Taco Sauce
If you've got tomato paste, water and white vinegar, you're most of the way to this vegan: about 60 minutes of cooking across 6 steps. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 6 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan and pan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the tomato paste and water until smooth, then whisk in the vinegar.
- Stir in the chili powder, granulated garlic, onion powder, cumin, cayenne and salt until evenly combined.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring often, and cook for 5 minutes to let the spices bloom and the raw tomato flavour mellow.
- In a small cup, stir the cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of cold water to make a smooth slurry.
- Whisk the slurry into the simmering sauce and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until lightly thickened and glossy.
- Taste and adjust the salt and cayenne, then cool the sauce; it will thicken further as it sits, so loosen with a little water if needed before serving, and store refrigerated for up to a week.
You'll use: Saucepan Β· Pan Β· Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp flour per 1 tbsp cornstarch (as thickener)
Tips & common questions
How long does Taco Sauce take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 6 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of cornstarch?
Try 2 tbsp flour per 1 tbsp cornstarch (as thickener). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Taco Sauce vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Taco Sauce is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Taco bell sauce (6627763879).jpg by EvelynGiggles, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.