• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Natural Nurturer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Home
  • Info
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Shop
    • Ebooks and Meal Plans
    • Recommended Products
  • Blog
    • Food For Thought
    • Oils
You are here: Home / Dinner / Vegan Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

Vegan Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

October 31, 2020 By Taesha 17 Comments

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

These vegan slow cooker lentil tacos are a super easy dinner! Flavorful, family-friendly, and beloved by all kinds of eaters, this is the perfect healthy dinner recipe to make over and over.

Jump to Recipe

Originally published June 2015. Last updated October 2020.

Vegan slow cooker lentil tacos on a plate in tortillas. They have onion, avocado and cilantro sprinkled on top. A jalapeño and avocado are on the plate too.

Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

I try to love all of my kitchen appliances equally, but my slow cooker has won a special place in my heart. It is, after all, the only appliance in the house that offers to spend the whole day cooking dinner for me.  It really goes above and beyond and I just love it so.

Now that I have found a way to make lentil tacos with my beloved kitchen contraption, I love it even more.

Why these lentil slow cooker tacos are awesome!

Tacos are one of those classic dinners I think many of us grew up eating. I loved taco night in my house as a kid. All the toppings! The wonderful flavor of the filling! It was just a great dinner that everyone in the family looked forward to.

These slow cooker lentil tacos are a little extra special in my book because..

  • Super flavorful. You will be amazed by how satisfying these vegan tacos taste! Even my friends and followers who swear they don’t like lentils love this taco filling.
  • Easy to make. Throw it together in a few minutes and into your slow cooker or crockpot to cook to perfection while you are busy lifing.
  • Family-friendly. These are mellow on the spice, so kids and spice-iffy people will enjoy them. You can also pump up the spice level if that is something you enjoy!
  • Adaptable! As always, be sure to check out the suggested adaptations portion of the post below.
  • Plant based. If you have been trying to get more plant-focused meals into your meal plan or are vegan, these tacos are a delicious and easy dinner to add your rotation.
Ingredients for vegan slow cooker lentil tacos in the slow cooker before being mixed or cooked.

Lentils are great because…

If you aren’t already good friends with lentils, allow me to introduce the two of you. Lentils are a protein-rich legume that can soak whatever flavors you dump onto them. They are also part of the legume family right there with beans and come in lots of different colors. For this taco recipe, I used brown and/or green lentils since they are cheap, easy to find, and work in lots of different recipes.

Lentils taste great, but they are also inexpensive and versatile! Perfect for when you are on a budget and/or feeding a crowd.

Lentils are packed with some serious nutrition like… (source)

  • B vitamins
  • magnesium
  • zinc
  • potassium
  • protein
  • fiber
  • iron
Slow cooker lentil tacos after being cooked, still in the slow cooker. There is a white spatula in the slow cooker.

Suggested Adaptations

  • Pump up the spice. I use a mild salsa to keep these tacos kid-friendly, but buy a medium or hot salsa to add extra spice. Or toss in some chopped jalapeños when these tacos are cooking.
  • Veggie-load them! Add some grated carrot, finely chopped spinach, minced mushrooms or diced bell pepper to this taco recipe before cooking and instantly add veggies to dinner!
  • Enjoy them outside a tortilla. Use this taco filling as part of a bowl with rice or quinoa, in a taco salad or even in nachos!
  • Make these lentil tacos in your Instant Pot. Combine all ingredients, stir and place IP lid on, locking it in place. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for your Instant Pot to come up to pressure. Once cooking is done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes before carefully quick releasing the remaining pressure. Carefully life lid off of your pressure cooker, stir and enjoy.

Other lentil recipes you are going to love

  • Instant Pot Lentil Soup (+ slow cooker instructions)
  • Mushroom Lentil Pasta
  • Easy Lentil Veggie Quesadillas
  • Vegan Carrot Muffins (with lentils)
  • How to Cook Lentils On The Stove, In A Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
Vegan slow cooker lentil tacos on a plate in tortillas. They have onion, avocado and cilantro sprinkled on top. A jalapeño and avocado are on the plate too.
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Vegan Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

These vegan slow cooker lentil tacos are a super easy dinner! Flavorful, family-friendly, and beloved by all kinds of eaters, this is the perfect healthy dinner recipe to make over and over.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time8 hrs
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: healthy tacos, slow cooker tacos, vegan tacos
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 133kcal

Equipment

  • slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups green or brown dry lentils, picked over and rinsed
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 1/4 cup salsa
  • 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
  • 3 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon coconut aminos can sub soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 medium tortillas
  • taco toppings

Instructions

  • Combine ingrednetins in your slow cooker. Stir a few times and cover.
  • Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 7-8 hours. Each slow cooker cooks a little differently, so exact time will depend on your unique slow cooker or crockpot. Cook until lentils are tender and most of the liquid has cooked off.
  • Use a slotted spoon to portion out lentil taco filling into tortillas, over rice, greens or however you opt to enjoy this taco filling. Top with sliced avocado, extra red onion, cilantro or whatever your favorite taco toppings are.
  • Let leftovers cool and store in air-tight container in fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

To make in Instant Pot:
Combine all ingredients, stir and place IP lid on, locking it in place. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for your Instant Pot to come up to pressure. Once cooking is done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes before carefully quick releasing the remaining pressure. 
Carefully life lid off of your pressure cooker, stir and enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1181mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!

