These Vegan Eggplant Carnitas Tacos are full of flavour, seriously meaty, and really satisfying. They're a great healthy, plant-based dinner for Mexican night!
The idea to make Vegan Carnitas using eggplant (aubergine) was inspired by by Vegan Eggplant Pulled Pork recipe, which has been really popular. So, I was thinking up other ways to use shredded eggplant and carnitas was the first thing to come to mind!
Why you'll love these Vegan Eggplant Carnitas Tacos:
- they're super flavourful
- they're perfectly spiced and fragrant
- they're tender and juicy
- they're easily customisable - you can add whatever fillings you like
- they're easy to make
- they're hearty and filling
- they're gluten-free and refined sugar free!
How to make the Vegan Eggplant Carnitas
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe (including measurements and full instructions).
Start by making the shredded eggplant:
- Lay out the eggplant on a rectangular baking tray lined with baking paper roast in the oven for around 30 minutes until soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
- Then just use a fork to shred the flesh of the eggplant.
- Place all the ingredients in a or blender and whizz until smooth food processor or blender.
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Whizz until smooth.
- Place the sauce in a pot and cook on a low heat for around 10 minutes.
- Then place the shredded eggplant in the pot, and it's done! You can add black beans or green lentils for extra protein + fibre.
How to serve these Vegan Eggplant Carnitas Tacos
Then all you need to do is stuff the eggplant carnitas into tortillas, along with some other yummy add-ins to taste. Here are some suggestions:
- crunchy, shredded lettuce
- sweet mango salsa
- nutty sweetcorn
- creamy avocado
- tangy vegan mayonnaise (or garlic herb dip)
- and anything else you like!
MORE VEGAN MEXICAN RECIPES:
- Stretchy Melty Cheese Nachos
- White Bean Chili
- Vegan White Bean Queso
- Tofu Fajitas
- Tofu “Fish” Tacos
- Mushroom Tacos
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Vegan Eggplant Carnitas Tacos (GF)
Ingredients
For the eggplant:
- 2 eggplants (aubergine) , tops cut off and halved
For the carnitas sauce:
- 1 onion , roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , peeled
- Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 60 ml (¼ cup) orange juice (freshly squeezed or from a carton)
- 1 medium-sized tomato , roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- ½ teaspoon (1 teaspoon) smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne chilli pepper to taste
- Salt + pepper to taste
To serve (suggestions):
- Small tortillas (gluten-free if necessary)
- Sweetcorn
- Lettuce , shredded
- Mango salsa
- Avocado
- Vegan mayonnaise
Instructions
For the eggplant:
- Lay out the eggplant skin-side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast in the oven for around 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit), until soft enough to pierce easily with a fork
- Once the eggplant is cooked, use a fork to shred the flesh of the eggplant. The shredded flesh should easily fall out of the outer skin
For the carnitas sauce:
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whizz until smooth
- Place the sauce in a pot and cook on a low heat for around 10 minutes
- Once the eggplant is done, place the shredded eggplant into the pot and cook for another couple of minutes*
To serve:
- Serve the eggplant carnitas with tortillas, stuffed with desired ingredients
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Lydia
10/10 would make again
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!
Gabby
DELICIOUS! I made this for a few non-veg friends and they couldn't get enough of it 🙂
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
Elle
I have a weird question: I tried this and I couldn't figure out what skin side up meant. I think that I made it right-- I cut it in half lengthwise and then put the purple side on top and the cut side (the cream flesh side) so that it was in direct contact with the pan. Mine turned out disgusting with a consistency that I can only describe as grey snot, especially the part with the seeds. Do you have any idea what I did wrong? I have only used eggplant once before and that time I salted it and grated it for a sauce. Although the eggplant was inedible, the sauce was really good, Thank you so much for your recipes. They really are a lifesaver..
Rhian Williams
Yes you did lay out the eggplant the right way up. I think eggplant is meant to have that kind of texture! Perhaps you'd prefer my mushroom tacos instead, they're made with the same sauce: https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/mushroom-tacos/ sorry about that hope that helps!
Elle
Thanks, Rhian. I will definitely try the mushrooms. And maybe it is just something that I need to get used to since I am so new to this. Thank you so much for your recipes and really your upbeat attitude and your support. This really had been so helpful.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Juan
Hello, can you leave out the orange juice?
Rhian Williams
Yes, though the flavour will be affected slightly!