Vegetarian Birria Tacos (Quesabirria)
If you’ve never tried vegetarian birria tacos (quesabirria), then boy are you in for a treat! Delicious tacos, stuffed with slow-cooked, savory, and flavorful meaty oyster mushrooms, and served in a delicious corn tortilla. We first tried them when we were near the Mexican border, and we were hooked!
Why you’ll love these tasty birria tacos
To say we think you’ll love our vegetarian birria tacos is an understatement, they are sensational, and words can’t do them justice.
Ingredients you’ll need
You’ll need the following ingredients listed in the photograph below.
What are birria tacos?
Burris tacos, or quesabirria tacos, literally mean cheese tacos.
They are traditionally filled with beef or goat meat and melted cheese inside, and the corn tortillas are folded over and fried in consume sauce.
You also have a consume sauce on the side of the tortilla to dip in.
Naturally, we cook our birria tacos with a natural meat substitute, we utilize the huge umami flavor of the king oyster mushroom.
What type of tortilla should I use?
Corn tortillas are best suited for this recipe, fresh corn tortillas have a better flavor that compliments the taste.
Which mushrooms are best to use?
We use oyster mushrooms for our vegetarian birria tacos.
We use them because they really do burst with umami and when cooked, they have a fantastic meaty flavor and texture.
Mushrooms become our birria meat.
They also shred very well, in the meat version they have shredded meat, so this gets very near to it.
The ultimate oyster mushrooms to use would be the King trumpet oyster mushrooms.
They are not always available so next in line would be king oyster mushrooms, then oyster mushrooms.
What do I serve it with?
Traditionally they are street food, you’d eat tacos de birria with your hands and dip them into the rich and hearty sauce.
But if you want a little more, then our vegetarian birria tacos are perfect with tortilla chips, and Mexican rice.
You could even serve them as part of a Mexican buffet-style meal, with salsa Roja, salsa taquera, and pico de gallo.
Do I need any special equipment to make them?
You’ll need a food processor, a baking sheet, a large pot, and two large skillets.
And if you have an air fryer, then why not try an air fryer burrito?
How do I make them vegan birria tacos?
You can easily make vegan birria tacos.
You’ll need to use vegan cheese and just make a note of the tips we’ve listed on how to make vegan birria tacos recipe, and you’ll be all set.
How do you make birria broth?
Forget goat meat or a traditional beef broth, our broth is 100% vegetarian, and it tastes SO good!
This mouth-watering broth is slowly simmered allowing the flavors of Arbil peppers, ancho peppers, pasilla peppers, and guajillo chiles, to gradually infuse with onion, herbs, and spices.
How do I store them?
Assembled and cooked birria tacos don’t keep well, you’ll find because of the consóme sauce, the tacos will go soggy and nobody likes a soggy taco.
You can, however, store the cooked shredded oyster mushrooms in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
When you are ready to reheat them, simply add a little of the vegetable broth to the pan.
The vegetable broth will store
Recipe notes and expert tips
Other Mexican inspired dishes for you to try
If you love our meat-free birria tacos, then why not give these tasty dishes a try?
How to make vegetarian birria tacos with step-by-step instructions
A full printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
How to make the birria sauce
First, take your dried chiles, Ancho chili peppers, dried guajillo peppers, pasila chili peppers, and Arbol chili peppers, cut off the stalks with scissors and remove the seeds (if you like a lot of heat, then keep the seeds in).
Submerge them in hot water and soak for approximately 20 – 30 minutes.
Now, place your chopped onion and garlic on a lined baking sheet and coat them with oil, the best way is to use your hands.
Broil them in the oven (grill) until they start to become charred around the edges, usually taking around 20 – 30 minutes.
Place them in your food processor bowl or blender, drain your rehydrated chili peppers and add them to the bowl, add vegetable oil, veggie broth, cumin seeds, Mexican oregano, whole cloves, white peppercorns, allspices, and ground cinnamon.
Blitz or blend until you have a smooth sauce.
Transfer the sauce to a pan and bring it to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for around 40 – 45 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
How to make the vegetarian birria meat filling
While the sauce is simmering, you can prepare your mushroom meat.
Shred the King oyster mushrooms; this is easiest to do by using your hands and using your hands; they shred easily into slithers.
Place them into a large mixing bowl and add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt.
Toss the mushrooms, so they are fully coated, then set them aside, allowing them to marinade.
Once your birria sauce has simmered and is ready, add oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
When hot, add the marinated mushrooms but be careful not to overcrowd them; cook as a single layer; you may have to cook them in batches.
Cook them for approximately 12 minutes, turning them, so they are browned on both sides.
Then add a little sauce, we used around a ladle, stir and cook for a further 3 – 5 minutes.
Making your vegetarian birria tacos
Over medium-high heat, add oil to a skillet.
When hot, take a corn tortilla and submerge it into the birria sauce, then place it in the hot skillet.
Add your mushroom mixture to half of the tortilla, add vegetarian cheese, and fold the taco over so it is covered,
Cook for 1½ minutes; then, when golden brown, carefully flip the taco and cook for a further 1½ minutes, so each side is golden brown.
