25-Minute Vegetarian Skillet Fajitas

Skillet Fajitas are making weeknight dinner dreams come true! You need one large skillet and right around 25 minutes until you’re ready to dig in.

Even better, you can meal prep the veggies for lunches throughout the week. Create fajita bowls, or fajita salads, or enjoy extra tortilla-wrapped goodness!

If you’re new to the world of fajitas, they are a popular Tex-Mex dish that’s comprised of thinly sliced meats – often chicken or steak – along with thin strips of onion and bell peppers. This filling is served in warm tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

What You’ll Need for Skillet Fajitas

Fajita veggies include onion and bell peppers. Since we’re not adding meat in this vegetarian version, we’re adding some plant-based texture and protein.

• Red Onion: adds gorgeous color and is quite delicious when roasted. You can substitute with yellow or white onion if it’s what you have.
• Bell Peppers: again, hello, color! Use any combination of red, yellow, orange, and green peppers. I like to throw a green one in because it has a little more of a peppery flavor than the sweeter red, yellow, and orange varieties.
• Refried Beans: it’s important to have some protein in veggie fajitas to keep you full and satisfied, and refried beans definitely do the trick. Plus, they’re delicious! You could also substitute with a can of pinto beans and add it to the vegetables.
• Fajita Sauce: of course we’re using a homemade sauce to flavor the veggies! This one is super easy to throw together. It uses our fajita seasoning, which is a mildly spicy blend of cumin, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, and dried oregano, with fresh lime juice. The sauce thickens as it simmers and coats all the veggies.

How to Make Stovetop Fajitas

I am a huge fan of cooking with a cast iron skillet, especially when making fajitas. It’s able to get hot and provides a wonderful char to the veggies. If you have a 12-inch cast iron skillet, use it! It’s best to use a bigger skillet so that the vegetables have room to spread out and cook evenly.

Drizzle a little neutral oil in the pan, heating it over medium-high heat. Add thinly sliced peppers and onion to the hot oil, spreading them in a single layer as much as possible. Only stir them occasionally to encourage caramelization and a little char.

Once they’re slightly tender, pour in the fajita sauce – carefully, it will bubble – and let simmer with the veggies for several minutes, until thickened slightly and coated. You will likely want to turn down the heat once it’s added to not over-simmer.

Now that the main component is ready, heat the refried beans in the microwave or on the stovetop, if using canned. If making homemade, I recommend following those directions and starting them first, as they’ll take longer.

Assemble Fajita Ttacos

Serve the fillings with warm corn or flour tortillas, whichever you prefer. If using corn, fry the tortillas in a tiny bit of oil to warm them so they don’t break.

Spread a helping of refried beans across the tortilla and top with the veggie mixture. Then, add all your favorite toppings! Here are some ideas:

• Chopped cilantro and/or lettuce for freshness
• Salsa or Pico de Gallo
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole, diced avocado, or avocado sauce
• Shredded cheese or cotija crumbles
• And you know I’ve got to say SAUCES! If you like it spicy, you’ve got to try jalapeno sauce. For a milder sauce, try a creamy cilantro lime. Or, to simply amp up the flavor, drizzle on extra fajita sauce.

You can also add the fajita veggies to a bowl and make a fajita bowl – similar to a burrito bowl – instead!

Depending on the toppings you choose, this recipe is vegan (with dairy-free toppings), gluten-free (with corn tortillas), and vegetarian with them all!

Make it a Meal!

Taco night is the best because all of my favorite things can come together on one table (and who can argue with a one-skillet meal?!)

Start with a queso dip appetizer or elote corn dip served with tortilla chips. For side dishes, Cheesy Mexican Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice are great options for some added carbs. Throw in some greens with a southwest salad or try creamy chipotle dressing on some lettuce.

Make Ahead & Storage

If you have leftover vegetarian fajitas or want to make them ahead for meal prep, let them cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To make meal prep easier, divide them into individual servings.

Reheat the veggies in the microwave, or in the oven (or even on the stovetop) until heated through. Then, proceed with assembling your fajita as desired.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!