Hawaiian Korean inspired Vegan Beyond ground beef tacos

Does the thought of sweet and savory make you want to salivate? Well, get ready to drool…because these Hawaiian and Korean inspired vegan beyond ground beef tacos are DELICIOUS and about to make your taco night even more exciting!

These vegan beyond ground beef tacos are made with plant-based Beyond beef cooked until browned with shallots, and seasoned with a Korean BBQ inspired sauce that combines soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, 5 spice powder, and toasted sesame oil. This insanely flavorful vegan Korean beef is then placed on sweet Hawaiian taco shells and topped with pan-seared pineapple, a quick pickled red onion, and cilantro.

This vegan beef taco recipe is so simple to make and can be prepped and ready in 20 minutes!…That’s right…20 minutes….Let’s get cooking!

Jump to Recipe

Why You will love this Vegan Beyond Ground Beef Tacos Recipe

• SO FLAVORFUL – These Hawaiian Korean inspired vegan tacos are absolutely LOADED with unique flavor. These Beyond ground beef tacos are the perfect combination of savory, sweet, and tangy. You get a mild sweetness from the Hawaiian soft taco shells. A savory, meaty, complex flavor from the Korean BBQ vegan beef. And a tangy, acidic flavor from the pickled red onions and pineapple. This all results in a flavor combination that will have your taste buds dancing.
• EASY TO MAKE – Yes…there seems to be a lot going on in this recipe…but it is actually incredibly simple to make! These Beyond ground beef tacos are even a PERFECT recipe for beginners in the kitchen. With little effort, you can have these vegan Korean Beef tacos prepped and ready to serve in about 20 minutes!
• FULL OF PROTEIN – These Beyond ground beef tacos are full of protein! Plant-based Beyond Beef actually has a whopping 21g of protein per serving!
• PERFECT FOR MEAL PREP – These Hawaiian Korean Beyond ground beef tacos are a breeze to make…but what makes them even better is that they are the perfect candidate for meal prep! Simply prepare the vegan Korean BBQ beef, quick pickled onions, and pan-seared pineapple…but don’t turn them into tacos just yet. Store the ingredients separately. When you are ready to serve, simply reheat, build your tacos and top with fresh cilantro!
• MEAT EATER APPROVED – Beyond Beef is 100% vegan…but it tastes so much like real ground beef! The taste and texture are incredibly spot on! Because of this, these Beyond ground beef tacos are a recipe that vegans, vegetarians, AND meat eaters will love.

Ingredients needed to make Hawaiian Korean Vegan Beef Tacos

• BEYOND GROUND BEEF – Beyond Beef is a plant-based / vegan beef. And it is incredible! This meatless beef tastes and feels EXACTLY like ground beef. You can buy Beyond beef in almost any grocery store these days. You will typically find it in the frozen or refrigerated plant-based section of the store. And Whole Foods ALWAYS has it. What’s in Beyond Beef? Water, Pea Protein*, Avocado Oil, Natural Flavors, Rice Protein, Lentil Protein 2% or less of Methylcellulose, Potato Starch, Pea Starch, Potassium Lactate (to preserve freshness), Faba Bean Protein, Apple Extract, Pomegranate Concentrate, Potassium Salt, Spice, Vinegar, Vegetable Juice Color (with Beet).
• SWEET HAWAIIAN STREET TACO FLOUR TORTILLAS – The brand Mission makes these and they are lovely! Slightly sweet and nice and soft. If you can’t find these, just swap out any taco shell you desire. Corn tortillas are always an excellent gluten free options if desired.
• SHALLOTS – can substitute any onion if desired. Yellow onion and sweet onion are also good choices.
• GARLIC
• FRESH GINGER
• SOY SAUCE
• RICE WINE VINEGAR – can substitute white vinegar or apple cider vinegar is needed
• PINEAPPLE JUICE – You can skip if desired, but adds a nice tang to the sauce
• KETCHUP
• BROWN SUGAR – can substitute any sugar or sweetener of your choice
• CHINESE 5 SPICE POWDER – can skip if needed, but adds a nice unique flavor to the Korean BBQ inspired sauce
• TOASTED SESAME OIL
• PINEAPPLE – I went with pre-sliced fresh pineapple to make life easy, but you can use canned pineapple or cut up a fresh pineapple yourself.
• RED ONION – can substitute shallots if desired
• CILANTRO
• HOT SAUCE – Optional. Use any hot sauce you desire. I went with Gochujang.

How to make Hawaiian Korean Beyond Ground Beef Tacos

These Beyond Ground Beef Tacos are so simple to make! Here’s how you do it…

PREPARE THE VEGAN KOREAN BEYOND GROUND BEEF

Begin by chopping one shallot and 2 cloves of fresh garlic into small pieces.

Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and Beyond Beef.

You do not need to add oil because Beyond Beef has oil in it already.

Break up the Beyond Beef with a mixing spoon or spatula and mix with shallots. Allow to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

At the 5 minute mark, add the chopped garlic and grate an inch of fresh ginger into the Beyond Beef. Continue to cook over medium heat for another 3 minutes, stirring often.

Now it’s time to add the sauce! Add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp ketchup, 1/2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp pineapple juice, 2 tsp rice wine vinegar, and 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder to the beef. Mix with Beyond Beef until evenly coated.

Do not add the toasted sesame oil yet…if it over cooks it will burn and taste funky.

