Vegan Pambazos! Soft rolls are coated in rich guajillo salsa, pan fried until perfectly crispy, and filled with seasoned chorizo, potatoes, and an array of fresh veggies. The pambazo, similar to a torta, is an iconic Mexico City dish that is perfectly balanced with flavor and texture, and absolutely delicious! 

Pambazos, an iconic Mexican Street Food

Simple and delicious, these guajillo-dipped Vegan Pambazos are the perfect meal to celebrate Cinco De Mayo and the Mexican Army’s victory at The Battle of Puebla – a symbolic win that strengthened the resistance movement.

Grab a drink and let’s get to cookin’ Vegan Pambazos!

what is a pambazo?

Pambazo is a Mexican dish made with pambazo bread. It is dipped and fried in a red guajillo chile pepper sauce, and typically filled with chorizo and potatoes. Depending on the region, the type of bread and fillings may differ. Pambazo originated in Mexico, but earned its name from the Ladino word, “pan basso”, or low-class bread. It’s said that pambazo was meant for the lower class during Mexico’s viceregal period.

What once was considered a meal for the lower class is now arguably one of the most iconic street foods in Mexico, and it’s becoming a sensation in many other countries as well … and for good reason!

How to make Vegan Pambazos

Just like its original counterpart, my vegan Pambazos come together easily and fairly quickly! Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Start with the guajillo sauce: 

   First, rehydrate your peppers in large bowl of boiling hot water for about 20 minutes. 

2. Roast onion & garlic, and par-boil potatoes: 

   Next, while the peppers are rehydrating, quickly roast the onion and garlic with some oil in a pan over medium high heat, about 6 to 7 minutes. At the same time, place the potatoes in a separate pot of cold water. Then, bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until just fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Blend the guajillo sauce:

   Meanwhile, When the peppers are rehydrated and the onion & garlic is roasted, place them in a high-powered blender with some broth and seasonings. After that, pulse until smooth and adjust seasonings to taste. Place the guajillo sauce in a small pot over low heat and simmer, uncovered, while you prepare the filling.

4. Prepare the filling: 

   Sauté the onion, jalapeño, and garlic with some oil in a large pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Next, add the soy chorizo and cook until warmed through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the par-boiled potatoes, salt and pepper, and some of the guajillo sauce. Continue to cook, stirring often, another 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. Dip and Fry: 

   Place the guajillo sauce in a large shallow bowl. Then, working with one piece of bread at a time, carefully dip into the sauce until all sides are coated. Next, transfer the guajillo coated bread to a lightly oiled pan over medium-high heat and pan fry until crispy, about 2 to 4 minutes per side.

6. Build your pambazos: 

   Once the bread is all fried up, build your Pambazos with your chorizo and potato mixture and additional preferred fillings. I like to add lettuce, tomatoes, vegan queso fresco and cilantro!

7. Enjoy! 

   My favorite part! Serve you Pambazos with your favorite salsa or hot sauce and enjoy with an ice cold beer!

tips for making vegan Pambazos

While I’m certainly no expert, I have made my fair share of vegan Pambazos. I’ve also watched a lot of YouTube videos, which I suggest you check out at the links below as these videos are more true, authentic versions of my vegan counterpart!

Here are my tips to make fool-proof, delicious Pambazos every single time:

1. Check your local Mexican grocery store or market for pambazo, bolillo rolls, or teller rolls. Make sure to check for ingredients to make sure they’re vegan friendly!
2. You want to make sure the bread is nice and thick, and not too soft. If so, you can toast it for a few minutes to ensure it’s firm enough for dipping in the guajillo sauce. Additionally, you can brush the bread with the sauce instead of dipping it if you’d like!
3. The sauce will seem thick – it is supposed to be like that!

Here are just a couple of videos I I suggest to watch to learn how to make Pambazos:

Video #1: Mi Cocina Rapida

Video #2: Views on the Road

so…do you love Pambazos?!

I hope ya’ll love these Vegan Pambazos as much as I do! If you make them, tell me about it! Snap a photo or video, and show me your noods by tagging me on Instagram at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs.  I love seeing all your recreations of my recipes! Until next time, friends!

XO!!!

Vegan Pambazos

Ashley

Vegan Pambazos! Soft rolls are coated in rich guajillo salsa, pan fried until perfectly crispy, and filled with seasoned chorizo, potatoes, and an array of fresh veggies. The pambazo, similar to a torta, is an iconic Mexico City dish that is perfectly balanced with flavor and texture, and absolutely delicious!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Vegan

Cuisine Mexican-Inspired

Servings 6 Pambazos

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Guajillo Sauce:

• 6 dried guajillo chiles seeds and stem removed
• 2 dried pasilla-ancho chiles seeds and stem removed
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• ½ medium white onion roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ cups vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Pambazos:

• 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into ½” cubes
• 4 tablespoons avocado oil divided
• 1 cup minced white onion about 1 onion
• 1/3 cup deseeded deveined and minced jalapeño (about 1 large jalapeño)
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 11 oz vegan-friendly soy chorizo
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 6 vegan-friendly pambazos bolillo rolls, or teleras, split (*see recipe notes)
• 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 2 large tomatoes thinly sliced
• Vegan queso fresco *see recipe notes
• Fresh chopped cilantro
• Salsa verde or favorite salsa

Other Optional Toppings:

• Vegan sour cream
• Hot sauce
• Avocado

Instructions

 

• For the guajillo sauce, place the dried chiles in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with boiling hot water to cover the chiles by about an inch. Set aside for 20 minutes to rehydrate. Drain and place in a high-powered blender.
• Meanwhile, heat the avocado oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ½ chopped white onion and 4 cloves garlic, and pan roast until the outer layers begin to char a bit, stirring every so often, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pot and place in the high-powered blender with the remaining sauce ingredients. Pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Place the sauce back into the small pot that you roasted the onions and garlic in and simmer over low heat, uncovered, stirring every so often (*see recipe notes).
• For the pambazos, place the potatoes in a 4-quart pot of salted cold water and bring to a boil over high heat and cook until just fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the minced onion, jalapeño and garlic, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the soy chorizo and cook, stirring often, until just heated through, about 3 to 4 more minutes. Add the potatoes and 1/3 cup of the guajillo sauce, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are very tender, about 5 to 6 more minutes. Season with the salt and pepper, mix to combine, and set aside. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel (you will use this skillet for to fry your bread).
• Remove the guajillo sauce from the heat and place in a large shallow bowl. Using your fingers, gently scoop out and discard the bottom half of the inside of the rolls, leaving about ½” shell. Depending on how large your skillet is, you’ll probably have to work in batches. Using tongs, gently dunk the bread into the guajillo sauce and fry in about 2 teaspoons of oil over medium high heat until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat until all the bread is dipped and fried (*see recipe notes).
• To build the pambazos, place about 1 cup of the potato-chorizo mixture in the hollowed-out portion of the rolls. Top with about ½ cup lettuce, a couple slices of tomatoes, a generous portion of vegan queso fresco, some chopped cilantro and a couple teaspoons of salsa verde. Place on the top bun and enjoy!

Notes

*For the bread, I like to visit my local Mexican market or grocery store. You can also find a variety of dried chiles and spices there, too.

*The vegan queso fresco I use in these photos are a recipe from my cookbook (so you’ll have to purchase it if you want it ????). I also use Violife’s vegan feta and Kite Hill’s Ricotta in my Pambazos and they turn out delicious!

*If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you may need to strain the guajillo sauce through a fine-mesh sieve

*If the bread seems too soft, I suggest toasting it first for a more firm bread when coating in the guajillo sauce.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!