I make these slow cooker lentil quinoa tacos all the time in my 2 quart slow cooker. This vegan taco meat substitute is 100% plant based, gluten-free, soy-free and has no added oil. This easy recipe is hands off and can cook while you’re away for the day and is a great change from refried bean tacos.
Photo by Kate Lewis
My Lentil Quinoa Taco Filling contains no soy or gluten but has a meaty texture that tacos love. Think outside the taco and try it on salads or even pizza!
Can I Add Some Extra Veggies in This Lentil Quinoa Taco Filling?
This filling is a great place to stash some shredded greens, fresh chopped summer squash, and more seasonal goodies from your market.
You can add long cooking veggies like potato, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, or other root veggies with the other ingredients right in the slow cooker.
Quick cooking veggies are better added 20 to 30 minutes Another option is to add them raw straight to your to freshen it up a bit. Let your imagination guide you.
Why Make Lentil Quinoa Taco Filling in Your Slow Cooker?
It’s just so easy to throw everything in the slow cooker and then go to work, run errands, or just spend your time knocking things off your to-do list.
Try serving with some Vegan Slow Cooker Mole with Potatoes and Bean to round out the meal.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup 48 g brown lentils
- 1/4 cup 48 g beluga lentils or brown lentils
- 1/4 cup 43 g quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups 475 ml water
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 soft or hard corn taco shells use gluten-free shells to make this gluten-free and use fat free soft taco shells to keep it oil-free
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the salt, pepper, and taco shells to the 1½- to 2-quart slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.
- Before serving, add salt and pepper.
- Taste and adjust any of the seasonings as needed.
- Serve in taco shells with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, or any of your other favorite taco toppings.
Jeannie says
July 25, 2013 at 5:17 pmThis is a great idea for a book. I really dislike halving standard-size recipes, so it will be nice to have a book of tried and true recipes suitable fro small crockpots. Good luck with it!
Kathy Hester says
July 25, 2013 at 5:39 pmI’m glad you like it. There are quite a few 1 1/2 to 2 quart recipes you can try out on the blog too!
Jessie B says
July 25, 2013 at 5:24 pmLooks delicious! If I use a larger slow cooker (I think mine is 6 quarts), do I have to make any adjustments?
Kathy Hester says
July 25, 2013 at 5:39 pmYou definitely will. You can either triple the recipe and freeze the leftovers or some people have put a 2 quart pyrex dish in their larger slow cooker and add water around ten outside of it to make a water bath. Tell me which one you end up using.
Wendy says
July 28, 2013 at 8:27 amIs there going to be a kindle version of the book?
Kathy Hester says
July 28, 2013 at 9:41 amYes, there will be a Kindle edition and it usually lists at release or just a little bit before.
Wendy says
August 10, 2013 at 7:58 amI still haven’t seen a kindle version, did something happen?
I also haven’t seen the book available for purchase in Canada.
Abby says
July 30, 2013 at 2:08 pmDo you use dried lentils, or have they already been cooked?
Kathy Hester says
July 30, 2013 at 2:10 pmThese use dried lentils. You could use leftover cooked ones though, but you’d want to reduce the cook-time some.
Maggie says
August 10, 2013 at 12:29 amI added a bit of cumin to this recipe. That’s what gives it a taco flavor!
Arminda says
August 15, 2013 at 2:20 pmThanks for the cumin tip, Maggie! Making these today 🙂
Arminda says
August 18, 2013 at 6:28 pmThese were absolutely delicious! I shared my experience making them without the aid of a slow cooker because I didn’t plan ahead (typical), but was delighted with the results all the same!
http://yumveg.com/2013/08/lentil-quinoa-taco-filling/
Alicia C. says
December 15, 2013 at 3:03 pmI didn’t make it to the seven hour mark; it already looks done, and ready to eat. Will it be a problem if I don’t cook it through the full seven to nine hours? I’ve so far cooked it for about four and a half hours; water is gone, everything looks hearty, and it looks like it’s slowly starting to burn a little bit at the top where the food touches the edge…
Kathy Hester says
December 15, 2013 at 6:07 pmIt should be fine if the lentils are tender and the quinoa cooked though. Your slow cooker may run a bit hot so you might want to add an additional 1/2 cup water next time if you need it to all day due to work.
