Vegan Birria Tacos

These vegan birria tacos are our meatless take on the popular Mexican recipe. They ar = e made with homemade consomé, meaty oyster mushrooms, and gooey vegan cheese, all folded inside corn tortillas dipped in broth. Serve with onion, cilantro, and additional broth for dipping! 

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Vegan Birria Tacos 

for the birria broth (consumé): 

• Dried chiles: For the homemade sauce, you will need dried guajillo chiles, dried ancho chiles, and dried chiles de arbol. These are easiest to find at your local Mexican market or from online retailers like Amazon. 
• Aromatics: White onion and fresh garlic cloves create a flavorful foundation to the sauce.
• Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes (plum tomatoes) add a subtle yet tangy acidity that balances the richer flavors. They also have denser flesh and lower seed content, which keeps the birria sauce from being too runny.
• Spices: Black peppercorns, Mexican Oregano, cumin seeds, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, and salt add warmth, depth, and complexity to the sauce, elevating its overall flavor. 
• Broth: Traditional birria sauce is often made with beef, so we opted for vegan beef broth. You can also opt for vegetable broth if needed. 
• Apple cider vinegar: Adds a boost of acidity and brightness, helping to balance the warm spices and rich flavors in the “meat” filling!

for the filling:

• Oil: You’ll need oil to sauté the mushrooms. We used vegetable oil, but olive oil or avocado oil will also work.  
• King oyster mushrooms: These unique mushrooms make for a great meat substitute as they have a meaty texture similar to shredded beef. We are usually able to pick these up at regular grocery stores, but if not, check your local Asian markets. They often carry oyster mushrooms!

for assembly:

• Tortillas: Corn tortillas are the traditional choice for birria tacos. Corn tortillas are more hearty and hold up better when dipped and fried in birria broth than soft flour tortillas. 
• Vegan cheese: Adding a sprinkle of cheese turns these birria tacos into vegan quesabirria tacos! Any vegan mozzarella cheese shreds will work, so use your favorite brand. 

Equipment Needed

• Large saucepan (with lid) 
• High-speed blender
• Large skillet
• Spatula

How to Make Vegan Birria Tacos 

1. Make the Birria Sauce (Birria Broth) 

1. Boil the chiles, aromatics, and tomatoes. Add the dried chili peppers, onion, garlic, and tomatoes to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. 
2. Transfer to a blender. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before straining the rest. Transfer the chiles, onion, garlic, and tomatoes to a high-speed blender. Add the spices (besides the bay leaves), apple cider vinegar, and the reserved cup of cooking liquid. Blend until smooth. 
3. Strain and simmer. Strain the blended birria sauce back into the saucepan using a fine mesh sieve. Add the vegan beef broth and bay leaves and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour over medium heat. 

2. Prepare the vegan birria Taco Filling

Note: If you are preparing the birria sauce on the same day as the taco filling, begin to prepare the filling when the sauce has about 15 minutes left to simmer. 

1. Sauté the shredded mushrooms. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms lightly brown. Add the remaining mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. 
2. Add the sauce. Add 1 cup of the birria sauce mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces and the mixture becomes jammy, about 8-10 minutes. Add additional salt to taste, as needed.

3. Assemble the Birria Tacos

1. Prepare the frying pan. Heat a large pan or skillet over medium heat and brush with oil. 
2. Dip the tortilla. Dip one corn tortilla into the hearty sauce. Both sides should be coated but not soggy. 
3. Add the birria filling. Immediately place the dipped tortilla onto the hot pan. On one side of the tortilla, add the vegan mozzarella cheese and mushroom filling. 
4. Cook until crispy. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling. press down with the spatula and cook until crispy and golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan. 
5. Repeat the process! Repeat the assembly process with the remaining ingredients until all of the tortillas are used if you’ve run out of birria taco filling. 
6. Serve. Serve tacos immediately while hot with finely diced onion, freshly chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Dip in the remaining birria broth and enjoy! 

Storage Instructions

Leftover birria taco ingredients are best stored separately – keep the sauce, tortillas, meat, and toppings in separate airtight containers. Then, right before enjoying, heat each component and assemble! 

When kept in an airtight container, ingredients will keep for up to 5 days. 

More Vegan Taco Recipes You May Enjoy:

Gluten Free

Lentil & Walnut Taco Meat

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Vegan Carne Asada Tacos (Gluten-Free)

Gluten Free

Sheet Pan Tofu Taco Meat

Gluten Free

Potato Tacos w/ Brussels Sprouts Slaw & Homemade Quinoa Tortillas {easy + gluten-free}

Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you make this recipe. We love to see your photos! 

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