This slow cooker recipe makes the best mole mushroom vegan tacos. It’s the meatless Mexican recipe that you’ve been looking for, but may not have even known it.
What’s better than an easy vegan taco? How about a veggie taco that gets its umami from the “meaty” mushrooms and a rich flavor from the homemade mole sauce? Oh, and it’s a pretty easy vegetarian recipe to make!
We went toDreams Riveria Cancun Resort a few years ago was beautiful, all-inclusive and luxurious. The buffet restaurant always had plenty of vegan options for me to eat. It was always full of beautiful local fruits that I enjoyed every morning.
Dream’s Mexican and Italian restaurants even had a separate vegetarian menu and it was easy to eat vegan at both. I came back craving Mexican food and with a strong desire to learn about cooking with dried chilies that’s still with me today.
Our last night we ate again at El Patio, the Mexican spot, and had the best meal of our whole trip that inspired this recipe. I learned that huaraches aren’t only sandals, but a homemade thick masa oval that’s the perfect base for Mexican mushrooms. They had a selection of vegan tacos too, including cuitlacoche, or corn smut! They were so good!
I did my best to replicate the filling below in my slow cooker recipe for mole mushrooms. The base is not your normal corn tortilla, but if you don’t feel like making them you can use the filling in vegan tacos, tostadas or enchiladas.
You can’t buy huaraches where I am, but they are easier to make than tortillas. Since they are thick it requires less finesse than a perfectly round thin tortilla. Just mix up the dough, roll into cigar shapes and then press them down to 1/4 inch thick. (Update: I found some pre-made at Compare Foods recently.)
- 2 dried ancho chili peppers
- water to cover chili peppers
- 1½ pound mushrooms, chopped (about 4 cups)
- ½ cup chili cooking water (see instructions)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
- ¼ cup blanched almonds
- ½ ounce unsweetened dark chocolate
- 1½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- salt, to taste
- Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat. You don't want to overcook or burn them, just to dry them out a bit and cook until they become fragrant.
- Let cool, then remove the seeds, stem and ribs and discard. Place the flesh of the pepper in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reconstitute.
- Use tongs or a slotted spoon to carefully remove the reconstituted peppers and put them in your blender with all of the sauce ingredients EXCEPT for the salt. Blend until smooth, taste, add salt and taste again.
- In your 3 to 4 quart slow cooker add the mushrooms and the sauce ingredients. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours. If you may be home late add an extra ¼ cup water to make sure the filling doesn't burn.
- Serve in a soft or hard taco shell and top with lettuce, vegan queso fresco and vegan sour cream.
- ¼ pound extra firm tofu, (or regular or firm tofu pressed)
- juice of ½ a lime
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- salt, to taste
- Crumble to tofu and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Store in the fridge.
- Use on tacos and other Mexican food.
- 3 cups masa harina
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the water. Stir with a spoon at first, then knead until it forms a ball.
- Divide into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a cigar shape. One by one press them into a ¼ inch thick oval.
- Heat a large non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Cook the huaraches one at a time, about 2 minutes on each side, or until you have some dark brown specks on each side.
You could make a few side dishes to round out your meal too. Try some of my favorites below.
Vegan Queso
Refried (or not) Beans
- San Franciscano Beans (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
- Slow Cooker Not Refried Black Beans
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Frijoles
Slow Cooker Mole Mushroom Vegan Tacos or Huaraches
Ingredients
- 2 dried ancho chili peppers
- water to cover chili peppers
- 1 1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped (about 4 cups)
sauce ingredients
- 1/2 cup chili cooking water (see instructions)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
- 1/4 cup blanched almonds
- 1/2 ounce unsweetened dark chocolate
- 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Prepare the ancho chilies:
- Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat. You don't want to overcook or burn them, just to dry them out a bit and cook until they become fragrant.
- Let cool, then remove the seeds, stem and ribs and discard. Place the flesh of the pepper in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reconstitute.
- Use tongs or a slotted spoon to carefully remove the reconstituted peppers and put them in your blender with all of the sauce ingredients EXCEPT for the salt. Blend until smooth, taste, add salt and taste again.
- In your 3 to 4 quart slow cooker add the mushrooms and the sauce ingredients. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours. If you may be home late add an extra ¼ cup water to make sure the filling doesn't burn.
- Serve in a soft or hard taco shell and top with lettuce, vegan queso fresco and vegan sour cream.
Private: Easy Chili Lime Vegan Queso Fresco
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound extra firm tofu, (or regular or firm tofu pressed)
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Crumble to tofu and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Store in the fridge.
- Use on tacos and other Mexican food.
Private: No Oil Added Huarache “tortillas”
Huarache means more than a tropical sandal. It's also a delicious Mexican dish, that gets its name from that same sandal. Why? Unlike a regular corn tortilla it's not round, it's actually oval.
Ingredients
- 3 cups masa harina
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the water. Stir with a spoon at first, then knead until it forms a ball.
- Divide into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a cigar shape. One by one press them into a ¼ inch thick oval.
- Heat a large non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Cook the huaraches one at a time, about 2 minutes on each side, or until you have some dark brown specks on each side.
Ruth says
Kathy, I am so excited that you’ve started exploring Mexican food! I’ll be spending the winter in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and while there are a couple good vegan restaurants and restaurants with vegan options, I like to cook. This looks like just the kind of recipe I could wow my friends with. I’m looking forward to your applying your wonderful creativity to more Mexican dishes! Thanks!
Kathy Hester says
Thank you! Please share the names of the vegan restaurants. I bet everyone would love to go!
Ruth says
The new vegan restaurant is called
Veggie Table. They’ve only been open for a month and make their own seitan and tempeh! The old standby restaurant is Planeta Vegetariano. It’s been open for decades, Food is served buffet style with maybe 15 salads and 6 mains, including beans and rice, plus breads and a dessert. 85 – 90% is vegan. There’s also Mary’s Vegetarian Restaurant. It’s home style Mexican cooking with mostly vegan items. All are very reasonably priced!
Willow says
Living in Tucson, I’ve been wanting to try a mole, and being vegan, it can be hard to find one that I can eat. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa Love says
All the Mexican recipes! Yes, love these. Always on the lookout for new ones to try. Thanks!
MyCookingSecrets.com | Krystallia Giamouridou says
Great recipe and idea! Got to try it…. thank you for sharing this recipe
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Love the authenticity of this delicious Mexican recipe Kathy, and glad you had a great time at the conference.
Mark says
What a great list of ingredients. I like to combine travel and food in my blog so I appreciate this post. Mexican cuisine, so good!
Stephanie says
I made these for dinner tonight. Followed all recipes as written. They were so delicious! Everyone especially loved the queso fresco. Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
Kathy Hester says
I am so delighted your family liked them. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Krissy says
how much blanched almonds?
Kathy Hester says
1/4 cup
Jessica says
In step 1 of the mole sauce it states to toast he peppers to dry them out but the ingredients are dried peppers. Im Just confused as to why dry a dried pepper?
Kathy Hester says
You toast the dry pepper to bring out the flavor.