Birria Tacos are everywhere, but vegan birria tacos are not so easy to find. This Vegan Birria Taco recipe, that I developed for Country Crock Plant Butter, gives you that authentic birria taco experience, but uses oyster mushrooms instead of beef, to give the tacos that meaty flavor and texture.
This recipe does take a little time to make, but it’s so worth it. And you can definitely make this recipe ahead of time. The sauce flavor intensifies and tastes even better the next day. Don’t skip the last step. Dipping the tortillas in the sauce and then frying in Country Crock Plant Butter makes these tacos absolutely irresistible.
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 3 dried guajillo chiles
- 1 dried pasilla chile
- 4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 small onion, coarsely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons Country Crock® Plant Butter Sticks with Avocado Oil, divided plus additional for frying tortillas
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 pounds oyster mushrooms, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup shredded or crumbled vegan cheese (queso fresco, mozzarella or cheddar)
- 18 corn tortillas
- chopped onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges for serving
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut open the dried chiles with scissors and remove the seeds. Add the chiles to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand about 30 minutes to rehydrate.
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Meanwhile, arrange tomatoes, onion and garlic on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon melted Country Crock Plant Butter and season with salt. Roast 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are beginning to char.
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Drain chiles, reserving liquid. Add chiles, tomato mixture, 1 cup reserved liquid, cloves and cumin to blender. Blend until smooth.
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Melt 1 tablespoon Plant Butter in large pot and cook chili mixture over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vegetable stock, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, oregano, salt and allspice. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoon Plant Butter in large skillet and cook mushrooms (in batches if necessary) about 6 to 8 minutes or until tender.
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Stir cooked mushrooms into sauce and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving sauce. Discard bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Sauce should be brothy. If it’s too thick add broth or water to thin to desired constancy.
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In large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon Plant Butter. Dip tortillas one at a time into the sauce to coat lightly and place in skillet. (You should be able to fit about 3 tortillas at a time in a 12-inch skillet.) Add about 1 tablespoon cheese and a few tablespoons mushroom to one side of the tortilla. Cook until the bottom of the tortilla is lightly browned and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Fold tacos in half, gently pressing with a spatula. Repeat with remaining sauce, tortillas, and mushrooms.
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To serve, top with diced onion and cilantro, if desired. Serve with sauce for dipping and lime wedges.
This recipe is a perfect to make ahead. The flavor even gets better after a day or two. When ready to eat, just assemble and fry the tacos. You can also make the sauce (up to step 4) and freeze it. When ready to use, thaw sauce and proceed from step 5.
