These hearts of palm tacos deliver everything a great fish taco should—crispy, flaky, bright with lime, and piled high with fresh toppings. The result is a vegan version that’s just as satisfying as the classic.
These crispy hearts of palm fish tacos start with a simple pantry ingredient: canned hearts of palm. They’re gently pressed and battered, then fried until crisp to create a vegan fish filet with a golden crust. The interior? Soft, layered, and flaky—delivering a fresh, satisfying bite without the catch.
Store-bought vegan fish options rely on processed protein, and those all have a great use in vegan seafood dishes. However, hearts of palm work differently. Their natural fibrous structure separates into delicate layers once pressed and fried, creating that flaky texture with a single, whole food ingredient. The method here uses a three-step coating—rice flour, JUST Egg, and a seasoned flour and cornstarch blend—to lock in crunch while keeping the interior tender.
Pile these crispy hearts of palm into warm tortillas with shredded cabbage for crunch, avocado for richness, cilantro for brightness, and a drizzle of vegan sour cream to tie it all together.
Key Ingredients
These tacos come together in two parts: a crisp, battered hearts of palm fish and a handful of fresh toppings that balance the richness of the fry. The coating process is simple—each layer helps the crust set quickly and stay crisp, while the toppings add contrast and brightness once everything is layered into the tortilla.
For the Hearts of Palm Fish
- Hearts of palm: Hearts of palm are the tender inner core of certain palm trees, usually sold canned. They have a mild, slightly briny flavor and a fibrous structure that naturally separates into layers. Press each piece gently with the palm of your hand before battering. This collapses the fibers just enough to create that flaky texture once fried. Check out these hearts of palm recipes for more ideas!
- White rice flour: The first dry layer. Rice flour is finer and lower in protein than all-purpose, which means it coats the surface of the hearts of palm in a thin, even layer without clumping. It’s what gives the JUST Egg something dry and uniform to grip on to.
- JUST Egg: This vegan egg replacer is your binder. This is the bridge between the dry rice flour base and the outer coating that helps keep the layers fused when fried.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch: This combination builds the crust. Flour provides structure while cornstarch creates the light, crisp texture that makes these hearts of palm fish tacos work.
- Onion powder and garlic powder: Added to the outer coating for a lightly seasoned crust that gives the fried hearts of palm more savory depth.
- Neutral frying oil: Canola or vegetable oil work best because of their high smoke point. Heat the oil to about 350°F so the coating sets immediately and fries crisp instead of absorbing oil.
For the Tacos
- Corn or flour tortillas: Warm tortillas hold everything together. Corn tortillas give a slightly toasted flavor that works especially well with the crispy hearts of palm.
- Shredded cabbage: Adds crunch, texture, and freshness, balancing the fried coating.
- Avocado: Creamy slices mellow the crisp crust and add a buttery richness.
- Fresh cilantro: Bright and herbal, cilantro lifts the heavier fried elements and adds a beautiful pop of green.
- Vegan sour cream: A cool, tangy finish that ties everything together.
- Lime wedges: A squeeze of lime sharpens the flavors and brightens the entire taco.
How To Make Hearts of Palm Fish Tacos
These vegan fish tacos come together in three simple phases: flatten the hearts of palm, coat them in a light batter, and fry until crisp. Once the filets are golden, layer them into warmed tortillas with fresh and bright toppings.
- Step One: Flatten the hearts of palm – Drain the canned hearts of palm and gently press each piece with the palm of your hand. This loosens the natural fibers so the interior flakes slightly once fried.
- Step Two: Build the coating – The batter is breaded in three stages: a dusting in white rice flour, dipped in vegan egg, and coated in a seasoned flour and cornstarch mix. Set these stations up assembly line style to make this part a breeze.
- Step Three: Fry until crisp – Fry the coated hearts of palm in hot oil until crispy and golden.
- Step Four: Assemble the tacos – Layer shredded cabbage and the hearts of palm into warm tortillas, then top with avocado, cilantro, vegan sour cream, a squeeze of lime, and an optional touch of sriracha for heat. Serve immediately.
FAQs
Hearts of palm have a mild, slightly briny flavor and a firm, fibrous texture. When pressed and fried, the fibers separate into delicate layers that create a flaky texture similar to fish, which is why they work well in vegan fish tacos.
Hearts of palm naturally contain long plant fibers that separate into thin layers when pressed and cooked. Once battered and fried, those layers create a flaky interior that mimics the texture of fish surprisingly well.