Alicia C. says
January 1, 2014 at 10:09 pmThank you!
Andrea says
March 6, 2014 at 11:49 am1/4 cup (48 g) brown lentils
1/4 cup (48 g) beluga lentils or brown lentils
so 1/2 cup of lentils total?
Kathy Hester says
March 6, 2014 at 11:52 amCorrect. If you use only one kind of lentils you will use 1/2 cup of that one kind. If you use 2 kinds 1/4 cup each.
Becca says
August 19, 2017 at 3:02 pmCan I use green lentils? Or split lentils? Should they be whole dried?
Kathy Hester says
August 19, 2017 at 3:08 pmThe recipe as written is for whole brown lentils and whole beluga lentils. Whole green lentils should be fine.
Geoffrey Morse says
June 11, 2014 at 8:33 amIs adding water inc the slow cooker required? If so, how much?
Kathy Hester says
June 11, 2014 at 10:54 amYes it’s called for in the recipe on the page and is 2 cups (475 ml) water.
Arlene says
July 22, 2014 at 8:56 amI added sauted onion and some other things I hope it will be great
Emily says
August 9, 2014 at 6:25 pmGreat recipe!! Thanks for the idea. I found adding a cup or so of tomato sauce added a lot of flavour, along with cumin and ground coriander.
Kathy Hester says
August 9, 2014 at 7:26 pmThat sounds like a great addition. I smother mine is salsa 😉
Laura says
August 16, 2014 at 1:07 pmJust thought I would ask can this recipe be doubled or tripled for bigger families?
Kathy Hester says
August 20, 2014 at 9:30 amAbsolutely! Just use a larger slow cooker like a 3 1/2 or 4 quart.
Cat says
August 26, 2014 at 12:53 pmHow long should I reduce the cooking time by if I am using sprouted lentils?
Kathy Hester says
August 26, 2014 at 1:27 pmI’m not really sure and it would depend on what kind. With the slow cooker recipes they will hold well even if the mixture is ready. The only change I think you may need to make is to use a bit less water.
Max says
October 26, 2014 at 9:14 pmI loved this recipe! I added cumin, as Maggie suggested, and a little more chili powder than called for. I also tried using some red lentils, which seemed to work out just fine. I think I might just have to check out your book! Thanks for the recipe.
Marci says
January 9, 2015 at 12:01 pmThis looks fantastic Pinning!
Katharine in Brussels says
January 26, 2015 at 6:42 amHi Kathy, fantastic recipe. Even with a family of 4 (and growing) thanks to this recipe I am getting the Kindle version of this book since I’ll be on maternity leave beginning at the end of February or early March. There is nothing like putting ingredients in the adorable little crock slow cooker sometime after breakfast, putting it on high, and having a unique lunch ready once or twice a week to alternate with the freezer meals I already made. It’s so nice to eat freshly made food instead of pulling everything out of the freezer… and trying to remember to do that about an hour before lunch to bake on time… So here is another audience who would appreciate this book: stay at home parents who are having lunch alone at home or a parent plus one or two small appetites for the second portion. Every new mother who is facing another day alone in a high-stress job (newborns!) should have something lovely to look forward to, a treat just for her. Talk about beating the baby blues. Thank you.
Rachel @LittleChefBigAppetite says
February 16, 2016 at 9:57 pmYum! This looks so hearty and delicious!
Christin says
March 24, 2016 at 1:17 pmDoubled this recipe and made in a larger crockpot and it was completely cooked in just under 3 hours. Also, I wanted a little more flavor (and I’m lazy), so I ended up tossing in some packaged seasoning which worked well 🙂
momofavegan says
August 27, 2016 at 9:28 pmYummy. Just made it for my son and he had 4 tacos. I added chili powder, curry, cumin, garlic, onion, and salsa and doubled the recipe. I found vegan gourmet ™ cheese and he said it was better than daiya.
Will try the black eyed peas sloppy next.
