What to do with leftover chili? It’s a no-brainier to turn them into delicious vegan chili tacos. These tacos are perfect for Taco Tuesday and on any day of the week.

What to make with leftover chili?

Chili and pizza have one thing in common!

They taste better the next day.

So, bring tacos and leftover chili together to make the perfect Taco Tuesday meal.

Top view of 4 fully filled vegan chili tacos
It’s a good thing these tacos are ready in just 10 minutes. I don’t think I can wait long to eat them up.

Tips for making these vegan tacos

  • Any kind of chili will work for this recipe. It can be a vegetarian chili recipe, vegan chili or meat chili. I used my slow cooker 3 bean chili for this recipe.
  • The leftover chili can be as old as 14 days or longer, if it had been frozen. If you are using refrigerated chili, it should be less than 7 days old.
  • Make sure you heat and burn off as much of any liquid there is in the leftover chili. This will make sure that the liquid doesn’t seep through the taco shells.
  • For these tacos, hard tacos are preferred over soft tacos because they don’t get soggy easily.
  • Assemble these tacos at the very last minute. The crunchier the taco, the better the taste experience.
  • I used regular sour cream and vegan sour cream in these chili tacos. They both tasted so good.
  • For the greens, I used romaine lettuce and also Lola Rosa lettuce. Choose any greens you have on hand that are not strong in taste (like kale or arugula)

What toppings do you put in chili tacos?

Top and closeup view of 4 tacos side-by-side with all the fixings
The best chili tacos recipe ever made!

“What can I do with leftover chili?”

Turn it into a chili taco dinner for taco Tuesday!

Sometimes recipes come about when you ask the right questions, don’t you agree?

After I made my beet chili a few years ago, I had so much leftover and I had no idea what I was going to do with it.

So, I decided to try it in a taco recipe and I have never looked back!

It has forever changed my taco nights! No matter what toppings I use, there is always chili present at my taco bar.

These chili tacos have been a huge hit at my Cinco De Mayo party.

Chili recipes to use in these tacos

Front view of 2 of the tacos filled with chili, greens, sour cream, onions and guacamole
How do you change taco nights? Make these messy, spicy, tangy chili tacos!

Only hard tacos will do!

There is always that age old question of whether hard tacos are better than soft tacos.

The answer is always hard tacos! Never soft tacos!!

Soft tacos are limited in what ingredients they can hold and for how long they can hold them. Add one wrong ingredient….

.…or one ingredient too many….

…. and they FALL APART!!!!

Hard tacos, on the other hand, are known to carry a heavy ingredient load and live to tell the tale! Until, that is, they are eaten and then they can’t tell any tales, lol.

Due to their dense texture, hard tacos can hold a thick chili recipe along with all the fixings. Even sour cream cannot damper their mood.

That first crunch when you bite into it makes hard tacos the king of tacos!

Step by step instructions

  • Start by assembling tacos in a taco holder. If you don’t have one, cut a lemon in half and use it like book ends to the tacos
Top view of 4 tacos arranged in line and bowls of other ingredients surround it.
Can’t wait to make these vegan tacos and inhale them!
  • Layer the bottom with greens like romaine, regular lettuce or colorful lolla rosa lettuce, etc. Stay away from strong tasting greens like kale, arugula or spinach.
Top view of the author putting greens into 4 taco shells. Bowls containing other ingredients can be seen.
These greens help keep the tacos crispier longer by preventing liquid from passing through.
  • Top with a generous helping of the leftover chili. I added about 1/2 a cup of chili per taco.
The author spooning chili into the taco shells.
What to do with leftover chili? Turn it into chili tacos on taco Tuesday!
  • Add about 2 Tbsp of guacamole to tacos
The author topping the tacos with guacamole on top of the chili.
Guacamole makes these official Mexican tacos!
The author adding sour cream on top of the guacamole using a spoon
Sour cream balances out the strong flavors, so, it’s an important ingredient. Use dairy or non-dairy version.
  • Finally, top with chopped red onions (about 1 tsp per taco).
Chopped red onions are the last topping added on top of the tacos
Red onions are not there just for their pretty color! They add a nice taste too.
  • That’s it! Your tacos are now done and ready to be devoured.
Front view of 3 completed chili tacos
The heartiest vegan taco recipe ever!

Sharing is caring!

Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this recipe.

⭐️ If you tried and enjoyed these chili tacos, please rate it 5 stars! Share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. ⭐️

Top view of 4 fully filled vegan chili tacos

Chili Tacos

Rini
How to make chili tacos using leftover chili! Easy way to use any leftover vegan or vegetarian chili.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 4 tacos
Calories 250 kcal

Equipment

  • Taco holder

Ingredients
  

  • 4 hard taco shells
  • 2 cups leftover chili divided into 4 half cups
  • 4 Tbsp guacamole 1 Tbsp per taco
  • 4 Tbsp sour cream 1 Tbsp per taco
  • 4 tsp red onions finely chopped, 1 tsp per taco

Instructions
 

  • Start by assembling tacos and ingredients
    Top view of 4 tacos arranged in line and bowls of other ingredients surround it.
  • Layer the bottom with greens
    Top view of the author putting greens into 4 taco shells. Bowls containing other ingredients can be seen.
  • Top with a generous helping of the leftover chili
    The author spooning chili into the taco shells.
  • Add about 1 Tbsp of guacamole to tacos
    The author topping the tacos with guacamole on top of the chili.
  • Top with 1 Tbsp sour cream
    The author adding sour cream on top of the guacamole using a spoon
  • Finally, top with chopped red onions
    Chopped red onions are the last topping added on top of the tacos

Video

Notes

**CALORIES INFORMATION IS APPROXIMATE.  CONSULT A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION.
TIPS
  • Any kind of chili will work for this recipe. It can be a vegetarian chili recipe, vegan chili or meat chili. I used my slow cooker 3 bean chili for this recipe.
  • The leftover chili can be as old as 14 days or longer, if it had been frozen. If you are using refrigerated chili, it should be less than 7 days old.
  • Make sure you heat and burn off as much of any liquid there is in the leftover chili. This will make sure that the liquid doesn’t seep through the taco shells.
  • For these tacos, hard tacos are preferred over soft tacos because they don’t get soggy easily.
  • Assemble these tacos at the very last minute. The crunchier the taco, the better the taste experience.
  • I used regular sour cream and vegan sour cream in these chili tacos. They both tasted so good.
  • For the greens, I used romaine lettuce and also Lola Rosa lettuce. Choose any greens you have on hand that are not strong in taste (like kale or arugula)

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal
Keyword Chili Taco recipes, leftover chili ideas, what to do with leftover chili
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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