No. Canned hearts of palm are already cooked and safe to eat straight from the can. In this recipe they’re battered and fried to create a crisp exterior and a flaky interior for the tacos.
More Vegan Seafood Recipes to Try Next
- Crispy Vegan Fish Sandwich with Hearts of Palm
- Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Recipe
- Vegan Lobster Roll
- Oyster Mushroom Tacos with Chipotle-Lime Sauce
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Crispy Hearts of Palm Fish Tacos
These hearts of palm fish tacos deliver everything a great fish taco should—golden and flaky on the outside, tender inside, piled into warm tortillas with cabbage, avocado, cilantro, and lime.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 soft tacos
Ingredients
For the hearts of palm:
- 1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, drained and gently pressed flat
- 1/2 cup JUST Egg
- 1/2 cup white rice flour
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
To serve:
- 4–6 flour tortillas, warmed
- Shredded green cabbage
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh avocado slices
- Vegan sour cream
- Fresh jalapeño, sliced (optional)
- Chopped tomato (optional)
- Lime wedges
- Sriracha
Instructions
Set up the breading station:
- Set out three wide, shallow bowls in a row. Add the rice flour to the first bowl. Pour the JUST Egg into the second. In the third, combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, and onion powder and stir to combine.
Fry the hearts of palm:
- Add several inches of oil to a small heavy-bottomed pot and heat over medium-high.
- After about 7 minutes, test the oil by dipping a wooden chopstick straight down to the bottom—if bubbles form immediately around it, the oil is ready (aim for 350–375°F).
- Working one piece at a time, coat a heart of palm in the rice flour and tap off any excess. Dip into the JUST Egg until fully coated, then press into the flour and cornstarch mixture to coat evenly.
- Fry 2–3 pieces at a time—do not crowd the pot. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.
- Transfer to a wire rack or paper towels and season immediately with salt.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces.
Warm the tortillas:
- Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Warm each tortilla for 20–30 seconds per side until pliable.
- Wrap in a clean towel to keep warm.
Assemble:
- Layer shredded cabbage into each tortilla, followed by the crispy hearts of palm. Add avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, tomato, and vegan sour cream.
- Squeeze lime over the top and finish with sriracha if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Don’t crowd the pot. Frying too many pieces at once drops the oil temperature rapidly. This means the coating absorbs oil before it sets, producing a soggy, oily crust. Work in batches of 2–3 pieces to maintain an even temperature to avoid this.
- Salt immediately after frying. The window is small—season each batch the moment it comes out of the oil, while the crust is still hot and the surface is open. Once cooled, salt won’t adhere the same way.
- Store components separately. Leftover fried hearts of palm and toppings should all be stored separately.
- To reheat: Re-crisp leftover hearts of palm in an air fryer at 350°F for 4–6 minutes or until warmed through. Avoid microwaving—it steams the crust making it soggy.
- Corn or flour tortillas both work for these hearts of palm fish tacos. Corn tortillas give you a more traditional fish taco feel. Flour tortillas are softer and more pliable— good if you’re loading them up with toppings.
- Keep the oil temperature steady. Use a thermometer if you have one, or the chopstick test between batches. The oil recovers faster if you let it sit for 60 seconds between rounds before adding the next batch.
- Make it gluten-free. Swap the all-purpose flour in the outer coating for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and use certified gluten-free corn tortillas.
- Hearts of palm size varies. If your canned hearts of palm are large, slice them lengthwise before pressing so they fit neatly inside tortillas.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Tacos, Vegan Seafood
- Method: Deep-Fried
- Cuisine: American, Mexican-Inspired
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
This recipe was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2026 with a retested vegan egg substitute and clarified steps.
I’m a little late to see this post, but I made these tacos last night. It was awesome! I used the air fryer (about 10 minutes at 400, spray oil used liberally), added a bit of salt and chipotle seasoning to the dry mixture, and a squeeze of lemon to the wet. As my husband was eating leftovers for lunch today (reheated in air fryer), he said, “You could make these every day. They are SO good!” We’ve been veg for almost nine years now, and I’ve not done much “seafood” experimentation. Thank you! I’m going to try the “scallops” later this week.
Thanks for your feedback, Stef … so happy you enjoyed and good luck with the scallops!
I tried thisand it was amazing! Also… Made lox out of carrots and I was blown away! Thank you so so much!
Sallie, love to hear that, so happy you enjoyed this and the lox! 🙂