Sharing is caring!

398shares
  • Share 34
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Dinner, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian Tagged With: clean eating, crockpot, healthy dinner, healthy family dinner, healthy food, lentil, lentil tacos, nutrition, plant based, slow cooker, tacos, vegan, vegetarian, whole food

Previous Post: « Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
Next Post: Veggie-Loaded Vegetarian Stuffing »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa

    July 7, 2015 at 12:42 am

    These look amazing! Yum!

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      July 11, 2015 at 3:31 am

      I love a good taco. Especially a good crockpot taco! I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  2. Madeline

    February 14, 2017 at 5:34 pm

    Sounds amazing I want to make it today but don’t have 10 hours! Would you recommend it on high? And if so how many hours would you cook it!
    I love your instagram and website! You have saved me numerous times with recipe ideas!

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      February 20, 2017 at 5:11 pm

      Hi Madeline!
      Sorry I didn’t get to answer your question sooner! I would recommend on high next time! And if in the last hour, there is still too much liquid, you can remove the lid and let it simmer off!

      So glad the website and IG are helpful! That kind of feedback is always music to my ears!

      Reply
    • Taesha

      October 31, 2020 at 9:13 pm

      I have updated this recipe to be a bit more time friendly! And IP friendly if you have a pressure cooker!

      Reply
  3. Katherine Dugan

    January 27, 2018 at 11:28 am

    7yo and I love these! Thanks for great recipe!

    Reply
    • Taesha

      October 31, 2020 at 9:13 pm

      I am so glad to hear that!

      Reply
  4. Taesha Butler

    April 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    I usually cook it for 15 minutes on manual high pressure with a quick release.

    Reply
  5. Rachel

    October 31, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    5 stars
    These are a family favorite for sure! My husband and son are always down for these for dinner.

    Reply
    • Taesha

      October 31, 2020 at 9:11 pm

      I’m so glad you all enjoy these as much as we do! My family is always jazzed for dinner when these tacos are cooking in our slow cooker

      Reply
  6. Claire Tsetsos

    November 3, 2020 at 11:16 pm

    5 stars
    Super delicious! My kids loved them too!!

    Reply
    • Taesha

      November 3, 2020 at 11:20 pm

      I love kid reviews! Especially rave reviews! So glad it was a hit with the whole family

      Reply
  7. Agnieszka Printz

    November 21, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Taesha! I’ve made this so many times.. and after making it last night my whole family was wondering why it tasted different… I then noticed you made changes to the recipe. Could you tell me if its possible to find the original recipe before you made the edits (looks like this past October)?? We absolutely LOVED this and it was a staple recipe for us (but I would prefer the older version if possible??)

    Reply
    • Taesha

      November 23, 2020 at 2:44 am

      So glad you enjoy this version and the old. The only change I made was reducing the amount of broth in it because I noticed and others commented that it was too watery. The original recipe called for 32 ounces of broth and cooked for 10 hours on low.

      Reply
  8. Jessie Root

    December 8, 2020 at 3:36 am

    5 stars
    So, while I’m a total TNN fan girl I have to admit that every time I saw this recipe I thought “meh, not for me”….. I was dead wrong. This has got to be the easiest recipe on the site, and the flavors were just terrific! I can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch!

    Reply
  9. Jane

    January 8, 2021 at 5:59 pm

    5 stars
    Will the amount of broth be reduced in pressure cooker recipe? 3 Cups seems like a lot…
    Thank u 🙂

    Reply
    • Taesha

      January 8, 2021 at 6:39 pm

      It definitely is a bit wetter in the IP version because it can’t cook off as much. You can either use a slotted spoon to serve to avoid wet tacos, use the sauté function to cook off some liquid after the cooking is done or reduce the liquid a bit…maybe to 2 or 2.5 cups.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

blond woman with a hat looking over her shoulder and smiling.

Hi! I'm Taesha! I help busy people fall in love with healthy eating with my simple, family-friendly, veggie-loaded recipes. I believe that real food should taste amazing AND be easy to make!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Categories

Newsletter

Subscribe to our email list.

Never miss a new veggie-loaded recipe or natural living rambling.

Once you have subscribed, you will receive an email asking you to confirm. Please click "yes" and you'll be added to my list. And just my list. Your privacy is important and I totally respect it. I won't be sharing your email with anyone else....no matter how nicely they ask.

Footer

As seen in…

As seen in brand wall collage

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

© 2021 The Natural Nurturer

  • 34
X
Get veggies into EVERY meal with my ebook!