This Vegan Taco Rice (Takoraisu) is a fusion of Tex-Mex and Japanese cuisine. For this popular Okinawan dish, I used taco-flavored tempeh and beans.
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I first learned about taco rice while watching a travel show. Taco rice or Takoraisu, as it's known in Japan, is a popular Okinawan dish. It is a fusion of Tex-Mex and Japanese cuisines.
Okinawa has a large US military presence, hence the introduction of Tex-Mex cuisine to the island. Taco rice is made with soy sauce and taco-flavored beef on a bed of rice instead of a tortilla or taco shell. It's frequently served with salsa, shredded lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese.
Since I love vegan Mexican food, I just had to make this Vegan Taco Rice (Takoraisu). Tempeh and pinto beans are included instead of beef. Being gluten-free, I used tamari instead of soy sauce for the umami flavor.
This is one of those dishes where you can control the spice level with the salsa you use. Even though it isn't pictured, I ended up eating my Vegan Taco Rice with homemade guacamole since my salsa was quite spicy. It added a nice creaminess to the dish and it calmed the heat of the salsa.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- It is a comforting fusion dish.
- It's a nice change for taco night.
- It's a great way to use leftover rice.
🧾 Ingredients
- Rice: I used cooked white rice. You also could use brown rice. A way to use leftover rice is in my DIY Rice Milk recipe.
- Onion: You could use a yellow onion or white onion.
- Olive oil
- Garlic: Adds a pungent flavor.
- Tempeh: I used gluten-free tamari. If you're gluten-free, make sure to read the labels, some tamari has barley.
- Beans: I used pinto beans, but you could also use black beans or lentils.
- Chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper: Add the taco flavor. You could also use taco seasoning.
- Tomato paste: Adds a sweet concentrated tomato flavor. I like to freeze leftover tomato paste in silicone molds so they are portioned out. Then I can just pop out the amount I want to use later. (That's why my tomato paste is in cubes in the photo above.)
- Tamari: I used low-sodium gluten-free tamari because I like to control the amount of sodium. You could also use soy sauce, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos.
- Vegetable broth: I used low-sodium vegetable broth to control the amount of salt.
- Salt and pepper: Enhances flavors and adds flavor. I like sea salt.
- Lettuce: I used Romaine lettuce. Iceberg lettuce would also be good.
- Tomatoes: Use your favorite variety.
- Salsa: Either homemade salsa or store-bought salsa is fine. I used my homemade salsa when I first made this, but store-bought salsa when I updated the photos.
- Kalamata olives: You could also use green olives or leave them off.
To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Cook chopped onions in a large pan with olive oil until translucent.
Step 2: Add minced garlic. Cook 30 seconds more.
Step 3: Add tempeh, pinto beans, spices, tomato paste, tamari, and vegetable broth. Cook until the tempeh is browned and the liquid is reduced.
Step 4: Serve over cooked rice and lettuce. Top with chopped tomatoes, olives, and salsa.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Taco rice is made with ground beef on a bed of rice and served with shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa. For this vegan taco rice, I used tempeh in place of beef.
For this recipe, I used tempeh seasoned with taco flavors.
Other Vegan Mexican-Inspired Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Taco Rice (Takoraisu) Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how you like it in the 💬 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📋 Recipe
Vegan Taco Rice (Takoraisu)
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked white rice
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 oz. gluten free tempeh* crumbled
- 15 oz. pinto beans
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons low sodium gluten free tamari
- ⅓ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups thinly chopped lettuce
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- Salsa
- Chopped Kalamata olives (optional)
Optional toppings:
Instructions
- Pour olive oil into a large pan. Heat on medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until translucent.
- Add garlic and cook for about thirty seconds more.
- Add tempeh, pinto beans, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, tamari, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Cook until tempeh is browned and liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Serve over rice and chopped lettuce. Top with salsa, chopped tomatoes, and chopped Kalamata olives.
Notes
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Nutrition
*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
Joanie @ ZagLeft says
I love all the flavors you've added here, what a delicious looking dish.
Willow Moon says
Thanks Joanie!
Kirsten says
That looks so good! I'm always on the lookout for tasty vegan recipes so I'll have to bookmark this one!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Kirsten, I hope you enjoy it!
Angie says
YUM! This sounds good. I'm really into meat-free options whenever I can, and this one looks fabulous!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Angie! This is definitely a good meat-free meal the whole family will enjoy!
Amber says
My mouth is seriously watering. This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Amber!
Bethany says
I have some tamari that is begging to be used. This looks fabulous!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Bethany!
Melissa Chee says
This looks delicious!
Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen says
This is a great idea for a vegan taco! It looks so good with all the fresh ingredients. I think this is something my family would like to try.
Willow Moon says
Thanks Kimberly! If your family likes tacos, they will probably like this! It has all the same flavors.