Sweet Potato Pecan Tacos with Homemade Cassava Tortillas, Quick-Pickled Cabbage & Cashew Sour Cream

Created by Laura Wright
5 from 2 votes

Sweet potato pecan tacos with homemade cassava tortillas, quick pickled cabbage & cashew sour cream. Naturally vegan and grain-free!

An overhead shot of 3 sweet potato tacos drizzled with a creamy white sauce and topped with chopped cilantro.
An overhead shot of a sweet potato pecan taco drizzled with a creamy white sauce and topped with chopped cilantro.
4 images show the making of homemade cassava flour tortillas with a hint of rosy beet powder mixed in.
Overhead image of red cabbage being shredded with a mandolin over a wood cutting board.


I’m a big advocate of a stocked pantry because it makes so many meals possible on a whim. Even with minimal fresh produce selection on hand, I can rustle up something amazing if I have my basement pantry stock lined up (and I do line up and front-face the shelves like a grocery store hehe). People coming over with dietary restrictions or allergies? Not an issue because I always have all the flours, alternative milks, nuts/seeds, and grains and other foundations at a par stock level. Only one sad sweet potato, an onion, and a couple handfuls of chopped kale in the fridge? That’ll be soup in no time with tinned tomatoes, veg stock, whatever grains and beans I’m fancying, and spices. You get the idea.

Tacos are one of my go-tos when the fresh produce selections are slim and I don’t have time/energy to go to the store. You can roast a vegetable (whatever you have), rinse some beans or make a spiced meaty nut crumble like we do here, pickle some cabbage (cabbages are practically a pantry item because they seem to last forever), whizz up a little creamy sauce out of cashews or tahini, and if you’re really ambitious, press and cook up your own tortillas from whatever flour you like.

I got myself a tortilla press (this one) a little over a year ago and I use it often, like almost every time we eat tacos. They are incredibly easy to make, you get to control the quality of ingredients, and they taste miles away better than most store bought options. My preferred homemade tortilla is made with cassava flour because they taste great, the texture is tender but still pliable/flexible, and the “dough” itself is easy to work with. Sometimes I spike the mix with turmeric or beet powder for a little colour play. Taco party? Taco party! If you like these, I bet you’ll also be into my Sticky Sweet Potato Tacos or my Raw Vegan Tacos!

Image shows a hand pouring a vinegar mixture over a bowl of shredded red cabbage and onions.
Two images show pecan taco “meat” being ground up in a food processor.
Image shows cubed sweet potatoes about to be tossed in taco seasoning on a baking tray.
An overhead shot of 3 sweet potato tacos drizzled with a creamy white sauce and topped with chopped cilantro.
A 3/4 angle shot of 3 sweet potato tacos drizzled with a creamy white sauce and topped with chopped cilantro.

Sweet Potato Pecan Tacos with Homemade Cassava Tortillas, Quick-Pickled Cabbage & Cashew Sour Cream

Sweet potato pecan tacos with homemade cassava tortillas, quick pickled cabbage & cashew sour cream. Naturally vegan and grain-free!
5 from 2 votes
SWEET POTATO PECAN TACOS WITH QUICK PICKLED CABBAGE & CASHEW SOUR CREAM - The First Mess
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting/Soaking Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 10 Tacos

Ingredients

Quick-Pickled Cabbage & Red Onions

  • ½ small head red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced into half moons
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup water

Sweet Potato Pecan Taco Filling

  • 1 medium sweet potato (about 1 lb or 454 grams), peeled
  • 3 teaspoons taco seasoning, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¾ cup raw pecan halves
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon coconut aminos or tamari
  • chopped cilantro, for garnish
  • vegan sour cream, for serving

Rosy Cassava Tortillas

  • 1 ½ cups cassava flour
  • 1 tablespoon beet root powder, optional! (adds rosy hue & mild sweet taste)
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup warm water

Notes

  • I honestly don’t expect anyone to follow this entire recipe from beginning to end. If you want to buy tortillas, go for it! If you want to use some butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes, I commend that autumnal dinner move. Pecans aren’t your thing? Try a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. This recipe is more of a pick-and-choose menu of taco enhancement strategies :)
  • Typically quick pickled vegetables always have some sugar or something sweet in the mix. I left it out and enjoyed the cabbage all the same. Add 1-2 teaspoons of cane sugar if you like that vibe!
  • Lisa from Downshiftology taught me how to make cassava tortillas. I make a couple tiny changes to her recipe, but always credit where it’s due!