Allow seasoned vegan beef to cook for another 2 minutes or until the beef has browned and become a bit more crisp in texture.

Add 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil. Mix with vegan beef. Remove from heat and set aside.

PREPARE THE FAST PICKLED RED ONIONS

You can prepare these fast pickled red onions as you are cooking the vegan Korean beef to save on time…just use a separate skillet.

Begin by slicing half of a red onion into strips.

Heat up a small pot or pan over medium heat.

Add sliced red onions, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, and 2 tbsp water.

Mix until evenly combined. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Allow the liquid to absorb and the red onions to slightly soften. Stir often.

Time will vary depending on how soft or crisp you want your onions to be. If you want them more crisp, cook for only 3 minutes. If you want them to be softer, cook for at least 5 minutes. When ready, remove from heat and set aside.

PREPARE YOUR PINEAPPLE AND TORTILLAS

Your pineapple and tortillas can be prepared on the same skillet (cook tortillas first, pineapple second). You can cook them at the same time the Korean Beyond beef and pickled onions are cooking to save on time.

If you did not buy pre-slice pineapple rings (10 oz), cut and slice your fresh pineapple. You will need about 4 rings of pineapple about 1/2 an inch thick. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Then place Hawaiian street taco tortillas on the pan. Make sure your tortillas do not over lap, you will most likely have to cook these in batches. Allow each tortilla to cook 1-2 minutes on each side.

When you have finished cooking the sweet Hawaiian tortillas, you can use the same heated pan for the pineapple.

Place the pineapple rings on the heated pan, do not over lap. Allow them to cook for 30 seconds and then flip them over. Allow to cook for another 30 seconds. If you want your pineapple cooked more, feel free to add more time to them. Remove from skillet and set aside.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Now it’s time to build your tacos! You can construct your tacos before serving them or put the ingredients out on the table and allow people to build their own tacos.

Place tortillas out, top with vegan Korean beef, pickled red onions, pan-seared pineapple, cilantro, and hot sauce if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Tips for making Beyond Beef Vegan Tacos

• BROWN YOUR VEGAN BEEF – Beyond Beef browns up really nicely if you take the time to do it. It should take about 10 minutes to properly cook and brown the Beyond ground beef…but if needs more time…give it more time!
• MIX YOUR VEGAN KOREAN BEEF OFTEN – While cooking the Beyond ground beef, you will want to mix it fairly often to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You can add more oil if desired, but I personally don’t find this necessary. If your vegan beyond beef does end up sticking to the pan, you can easily clean the pan once you have removed the vegan beef. Just add some water to the bottom of the pan, return it to the stove over medium heat and nudge it off with a wooden spoon or spatula (one that won’t scrape your pan).
• ADD HOT SAUCE TO VEGAN BEEF – If you have people eating that do not like spicy food, leave the hot sauce on the side. But if that’s not the case, you can add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or chili oil to the vegan Korean beef to make it even more flavorful! My first choice is Gochujang.
• MAKE EVERYTHING AT ONCE – This is a recipe that can be prepared super quickly if you are willing and able to cook everything at once. Just cook the vegan Korean BBQ beef in one pan, the fast pickled onions in another, and the tortillas and pineapple in the same pan (tortillas first, pineapple second).

Questions Answered

• What can I substitute for Beyond Beef – Can’t find Beyond Beef in the store? No problem! Impossible Beef is an excellent substitute. If you simply want to skip the vegan meat, you can keep things plant-based and use lentils, mushrooms, or crumbled tofu instead. And of course, if you don’t want to keep things meatless, feel free to use regular farm-to-table ground beef.
• How do I make these Beyond Ground Beef Tacos more spicy – You can make these Korean Hawaiian tacos spicier with chopped jalapeño, ground cayenne pepper, Gochujang, hot sauce…sky is the limit!
• Is the recipe vegan – YES! This recipe is vegan / plant-based / vegetarian / meatless / dairy-free
• Is this recipe gluten free – No, this recipe is not gluten free as is…but can be made gluten-free easily! Simply use corn tortilla shells and a gluten free soy sauce substitute. Everything else should be gluten-free as is!

Additional Topping for Hawaiian Korean BBQ Beyond Beef Tacos recipe

Want some more options to top these Beyond ground beef tacos with? Here’s some suggestions…

• AVOCADO
• BELL PEPPERS
• HOT PEPPERS
• VEGAN CHEESE
• KIMCHI
• ROMAINE LETTUCE
• BLACK BEANS
• SQUEEZE OF LIME
• PICKLED CARROTS
• SPINACH

What to serve with Hawaiian Korean BBQ Beyond Beef Tacos

These sweet and savory Beyond Ground beef tacos make a protein packed, filling meal all on their own. But of course, there is always room for more! Serve them with a side salad, side of steamed veggies, or rice and beans. They would also pair perfectly with these recipes…

• AIR FRYER JAPANESE SWEET POTATO FRIES AND GOCHUJANG DIP
• AIR FRYER GREEN BEANS WITH SPICY GOCHUJANG SAUCE
• SPICY ROASTED DAIKON RADISH AND CUCUMBER SALAD
• GOCHUJANG ENOKI MUSHROOMS IN SPICY GARLIC SAUCE
• AIR FRIED LOTUS ROOT : WITH GARLIC GINGER SAUCE

Looking for more “meaty” vegan recipes? Try these…