Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos are topped with a vegan cilantro lime cream sauce for a gluten-free and plant-based lunch or dinner recipe.  You won’t even miss the meat when you load up toasted corn tortillas with crispy baked cauliflower that is tossed in a delicious homemade taco seasoning!

Want a few other healthy cauliflower recipes?  You might also enjoy this Garlic Mashed Cauliflower, Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Cauliflower Soup.

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

Currently living in Austin, Texas, and having lived in San Antonio for over 4 years – the taco city of the country!…

Tacos have a very special place in my heart.

If left to only one food group for the rest of my life it would hands down be…

TACOS.

Whether they’re the more typical Tacos al Pastor, Skillet Steak Fajitas, or Shredded Chicken Tacos…

Or the not-so-normal and loaded with Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprouts, Blackened Fish, or this roasted cauliflower.

I’m almost certain I could exist by wrapping my favorite fillings in a delightful corn tortilla.

Vegan Dinner Recipe

Most people believe a meal is not complete without at least 4-5 ounce of meat.

Recently, however, I have been inadvertently eating completely vegetarian, and sometimes even vegan, for a few days at a time.

With delicious recipes like these roasted cauliflower tacos or this hearty chickpea curry, you almost forget that you have not had meat the entire day!

So if you’re wanting to jump on the plant-based train, then hop aboard and get to cooking these roasted cauliflower tacos for your first vegan dinner.

I promise, with all of the delicious taco seasoning flavors, you won’t even miss the meat!

Ingredients

While there are more than the average number of ingredients in this recipe, chances are you already have a large majority of them on hand.

If not, they are super easy to find at your local grocery store.

• Cauliflower – One LARGE head of cauliflower is cut into bite-sized florets before roasting in the oven.  You want to make sure to end up with roughly 4-5 cups of cauliflower after chopping.
  • Learn how to cut cauliflower if you don’t already know how!
• Seasonings – A blend of seasonings (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and coriander) is used to give this recipe it’s delicious flavor.
• Oil – Olive oil or avocado oil is used to coat the cauliflower so it crisps up nicely when baked in the oven.
• Cilantro Lime Sauce – A vegan cream sauce is made that consists of cilantro, fresh lime juice, and coconut cream. (See more info below.)
• Tortillas – Corn tortillas are my personal preference.  You can either toast them lightly over an open gas flame on the stovetop (be careful with this!) or pop them in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up.
  • Feel free to use flour tortillas if you are not on a gluten-free diet.
• Toppings – Shredded red cabbage, sliced avocado, and additional fresh cilantro are added just before serving.

Taco Seasoning

The recipe you will see below has a list of spices that make up the taco seasoning mix.

If you have already made the Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe found here on the site, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of it along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the coriander mentioned.

Don’t have much time?  You can always buy the store bought taco mix packets instead.  Make sure you adjust the amount of salt you add accordingly.

Roasting Cauliflower

These cauliflower tacos were born from a little culinary creativity after making a big batch of this Roasted Cauliflower.

The process for roasting cauliflower for these tacos is very similar to the one you will see in the post above.

Step-by-step Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
3. Add cauliflower florets and oil to a large bowl. Toss until cauliflower is well coated.
4. Whisk together cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
5. Sprinkle seasoning mix over cauliflower. Toss to combine.
6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cauliflower and spread in a single layer.
7. Bake cauliflower in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until crisp and tender.

Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

While the cauliflower is roasting in the oven, it’s a good time to start preparing the vegan cilantro lime sauce.

For this you can either use a mini-prep food processor or a high-speed blender.

Add all of the ingredients to the bowl or cup and process for 30-60 seconds.

Make sure you scrape down the sides ever 10-15 seconds to ensure it is evenly mixed.

Chill sauce in the refrigerator until ready to serve the tacos.

Cilantro lime sauce will keep well when stored in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.

Serving Vegan Tacos

Once the cauliflower is roasted until crisp and tender, it’s time to start assembling our tacos.

For this you can either use corn tortillas, if you’re gluten-free, or flour tortillas.

A few different topping options you can try include:

• Shredded Cabbage – Red or green cabbage will work equally as well and give a wonderful crunch and freshness.  Red cabbage is my preference since it gives a bright pop of color.
• Sliced Avocado – Thinly sliced avocado adds a nice creaminess to balance the crispiness from the cauliflower.
• Additional Cilantro – If you’re a cilantro lover like myself, more cilantro is always better!
• Red or Sweet Onions – The cilantro lime sauce adds a bit of pungency from the fresh garlic, but additional red or sweet onions can always be added!

Leftovers

What do you do if you have leftover roasted cauliflower tacos?

There are a few tips for storing and reheating vegan:

• Store all of your ingredients separately.
  • Place the roasted cauliflower, cilantro lime cream sauce, and any chopped toppings in separate containers in the refrigerator.
• Reheat the cauliflower by placing on a large baking sheet in a 300 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.
  • Cook’s Tip: Don’t microwave it!  You will end up with soggy, and no longer crispy, cauliflower.
• Wait until the day of serving to slice the avocado, chop the cilantro, and toast the tortillas.

Sides to Serve

Some may believe tacos are a meal all on their own, ahem – totally me!

But if you wan’t to round out your meal here are a few awesome side dishes for tacos you can try:

• Instant Pot Mexican Rice
• Easy Guacamole Recipe
• Homemade Salsa Recipe
• Skillet Mexican Street Corn

4.34 from 6 votes

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos are topped with a vegan cilantro lime cream sauce for a gluten-free and plant-based lunch or dinner recipe. 

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Course Dinner, lunch, tacos

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword cauliflower tacos, roasted cauliflower tacos, vegan tacos

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6 tacos

Calories 201 kcal

London Brazil

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower cut into florets
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. paprika
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper*
• ¼ tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper

Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

• ⅔ cup coconut cream
• ½ cup cilantro coarsely chopped, packed
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice freshly squeezed
• 1 small garlic clove crushed
• ¼ tsp. salt

Serving:

• 6 corn tortillas lightly toasted
• Red cabbage finely shredded
• Avocado sliced
• Cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
3. Add cauliflower florets and oil to a large bowl. Toss until cauliflower is well coated.
4. Whisk together cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
5. Sprinkle seasoning mix over cauliflower. Toss to combine.
6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cauliflower and spread in a single layer.
7. Bake cauliflower in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until crisp and tender.

Vegan Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

1. While cauliflower is roasting, add cilantro lime cream sauce ingredients to the bowl of a mini-prep food processor or high-speed blender.
2. Process for 30-60 seconds, or until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides every 10-15 seconds to ensure even mixing.
Serve cauliflower tacos with shredded cabbage, sliced avocado, additional cilantro, and the cilantro lime cream sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Nutrition facts are calculated without any toppings, with a corn tortilla, and 1.5 tablespoons of sauce on each taco.  (You'll have a little extra sauce leftover.)
• You can also substitute the cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, and black pepper for 1 Tbsp. of homemade taco seasoning mix.
• Optional: Just before serving, lightly toast corn tortillas by placing them over an open gas flame for 10-15 seconds on each side.

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 201 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Sodium 442mg19%

Potassium 363mg10%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 353IU7%

Vitamin C 39mg47%

Calcium 50mg5%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.