Sara says
October 9, 2016 at 8:47 pmMine seems done and it’s only been about 4 or so hours. The water is all absorbed and it is starting to stick to the bottom of the crockpot. Excited to try it.
Kathy Hester says
October 10, 2016 at 1:05 pmSome of the slow cooker recipes are ready tok eat early. I mark them as being able to cook longer for work days. I hope you liked it.
Stephanie says
December 3, 2016 at 10:11 pmMade these for dinner. These were fantastic. I have tried making tacos with meat substitutes before and never was impressed. These were so tasty that even my meat loving husband liked them. I added the cumin and tomato sauce like other reviews mentioned and I used vegetable broth instead of water. I will make these many times!
Nick says
March 31, 2017 at 1:40 pmMade this for the next few days of food. It’s really good, and simple! I modified it a bit. I added a lot more chili powder (I like spicy things), a lot more garlic, nutritional yeast and replaced water with vegetable broth! Thanks for the recipe!
Becky Striepe says
June 6, 2017 at 1:56 pmThis looks so good, Kathy! I’m always looking for new taco fillings.
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen says
June 6, 2017 at 2:05 pmI’ve made this recipe a few times. I love it!
Linda says
June 6, 2017 at 4:10 pmThis sounds delicious, can this be made in the IP on pressure?
Thanks
Kathy Hester says
June 6, 2017 at 4:22 pmThey should work, you just will need to adjust the liquid a bit. I’ll see if I can’t make some in the IP this week and/or let us know how they turn out!
Linda says
June 6, 2017 at 9:29 pmThanks Kathy. I will have to give it a try this week also.
Melinda says
June 11, 2017 at 8:25 pmMade this tonight and it was great!!! Thank you for sharing! I randomly ended up spreading a few scoops out over some parchment on a cookie sheet. Baked it at 375 for about 25 minutes. Added a nice crisp bite to it! Certainly not a necessary added step, just something we tried that turned out really good! Making this in bulk and freezing for sure! Thank you!!!
Hazel says
July 13, 2017 at 10:56 pmThis is so good! Thank you for reminding me of it. VEGAN SLOW COOKING FOR TWO Is my all time favorite cookbook. Ive been spending time recently with the Instapot and I forgot how easy and great tasting food I can make in that small slow cooker. I’m still excited about the Instapot but my trusty slow cooker is on the counter for awhile.
Isabella says
September 6, 2017 at 4:03 amDo you need to soak the lentils before cooking them in the slow cooker?
Kathy Hester says
September 9, 2017 at 5:24 pmNo you do not soak the lentils for this recipe.
Kimi says
October 13, 2017 at 9:49 amI don’t have a slow cooker. If I want to make this in my Instant Pot, how much time do you recommend?
Kathy Hester says
October 14, 2017 at 9:57 pmI’d try 10 minutes on high.
Shawn says
October 26, 2017 at 7:12 pmDo I drain the liquids after 9 hours when it’s done cooking?
Kathy Hester says
October 28, 2017 at 2:23 pmIf there is a lot of liquid you can drain it.
Susan says
April 27, 2018 at 8:29 amKathy this looks amazing! On what setting and for how long should I cook this in the instant pot? Thanks!
Kathy Hester says
April 30, 2018 at 10:52 amI haven’t tested it in the Instant Pot, but here’s a similar recipe that has Instant Pot instructions:
Cathy says
April 3, 2019 at 7:10 pmIs it possible to cook this on high but for a shorter amount of time? If so, long would I cook it for on high?
Thank you! Excited to try this recipe soon 🙂
Kathy Hester says
April 10, 2019 at 1:31 pmYou can and I think 3 to 4 hours on high would work.
Eva says
May 3, 2019 at 12:58 amI made these for our family plus a dinner guest so I doubled the recipe. There wasn’t much talking in between each of us gulping down these delicious tacos! Instead of water I used veggie broth, added half an onion, a heaping teaspoon of cumin, and a pinch of cayenne. I love that it’s such a simple recipe and you can toss extra veggies in the pot for added freshness. This taco filling also had a really nice texture. Can’t wait to have them again!