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Unlike your average torta recipe, these vegan tortas de carnitas are stacked-to-the-brim bolillos with hot, crispy-edged seitan carne asada, lime-kissed refried beans, and charred jalapeño cilantro sauce. Other lunches feel basic AF, while you straight up make out with this traditional Mexican sandwich for the rest of your dang life.
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No my dear goose, a tidy little grab-and-go situation does not a legit torta make. It's a full yes, with just a wee bit of mess. A soft bolillo roll that can actually handle getting stacked without breaking apart. Juicy, tender seitan carne. Tasty beans galore. Pickled heat taking things up a couple notches at the end. A creamy jalapeño lime sauce cutting through the meatiness so you don't need to lie down immediately afterwards in a food coma (optional, but still).
Fire up some chips and your fave salsa (mine are salsa macha, salsa ranchera, and Chile de arbol salsa). Go ahead and make this household staple before you talk yourself out of it and order something sucky made by a troll under a sandwich bridge. You already know how that story ends. (Bog of eternal stench, son).
I love your Seitan recipe for Carne Asada, and so was excited to make this torta. The flavors were incredible, and I love the difference that each separate component mad: I used pickled serranos rather than pickled jalapeños, but along with the fresh cilantro, avocado, and the lettuce, it was SO SCRUMPTIOUS. And don't even get me started on that charred jalapeño sauce, I made more the next day to put on other stuff! I want to serve these to friends!!
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🥰 Why you'll adore this vegan carnitas tortas recipe
✊ Vegan AF: My vegan Mexican recipes are tested on animals. I mean to say I shared some of this torta with my rescue puppers.
⏱️ Very Reasonable Kitchen Energy: Prep this easy meal once, eat it now, freeze the rest, move on with your life. The seitan carne asada & beans hold up for months in your freezer, which means past you did future you a massive favor. No traditional cooking methods needed.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this "pork carnitas" has been cooked, tweaked, adjusted, and made repeatedly by hundreds of testers around the world so it works even if your kitchen setup is, shall we say… less than ideal.
💣 Learn the bomb vegan Mexican recipes
This guide to my most popular vegan Mexican recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍔 Ingredients
Seitan carne asada
My vegan carne asada recipe is citrus kissed, a little smoky, and actually gives you something legit to bite into with subtle smokiness. If you don't want to mess with that whole project, you can still make this torta using thin pan-fried slices of my vegan ham or vegan chicken instead.
The beans
My vegan refried beans are smooth, truly very flavorful, and act as "the glue that holds the sandwich together." Wait- that sounds honestly kinda gross. But what I am saying is the beans are good, OK? Otherwise, the Goya traditional or ranchera refried beans are vegan, labeled as so, easy to find almost anywhere and very reliable.
The sour cream
This creates the creamy base that binds the sauce and smooths out the heat. I have a vegan sour cream recipe, but Kite Hill and Tofutti are my go-to store grabs when time is not on my side.
Bolillo or telera rolls
These rolls are soft inside with enough structure to hold a serious filling. They're essential for the classic torta experience and won't disintegrate halfway through eating. Sometimes Mexican grocery stores only have ones made with lard in them, so keep an eye on that.
Otherwise, use any crusty roll with a light interior. You can even get away with making this on a section of French baguette.
The mayo
My vegan kewpie recipe has more umami than your average mayo and it shows. Otherwise, my personal store-bought fave is Vegenaise from Follow Your Heart. I have used probably in excess of 400 x 5 gallon buckets of the stuff over the years on my food trucks.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Variations
Torta Adobada
Vegan torta adobada brings smoky chile flavor that soaks into the bread. Every bite is packed with adobo grilled jackfruit.
Torta de Milanesa
My vegan torta milanesa is basically a vegan Mexican fried chicken sammy.
Torta de Chorizo
Packed with vegan chorizo. Smoky, spicy, just a little greasy, and absolutely not subtle. Pair a vegan chorizo torta with a sizable stack of napkins.
Vegan Chicken Mole Torta
They said it wasn't possible, but I guess they never tried my mole poblano! If you love a meaty torta, but without the meat, my vegan chicken mole torta might just steal your dang heart.
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
📖 How to make Vegan Tortas
I laid this out in a way that makes sense even when you're hungry and easily distracted. That's a skill. Follow the steps for the full experience of a Mexican kitchen, or jump to the recipe card if reading feels like like a chore but cooking doesn't.
Step One
Asadarday Night Live:
Prepare the vegan carne asada and refried beans using my recipes, or portion out store-bought versions and set them aside.
Step Two
A Real Jalapeño the Butt:
Char the jalapeño directly over an open flame, or in a dry skillet over medium-high heat on an electric stovetop, turning every 30-45 seconds until the skin is blistered and blackened on most sides. Transfer to a plate and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Step Three
Sonny and Char:
Remove the stem from the jalapeño and scrape away most of the charred skin.
