My Top PlantBased Mexican Cookbooks

Review of plantbased Mexican cookbooks and my favourite recipes

Plantbased Mexican cookbooks feature vegan recipes that are very vibrant. They celebrate Mexico’s diverse produce and the concept of ‘milpa’, an ancient agricultural system revolving around corn, beans and pumpkin. It functions as a highly functional biodiverse ecosystem, where corn supports climbing beans, while pumpkin plants shade the soil, reducing water loss and weed growth.

Having spent over 4 years running a vegan restaurant, I can see how there could be some issues: either adapting a carnivore recipe into being 100% plant-based and getting a classic recipe to taste too acidic or spicy; or using plants that are generally a great source of fibre, but forgetting about protein and healthy fats.

Another big issue is the ingredient availability – I cannot get nopales (cactus paddles), tomatillos, fresh poblano chillies and fresh herbs like epazote. And in most cases, things like jackfruit or hearts of palm are harder to source and could be fairly expensive.

Having previously reviewed all my Best Mexican Cookbooks on the shelf, below is my review of the highly reputable Mexican cookbooks focusing on plant-based food with my comments and the recipes I’ve cooked.

Plantas by Alexa Soto

This is a true celebration of plant-based Mexican cooking. There are plenty of very varied recipes – from breakfast ideas to tacos and dishes with mole. 

Tofu scramble and Tofu ranchero – you can use tofu to enjoy your veggie breakfasts with a lot of flavour.

Sopita de lentejas – I personally love lentils for their texture and high protein content.

Esquites – street corn in a cup that you can adapt to be fully plant-based.

Alitas de coliflor al estilo chipotle – I had something similar in my vegan restaurant: cauliflower wings. I’ve served them with sweet chilli sauce, but here you can use chipotle. Delicious as a snack and a movie night finger food.

Ceviche de palmito – emulate fish ceviche by using hearts of palm.

Sopa Azteca – delicious flavoursome soup.

Taquitos de yaca (jackfruit) – fried tacos with jackfruit (a very popular ingredient to emulate pulled pork texture).

Baja palmitos tacos – so I am a big fan of baja fish tacos, those little pieces of fish, breaded and deep-fried (fish n chips, move along). This recipe is very similar and uses hearts of palm. As another option, I’ve used tofu pieces wrapped in nori, battered and deep-fried. It was delicious in a taco with slaw, crema and hot sauce.

Tacos de setas y salsa verde – mushroom tacos are one of my favourites, but I usually find recipes too spicy and too acidic. In this book, they use salsa verde, but it is too acidic for the mushrooms. I’d like to use something creamier and fattier – cashew crema or tofu-based avocado sauce. You should add creaminess cnd fatiness for these tacos to be truly delicious and nutritious (as a complete meal).

Mole negro con setas asadas – similarly, I found mole to be a great match for mushrooms as it adds these creamy, fatty and spicy layered flavours.

Mole rojo con coliflor asada – whilst there are some cookbooks suggesting simple cauliflower or aubergie tacos, I believe they will leave you hungry as the protein and fat content is very low. Instead, as this cookbook suggests, use red mole to be served with grilled cauliflower.

Birria (with jackfruit and oyster mushrooms) – oh, I love a good birria for the juiciness and that extra touch of frying the tortillas drenched in birria consomme. Watch out for acidic ingredients, I found veggie birria to be on a acidic side if you are going to use similar quantities as for the carnivore recipes. Fresh veggies on top are great but do not forget about adding a creamy element – avocado sauce or cashew crema.

Coliflor al pastor – lightly spicy grilled cauliflower with al-pastor marinade? Why not? Don’t forget to add protein element – I love blending tofu into crema.

Pozole verde – such a great idea of making pozole with chickpeas. Try it, it is a flavoursome soup, and you won’t be bored with garbanzos!

Provecho by Edgar Castrejon

Another absolutely amazing book, which contains many essential home cooking recipes. You won’t find some vibrant fusion ideas, but plenty of bean, letil and mushroom dishes.

Pozoles – browse a few ideas of cooking a traditional pozole using only plant-based ingredients.

Pipian – a rich saucy dish using pumpkin seeds as a base (blended).

Sopa de lentejas – another goodrecipe for lentils soup.

Different frijoles – a good selection of bean dishes that you can use as sides or as an element for your bowl, burrito or quesadilla.

Adobo mushroom tacos – the author insists on adding all of the condiments without exception: red salsa, crema, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and coriander. Lovely mushroom tacos indeed!

Shredded jackfruit tacos – similarly to the above recipe, use the suggested condiments: pico de Gallo, coriander crema, avocado, and coriander. I’d suggest making crema using tofu simply to add a bit more protein.

Sweet potato and kale tacos – loved the combination; what I’d suggest here is adding salsa macha as a crunchy and spicy element to these tacos.

Hongos à la diabla – spicy mushrooms, why not? I loved maiing a sweeter cashew crema and contrasting it with sauteed spicy mushrooms.

