Pumpkin Lentil Tacos

Name: Pumpkin Lentil Tacos
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1/2 Cup of Uncooked Brown Lentils (or 1 1/2 Cups Cooked or Canned); 1/2 Cup + 2 TB of 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree; 1/2 Cup Diced Yellow Onion; 2 Cups Chopped White Mushrooms; 3 Cups Spinach (roughly chopped); 2 Tsp Chili Powder; 2 Tsp Dried Parsley; 1 Tsp Dried Cilantro; 1/2 Tsp Cumin; 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder; 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon; 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika; 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper (to taste); Salt (to taste); 1 Small Lime (zested and juice to taste); 4 Gluten-Free Hard Corn Taco Shells (2 tacos per serving)

Published: Sep 25, 2013 · Modified: Oct 20, 2025 by Rebecca Pytell · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Savory Pumpkin Lentil Tacos are an easy meatless meal for a cozy fall weeknight dinner! These vegan pumpkin tacos are packed with plant-based protein, tons of fresh veggies, and loads of flavor! Ready in minutes, this delicious filling is served on your favorite gluten-free taco shells or tortillas; healthy, allergy-free, and perfect for the whole family!

While pumpkin is typically the cozy sweet treat everyone loves, from pumpkin lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin bread, let's not forget about its fantastic savory flavor profile! Another thing people love is Mexican food! Pumpkin goes extremely well with savory, smokey, and spicy flavors like this chipotle pumpkin chicken, since it cools and mellows out the palate. Keeping these tacos tame and belly-friendly, there's no tomato or peppers to worry about, and you can adjust any spicy spices to your liking!

Healthy Vegan Taco Recipe

These vegan pumpkin lentil tacos are so easy to make (especially if you use canned or precooked lentils!) and aperfect weeknight meal idea for fall and winter! Packed with plant-based lentil protein, creamy pumpkin, fresh veggies, and smokey savory spices, you can have this meal on the table in 20 minutes and scale up the ingredients to serve a large family! These tacos are:

Gluten-Free
Vegan & Vegetarian
Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Coconut-Free)
Optionally Grain-Free, Paleo, and Corn-Free
Oil-Free & Sugar-Free
Quick, Healthy, and Easy
100% Plant-Based & Packed With Veggies
Perfect For Lunch Meal Prep or Weeknight Dinners

Ingredients For Pumpkin Tacos

Pumpkin: 100% pure pumpkin puree! Creamy and mellow, just begging for savory taco flavors. It pulls the entire filling together and almost acts as a sauce.
Lentils: The vegan protein for these hearty plant-based tacos! You can use canned lentils so you don't need to do any pre-cooking, or you can cook dried lentils (which I did), just a ½ cup of brown lentils simmered for 20 minutes.
Mushrooms: Mushrooms are a great meaty veggie that soaks up any flavor you throw at it and bulks up the filling.
Spinach: Everything is better with a dose of greens! Spinach acts as your lettuce in these tacos, but it's lightly wilted and warmed with the rest of the filling.
Onion: Sautéed onions will start your quick pumpkin filling and add a ton of flavor without being raw and overpowering.
Seasonings: A mix of chili powder, garlic, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and finished with dried cilantro, parsley, and a squirt of fresh lime juice!
Gluten-Free Taco Shells: I made these tacos with crunchy corn shells, but you can also use gluten-free soft tortillas, grain-free tortillas, or homemade corn tortillas!

How To Store Leftovers

Storage: You can store leftover pumpkin lentil taco filling in a closed container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Reheating: You can reheat individual potions of the taco filling in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or you can add the filling to a pan on the stove and allow it to warm over a medium-low heat.
Freezing: If you want to make a large batch of the taco filling as meal prep and freeze it for later, allow the filling to cool to room tempture before adding it to a large freezer storage bag with all the air taken out and freeze flat until solid for easy stacking or you can use a freezer-safe container. For best quality, store for 4-6 months. Allow the filling to thaw in the fridge before reheating.

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