Everyone will love a quick and easy Taco Bell-style Vegan Mexican Pizza for dinner! They are crispy, cheesy, and so hearty! Each one is loaded with plant based meat crumbles, vegan cheese, refried beans, flavorful sauce, and fresh veggie toppings!
When I was little, my grandfather would make me something that he called a Mexican pizza. It was basically a refried bean and cheese quesadilla. I think he only called it that to get me to eat it because I was obsessed with pizza, haha!
Although, this recipe is much closer to Taco Bell’s actual famous Mexican Pizza. Their creation is sort of like a cross between a double-layer tostada and a quesadilla. Maybe we should call it a veganized taco pizza!
Taco Bell actually has a few options to choose from for vegans, which I touch on in this article which is full of eating-out tips.
It’s such a breeze to whip these dairy free Mexican pizzas up in a few minutes and with simple ingredients.
This recipe makes 6-8 small baked pizzas, but feel free to make them mini by using street taco-sized tortillas or much larger with burrito-sized.
Reasons To Love This Recipe
- Dairy-free
- Quick & easy
- Filling and cheesy
- Fresh veggie toppings
- Vegan meat replacement
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tortillas - Use your favorite small flour tortillas. Remember to check that the ingredients are vegan and don’t have any lard. You can use corn tortillas if you prefer but will need to use some oil in the skillet to stiffen them if you do.
- Oil - Just a bit of cooking oil, such as olive, is used to sauté the onions. You can use some water or broth to make this oil-free.
- Vegan Ground “Beef” - Use your favorite vegan meat ground crumbles.
- Onion - Any type of onion, especially white is tasty here.
- Taco Seasoning - Keep things simple with just a few shakes of taco seasoning. It is made up of a combination of chili, cumin, paprika, and a few other spices. I try to buy the kind that doesn't list salt as the first ingredient.
- Beans - For this, I use a can of low-sodium, vegan refried pinto beans. Lard is a sneaky non-vegan ingredient to look out for when buying them. You can also use homemade if you have some on hand!
- Sauce - One small can or jar of red enchilada sauce is delicious in this recipe. Another idea is to use your favorite hot sauce or you might even be able to find a jar of Taco Bell sauce at your local grocery store.
- Vegan Cheese - I like to use a Mexican blend of vegan cheese or a combination of cheddar and mozzarella shreds. Although, any kind would be just as delicious.
- Optional Toppings - fresh cilantro, jalapeño slices, black olives, lime wedges, green onions, tomatoes, vegan sour cream
How to Make Vegan Mexican Pizza
Here are some quick visual steps. Find the full recipe with exact measurements on the recipe card below.
Dice the onions and preheat the oven. Heat a large pan, then add the oil to it. Once hot, add the diced white onions. Stir them around as they cook until they soften.
Add the vegan meat to the pan along with the water and taco seasoning. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Let the crumbles cook for 5 minutes, stirring them occasionally.
Meanwhile, toast the tortillas in a skillet over medium heat for about a minute or two on each side. This will bring out their flavor and harden them a bit. Alternatively, you can crisp them up in an air fryer.
Spoon the beans into a microwave-safe bowl and warm them up for about 30 seconds to make them more spreadable.
Place half of the tortillas on sheet pans and then spread a thick layer of beans up to the edges.
Sprinkle some "meat" onto each tortilla and spread them out. Then drizzle sauce on top.
Spread vegan cheese on top. This cheese layer will melt nicely and also help hold everything together.
Add another tortilla on top of the cheese and then spread sauce on the tortillas. Don’t add too much here so the tortillas don't get too messy and soggy. Finally, add a heaping amount of cheese on top of each one.
Bake them near the top of the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is mostly melted. If the cheese isn’t melting, as vegan cheeses sometimes do, mist them with a small amount of water, cover the sheet pans with foil, and bake the pizzas for a few more minutes.
Prepare the fresh veggie toppings while the Mexican pizzas are baking. When done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Add the toppings, cut them into slices, and enjoy!
Recipe Variation Ideas
- Use refried or mashed-up black beans.
- Make these with vegan chicken, vegan sausage, or mushrooms.
- Sprinkle on your favorite toppings such as avocado or sautéed onions and peppers.
No-Waste Ideas
- Dip leftover tortillas in Vegan Queso Fundido.
- Use the remaining sauce on these Vegan Chiles Rellenos.
- You can make burrito bowls with any leftover ingredients for lunch the next day!
Frequently Asked Questions
Although these are best eaten fresh, you can do some prep work to save time beforehand. Simply cut all the veggie toppings and cook the onions and vegan ground meat ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate the vegan meat and toppings separately. When ready, toast the tortillas, assemble the Mexican pizzas, and bake them as mentioned on the recipe card. Add the toppings and enjoy!
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat them in the oven to maintain some of the crunchiness at 300°F for 15 minutes.
More Vegan Recipes To Love
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Vegan Mexican Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup white onion, diced
- 10-14 ounce vegan ground "beef" crumbles
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 12 small flour tortillas
- 15 ounce can of vegan refried beans
- 10-15 ounce can of enchilada sauce, red
- 1 ½ cups vegan shredded cheese, Mexican blend, cheddar, or mozzarella
Optional Toppings
- cilantro, jalapeños, black olives, limes, green onions, roma tomatoes, vegan sour cream
Instructions
- Dice the white onions and preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat then add the oil to it. Once hot, add the diced onions. Stir them around as they cook for 2-3 minutes until they soften.
- Add the vegan "meat" to the pan along with the water and taco seasoning. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Let the crumbles cook for 5 minutes, stirring them occasionally.
- Meanwhile, toast the tortillas in a skillet over medium heat for about a minute or two on each side. This will bring out the flavor and harden them a bit. Alternatively, you can crisp them up in the air fryer.
- Spoon the beans into a microwave-safe bowl and warm them up for about 30 seconds to make them more spreadable. Place half of the tortillas on sheet pans and then spread a thick layer of beans up to the edges.
- Sprinkle about ⅓ cup of vegan meat onto each tortilla and spread the crumbles out. Then drizzle some sauce on top of the meat. Spread vegan cheese on top.
- Add another tortilla on top of the cheese and then spread about 1 tablespoon of sauce on the tortillas. Don’t add too much here so the tortillas don't get too messy and soggy. Finally, add a heaping amount of cheese on top of each one.
- Bake them near the top of the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is mostly melted. If the cheese isn’t melting (as vegan cheeses sometimes do) mist them with a small amount of water, cover the sheet pans with foil, and bake the pizzas for a few more minutes.
- Prepare the fresh veggie toppings while the Mexican pizzas are baking. When done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 2-3 minutes. Add the toppings, cut them into slices, and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
The nutrition information is estimated and can vary depending on brands and measurements used.
Keri
I was craving this, and came upon this recipe, which was a huge hit with all the family!!
Bonnie
That's wonderful to hear, Keri!!