Buen Provecho!
Traditional Mexican food is full of hearty and colorful ingredients with a powerful combination of complementary flavors. Vegan Mexican dishes might be unconventional, but many dishes in Mexican cuisine rely heavily on veggies, pulses, rice, and corn, making this cuisine a fantastic area of inspiration and experimentation for vegans.
And providing a variety of plant-based ingredients for Mexican restaurants and caterers at wholesale prices is just the kind of thing we’re about at Schenck Foods.
So whether you’re a restaurant ordering Hispanic and Latino ingredients on a daily and weekly basis, or you’re a caterer looking at a one-off special order of Mexican food ingredients, we’ve got you covered with an easy ordering process, an extensive online catalog, and a $5 flat delivery fee.
6 Simple & Mouthwatering Vegan Mexican Dishes
We don’t care if it’s #TacoTuesday, #CincodeMayo, or any ol’ night – if this is what you’re serving up, we want to be there. Check out our favorite, whole-food, plant-based Mexican recipes that are great for anytime.
Four Layer Enchilada Cakes
These healthy vegan enchiladas from Forks Over Knives prove that everything is better in cake form. Each layer of these generously filled cakes has a different hearty filling melded together with enchilada sauce. This recipe takes some time to assemble, but it’s fun and delicious and built to impress. Make your own oil-free enchilada sauce, or look for some in our catalog. Serve the enchilada cakes with warm enchilada sauce and cashew cream and pico de gallo.
Vegan Ceviche
Ceviche is a perfect and refreshing vegan Mexican dish! It’s bursting with flavor and perfectly refreshing. This plant-based, Vegan Ceviche from Feasting At Home is made with hearts of palm (instead of fish) along with traditional Mexican ceviche ingredients- tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and avocado. It is a very easy recipe that can be whipped up in minutes! Serve it on mini tostadas, with chips, or in lettuce cups as a main entree over crispy tostada shells or rice.
Mexican Potatoes
These crispy roasted Mexican Potatoes from Isabel Eats are seasoned with chili powder, garlic, sea salt, and dairy free parmesan cheese and then baked, (not fried), and are the perfect vegan (& gluten free) side to weekday meals. And let’s be real – is there anything better than crispy roasted Mexican potatoes that are baked to golden perfection, so crispy that they almost border on crunchy, all topped with salty delicious Parmesan cheese?!
We don’t think so. These tiny slices of heaven are pretty much the best side dish ever, if they even make it to your dinner plate. And that’s a big if.
Roasted potatoes are one of those sides that everyone loves. They’re like fries, but a little fancier and somehow more acceptable for weeknight family dinners. Maybe it’s because they’re roasted and not fried? We don’t know, but we love it and we’re running with it.
Orange Black Bean Taquitos
Forks Over Knives has Orange Baked Black Bean Taquitos that are healthy and oh so tasty. Beans, veggies, lime juice, and spices, wrapped in a tortilla and baked to a golden brown. The orange zest and juice in this recipe brighten the dish and elevate the ordinary black bean to new heights.
But here’s where things get even better: guarantee this as a delicious crowd pleaser that has everyone coming back for more with spiked sour cream – 1 (12-ounce) package extra firm silken tofu, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon chili powder and just a pinch of cayenne pepper. Combine those ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth and creamy. Chill until ready to serve.
Whoa.
Serve this with cooked brown rice or quinoa and a salad. Or, these taquitos are also great for hearty snacking.
Vegan Buñuelos
We have to have a desert here, right? Buñuelos are a traditional staple in Mexican desserts: it’s a delicious golden fried fritter that is light and airy but still holds a crunch to it. It is often dusted with white sugar and a dash of cinnamon too. This vegan recipe from Vegan Mexican Food substitutes fried flour tortillas for the traditional eggy dough of the buñuelo, (giving this more in common with the sopapilla). Enjoy warm with vegan ice cream!
Milk-free Vegan Horchata
Enjoy this sweet and refreshing beverage made with cinnamon and rice all summer long! Horchata, also known as Orxata, is a drink made of nuts or rice. This refreshing vegan horchata from The Conscious Plant Kitchen is a creamy, slightly sweet rice almond milk drink with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla.
Horchata isn’t traditionally vegan, as most recipes are made from rice milk and regular cow milk to add a creamy texture to the drink – this recipe substitutes almond milk to create a dairy free, healthy, and plant-based alternative that is simply delicious. Other substitutions are coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk, but these three plant-based milk options also add a strong flavor to the Horchata recipe, which masks the traditional rice flavor. The last option is to use rice milk, and you will turn your drink into a rice pudding flavor!
A vegan horchata done right should be a dairy-free, non-alcoholic drink with a lovely white color, creamy texture, and delicious vanilla cinnamon flavor, perfect for refreshing a hot summer day. It can even serve as an alcohol-free cocktail during the holidays. Kids love this one, so it’s perfect for the whole family.
Tips and Tricks for Making Mexican Dishes Vegan
Vegan-friendly swaps open up endless possibilities for traditional favorites. Did you know you can make cheese out of nuts! You can substitute the crumbly Mexican cotija cheese by making it with almonds. Perfect for sprinkling on tacos, nachos, or over enchiladas. Vegan cheese selections are getting bigger and better all the time. We like cashew cheese (a common dairy-free cheese) for quesadillas and enchiladas.
Tofu, when pan-fried in a bit of oil, makes a great substitute for eggs, but can also be added to tacos, salads, fajitas, or pretty much anything. Jackfruit lends itself really well in recipes that have shredded meats such as tinga and pulled pork. And of course mushrooms, especially meaty portobellos, are packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals, and are great for substituting into Mexican dishes. You can mix them up with beans, nuts, seeds, and then add lots of Mexican spices, which will drive the flavor.
A really nutritious vegan mince option, soya mince, can be used in dishes such as chili con carne, beef enchiladas, and beef tacos recipes. It’s high in protein, and contains all of the essential amino acids needed for growth. An added bonus is that it’s very low in saturated fat, and therefore low in calories.
A Wholesale Supplier for Your Vegan Needs
As a restaurant owner or caterer, we get that you’re not just cooking—you’re also planning everything from the layout of the chafing dishes to the placement of food and utensils. You’re constantly reviewing your menu and offerings. And when it comes to ingredients for vegan Mexican dishes (or any ingredient needs!), we’re ready to help.
Check out Schenck Foods’ wholesale catalog to save on your plant-based Hispanic and Latino ingredients, serving supplies, and paper goods for all your restaurant and catering gigs.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to ask a question, request special ingredients, or take advantage of our full-service paper products program.
Vegan doesn’t have to be second best. It can be delicious, wholesome, and healthy, with the added benefit of a clean conscience and an expressed love for all living things.