Hello, chickpeas! This week's recipe is one of my personal favorites, and I think you're going to love it. Today we are learning how to make my Air Fried Avocado Tacos!
We all know by now that I love some good Tex Mex inspired food, so it should come as no surprise that I am a big fan of tacos. This taco recipe is actually inspired by the Fried Avocado Taco at Torchys Tacos. Their version is vegetarian but is not vegan, so this is my veganized version. My version is also oil-free!
Without further dilly dally, lets do this!
Ingredients
Here's what we are working with:
- Avocado: of course! I love these tacos because avocado is the main star - it's delicious and also filling!
- Panko bread crumbs and spices: we are mixing these together for a delicious coating on our avocados. It will get crispy in the air fryer, and be delicious from all the spices! Plain Panko bread crumbs also happen to be vegan! If using another brand, be sure to double check the ingredients to see if it is plant based.
- Unsweetened plant milk: this is used to get the bread crumb mixture to stick to the avocado slices a little better!
- Vegetarian refried beans: beans are a big staple in many plant-based diets, so of course we are throwing some in here! A lot of refried beans contain lard (which is not vegan or vegetarian), so be sure to look for one labeled vegetarian if that is important to you!
- Romaine lettuce: for a little extra nutrition, but also for a different texture!
- Pico de gallo: a go-to taco topping in my book! Pico does a great job of adding flavor, nutrition, and freshness to these tacos. If you don't have time to make this from scratch, feel free to use store-bought.
- Roasted poblano sauce: for a little extra kick! If I'm in a pinch I will sometimes just use store-bought salsa, but the homemade roasted poblano sauce is always better!
- Optional shredded vegan cheese: definitely not required, but if you're like me and usually have some vegan cheese in your fridge, go ahead and throw it on! I love the Ched Shred from Vevan Foods!
How to Make Air Fried Avocado Tacos
As always, keep scrolling for the full recipe. But here's the basic idea:
- Mix your breadcrumbs and spices
- Dip your avocado slices in plant milk, followed by the breadcrumb mixture
- Air fry your avocado slices, flip them over, and air fry a little longer
- Assemble your tacos with tortillas, refried beans, air fried avocados, lettuce, pico de gallo, roasted poblano sauce, and optional vegan cheese
- Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks that I've gathered for you after doing many tests of these tacos:
- This recipe calls for the toppings that I think work best on these tacos, but of course you can assemble these with your favorite toppings if these don't call to you! Maybe you would rather use black beans instead of refried beans, or you wold rather leave off the pico. You do you!
- There are lots of air fryers out there, and many of them differ from each other. So be sure to keep an eye on your avocados towards the end of your cooking time, just in case yours cook quickly! They should be done whenever the breadcrumb mixture is slightly golden.
- If you like to meal prep, feel free to make the pico and/or roasted poblano sauce ahead of time! However, I don't recommend cooking the avocados ahead of time.
- For other Tex Mex inspired recipes, be sure to check out my Jackfruit Quesadillas or Tex Mex Tofu Scramble!
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Air Fried Avocado Tacos
These Air Fried Avocado Tacos are a favorite in my house! All of the Tex Mex flavors you know and love, with a veganized twist! The pico and roasted poblano sauce can be prepped ahead of time if you'd like, making the rest of the assembly relatively quick. *Note that From Start to Finish is an estimate that includes 1 hour to make your Roasted Poblano Sauce and Pico de Gallo (assuming that you make your pico WHILE the poblano peppers roast, so that you can make them both in a one-hour period). Once both of these are prepped, the rest of the tacos should only take around 30 minutes or less!
Ingredients
Air Fried Avocados:
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs*
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- sprinkle black pepper
- 1 large avocado - sliced into 8-10 slices
- ¼ cup unsweetened plant milk (I use almond milk)
Tacos:
- 4 tortillas (I use 7-inch whole wheat tortillas)
- 1 cup vegetarian refried beans*
- 1 cup romaine lettuce - thinly sliced
- 1 cup Joyful Balance Pico de Gallo - (OR store-bought pico)
- ¼ cup Joyful Balance Roasted Poblano Sauce - (OR store-bought salsa)
- Optional: ¼ cup shredded vegan cheese - (I use either cheddar or a Mexican blend)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F.
- Prepare your breadcrumb mixture and plant milk: In one small/medium bowl, pour your unsweetened plant milk. In a separate small/medium bowl, mix together your breadcrumbs, smoked paprika,. garlic salt, onion powder cumin, and black pepper. You should now have one bowl of plant milk and another bowl of your breadcrumb mixture.
- Prepare your avocado: take one avocado slice at a time and quickly dip it into your plant milk to get it wet. Coat it with your breadcrumb mixture, and then place in the air fryer. Do this until you have one layer of avocado in the air fryer (depending on your air fryer, this may take 2 rounds).
- Air fry your avocado: air fry your avocado at 350 for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, carefully use kitchen tongs to flip the avocado slices. Air fry for another 3-4 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are slightly golden. This can sometimes differ a bit depending on your air fryer - so be sure to keep an eye on them!
- If cooking your avocado in two batches, remove the first batch and repeat steps 3-4 with the second batch.
- Assemble your tacos: spread ¼ of the refried beans on each tortilla. Top with 2-3 slices of the air fried avocado, ¼ of the lettuce, ¼ of the pico, a drizzle of the poblano sauce, and an optional sprinkle of vegan shredded cheese.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*Panko breadcrumbs: plain panko breadcrumbs are vegan at the time that I am writing this, but go ahead and check the ingredients when you buy them just in case! Sometimes companies change recipes, so it's always good to be safe!
*Vegetarian refried beans: Not all refried beans are veg-friendly (they often use lard), but the ones that do not use lard are often specifically labeled as "vegetarian" in the stores and tend to typically be vegan as well - so look for that vegetarian label and check the ingredients list to be sure!
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Happy cooking, friends! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your sauce-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Lynn says
Did these last night. Flavor is spot on- I used the air fryer setting on the oven. Just keep an eye on them and it might take a little longer. Going to make again , because they are that good, and add some pickled onions.
Delaney Marie says
Pickled onions would be a GREAT addition! So glad you loved them!
Pratanu Banerjee says
This is an excellent blog post on fried avocado tacos.