Vegan al Pastor Tacos

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated October 29, 2025

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
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Ready In
35 min
Rating
5(258)
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Inspired by tacos al pastor, this peppy vegan version gives a firm nod to the smoky, savory and sweet flavors of the famed Mexican street food. The shortcut adobo (marinade) forgoes dried Mexican chiles and instead uses canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus fresh pineapple and additional spices. While the addition of soy sauce may be unconventional in al pastor, tempeh has a mild flavor that appreciates aggressive seasoning and the extra injection of umami. Pineapple, a signature ingredient of al pastor, is used two ways, adding sweetness to both the marinade and the bold salsa topping.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

 For the Marinade

  • 2 to 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (to your liking)

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

  • 2 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into ½-inch chunks (about ⅓ cup)

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce 

For the Tacos

  • 2 (8-ounce) blocks tempeh, crumbled

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed 

  • 8 to 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed, for serving

  • 1 lime, cut into quarters 

For the Pineapple and Jalapeño Salsa

  • 6 ounces fresh pineapple, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

  • ½ to 1 jalapeño (to your liking), finely chopped

  • ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems

  • Juice of ½ to 1 lime, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

51 grams carbs; 561 calories; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 31 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 1016 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 8 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Make the marinade

    1. Step 1

      Place the chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, cumin, paprika, garlic, pineapple, olive oil and soy sauce in a small blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 

  2. Prepare the tacos

    1. Step 2

      Transfer the marinade to a large bowl and add the tempeh; season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

    2. Step 3

      Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. When hot, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the tempeh mixture and flatten into a single layer, so as much of the tempeh is in contact with the hot surface of the pan as possible. Leave to cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss the tempeh and cook undisturbed again for another 2 minutes. Repeat this one more time, until the tempeh is nicely charred in most parts. If at any time, the tempeh seems dry, add some more olive oil.  When it is ready, taste again to make sure you are happy with the seasoning, adding more salt, if needed.

  3. Meanwhile, make the salsa

    1. Step 4

      In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple, jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt. 

    2. Step 5

      To serve, top each tortilla with the tempeh and some salsa, and serve with lime wedges on the side.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
258 user ratings
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Comments

Shansen

My can of chipotle chilis in adobo contains chicken stock. Check the label when you purchase if you are vegan/vegetarian.

Robin

@Chris. to make a similar consistency, I press the water out of extra firm tofu and then grate it like mozzarella.

Chris.B

@SR I have never eaten tempeh before and you’re not selling it. Do you suppose pressed and crumbled tofu would work as well?

Wendy

This was really good. To get the tempeh as brown as possible I started with a very hot coated cast iron pan. The smoked paprika plus the adobo sauce almost made it a little too smoky (and I like smoke!) and bitter, but I tempered it with a teaspoon of honey. The pineapple relish was really good. I put this on tostadas and added a dollop of plain coconut yogurt mixed with little lime juice and cumin.

K.P.

Steaming tempeh for 10 minutes can help with the texture, absorb marinades more and cut some of the bitterness depending on the tempeh you have. It’s my new go to with tempeh. I’d let it marinade for a while so it really soaks in the flavor.

xtine

Loved this. Easy, quick, with great flavors and also a recipe that’s easy to riff on. Might try mixing in some mushrooms to the tempeh mixture next time for added texture. Also I only had frozen pineapple and it came out just as good as fresh would have been.

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