Step Four
Blend It Like Beckham:
Add the jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, vegan sour cream, sugar, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Step Five
Carne-Val of Souls:
Heat a wide skillet over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil. Let it warm for 90 seconds, then add the vegan carne asada and cook, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until heated through and lightly crisped in spots.
Step Six
Smells Like Bean Spirit:
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the refried beans for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until hot throughout. Add a splash of water if the beans are very thick.
Step Seven
Toast Malone
Slice the rolls lengthwise and toast them cut-side down in a dry skillet over medium heat, or place them on a sheet tray and warm in a 375°F (190°C) oven until the interiors are lightly crisp and fully warmed.
Step Eight
Carnita Baker:
Spread vegan mayo on the bottom portion of the bolillo, then layer on the lettuce, hot refried beans, and carne asada. Spoon the charred jalapeño lime sauce over the filling, top with avocado slices and pickled jalapeños, garnish with cilantro sprigs, close the sandwiches, and serve immediately.
💡Serving Ideas
Serve this messy dish with chips and a good quantity of salsa on the side because that's basically Mexico's city of Guadalajara's answer to "you want fries with that?"
Salsa verde, salsa fresca, salsa ranchera, whatever you have going on for that authentic texture. Make this into a complete dinner with a few authentic Mexican dishes: my vegan fajitas, a bowl of Mexican lentil soup, vegan picadillo, or vegan tamales depending on how severe your crew's hunger is.
👉Top tips
- Give the Protein Time to Brown: Let the protein sit and sizzle a little. Give it a minute to actually brown. If it starts looking dry at all, add a tiny splash of water to keep it juicy.
- Layer Thoughtfully for Stability: More is not always better here, hun. Go easy on the fillings, spread things out, and keep the juicy stuff from dripping out all over your wedding dress or whatever.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
For best results, store the components separately rather than fully assembled. This keeps the bread from getting soggy and makes reheating way more predictable.
🧊 Refrigeration
Store the cooked vegan carne asada, refried beans, and charred jalapeño lime sauce in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep the bread and fresh toppings at room temperature and assemble only when you're ready to eat.
🔥 Stovetop reheating
Reheat the vegan carne asada in a skillet over medium heat with a small amount of oil until warmed through and lightly crisped again. Warm the refried beans in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often and adding a splash of water if they've thickened.
✌️You'll love these vegan sandwich recipes too:
Master the art of vegan Mexican cooking in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Torta de Carnitas Recipe
Ingredients
For the Protein:
- 4 cups vegan carne asada
- 2 cups vegan refried beans
For the Charred Jalapeño Lime Sauce:
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 tablespoon onion minced
- ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- ½ cup vegan sour cream
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Sandwiches:
- 4 bolillo or telera rolls 6-7 inches long
- ½ cup pickled jalapeños
- 1 ripe avocado sliced
- ½ cup vegan mayo
- 8 leaves Boston Bibb lettuce or iceberg
- Cilantro sprigs to garnish
Instructions
- Prep the carne asada and refried beans following my recipes, or measure out store-bought ones to use.
- Char the jalapeño either directly over the flames of an open burner, or if you have an electric stovetop, in a dry skillet set over medium-high heat, turning every 30-45 seconds until the skin is blistered and blackened on most sides. Transfer to a plate and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Remove the stem, and scrape off most of the charred skin.
- Combine the jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, vegan sour cream, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat a wide skillet over medium heat. Add a thin layer of oil and let it warm for 90 seconds. Add the vegan carne asada and cook, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until heated through and lightly crisped in spots.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the refried beans for 4-5 minutes over medium heat, stirring regularly, until it is hot throughout. Add a splash of water if your beans are very thick.
- Split the rolls lengthwise. Toast cut-side down on a dry skillet set over medium heat, or place on a sheet tray and warm in a 375°F (190°C) oven until lightly crisp on the interior and warmed through.
- Spread vegan mayo on the bottom half of each roll. Add a layer of lettuce, followed by the hot beans and carne asada. Spoon the charred jalapeño lime sauce over the filling. Top with avocado slices and pickled jalapeños. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, close the sandwiches, and serve immediately.
Notes
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Paige Davis says
I love your Seitan recipe for Carne Asada, and so was excited to make this torta. The flavors were incredible, and I love the difference that each separate component mad: I used pickled serranos rather than pickled jalapeños, but along with the fresh cilantro, avocado, and the lettuce, it was SO SCRUMPTIOUS. And don’t even get me started on that charred jalapeño sauce, I made more the next day to put on other stuff! I want to serve these to friends!!