How to Make Mushroom Tacos

It doesn’t need to be Meatless Monday or even Taco Tuesday to love these Mushroom Tacos with bell peppers, corn and Gouda cheese that come together in just 20 minutes.

My family isn’t vegetarian, but we enjoy a fair share of meatless meals. By building flavor with umami-rich ingredients and paying attention to texture, it’s easy to create meatless dishes that even the most devout carnivores will love.

If you’re thinking about the meat-and-potato lovers in your family and are skeptical, I don’t blame you. I get it. But let’s start with an easy win: TACOS. Who doesn’t love tacos? Nobody I want to be friends with, that’s for sure.

We’re going to sear the mushrooms until they are deep golden brown to develop that rich umami. Then we’re going to add some extra veggies to make them more filling, and finish them with smoked Gouda cheese for big depth of flavor. It’s a meatless meal where you don’t feel like you’re missing anything at all.

Mushroom Taco Ingredients

• mushrooms – you’ll need a pound of mushrooms for 4 servings. I used button mushrooms, but there are other options, including portobello mushroom tacos, which I discuss below.
• butter – I sautéed the vegetables in butter for flavor. Feel free to use olive oil instead!
• bell pepper – I used red bell pepper, but just like with fajita vegetables recipe, any color of bell pepper works great here.
• corn – Just like with my Mexican street corn salad recipe, I use fresh corn kernels cut off the cob when it’s in season, but frozen corn the rest of the year. Make sure it’s thawed and patted dry.
• salt and pepper – for seasoning, always.
• cilantro – because what are fancy tacos without a sprinkle of cilantro?
• tortillas – I used corn tortillas, but you could also use flour!
• cheese – I love the flavor that smoked Gouda cheese adds to this mushroom tacos recipe (and phyllo cup appetizers), but I talk about other options below.
• lime – a squeeze of lime juice just before eating brightens up all of the flavors!
• sour cream – a dollop adds such creaminess and tang to these tacos (and chicken burrito bowls)!
• hot sauce – or pickling jalapeños, to spice things up, but this is optional.

Best Mushrooms for Tacos

I used button (white) mushrooms for this recipe (and crock pot green bean casserole), because they have a mild flavor, they’re affordable, and they’re available at every grocery store.

Want to use something a little more exotic? Epicurious has a nice article about types of mushrooms, many of which would be perfect in this mushroom tacos recipe.

Portobello mushroom tacos and crimini mushroom tacos would be my choice, if not using button mushrooms.

You can also mix and match and use several varieties, as long as they add up to a pound, and everything is cut into bite-sized pieces.

How to Make Mushroom Tacos

1. SAUTE. Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are deep golden brown, stirring occasionally.
2. ADD VEGGIES. Stir in the bell pepper, salt and black pepper, and cook until the bell pepper is softened. Stir in the corn and cook until the corn is warmed through, then remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
3. SERVE. Divide the vegetable mixture between the tortillas and top with the cheese. Serve the tacos with lime wedges, sour cream and hot sauce.

Mushroom Taco Recipe Variations

You can also make roasted mushroom tacos!

The way I’ve written the mushroom tacos recipe below calls for sautéing all of the vegetables (mushrooms, bell pepper, corn) in a large skillet.

If you’d rather pop something into the oven and make a batch of lemon margaritas while everything cooks, feel free to make this a sheet pan recipe by making roasted mushroom tacos instead.

Spray a large rimmed baking pan with nonstick spray and spread the sliced mushrooms into an even layer. Roast at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes or until they start to get tender.

Add the corn and bell pepper to the pan, sprinkle everything with salt and pepper, and roast 6 to 8 minutes longer or until all of the vegetables are tender.

Can I use a different cheese?

I love smoked Gouda cheese for how much flavor it adds to the mushroom tacos (and the smokiness kind of adds a “meaty” quality to this meatless meal). It’s so good on a football themed charcuterie board, too.

If you can’t find smoked Gouda, you can also use sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese in this mushroom tacos recipe.

How to add more protein

If you’d like to add more protein to these mushroom tacos, I recommend adding a spoonful of cooked lentils or black beans to each taco. This adds protein but keeps it meatless.

You can also use a combination of mashed and whole black beans and pinto beans, like I used for my vegetarian fajitas recipe.

If you’re OK with adding meat to this mushroom tacos recipes, you could cook up some ground chorizo and add that to these tacos for more protein.