Want to cook it yourself? See our vegan sweet potato and black bean tacos recipe.
Why Mexican food suits mixed diets
Most catered meals start with a finished dish, and then special versions are made for guests who can’t eat it. Mexican street food works the other way round. A taco or burrito is built from separate parts: a tortilla or rice, a filling, salsas and toppings. Each part is prepared on its own, so it’s much easier to put together a full meal for a vegan, a coeliac or someone avoiding dairy, using the same food everyone else is eating.
That matters at events. Nobody wants to be the guest handed a separate plate with something different on it. With a taco bar or a burrito line, everybody queues together and builds their own meal.
There are still catches, though. Some traditional ingredients aren’t what you’d expect, and a small kitchen needs careful planning. This guide covers each diet in turn.
Vegetarian
Vegetarian guests are well served by Mexican food. Beans, grilled vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes, cheese, eggs and avocado are all traditional ingredients. Good vegetarian fillings include spiced mushrooms, black beans, roasted peppers and sweet potato.
Things to check:
- Refried beans. Traditionally, many cooks fry beans in lard. Ask how they’re made.
- Rice. Mexican-style red rice is often cooked in chicken stock.
- Cheese. Some hard cheeses are made with animal rennet. If this matters to a guest, ask about the cheese used.
Vegan
Vegan guests can have a full Mexican meal: corn tortillas, beans, rice cooked in vegetable stock, a vegan filling, salsa, guacamole, pickled onions, lime and coriander. The main swaps are leaving out cheese and soured cream.
Watch for the same hidden animal products as for vegetarians (lard, chicken stock), plus honey in some dressings and butter on some tortillas. A good caterer will mark which components are vegan, so guests can build their plate with confidence. Our vegan tacos recipe shows what’s possible.
Gluten-free and coeliac
This is where Mexican food really helps. Traditional corn tortillas are made from nixtamalised corn, which doesn’t contain gluten. So tacos on corn tortillas, burrito bowls with rice, and tortilla chips made from corn can all be part of a gluten-free menu.
The catches:
- Flour tortillas contain wheat. Burritos and quesadillas are usually made with them.
- Some corn tortillas contain added wheat flour, or are made on lines shared with wheat products. Labels need checking.
- Cross-contact. If corn and flour tortillas are warmed on the same hotplate, gluten can transfer.
- Beer is usually made from barley, and some spice blends and sauces contain wheat.
We offer gluten-free options with corn tortillas, planned carefully. Read are corn tortillas gluten-free? for the detail.
Dairy-free
Dairy in Mexican street food is mostly added at the end: grated or crumbled cheese, soured cream or crema, and the cheese inside quesadillas. Most fillings, salsas, beans and guacamole contain no dairy. Keep cheese and soured cream as separate toppings, and dairy-free guests can simply skip them. Check that nothing has been cooked in butter.
Nut allergies
Nuts aren’t common in street-food tacos, but they do appear in some Mexican cooking. Mole sauces often contain nuts, seeds or peanuts, and some salsas, such as salsa macha, are made with peanuts or sesame. Some desserts use nuts too. We provide allergen-aware menus, including for nut allergies, and give allergen information for every dish.
Other allergies
UK law recognises 14 main allergens. In Mexican food, the ones most likely to come up are cereals containing gluten (flour tortillas, beer), milk (cheese, crema), and occasionally sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, soya, celery or mustard in sauces and seasonings. Fish and crustaceans appear in seafood tacos. Sulphites can be present in some drinks and pickled ingredients.
We give allergen information for every dish. We plan carefully and keep options separate, but a truck kitchen is a small space, so we can’t promise a kitchen where any allergen is completely absent. If a guest has a severe allergy, please talk to us before the event so we can discuss what’s possible. Our guide to allergens at events covers the rules and practical steps in more depth.
Spice
Not everyone likes heat, including many children. Most Mexican fillings are flavourful rather than very hot, and the heat usually comes from salsas added at the end. Offer a mild salsa and a hot one, and label them. See how spicy is Mexican food?
A sample menu for mixed diets
| Component | Example | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Corn tortillas or rice | Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free (check labels) |
| Meat filling | Chicken tinga or pork carnitas | Gluten-free and dairy-free when made without wheat or dairy |
| Vegan filling | Spiced mushrooms or black beans | Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free |
| Toppings | Salsa, guacamole, pickled onion, lime, coriander | Most diets |
| Dairy toppings | Cheese, soured cream | Vegetarian (check rennet); not vegan or dairy-free |
This is an illustration only. Every menu is agreed with each client, and we confirm allergen information for each dish.
How to collect dietary requirements
- Ask on the invitation or RSVP form, with clear options: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and a box for allergies.
- Ask guests with allergies to give details, not just “allergies”.
- Send the final numbers to your caterer a week or two before the event.
- Make sure guests know they can ask for allergen information at the truck.
On the day, a small sign at the truck reminding guests to ask about allergens is a simple extra step, and helps guests who didn’t mention a need in advance. Then tell us what you need. See Mexican catering and the sample menu for more.
Quick answers
Do you offer gluten-free tacos?
Yes. We offer gluten-free options with corn tortillas, planned carefully. If a guest is coeliac, please tell us in advance.
Can vegans eat at a Mexican taco bar?
Yes. With a vegan filling, beans, rice, salsas and guacamole, vegan guests can build a full meal from the same line as everyone else.
Can you guarantee no nuts?
We give allergen information for every dish and plan carefully, but we can’t promise a nut-free kitchen. Guests with a severe allergy should talk to us before the event.
Planning an event? Tell us about it and we’ll suggest a menu and send a quote for your event.