Pork Chorizo Made of ... Nuts? Tacodeli Goes Vegan

With the phrase “award-winning tacos” branded in bold all over the windows, doors and even bathroom stalls of Tacodeli, it’s hard not to walk into this taco chain with high hopes for a good — or award-winning — taco. First established in Austin in 1999, Tacodeli has since expanded into both the Dallas (Sylvan 30 and Walnut Hill) and Houston areas.

Right off the bat, one of the standout things about Tacodeli (besides its use of bathroom-stall marketing) is its long list of vegetarian-friendly options. While the typical taco joint may serve two or three vegetarian options at most, Tacodeli seems to cater more heavily to those on a meat-free diet. With nine fully vegetarian tacos ranging from the Papadulce (sweet potato) to the Space Cowboy (mushroom and guacamole), Tacodeli would already have the option-deprived vegans and vegetarians in an indecisive sweat.
But recently, the taco chain decided to take it a step further.

Tacodeli has now added veggie nut chorizo crumble to the menu, which can be added on or substituted into its original egg and chorizo taco. It's made of cauliflower, pistachios, nuts, walnuts and pecans. An order of these tacos comes plated face up like your normal breakfast taco, with your choice of either flour, corn or wheat tortilla. Atop the tortilla sits a pile of scrambled eggs sprinkled with shredded jack cheese and darkened granules of vegetable “chorizo.” Although appearing slightly drier than meat-based chorizo, the new vegan option makes a commendable attempt to emulate the appearance of the real thing.

But it’s not just the sense of sight that the veggie nut chorizo must fool. Of course, our taste buds too were craving that award-winning taco.
A bite into the taco explodes with the same flavors as the pork-based version. With an initial spicy kick and a smoked aftertaste, Tacodeli’s meat alternative is most definitely flavored the same as normal chorizo. The nuts, generously coated in multiple layers of spices, add a much-needed punch of flavor to an otherwise bland egg scramble. Although it errs on the mild side of the spice spectrum, adventurers can add a few drops of Tacodeli’s signature Salsa Doña to kick it up a notch.

In texture, the veggie nut chorizo fell short of our expectations, mimicking a powder rather than real meat. It lacks the juices of pork and has a dry, crunchy feel that fails to match up to the tenderness of meat-based chorizo. When combined with the dryness of the scrambled egg, the Veggie Nut breakfast taco definitely had us salivating but for the wrong reason.

All in all, the veggie nut chorizo taco is an interesting take on one of the most popular meats of the taco world. While it matches chorizo in both appearance and taste, the dry texture of the nut-based counterpart makes it hard to draw a comparison between the two.

If you’re an adventurous foodie trying to explore the rapidly growing world of vegan meat alternatives, this might be a good place to start. But if you’re a vegetarian or vegan looking for an award-winning taco, you may be better off searching somewhere else.