Jackfruit Tinga – this recipe if truly easy and I started to love tinga to be so easy and not time consuming. If you love my chipotle paste recipe like I do, it will come alive in less than 10 minuytes (provided you have dehydrated jackfruit).

Tortas de tofu – sandwiches with tofu, with refried beans, avocado, hot sauce, crema, slices of lettuce, and tomatoes. You can customise it even further by adding vegan cheese and other plant-based goodness like artichokes or jackfruit.

Gracias Madre cookbook

This one comes as a restaurant cookbook, and they specify that it is California-Mexican one, so expect a bit more plant-based fusion. What I loved here is the condiments like cashew nacho cheese, but also ideas for the bowls, fajitas and mushroom pastor tacos.

Esquites – a classic street food cup of corn, veganised by adding cashew crema and almond cotija. I love corn in all its versions – from fresh to grilled to blended into masa, so it is tasty indeed.

Cashew nacho cheese and Cashew crema – two of the condiments that make your plant-based Mexican dishes truly delicious.

Mushrooms pastor tacos – with red salsa and guacamole, touch of chopped coriander and onion. This is delicious and I loved the recipe a lot. I’ve actually adapted it slightly and cooked in my Mexican restaurant as well as a special.

Mushroom fajitas – more of Tex-Mex dish realy, but it has a very nice throwback for me to my early 20s in Kyiv when I loved fajita dishes in one of the well-known American chains already present there. It was a celebration of flavours for me and such a good treat.

Meat-free Mexican by Thomasina Miers

OK, well, as you can gather from the name, it is not strictly a 100% plant-based cookbook, but I really love Thomasina’s ideas, and some of the recipes are truly ones that top my charts, so I share my notes with you all.

Smoky chipotle tofu – I’m not a big fan of tofu, but this recipe is quite good. I also suggest using regular firm tofu instead of smoked.  

Spicy pumpkin seed dip – it’s very similar to what is called ‘sikil pak’ in Yucatan, but this book’s recipe somehow misses habanero chillies for some reason. So get yourself a packet of dried habaneros, toast and re-hydrate them and add here.

Beetroot, cumin and walnut dip – I wouldn’t say this one screams Mexican, but honestly, as a person who was born in Ukraine, famous for its beetroot soup Borscht, this dip is a revelation – it’s so good. I highly recommend.

Broccoli tempura with smoky red mayo – well, similarly to cauliflower wings, the veggie tempura dishes are generally quite a treat. What I did in my vegan restaurant earlier on is that we used broccoli florets in the healthy bowls, but used the stalks for the tempura sticks. Veggie ‘nose-to-tail’ apprioach, reducing waste and getting great nutrients – what’s not to love? You can also can do mushroom tempura with this recipe, and use it for mushrooms tacos!

Chipotle tamarind sweet potato gratin – it is a rich and highly flavourful combination of smoky chipotle and tangy tamarind. I wish it were easier for me to find things like tamarind, but if it is for you, l highly recommend this bold dish.

Crispy tofu tacos – plant-based tofu tacos could be a bit boring and lack texture, but even a simple thing like coating tofu pieces in finely ground corn flour and then frying them makes such a difference! See my post about tofu tacos and how to marinade and cook tofu.

Roast cauliflower tacos with refried beans and pink onions (the recipe used achiote for cauliflower) – I loved how this recipebalances light cauliflower with protein-rich beans.

Tamales – these are such a treat for celebrations and making them plant-based isn’t difficult at all. What I’m considering to try next here is to use high-quality fine cornflour (instead of masa harina).

Vegan Caesar salad – it is not a secret that the original Caesar salad is a Mexican creation. Thomasina suggests a dressing with aquafaba and miso, which will add the aioli creaminess and umami.

Beetroot ceviche – this one is so easy and delicious.

Pineapple ceviche with toasted coconut – I do not eat many sweet dishes, but this marinated pineapple and toasted coconut dish is a star!

Roast beets with white mole – I wouldn’t personally call this a mole, but rather an almond-based white sauce, but the dish is tasty.

Smoky roast squash with green cashew mole – yet again not paticularly a mole, but rather a cashew sauce, but it is delicious. I once used a similar green cashew sauce to be added to a plant-based lasagne. Roasting sweet pumpkin with smoky chipotle is a great idea.

Verdict on my Top Plantbased Mexican Cookbooks

Plant-based Mexican food should taste like a fiesta – not a compromise. Mushroom al-Pastor, refried beans with cauliflower wings and jackfruit tacos are my top choices. I also love Azteca soup, chilli non carne and fresh vegetables ceviches. All of the above-mentioned plant-based Mexican cookbooks provided plenty of inspiration, food for thought, and delicious dishes as a result.

My advice is to add salsas and sauces with healthy fats (avocados, seeds and nuts) and protein (blending tofu works well) to create meals that delight your tastebuds and satisfy nutritionally.

P.S. Check out my suggested Mexican toolkit that can help you with all the above-mentioned recipes. And check even more recipes and logic begind Plantbased Mexican Food that eats like a night out (with a Flavour Matrix) here.