Vegan Taco Salad Recipe with Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
This post is all about the best vegan taco salad recipe you’ll love to make for meal prep.
Tacos can be a bit tricky to pack for lunch, but this taco salad recipe is super easy to throw in a jar for a convenient and healthy on-the-go lunch option!
It has plenty of fresh veggies, bold taco spice flavoring, and a few simple canned ingredients for quick preparation. It only takes about 20 minutes to prepare and leaves you with 3 solid lunches for the week!
At about $5 per serving, it’s a satisfying and budget-friendly meal prep lunch you’ll be glad to have in your weekly meal prep rotation!
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Vegan Taco Salad
Equipment
- Air fryer or oven
Ingredients
- 1 Can Corn 15 oz
- 1 Can Garbanzo beans 15 oz
- 1 Container Mixed salad greens
- 2 Cups Tortilla chips Crushed
- 2 Tomatoes Medium, diced
- 1 Packet Taco seasoning mix
- 1 Avocado Medium
- Olive oil For cooking garbanzo beans
Instructions
- Wash and chop the salad greens, dice the tomatoes, drain the corn, and slice the avocado.
- In a bowl, toss the drained garbanzo beans with the taco seasoning and a splash of olive oil. You can eat them as-is or pop them in the air fryer for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add in the corn, tomatoes, garbanzo beans (once cool), and mixed salad greens.
- Top your salad with a handful of crushed tortilla chips and avocado. Enjoy!
Vegan taco salad price breakdown
One of the best parts of this recipe is how affordable it is to make, especially when you use pantry staples like canned beans and corn!
Prices will vary depending on location and whether you shop sales, buy organic, or buy in bulk, but here’s a rough estimate:
| Ingredient | Amount | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed salad greens | 1 container | $5.00 |
| Tomatoes | 2 medium | $2.00 |
| Canned corn | 15 oz can | $1.50 |
| Garbanzo beans | 15 oz can | $1.50 |
| Avocado | 1 medium | $2.50 |
| Tortilla chips | ~2 cups | $3.00 |
| Taco seasoning packet | 1 packet | $2.00 |
Estimated Total: $17.50
Servings: About 3
Average cost per serving: about $5.83
If you already have pantry staples like tortilla chips or taco seasoning (or individual seasonings rather than the convenience of a packet), the cost per serving drops closer to $3–$4 per serving, which makes it an even more budget-friendly meal option! I used canned beans, but you could easily use dried beans to cut costs as well.
If you want to make your own taco seasoning mix, here is a common and simple ingredient blend: chili pepper, cumin, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika.
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Vegan taco salad meal prep containers & tools
If you plan to make salads like this regularly, having good containers makes a huge difference. These are some of my favorites for keeping meal prep organized and fresh:
- Glass meal prep containers
- Glass divided meal prep containers (Great to keep ingredients fresh!)
- Stackable bento-style lunch boxes to keep ingredients and dressings separate
- Leakproof salad dressing containers
- Reusable bags for toppings like tortilla chips
Vegan taco salad meal prep tips
This recipe works great for meal prep lunches during the week. But as we all know, meal prep meals can be redundant, and even worse, the ingredients can get soggy if not stored properly.
To keep your taco salad fresh:
- Store the tortilla chips separately so they stay crunchy
- Add the avocado the day you plan to eat it. Store the leftover avocado in sealed containers. I like to rinse it with water or add a spritz of lemon so that it stays fresh. Or try a container specifically for avocado storage!
- Keep dressing or lime juice in a small container
- Dry your salad greens well after washing so that they don’t make your salad soggy. You can also use a salad spinner.
- Wait to air fry your garbanzo beans until your ready to eat them, so they don’t get squishy in the fridge.
These tips will help your salad stay fresh in the fridge for 2–3 days!
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Vegan taco salad extra toppings
I love how customizable taco salad recipes can be! Here are some other toppings you may enjoy:
- Black beans for extra protein
- Bell peppers or red onion for crunch
- Vegan cheese or vegan sour cream
- Salsa or hot sauce
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Tortilla wraps
- Guacamole! I actually used guacamole for this taco salad bowl, and it was super good! I just got store-bought, but you could easily make your own to cut costs as well.
If you tend to get bored with meal prep lunches, these extra toppings can help to mix things up!
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What other ingredients do you like to add to your vegan taco salads?
Let us know in the comments below! It’s always nice to find new toppings to add to my taco salads.
Stay well,
Maggie
This post was all about the best vegan taco salad recipe.
Other plant-based posts you may like:
Quick Vegan Tortilla Pinwheels with Hummus Recipe
Vegan Sweet Potato Taco Recipe Using Tofu Taco Meat For Meatless Meal Prep
20-Minute Gallo Pinto–Inspired Rice and Beans Recipe (Budget-Friendly & Meal Prep)
Easy High Protein Vegan Meal Prep Ideas That Actually Keep You Full
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