Everyone loves this easy vegetarian fajitas recipe! This Tex-Mex dinner is packed with flavor and beautifully colored veggies.
Here’s a Tex-Mex favorite no one can resist… and it’s a great way to whip up heaps of veggies without even thinking about it. Try these Vegetarian faijtas! These are so delicious and filling that they’ll please everyone at the table: even meat lovers! This fajita recipe features our favorite fajita vegetables, blackened in the oven and finished on the stovetop, with pinto beans simmered in a hearty fajita sauce. It’s so satisfying that you’ll quickly find yourself adding it to your regular rotation.
How to make vegetarian fajitas: an overview
These vegetarian fajita recipes can be put together in about 30 minutes and the concepts are very simple. There’s a bit of back-and-forth between cooking methods, so here’s a little more about the why behind the what:
- Prepare the vegetables: There are quite a lot of vegetables here, so use your most effective knife skills! Head over to How to Cut a Pepper or How to Cut an Onion if you need a refresher.
- Grill the vegetables (10 minutes): First, toss the veggies in a grill. This allows them to release their liquid, allowing them all to fit in a sauté pan and char easily. Why grill instead of bake? No need to wait to preheat your oven and it’s faster grilling time.
- Meanwhile, toss the beans: Prepare our homemade fajita sauce (more details below) and toss in a pan with the beans.
- Finish the vegetables in a pan: The finish in the pan makes them nice and tender. This is a lot quicker than frying and gives that classic fajita pan sizzle.
Pinto beans add vegetable protein and flavor
The key to making vegetarian fajitas is finding a meat substitute that has lots of flavor and a good amount of protein. We used portobello mushrooms in the veggie mix to add a great meat flavor. But mushrooms don’t have protein, so they’re not very filling on their own.
Pinto beans are perfect for vegetarian fajitas! They’re hearty with a robust flavor and taste amazing with a homemade fajita sauce (we’ll get to that later). If you prefer, you can use black beans instead. Don’t skimp on the beans as they are the main source of protein.
Homemade fajita sauce is key
We recommend our homemade fajita sauce for this recipe! It has a nice kick from the lime juice and a smoky body from the adobo sauce. Here’s a quick ingredient breakdown, and be sure to head over to Homemade Fajita Sauce for the full recipe:
- lime juice
- cumin
- Spanish spice and marinade mix: made from 1 can of chipotle peppers
- garlic powder
- Salt
- olive oil
What are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?? They’re easy to find at most grocery stores near Mexican produce. The box includes chipotle peppers: smoked and dried jalapeños that are rehydrated and canned, and adobo sauce, a puree made with tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and other spices. All you do is scoop the adobo sauce out of the box with a spoon. Refrigerate or freeze the rest and use in other adobo sauce recipes like tortilla soup, enchilada sauce, or chipotle ranch dressing.
Veggie fajita toppings
Once your veggies and pinto beans are prepped, let’s talk side dishes! You can use any of your favorite fajita toppings here. In fact: the toppings are the only thing that makes this vegetarian fajita recipe! Otherwise all ingredients are vegan. So you can make this a vegan fajita recipe with plant-based toppings. Here are our must-have fajita toppings (what are yours?):
- Rooster Pico: It just adds the right zing
- Sour cream: Quiet. Substitute for vegan cashew cream
- Fresh coriander : Another must! It is the perfect contrast to the tasty vegetables
- Guacamole: Optional – or use mashed avocado
- Cheese: Optionally too! You can add shredded cheddar, feta, queso fresco, or cotija cheese: but the flavor doesn’t need it! It’s super delicious just the way it is.
Make it a meal: side dishes to add
These veggie fajitas are amazing on their own: most nights we don’t even make a side with them! (Truth.) But here are some simple ideas for what to serve with fajitas:
More fajita recipes? Try these delicious shrimp fajitas: made on the stovetop or in the oven.
This vegetarian fajita recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free (with corn tortillas).
The description
Everyone loves this easy vegetarian fajitas recipe! This Tex-Mex dinner is packed with flavor and beautifully colored veggies.
- 3 Paprika (red, yellow, green)
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 Portobello mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons oil, shared
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, shared
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 every Chili powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 15 ounce cans of pinto beans
- 1 Homemade Fajita Sauce Recipe*
- Small tortillas
- For the toppings: sour cream, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, guacamole (optional), grated cheese (optional)
- Grill the vegetables: Preheat a grill. Thinly slice the peppers and finely chop the onion. Remove the stems and slice the portobello mushrooms. Place them in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place on grill and grill for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and charred on some edges. Then go straight to step 3.
- Boil beans: Meanwhile, in a pan, whisk together the ingredients for the porridge Homemade Fajita Sauce. Drain, rinse and add the pinto beans to the pan. Heat over medium-high heat and cook until sauce is heated through and thickened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Taste and stir in another ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt.
- Fry the vegetables: Once the veggies are cooked in the grill, finish them on the stovetop by heating the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a cast-iron skillet or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the grilled vegetables, crushed garlic cloves, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika powder, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Remove and discard the garlic cloves before serving.
- Warm up tortillas: Warm and char the tortillas by placing them over an open flame over medium-high heat for a few seconds on each side, turning with tongs until lightly charred and warmed through. (See Reheating Tortillas.)
- Surcharge: Serve bowls of fajita vegetables and pinto beans along with tortillas, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole and fresh cilantro. Have each person add their desired toppings and serve.
Remarks
*We recommend this homemade fajita sauce! Or you can substitute ½ cup of store-bought sauce. For the fajita sauce, combine 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce (made from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce), 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ cup olive oil.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Tex-Mex
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Vegetarian Fajitas, Recipe for vegetarian fajitas
