Vegan Breakfast Tacos

These vegan breakfast tacos combine a creamy tofu scramble, bold homemade chorizo, and sliced avocado. The contrast of texture, flavor, and temperature makes for a really satisfying first meal.

The origin of these vegan breakfast tacos

I didn’t know breakfast tacos existed until I came to Texas. In other parts of the country, they have breakfast burritos, but they can’t compare. Breakfast tacos in Texas are typically made with fresh tortillas, yesterday’s barbecue, and some scrambled eggs. They can have other ingredients as well – chorizo, migas, beans, potatoes, and vegetables. These tacos are widely available (at least in the central part of the state) and they grew on me quickly after I moved here.

As I started eating plant-based, I wanted to recreate the best elements of the everyday breakfast taco. I wanted to use whole foods as much as possible. And it had to be delicious enough for omnivores or else it wasn’t worthwhile. I settled on a combination of chorizo, migas, and avocado because I think it captures great depth of flavor.

The components of the vegan breakfast tacos

Vegan chorizo – I had been wanting to create my own vegan chorizo recipe after trying a store-bought version. The store-bought version is fine, but I always like to be able to make ingredients fresh, so I can appreciate what goes in them and tweak the flavors as I want. And some readers of this blog may not have access to manufactured vegan chorizo. I really like the combination of smoky flavor, cumin, spiciness, and sourness and that was relatively easy to recreate. This homemade version uses tofu, pecans, and pinto beans for texture.

Migas – After I had developed another tofu scramble that I was satisfied with (it exhibited many of the things I enjoyed in the past about scrambled eggs), I decided to adapt the recipe slightly. This recipe would have a Tex-Mex accent of onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes and emulate the egg dish “migas”. Migas also have crunchy tortilla pieces in them, making them upgraded scrambled “eggs” that go well with any southwestern flavors.

Avocado – It pairs so well with the chorizo that I couldn’t resist including it. That’s it.

Garnishes – Cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno slices, and salsa top the dish off. The acidity and spice really enhance the other flavors.

Whole grain tortillas – while you can use any kind of tortillas you like, I go for the whole grain, sometimes freshly made, tortillas. The tacos shown in the photos use Ezekiel tortillas made from sprouted whole-kernel corn. Those and other types of whole grain tortillas make for a more nourishing breakfast and can improve how you feel for the rest of the day.

Variations on vegan breakfast tacos

Aside from the recipe in this post, you can make tasty vegan breakfast tacos from all kinds of other plant-based ingredients, even leftover ones. Here are some of my favorites:

• Roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes – Some people frown on this sort of “carb-on-carb” pairing (together with the tortilla) but not me. Crispy potatoes make a solid companion for a lot of other taco ingredients, including the migas, chorizo, salsa, or roasted veggies.
• Cooked tofu or tempeh – A good way to add a bit of protein to your breakfast. If you’ve already got some on hand, just dice it and heat briefly in a skillet.
• Roasted mushrooms are great with the migas and are especially easy to make with an air-fryer.
• Shiitake bacon (recipe coming soon) is a smoky sweet salty greasy umami treat. It pairs with the migas better than bacon pairs with egg.
• I have also enjoyed random roasted vegetables, just paired with salsa and avocado. I’m working on recipes for these others, including cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, squash, and others.

Simpler can be better

If the migas and chorizo recipes look a little daunting, don’t worry. One of my favorite locally available tacos has just black beans, avocado, and pico de gallo. It is extremely simple but tastes great every single time. A tortilla has a special ability to make whatever is inside it even tastier. Feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients. Utilize leftovers if you’ve got them. And take advantage of citrus and salsa; acidity and spice enhance the whole dish.

Some cooking notes

You can use store-bought vegan chorizo in place of my version to save time.

The migas can be simplified by skipping the garlic, onion, jalapeno, pepper, and tomato and cutting the oil in half. You’ll still get a creamy and versatile tofu scramble.

Always warm the tortillas before making the tacos. I like to wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds. This will make the tortillas pliable so they won’t break when you bend them. It also gives them a nicer mouthfeel.

Lemon or lime juice, salsa, and avocado make solid additions to any breakfast taco.

If you’d like to keep the tacos warm for later, wrap them tightly in foil.