As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Privacy Policy for more details.
Crispy, crunchy coating on the outside, tender cauliflower on the inside. Top it off with a tangy slaw and creamy dairy-free tartar sauce and throw it all in a warm tortilla for the most amazing Vegan Cauliflower Tacos you’ve ever had!
Each bite of these Crispy Vegan Cauliflower Tacos is a harmonious blend of textures and flavors. The contrast between the crispy cauliflower, the crunchy slaw, and the creamy dairy-free tartar sauce creates an experience that is both satisfying and nutritious.
Reminiscent of a fried fish taco, it’ll have you dreaming of the waves breaking on the sand while you dine seaside. Perhaps a Pineapple Coconut Smoothie, which tastes like a virgin piña colada, or a blood orange margarita, would be a great choice to wash it down.
Whether you’re a vegan looking for a plant-based taco option or simply seeking a delicious and healthy meal, these tacos are sure to become a favorite. Prepare them for a casual dinner or impress your friends and family at your next gathering. These Crispy Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Tacos are a true culinary delight that will leave everyone asking for seconds.
Ingredients you need
Cauliflower ~ You can’t have cauliflower tacos without cauliflower! Choose a cauliflower that is firm and tightly closed with a pale white color all over.
I find a wide, short cauliflower is the easiest shape to cut into long, thin slices, but don’t fuss about the shape – any of them will do!
Coconut milk ~ Full fat canned coconut milk is creamy and thick and will coat the slices best allowing the breading to adhere easily. I’ve made these with canned light coconut milk, too, and that also works.
I would not suggest using a thinner milk, like soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk.
Lime ~ Fresh lime juice brightens up the flavors.
Breading ~ The breading is made from a combination of cornmeal, panko breadcrumbs, and unsweetened shredded coconut. This makes for a crispy, crunchy coating and no oil is needed!
The coconut (be sure to use unsweetened), along with the lime juice in the dredge, is what creates the vegan fish taco vibes…think coconut shrimp, but meatless!
Regular breadcrumbs will work in a pinch, but won’t be as crunchy as panko.
If you can’t or don’t want to use coconut, simply add more panko breadcrumbs to the mixture.
Spices ~ Breadcrumbs and cornmeal on their own are very bland, so we are of course spicing it up! Smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, and salt and pepper bring lots of savory flavor.
How to make cauliflower tacos
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions.
Prepare the cauliflower.
Stand the cauliflower up on a cutting board and slice it in half from top to bottom.
Trim off the excess stem, leaving just enough to keep the florets attached.
Slice each half into thinner slices. I usually get about 3 slices per half. The further away from the center you get, the harder it is going to be to keep the florets from breaking apart.
I usually cut each slice in half again from top to bottom to make them easier to work with and a bit less delicate.
Don’t worry if it falls apart. You can bread the florets the same way you will bread the slices and it will taste just as delicious!
Set up the breading station.
In a wide, shallow bowl combine the coconut milk, fresh lime juice, and lime zest and whisk well.
In a separate wide, shallow bowl, combine the breading ingredients and spices and whisk well to combine.
Bread the cauliflower slices.
Place one slice of cauliflower into the coconut milk mixture until well coated on the bottom. Gently flip it over and coat the second side well.
Place the coconut milk coated slice into the breading mixture and press it down so the breading adheres. Gently flip the cauliflower over and press the second side into the breading, making sure to coat the top, bottom and sides.
Transfer the breaded cauliflower to a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining slices of cauliflower.
Bake until the coating is crunchy and the cauliflower is tender.
Assemble the tacos.
Place some coleslaw on a warm tortilla, top with a slice of crispy roasted cauliflower, and drizzle some vegan tartar sauce over the top.
Finish with some fresh chopped cilantro or a few dashes of hot sauce or chipotle crema, if desired.
Serving suggestions
We love these cauliflower tacos with a tangy sweet and sour slaw and creamy dairy-free tartar sauce – both recipes included in the recipe card below.
Sometimes we skip the tortillas and dip the breaded roasted cauliflower right into the tartar sauce. Serve the coleslaw on the side.
These crispy cauliflower tacos are surprisingly filling, but if you’re looking to round out your meal, serve up a side of refried beans or corn salad.
Other tasty topping ideas: guacamole, quick pickled red onions, or fresh peach salsa.
Love tacos? Don’t miss these other vegan taco favorites:
Storage
Fridge: Store the breaded cauliflower, coleslaw, and tartar sauce all separately in air-tight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat: To reheat the cauliflower, I suggest warming in a 400°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes to keep the breading crunchy.
Pro tips and tricks
~ Trim away as much of the thick, fibrous cauliflower stem as possible while allowing the florets to stay attached.
~ Don’t worry, however, if the florets fall apart. It will taste just as delicious no matter how the cauliflower is cut.
~ Do not sub another milk for the canned coconut milk. You need creamy, thick texture to coat the florets and allow the breading to stick.
~ For the ultimate crunchy coating, use cornmeal and panko breadcrumbs. Regular breadcrumbs will work in a pinch, but won’t be as crispy.
