Vegan Tacos Al Pastor
All the deliciously smokey, savory and sweet flavor of Al Pastor Tacos, but totally vegan, thanks to Soy Curls!
Al Pastor is one of the most popular types of meat to get on tacos and for good reason! It’s smokey, savory and sweet, and when done well is probably one of the best things you can eat, especially after a night out!
In fact, I can’t count how many times I would cap the night off with an overloaded paper plate of tacos, and even though I loved to try out a bunch of different fillings, Al Pastor was ALWAYS on that plate!
When I went vegan, I thought I’d never get to enjoy that again. However places like Cena Vegan and El Cocinero showed me that wasn’t true! I’ve recently made this Al Pastor with Soy Curls, and it’s one of my new favorites!
ingredients for vegan Al Pastor
The main ingredient is going to be Soy Curls! One of my favorites!
While Soy Curls are a specific product, the concept behind them is not new. It’s essentially just TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and there are variations of it around the world. Sometimes they are called Soya Chunks too.
The ones I use are made by Butler Foods. You can get it directly from them or on Amazon. But I suggest getting them direct from Butler Foods as it’s way cheaper. This post isn’t sponsored by the way, I just love Soy Curls!
You could also use my Oyster Mushroom recipe as a base as well.
Or my Tofu Grilled Chicken would work too!
the Al Pastor marinade
For the marinade, we’ll be using a couple of ingredients that are crucial to the Al Pastor flavor.
The first is Achiote. It’s typically in a paste / block form. You can find it at your local Mexican or Central American market. Achiote not only adds a lot of the signature flavor, but the vivid color as well.
The second is some dried chiles. I recommend Guajillo. You can also add some Chile de Arbol for some heat.
Aside from those two ingredients, we’ll be using some garlic, chipotles in adobo, pineapple juice, cumin, cinnamon and oregano.
HOW TO MAKE Vegan Al Pastor
This couldn’t be easier! I like to make a bit batch of my Soy Curl Chicken to have on hand for a recipe like this. That way I just gotta whip up the Al Pastor marinade. Of course you can make the Soy Curl Chicken just for this recipe too!
But it’s just a matter of rehydrating some soy curls and then marinating and grilling them in a delicious sauce!
Next to make the Al Pastor marinade, simply take the stems and seeds off the chiles, and then soak the chiles in some boiling water for 10 – 15 minutes. Then blend them up with all the other ingredients.
You can either marinade the soy curls in the Al Pastor marinade, or just pour the marinade over when you cook them.
For the pineapple, I suggest using a fresh pineapple if possible, but if you use canned or fresh, just make sure you grill them first!
Chop up the grilled pineapple and fill a warmed corn tortilla with the Al Pastor, and some onions and cilantro!
tips for cooking soy curls
- Rehydrate the soy curls for at least 10 – 15 minutes. I have found that using cold, warm or hot water doesn’t make a noticeable difference.
- No matter what you hydrate them in, you’ll want to SQUEEZE out as much of that liquid as possible.
- You can also further dry them out by toasting them in a dry pan to cook out even more of the moisture. This should help remove the aftertaste as well as any mushiness. It should yield a chewy soy curl that’s still juicy.
storage
Store in the fridge and eat within 3 – 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
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Vegan Tacos Al Pastor
Ingredients
- 1 batch Soy Curl Chicken (or 1.5 pounds Vegan Chicken of choice)
- Corn Tortillas
- Chopped Onion
- Chopped Cilantro
- 3 – 4 Pineapple Slices
Al Pastor Marinade
- 5 Dried Guajillo Peppers
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 3 Tbsp Chipotles in Adobo (diced)
- 2 Tbsp Achiote
- 1/2 cup Pineapple Juice
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Oregano (Mexican Oregano if possible)
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Vinegar
- Pepper Water (as needed)
Instructions
- Prepare the Soy Curls as per this RECIPE.
Al Pastor Marinade
- Cut off the stems of the Guajillo peppers. Shake out the seeds, you can also cut them in half along their seams and split them open to get the seeds out as well.
- Cover the peppers in boiling water for 10 – 15 minutes to soften them. While they soak, add the rest of the ingredients (except the pepper water) to a blender.
- Once peppers are softened, add them to the blender as well and blend until smooth. You can add a few tablespoons of the pepper water if it's looking too thick (I usually add 3 – 4 Tbsp worth)
- When Al Pastor marinade is blended, you can either marinade the soy curls in it for later use, or simply pour over them after you've already browned them. I personally l think it's better to pour over after browning the soy curls.
Al Pastor Tacos
- In a pan over medium heat with a little cooking oil, grill the pineapple slices on both sides until golden brown. Remove from the pan and slice into bite size pieces.
- Warm the tortillas how you like (I typically will just cook them directly on a stovetop burner until slightly charred on the edges).
- Fill the tortillas with the Vegan Al Pastor, top with the pineapple, onions and cilantro. Add any salsa you like and dig in!
Notes
tips for cooking soy curls
- Rehydrate the soy curls for at least 10 – 15 minutes. I have found that using cold, warm or hot water doesn’t make a noticeable difference.
- Using broth will infuse a light amount of flavor into the soy curls. This is good for something milder in flavor like chicken. However for something like a Soy Curl Beef, I find that reducing them down in broth will render them even more flavorful.
- No matter what you hydrate them in, you’ll want to SQUEEZE out as much of that liquid as possible.
- You can also further dry them out by toasting them in a dry pan to cook out even more of the moisture. This should help remove the aftertaste as well as any mushiness. It should yield a chewy soy curl that’s still juicy.
Super! Quick! Going into my regular rotation!
Heck yes, thank you for the feedback!
So good!! I was on a quest to recreate el cocinero meats to bring to our thanksgiving. I don’t have to look any further. Going into my dinner rotation as well.
NICE! I love them, so glad you dig this too!
Another great recipe, thank you so much for providing such delicious offerings! It was delicious, straightforward, and such a wonderful addition my Thanksgiving meal.
Heck yes, Pastor for Thanksgiving! Glad you liked it!
Recently shifted more to a plant based diet. This recipe really does a great job of bringing the flavor.
One question I have, are you supposed to use the chicken marinade like the linked recipe says, or skip and marinate in the al pastor only?
Congrats on that! Yeah you need to prepare the soy curls as written and then add the pastor marinade. Soy curls are fairly bland and need a foundational flavor before applying the pastor marinade!
Did you know that you can buy a 12 lb box of Butler soy curls on their website? That (and buying a 22qt cambro) was what I needed to do after learning about this recipe. I always have a container of these in the fridge and another 8oz in the freezer, they are that good.
Oh yah, and the actual tacos are f*cking amazing too. 😆
This was excellent! I subbed Orange Juice for the pineapple, and added a little extra sweetness. I also baked the soy curls with this marinade after I soaked them and the texture was even better.
Oh nice, I gotta try baking them, thank you!!
This was SO good! Really appreciate your recipes & cookbooks 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate you! Glad you liked it!
Legit, WTF is pepper water? 😆 I went out and bought all these things I usually don’t have on hand assuming I could just mix some water with pepper 🤣 and now I have no pepper water
LOL it’s the water you cook the peppers in. From Step 3 – Once peppers are softened, add them to the blender as well and blend until smooth. You can add a few tablespoons of the pepper water if it’s looking too thick (I usually add 3 – 4 Tbsp worth)