Remove your veggie birria taco and serve immediately, garnishing with fresh cilantro and, if you prefer, some additional cheese, and lime wedges.
Enjoy your tacos!
You may want to try them with instant pot Mexican rice; that would be delicious!
Vegetarian Birria Tacos (Quesabirria)
Utensils
Ingredients
Making the vegan birria broth sauce
- 2 Dried ancho chili peppers
- 3 Dried guajillo chili peppers
- 3 Dried pasilla chili peppers
- 2 Dried Arbol chili peppers
- 1 Onion
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 4 cups Vegetable broth (stock) you may need more or less depending on your preference of consistency
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Mexican dried oregano
- 3 Whole cloves
- 3 Whole peppercorns
- ½ tsp Allspice
- ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
Making the vegan birria meat filling
- 4 cups King oyster mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, or woodland mushrooms we recommend King oyster
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Building your quesabirria tacos
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 12 Fresh corn tortillas
- 1 cup Vegetarian mozzarella cheese
- Chopped cilantro optional
- Chopped onions optional
- Fresh lime wedges optional
Instructions
Making the vegan birria broth sauce
- First, take your dried chiles, Ancho chili peppers, dried guajillo peppers, pasila chili peppers, and Arbol chili peppers, cut off the stalks with scissors and remove the seeds (if you like a lot of heat, then keep the seeds in). Submerge them in hot water and soak for approximately 20 – 30 minutes3 Dried guajillo chili peppers, 2 Dried ancho chili peppers, 2 Dried Arbol chili peppers, 3 Dried pasilla chili peppers
- Now, place your chopped onion and garlic on a lined baking sheet and coat them with oil, the best way is to use your hands. Broil them in the oven (grill) until they start to become charred around the edges, usually taking around 20 – 30 minutes. Place them in your food processor bowl or blender, drain your rehydrated chili peppers and add them to the bowl, add vegetable oil, veggie broth, cumin seeds, Mexican oregano, whole cloves, white peppercorns, allspices, and ground cinnamon6 cloves Garlic, 1 Onion, 3 tbsp Vegetable oil, 4 cups Vegetable broth (stock), 1 tsp Mexican dried oregano, 1 tsp Cumin seeds, 3 Whole peppercorns, 3 Whole cloves, ½ tsp Allspice, ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
- Blitz or blend until you have a smooth sauce. Now, transfer the sauce to a pan and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for around 40 – 60 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally
Making the vegan birria meat filling
- While the sauce is simmering, you can prepare your mushroom meat. Shred the King oyster mushrooms, this is easiest to do by using your hands and simply use your hands, they shred easily into slithers. Place them into a large mixing bowl and add vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt. Toss the mushrooms so they are fully coated and then set them aside, allowing them to marinade4 cups King oyster mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, or woodland mushrooms, 2 tbsp Vegetable oil, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp kosher salt
- Once your birria sauce has simmered and is ready, add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the marinated mushrooms but be careful not to overcrowd them, just cook as a single layer, you may have to cook them in batches. Cook them for approximately 12 minutes, turning them so they are browned on both sides. Then add a little sauce, we used around a ladle, stir and cook for a further 3 – 5 minutes
Building your quesabirria tacos
- Over medium-high heat, add oil to a skillet. When hot, take a corn tortilla and submerge it into the birria sauce, then place it in the hot skillet. Add your mushroom mixture to half of the tortilla, add vegetarian cheese, and fold the taco over so it is covered, Cook for 1½ minutes, then, when golden brown, carefully flip the taco and cook for a further 1.5 minutes, so each side is golden brown. Remove your veggie birria taco and serve immediately, garnishing with fresh cilantro, chopped onions, and, if you prefer, some additional cheese, and lime wedges. Enjoy your tacos!2 tbsp Vegetable oil, 12 Fresh corn tortillas, 1 cup Vegetarian mozzarella cheese, Chopped cilantro, Chopped onions, Fresh lime wedges
Notes
- Out of ground cinnamon?
When simmering your broth, place a cinnamon stick in, just remember to remove it when you have finished cooking - Like a thinner sauce?
Simply add more vegetable broth when blending, add a little at a time as you can add broth but you can’t take it away! - Don’t have all the chili peppers?
Be creative, you could use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or try other dried chiles - Want more spice?
If you’re a spice fan then leave the seeds in the chili peppers and you could also add a little cayenne pepper to the broth - Add a smoky flavor
When marinating your mushrooms add a teaspoon of smoked paprika
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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Wow! Just made this for dinner the other night and my husband and I loved it! Definitely a recipe to be bookmarked and made again!
We’re thrilled that you and your husband enjoyed them!
Packed full of amazing flavors! My family loved it!
We’re so pleased to hear that they enjoyed them!
I was looking for a more authentic nacho recipe, something that was different from the usual, and this was perfect! Thanks for sharing!
I added the smoked paprika and it was awesome! I didn’t tell my family at first these were all veggie and they didn’t care! So good.
Smoked paprika sounds like a great addition – glad they all liked it!
I really love birria tacos, but I love that this vegetarian version that is perfect for whipping up and making lunches throughout the week.