Vegan Cheesy Gordita Crunch
The ICONIC Double Decker Cheesy Gordita Crunch by TACO BELL, but made with nothing but plants! Cheesy, Crunchy, Vegan!
While Taco Bell might be one of the most accommodating fast food restaurants for vegans, we can’t really veganize a Cheesy Gordita Crunch. However that is easily remedied at home and made way better than anything at Taco Bell!
ingredients for a vegan cheesy gordita crunch
- Gordita – Obviously you can make some at home, but a flatbread will work too. Trader Joe’s has some good ones! Or just use a regular thick flour tortilla too!
- Taco Shell – I opted for the easy (and authentic Taco Bell) route and just used some store bought taco shells. I like using the jumbo sized ones but regular sized shells work fine too! You could totally fry your own tortillas as well!
- Nacho Cheese – Since vegan cheese won’t melt just from touching a warm tortilla, I like to make a quick nacho cheese sauce instead!
- Vegan Ground Beef – You can use your favorite store bought vegan meat like Impossible or Beyond, or make my Tofu Taco Meat!
- Spicy Ranch – we’ll be making the Spicy Ranch with Vegan Ranch and Hot Sauce!
- Shredded Cheese & Lettuce – Of course we gotta shred some lettuce and top with shredded vegan cheddar too!
how to make a vegan cheesy gordita crunch
First, make the vegan ground beef. You can use Impossible or Beyond and season with my Taco Seasoning, or make my Tofu Taco Meat!
Make the Spicy Ranch by combining Ranch, Hot Sauce, and Cayenne.
Next whip up the nacho cheese sauce but melting vegan cheddar cheese into some plant milk and pickled jalapeño brine.
Heat up the gordita and hard shell taco in the microwave, stove top or oven. Then spread a generous portion of the nacho cheese on the gordita. Fold the taco shell inside the gordita, pressing it together.
Fill with the Vegan Ground Beef, Spicy Ranch, Shredded Lettuce and Shredded Cheese and enjoy!
more vegan TACO BELL RECIPES!
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Vegan Cheesy Gordita Crunch
Ingredients
- 4 Flatbreads Gorditas
- 4 Taco Shells (Jumbo or Regular)
- 1 – 2 cups Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
- 1/2 cup Shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- 1 lb. Tofu Taco Meat (See Notes)
Spicy Ranch
- 1/2 cup Vegan Ranch
- 2 Tbsp Hot Sauce
- Cayenne Pepper to taste
Nacho Cheese
- 8 oz. Shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup Plant Milk (Unsweetened)
- 1 – 2 Tbsp Pickled Jalapeño Brine
- Cayenne (to taste)
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Spicy Ranch
- Combine all the ingredients for the Spicy Ranch and set aside in fridge. Use hot sauce of your choice, Frank's Extra Hot is what I used! Adjust seasonings to taste.
Taco Meat
- First, make the vegan ground beef. You can use Impossible or Beyond and season with my Taco Seasoning, or make my Tofu Taco Meat! If using store bought plant meat, simply crumble it and brown it in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 – 3 Tbsp of the Taco Seasoning, and more to taste. Then pour about 1/2 cup of water and cook down to desired consistency. Add water or broth as needed!
Nacho Cheese
- For the Nacho Cheese, pour in about 1/2 cup of Unsweetened Plant Milk and the Jalapeño Brine. Heat over medium and whisk frequently. Once it bubbles, add in the vegan cheddar shreds and whisk until melted. Adding more Plant Milk as needed to get your desired consistency. I ended up using about 1 cup of milk. Taste and adjust for seasoning, cover and keep warm on low.
Assembly
- Warm the gorditas and taco shells according to package instructions, then spread a nice layer of the nacho cheese on the gordita. Fold the taco shell into the gordita, and gently press them together, using the cheese to seal.
- Fill with the vegan taco meat, a good drizzle of the Spicy Ranch, and then some lettuce and more cheese on top and enjoy!
My husband and I are OBSESSED with this recipe! Absolutely delicious and so easy to make!
So glad you two like it!
This looks fantastic to make. If using store bought ranch…what amount of ranch and adobe did you use for this recipe?
Oh wow I need to revisit this recipe and specify that! You could honestly just add a little adobe at a time until it’s at your desired heat level, I would say maybe 1/4 cup ranch and like a Tbsp of chipotles!
What brand of shredded vegan cheese do you like in this recipe?
I typically use Follow Your Heart
Made this tonight for my husband and daughter for dinner (minus spicy ranch for her), and we all loved it! Thank you!
Excellent, so glad y’all liked it! Thanks!