Instant Pot Vegan Tinga Tacos + Video

These Vegan Tinga Tacos are made with vegan tinga, traditionally flavored with a unique combination of fire roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano and smoky chipotle, then non-traditionally cooked for 20-30 minutes in an Instant Pot. Spicy and saucy abound in this tinga taco recipe that’s so simple, you can make with your eyes closed!

Many years ago, my mother-in-law was hosting a huge party and the star of the show was her famous Tinga Tacos. Now, I’ll admit, I wasn’t vegan yet and she made hers with chicken, but I still remember that spicy adobe sauce like it was yesterday. I’ve thought about that recipe for years and recently wondered how a vegan version would taste. Alas, my Vegan Instant Pot Tinga Tacos.

This Vegan Tinga Taco Recipe was inspired by Pinch of Yum, but Lindsey borrowed the recipe from a cookbook called The Minimalist Kitchen. Sometimes I do buy non-vegan cookbooks to use as inspiration for my own recipes, but I haven’t checked this one out yet. However, now that I’ve written this post, I will probably do so very soon!

Ingredients for Vegan Tinga Tacos

Simple ingredients start this tinga taco recipe off right. For the tinga tacos, you’ll need the following:

• olive oil
• minced garlic
• sweet onion
• chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• dried oregano
• ground cumin
• crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• vegetable broth
• sea salt & black pepper
• young jackfruit in water (I used Native Forest)
• lime juice
• tomato sauce
• vegan sugar
• organic white corn tortillas

The choice you make when you shop for tortillas is important. Some brands use enzymes derived from animal intestines. I always look on the label and if it says enzymes and doesn’t identify whether they are plant-based, you know I’m calling the company (yes, I’m that picky about my tortillas hungry friends).

For the Toppings

The following toppings compliment this tinga taco recipe and can be used as liberally, or as sparingly, as desired:

• sliced avocado
• chopped cilantro
• diced red onion
• crumbled vegan cotija cheese (I make my own out of tofu)
• lime wedges

Now if you’re really in the mood to splurge, you can try these tinga tacos with my 10-Minute Mango & Sweet Corn Salsa topped with my Cilantro Lime Avocado Sauce for Tacos. 

Steps for Making Vegan Tinga Tacos

Check out the following steps to be on your way to making the best vegan tinga tacos around!

1. To your instant pot, add olive oil, garlic, onion, vegetable broth, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, oregano, cumin, fire-roasted tomatoes, sea salt and black pepper to taste, tomato sauce and sugar. Give it a good stir.
2. Rinse and drain jackfruit in colander. Shred, just like you would chicken, into clean bowl. Sprinkle generously with lime juice. Stir and add to pot.
3. Saute for 20-30 minutes or slow cook for 2 hours.
4. Prepare toppings.
5. Once vegan tinga is done, heat your tortillas over open flame on gas stove or in a skillet. Fill with generous portion of vegan tinga, sprinkle with your favorite toppings, give each taco a good squirt of lime and enjoy.

Tips for Making Vegan Tinga Tacos

• If you don’t have an instant pot, just use a large skillet, wok, or crock pot. When using a crock pot, you can either saute the veggies and spices first and add them, or add all ingredients at once. Cook for at least 4 hours.
• Be careful with the chipotle peppers. They are super hot. I know, because I put 4 or 5 of them into my recipe. The tinga tacos came out a bit too hot for my taste but they were still delicious. Start with one or two and adjust accordingly.
• Feel free to add different spices. I stuck to tradition.

Ghosts of Food Blog Past

If you’re still hungry, check out some of my other recipes:

• Healthy Sheet Pan Harvest Bowls
• Healthy Vegan Vegetable Soup
• Vegan Mushroom Wellington
• Vegan Cranberry Muffins
• Cilantro Lime Avocado Sauce for Tacos

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