~ For best results, make sure each slice of cauliflower is fully coated on all sides with the milk mixture and then with the breading.
~ Do not overcrowd the pan. Make sure to leave space between each cauliflower slice. If they are touching, they may steam instead of roast leaving the breading soggy instead of crisp.
~ Warm the tortillas by placing them one at a time in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until they just start to brown, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes per side.
~ For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and corn tortillas.
~ For the coleslaw, bagged coleslaw works just as well and would be a nice time saver. Honestly, I do this more often than not!
~ For meal prep, the coleslaw and tartar sauce can both be made in advance.
FAQs
Make sure to use canned coconut milk. The thick, creamy texture will easily coat the cauliflower and allow the breading to stick. Also, make sure to use shredded coconut, not coconut flakes as those will be too large and may prevent the breading from sticking. If you can only find flakes or large shreds, pulse them in a food processor for a few seconds to break them down before adding them to the breading.
The biggest culprit for mushy cauliflower is overcrowding the pan. Make sure there is space between each slice so the breading can get crispy.
Yes! Check out the cooking instructions in this Crunchy Air Fryer Cauliflower recipe. The breaded cauliflower for these tacos can be cooked in the same manner.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
Be sure to sign up for my FREE Newsletter to be the first to get my NEW recipes! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Crispy Vegan Cauliflower Tacos
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
Breaded Cauliflower
- 1 cauliflower
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- Juice and Zest of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs gluten free if necessary
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Sweet and Sour Slaw
- 1 ½ cups chopped cabbage red or green cabbage or a combination of both
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoon(s) pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
Tangy Vegan Tartar Sauce
- ½ cup homemade vegan mayonnaise or your favorite store-bought vegan mayo
- ⅓ cup finely diced dill pickle
- Juice and zest of ½ lime
- 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Dash of sriracha or hot sauce optional
Extras
- Tortillas use corn tortillas for gluten free
- Extra lime wedges
- Dash of sriracha or hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
For the Slaw
- Make the slaw first so it has time to marinate and soften just a bit. Whisk the lime juice, vinegar, maple syrup and salt together and pour them over the cabbage and carrots in a medium bowl. Toss well to mix. Cover the slaw and refrigerate.
For the Breaded Cauliflower
- Stand the cauliflower up on a cutting board and slice it in half from top to bottom. Trim off the excess stem, leaving just enough to keep the florets attached. Slice each half into thinner slices. I usually get about 3 slices per half. The further away from the center you get, the harder it is going to be to keep the florets from breaking apart. It's okay if they fall apart a bit. Cut each slice in half again from top to bottom, if you like, to make them easier to work with and a bit less delicate.
- Whisk together the coconut milk, zest and juice of 1 lime and ½ teaspoon salt in a wide shallow bowl, set aside.
- Whisk together the panko, cornmeal, shredded coconut, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper in another wide shallow bowl, set aside.
- Line up your breading station in this order: cauliflower, wet batter, dry breading, prepared baking sheet.
- Take a slice of the cauliflower and place it in the coconut milk batter, flipping it over to make sure all sides are covered. Next, place that slice of cauliflower in the dry breading mix, pressing it down and flipping it over to make sure it's coated evenly on all sides. Transfer your breaded slice of cauliflower to the lined baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining slices of cauliflower. Do not overcrowd the pan. Make sure to leave space between each slice of cauliflower. Use two pans if needed.
- Bake the breaded cauliflower for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping each piece over after 15 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and crispy.
For the Tartar Sauce
- While the cauliflower is baking, make your tartar sauce. In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Place in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
To assemble the tacos
- To assemble the tacos, place a tortilla on a plate, top with a bit of the slaw, a piece or two of the crispy breaded cauliflower and top with a big dollop of tangy tartar sauce. Garnish with an extra squeeze of lime or dash of sriracha.
Notes
~Nutrition facts calculated for baked cauliflower, tartar sauce, and slaw. This does not include tortillas.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Maiken says
Hi!
I’ve drooled over these forever, and tried them today for the first time. Only thing, I couldn’t find any panko bread crumbs so I went with normal ones, and my cauliflowers didn’t get crispy at all! So disappointed. They’re obviously not interchangeable.. Will try again if I find panko. Thanks for the great recipe anyways!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Maiken. I’m so sad that the regular breadcrumbs didn’t work out! Nothing worse than being super exciting about something and not having it work out. I hope you loved the flavors anyway. I get Panko at our local Walmart…they are generally stocked in most grocery stores these days. I think our Walgreens even carries them. I hope you give it another try when you do find the Panko and then come back and let me know what you think!! Have a great day!
Elizabeth Dobson says
These were THE best tacos!!! Loved that had just about everything except the cauliflower. Phenomenal flavor, and you were right, my cauliflower did come out crispy! Yay!!! I actually would like to try the breading on tofu sometime. Thank you!!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Elizabeth!! I’m so glad you liked them! And I’ve been meaning to try this breading on tofu for some time now. Need to get on that!!
