutes.
- Flip packet over and continue heating for 3 more minutes.
- If you prefer simple "soft" tacos, you can skip the next steps and go ahead & fill the taco shells with heated potatoes, cabbage, cheese and toppings. For crispy taco shells, continue to the next steps.
Taco Shells Step 2 (making crispy taco shells)
- Remove the soft tortillas from foil packet. Carefully place them on a hot (clean) oven rack, draping the tortillas over the rack.
- Close oven and allow tortillas to bake at 350℉ for about 6-8 minutes until lightly crisp around the edges.
- Transfer the baked tortillas to a medium size baking dish.
Assemble & Bake the Tacos
- Fill each shell with a heaping tablespoon of mashed potatoes.
- Repeat with cooked cabbage.
- Top with vegan cheese (we used a combination of ricotta and mozzarella).
- Place taco-filled baking dish (uncovered) into the oven at 350℉ for about 20 minutes until they're good & hot and the cheese is nice & melty.
- Serve tacos hot with a variety of toppings (see notes below)
Notes
- Guacamole or avocado slices
- Chopped tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Black olives
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Salsas
- Pico de gallo
- Vegan cheese
- Vegan sour cream
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Who knew the combination of savory cooked cabbage and potatoes would make such a fantastic filling for crispy tacos? Enjoy them plain or with your favorite vegan cheeses, tomatoes, salsa and guacamole, you're going to love this vegan spin on a popular Southwestern-inspired dish!