Walnut chorizo is packed with flavor and comes together quickly in your food processor. Use in tacos, burritos, bowl meals, and more!
Want to make more vegan meat? Try my super easy tofu sausage crumbles!
Jump To:
Recipe notes
Y'all, this recipe truly could not be easier. I even have a no-cook variation, if you don't feel like firing up the stove.
This walnut chorizo recipe uses simple ingredients that bring tons of texture and flavor to the table:
- walnuts
- chickpeas
- onions
- garlic
- chili powder
- red wine vinegar
- ground cumin
- chipotle chili powder
- ground coriander
- dried oregano
- salt
- cinnamon
- cloves
- olive oil
To make the full version, you toss all of your ingredients into a food processor, and pulse until you have an even mixture.
Then, transfer the vegan chorizo mixture to a pan with a little bit of heated oil, and sauté until it's browned and lovely.
Variations
For a no-cook version, omit the fresh onion and garlic. The flavors of these are just a bit too strong uncooked. Replace them with a teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder.
Pulse in the food processor until crumbly, and you are ready to serve!
If you want a less spicy chorizo, use mild chipotle chili powder and cut the amount in half. You can even omit the chipotle entirely and use ½ to ¾ teaspoon of liquid smoke instead.
For more spicy, add extra chipotle powder or add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
How to serve and store
Use this vegan chorizo anywhere that you'd use conventional chorizo crumbles! It's great in:
- Stuffed into tacos.
- Folded into a burrito.
- Layered into vegan enchiladas.
- In a taco salad.
- On top of a burrito bowl.
If you do have leftovers, just store them in an airtight container. You can warm them in the microwave or with a little bit of oil in a skillet.
Walnut Chorizo Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ a medium sweet onion - peeled and cut into big chunks
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients, except the olive oil, in your blender or food processor. Pulse until you have an even mixture.
- In a skillet, heat the oil over medium high. Add the contents of the food processor, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture begins to brown and turns fragrant.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
It tastes like whatever you season it with! The great thing about walnuts is that their flavor is pretty mild.
It can be. The great thing about making your own walnut chorizo is that you can make it as spicy or not as you like. For less spicy, use mild chipotle powder and back off on the amount. For hotter chorizo, up the amount of chipotle or add a pinch of cayenne.
Jack
Unfortunately I don’t have a food processor at home. Any recommendations as to what to do as an alternative?
Becky Striepe
Hmm that is tricky! You can try doing it in the blender, but you may want to do batches. Just pulse small amounts of the ingredients, then mix them together in a large bowl. I'd do the walnuts on their own, the chickpeas in 2-3 batches, then the onion, garlic, and spices could probably go all together. Or mince the onion and garlic by hand and mix with the pulsed chickpeas and walnuts. Be careful not to overland the chickpeas, because you don't want them to turn into hummus!
Ginger
I had a craving for tacos so I made this tonight. Yum! It’s so quick and simple to make, and packed with flavor and a kick. I put them in hard shells with some homemade nacho cashew cream, taco sauce, lettuce and tomato. So yummy!
Becky Striepe
Thank you so much, Ginger! I appreciate you coming back to review, comment, and share how you served it!