Tami says
I did end up using the cashews for the tartar sauce and it made me drool! That tartar sauce is the real deal and pulls it all together! YUMMY!! The hubs and our two daughters asked for it to be on the make again list, such a savory dish! Thank you!!
Jenn S. says
WooHoo!!! I’m so happy everyone loved it, Tami! There is a reason it is the MOST popular recipe on the blog! Thanks for sharing your results with me. I hope you find more recipes here to love too!
Shannon Cuoco says
These have become a regular feature in my house! They’re wonderful, thanks so much.
Jenn S. says
Oh, yay! I’m so glad you and your family love them, Shannon! I just bought two more cauliflowers the other day. Guess what we will be having??! YUM!
Tami says
Oh wow! Hello McFly!! How did I not see the previous post!!! Sorry, you can ignore my previous comment
Tami says
These look tasty, and great timing for me to prep for Wednesday’s Something New in our house :). These may not wait until then, Taco Tuesday is today 😉 Do you have a suggestion on replacing the vegan mayo? maybe cashews? Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Tami!! I can’t wait to hear how they turn out! I haven’t tried making my own vegan mayo, but I think cashews would probably work. I have a Cumin Ranch Dressing recipe here: https://www.veggieinspired.com/2015/06/20/creamy-cumin-ranch-dressing/ that you might be able to make work. Leave out the cumin and smoked paprika and maybe leave out some of the herbs and add more lemon? I’m sure you could get it close to tasting like mayo! I found several homemade vegan mayos on Pinterest but they all contain oil. If you don’t mind using oil, you can do a quick search on Pinterest. Let me know what ends up working for you!
Mike says
Sounds great ! I ditch the mayo, canola oil to “me” is poison.
Jenn S. says
Oh, I understand, Mike! I try not to use if very often either. Really, oils of any kind aren’t good. You could certainly make your own mayo at home with a cashew base or a tofu base. Thanks for stopping by!
Jana says
Jenn! These were amazing! I made them several times now and they were super delicious. The choice of spices is excellent and I love the idea to use coconut milk! It is quite a bit of work to prepare them but the flavour explosion is so worth it 🙂
All the best,
Jana
Jenn S. says
Thank you munch, Jana!!! I’m so happy you loved them! This is definitely one of my very favorite recipes! Yes, it does take some time breading, but definitely worth it! I appreciate you stopping by to let me know!
wiredweirdly says
The entire family LOVED these! I did leave the lime out of the breading part since there was already lime in the rest (for my daughter). When I made the tartar and tasted it, I was worried it might be too salty, but I left it alone. Turns out, the flavors of all three work amazing well together – it was one of a few vegan recipes we’ve tried that wasn’t overwhelmed by spices. Thank you for a great recipe!
Christian says
What’s the best way to reheat to keep the crispness? Also do you know how long they will keep in the fridge?
Jenn S. says
Hi, Christian! Reheat in the oven again for 5-10 minutes on 375 or so to maintain the crispiness…or even in a skillet on the stove. Definitely do NOT microwave! I have kept them for 2 days and they are fine. We eat them quick, so I haven’t had to try to keep them longer than that! 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
Miki says
I found this recipe on Pinterest, and made it for a dinner party recently. They were absolutely perfect! Thank you! I served the tacos with cilantro avocado rice too, and that went over well.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Miki! I’m so glad everyone loved the recipe! It would be PERFECT with cilantro avocado rice. Yum!! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing that with me!!
Angela says
Oh my gosh, I just made these and they’re wonderful! I didn’t have any pickles, so I ended up making a dill aioli sauce instead. The garlic added a really nice flavor! I also used Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar instead of white vinegar in the slaw and I topped them off with avocado & black beans.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Jenn S. says
I’m so glad you liked them! Your version sounds awesome!!! Dill aioli sounds so good and I love the idea of adding some avocado on top of everything. So yummy!! Thanks!
rebekah says
Oh no I bought the wrong kind of coconut milk… I didnt realize canned….I don’t cook ever. That might have been my problem… Im not sure if it was the corn meal or what is was but the coating had a lot of really hard bits in it… I wonder if it is because I used the wrong milk? Either way thank you for this amazing recipe I LOVE IT EVEN though I messed it up! Lol, next time I’ll do it right… like tomorrow night!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Rebekah. Coconut milk made for drinking is much thinner than canned. The breading might not have stuck quite as well. Also, whisk the coating a bit first to break up any clumps that might be in there. Glad you loved the flavors anyway! If you try it again, let me know how it turns out!
Katie says
To be clear, the recipe calls for canned thai coconut milk right? Not the stuff you drink in a carton, right?
Jenn S. says
Yes, canned coconut milk…the thick stuff. Not the milk made for drinking. Enjoy!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
How fantastic is this!! You can’t go wrong with cauliflower – but I love the crispy coating all wrapped up in a flour tortilla with that great slaw!! Sounds so amazing!
Jenn S. says
Thank you so much, Sam!!