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Make the quick pickled cabbage: Add the cabbage and red onions to a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, and water. Once the salt is dissolved, pour the mixture over the cabbage and red onions. Stir to mix. Then, press the cabbage down so as to submerge as much of it as you can. As the cabbage sits, more liquid will accumulate and cover the cabbage. Cover the cabbage and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
  • Make the sweet potato & pecan filling: Dice the peeled sweet potato into 1-inch cubes. Transfer the cubes to a baking sheet and toss with 2 teaspoons of the taco seasoning, the olive oil, some salt, and pepper. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and roast until sweet potatoes are browned and soft, about 35 minutes. Keep warm.
  • While sweet potatoes are roasting, make crumbled pecan “meat”: In a food processor, combine the pecan halves, remaining teaspoon of taco seasoning, tomato paste, coconut aminos, salt, and pepper. Pulse the food processor until you have a crumbly mixture that tastes good. Adjust for seasoning if necessary and set aside.
  • Make the cassava tortillas: In a medium bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, beet powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, and whisk these into the dry mixture until you see little mealy bits. Then, add the water. Switch to stirring with a spatula. Stir the tortilla mixture until you have a unified, ever-so-slightly sticky textured tortilla dough. Divide the dough into 10 even balls and cover with a clean towel.
  • Heat a skillet or crepe pan over medium high heat. Using a tortilla press, flatten the balls to about 6-inches in diameter. Carefully transfer the pressed tortilla to your skillet and cook until lightly browned and dried out, about 30 seconds. Flip the tortilla to brown the other side for 30 seconds more.
  • Transfer the cooked tortilla to a plate and cover with a clean towel. Repeat cooking process with remaining balls of dough. Keep tortillas warm and covered.
  • Assemble the sweet potato pecan tacos!: In each tortilla spoon a bit of the pecan taco “meat.” Top that with some roasted sweet potato pieces. Garnish each taco with a tangle of the pickled cabbage, a drizzle of the cashew sour cream, and some chopped cilantro.
19/09/2018 (Last Updated 16/01/2023)
Posted in: autumn, cashews, earthy, gluten free, grain-free, main course, refined sugar-free, roasted, salty, sour, spicy, spring, summer, sweet, sweet potatoes, vegan, winter

17 comments

5 from 2 votes

Recipe Rating




  • Jen

    5 stars
    The sweet potato pecan filling is phenomenal! It’s so easy yet makes for such flavorful tacos. Loved it with the cashew cream and the crunch of the pickled cabbage and onions. I used local store-bought corn tortillas, so a little bit of cheating, but I think that’s okay because the filling is really the star here ;)

  • Bethany

    5 stars
    YUMMM!!! What a great recipe! I used tortillas I had on hand to save time, but everything was delicious!! Next time I’ll probably double the pecan “meat” because I wished we had more! Sooo good!

    • Laura

      So glad that you enjoyed these tacos, Bethany! Thanks for your comment and review here. I really appreciate it.
      -L

  • Angela Stark

    I made this recipe in its entirety and it was flat out AMAZING! Thank you so much! I served this over thanksgiving holiday to 8 adults and they all loved it!

    • Laura

      Angela, I love that! Totally impressed that you made the whole thing and so glad that your guests enjoyed it :D
      -L

    • Ann

      I just tried these, and absolutely everything went wrong. The cassava tortillas never turned into a batter I could handle. After adding double the cassava, I went back to adding water and made them like pancakes. The cashew cream ended up with cashew pieces flung against the side of my blender, because it was such a small amount. I put it in a smaller food processor with more water, so now it’s just grainy.I think the pecans might be right, and the sweet potatoes roasted just fine.

      I guess we’ll see how they taste, but, boy, did nothing turn out as planned!

  • meliodas

    this looks great

  • Lisa is Planted365

    Ohhhh … the cassava flour tortillas look delicious!

  • Erin Jenkins

    I tried this with corn tortillas. I have never enjoyed corn tortillas before trying this recipe. I used walnuts and I have to say that i LOVED this recipe. It was so flavorful that I will eat these ALL the time now.

    I made carrot slaw instead (im on low fodmap diet) and it was delicious.
    Thank you so much for creating such insanely yummy food for us. I tout your blog all day long.

  • Sarah Britton

    These looks so delicious Laura. You’ve inspired me to buy a tortilla press ;) I gotta do it!

    xo, Sarah B

    • Laura

      Get ready for the best tortillas everrrrrrrr, girl :D
      xo L

  • The Modern Proper

    These look great. And I really need to get onto the homemade tortilla train. Tortillas at the store are pretty much a joke!

  • Claire

    Its really too bad they dont ship to Canada. Please do give them feedback…maybe they will find away! I’d sign up immediately.
    Wonderful recipes. Thank you.

  • Rachel

    Hi Laura,

    These look absolutely delicious! Looking forward to trying.

    I love that some of what you ordered came in glass and cans (although here in Montreal glass is not currently recycled at the municipal level), but there is still an awful lot of other single-use packaging involved in this meal.

    Does Thrive Market have any policies regarding their packaging? I realize that as you wrote, for some people who cannot access healthy and fresh foods in their neighbourhoods that this delivery service provides better access. However, I’m concerned that for those living in areas with access to bulk stores or fresh food markets that companies like Thrive Market will contribute to unnecessary waste.

    Thank you for your thoughts!

  • Julia Mueller

    These tacos are so beautiful! I’ve never made homemade tortillas and you’re inspiring me to do so..there’s nothing like a meal that is prepared completely from scratch. Love me some Thrive! They have such amazing products at an awesome price. xx

  • Diana

    I am very interested, but do they ship to Canada? I went to their website FAQ’s and there it says they do not currently ship to Canadian addresses. The tacos look fantastic regardless!

    • Laura

      Hi Diana! Thanks for this. Thrive’s service is unfortunately not available in Canada yet. I think they made an exception for me given the partnership and the fact that most of my audience is American. Of course I will update here if they do change their shipping policy.
      -L