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The crispiest cauliflower you’ve ever had…and it’s baked, not fried! Crispy, crunchy, creamy – you can have it all with these Coconut Lime Bake Cauliflower Tacos!
I have to admit I haven’t been this excited about a recipe in a long time! These seriously turned out better than I could have ever imagined and now I can’t stop eating them. They are the perfect light summer meal!
Easy with super fresh flavors, this recipe hits on all the best textures – crispy, crunchy and creamy. You have to try these Crispy Coconut Lime Baked Cauliflower Tacos!
The crispy cauliflower, the crunchy coleslaw, the creamy tartar sauce – it all works so perfectly together to create one delicious bite!
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, would be a great choice to wash it down.
I can easily take down three of these Cauliflower Tacos in one sitting – sometimes more! It’s so hard to stop! And the whole family loves them too!
I am not even kidding when I say this cauliflower is the CRISPIEST you’ve ever had! The panko breadcrumbs and coconut flakes combine to make a super crunchy crust surrounding the cauliflower. The cauliflower, on the inside, is tender and delicious!
With absolutely no oil, it’s BAKED, not fried. I almost couldn’t believe it myself. I have made these cauliflower tacos a huge number of times now because I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a fluke and that it would turn out super crispy when you guys make it too. I promise, it will!
Just look at all that crispy breading! These are just like your favorite crispy fish tacos, but so much better because they are plant based, healthy cauliflower tacos!
These do take a little bit of time to prep, but trust me, it’s worth it! Feel free to skip the tortilla, dip the baked cauliflower right into the tartar sauce and pop it right into your mouth. De-lish! Serve the coleslaw on the side.
Tip – bagged coleslaw works just as well here and would be a nice time saver.
More vegan cauliflower recipes
- Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Lentil Salad
- Orange Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Scampi in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce
- Vegan Ceviche
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.
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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Crispy Coconut Lime Baked Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
Baked Cauliflower
- 1 medium cauliflower (sliced into long pieces – see note)
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- Juice and Zest of 1 lime
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free if necessary)
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Sweet and Sour Slaw
- ¾ cup chopped red cabbage
- ¾ cup chopped green cabbage
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1-2 tsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp salt
Tangy Vegan Tartar Sauce
- ⅓ cup vegan mayo
- ⅓ cup diced dill pickle
- Juice and Zest of 1 lime
- 1 ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp salt
- Dash of sriracha (optional)
Extras
- Tortillas (use corn tortillas if gluten free)
- Extra Lime Wedges
- Dash of Sriracha
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For the Slaw:
- Make the slaw first so it has time to marinate and soften just a bit. Whisk all the wet ingredients together and pour them over the veggies in a medium bowl. Cover it and put it in the fridge.
For the Baked Cauliflower:
- Whisk together the coconut milk, zest and juice of 1 lime and ½ tsp salt in a wide shallow bowl, set aside.
- Whisk together the panko, cornmeal, shredded coconut, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, ½ tsp salt and the pepper in another wide shallow bowl, set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and line up your breading station in this order: cauliflower, wet batter, dry breading, 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 piece of cauliflower in the dry breading mix, pressing it down and flipping it over to make sure it’s coated evenly on both sides. The breading should stick easily and not fall off. Transfer your breaded piece of cauliflower to the lined baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining slices of cauliflower. My medium sized cauliflower filled up one baking sheet perfectly!
- Bake the breaded cauliflower for 25-30 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 ingredients. Place in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
For 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.
- Devour!
Niccole says
Hi I tried this recipe and I may have did some incorrect. After dipping the cauliflower in the coconut milk to the dry ingredients, it would not stick and after so many dips it made the breadcrumbs wet. I have been vegan for a few months and was so excited to try this but it was a bomb for me. 🙁
Jenn Sebestyen says
Did you change any ingredients? When you dip into the wet you want to let the excess drip off before placing it in the dry. Pat it down into the dry ingredients and turn it on all sides. Do not put it back into the wet after it’s been in the dry…that’s definitely a recipe for disaster. I’ve never had a problem with it sticking.
Caitlin McMurtry says
What can you use I place of coconut milk ? Just realized I don’t have any at the moment
Jenn Sebestyen says
Any milk will work…the thicker the better, but whatever you have should be fine.
Christina says
When using the coconut milk, do I use only the solidified cream part, or should I mix in the clear fluid and use it all? Thanks in advance! I’m making them for my husband’s birthday tonight!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Shake up your can really well to mix it all together! I hope you both love them! Happy birthday to your hubby!
Lisa says
What can I use in place of breadcrumbs and cornmeal?
Jenn Sebestyen says
You could blitz some oats in a food processor and try that…or almond flour? Neither will give you the crunchy coating like the breadcrumbs though. What is the reason you don’t want to use them?
Lisa says
Hi Jenn, I’m gluten free and corn free. I was looking to see if you had a replacement for someone who is free of those ingredients.
Thank you.
Jenn Sebestyen says
Got it! They do make gluten free panko! Kikkoman makes some that are made from rice flour. You could just double that up and leave out the cornmeal.
Jessica says
The 413 cal, is that for 1 taco?!? What is a serving size?
Jenn Sebestyen says
It’s about 2 tacos. Depends on how big your cauliflower is, of course, and how much slaw and tartar sauce you use. It’s just an estimate.
Pearl says
OMG! I made these last night and they are ahmazing! So ahmazing I’m going to make them again tonight. Is that weird?
Jenn Sebestyen says
Nope, not weird at all! I usually double the recipe because I could honestly eat an entire head of cauliflower myself this way! LOL! I’m so glad you love them!
Steph says
Hi there! How many tacos per serving and is it 413 calories per taco or serving? Thanks! I’m super excited to make these for super bowl!
Jenn Sebestyen says
It’s about two tacos, but of course it all depends on how much you load up your taco. It’s just an estimation. Enjoy!
Monique Dake says
I haven’t made them yet but how do you think they’d do in an air fryer?
Jenn Sebestyen says
Probably great, but I’ve never tried them. I tested an air fryer once, but it’s not something I felt I would use often enough, so I gave it to my mother-in-law. Ha! Not sure how long to tell you to cook them in there. If you try it, let me know how it works out!
Jess says
Really extremely very good. Made it twice in two weeks cause we couldn’t stop talking about it.
Jenn Sebestyen says
I love hearing that! So happy you love it, Jess! Thank you!
Aubrie P says
I’d love to try these, but my girlfriend is allergic to coconut!
Is there any alternative that we can use and get the same crispy goodness?
Jenn Sebestyen says
Oh, for sure…just add more Panko breadcrumbs and leave out the coconut. Enjoy!
Amy says
Hi, is the coconut milk from a carton or can?
Jenn Sebestyen says
Hi, Amy. From a can…so it’s nice and thick!
amy diodato says
These are the best veggie tacos I ever had…a bit of work composing everything but well worth it. Made it for my daughter and son-in-law who are quasi vegetarian, but at the moment my daughter is avoiding dairy and is gluten free. The tacos were the perfect, satisfying meal…we had no problem eating 3 each! Thanks for this recipe!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Excellent! I’m so happy to hear that, Amy!
Lisa says
Made this last night. The cauliflower was ah-mazing! I loved the play between the coconut, lime, and spices. I didn’t follow the exact recipe for the slaw & tartar sauce and they turned out so-so. That, however, is totally my fault. Will definitely try the whole thing again but can also see many ways to use the cauliflower.
Jenn Sebestyen says
So glad you love them, Lisa! Thank you!
Natasha says
Wow, this was delicious! The only change I made was to use guacamole instead of the tartar sauce. The cauliflower would even be amazing on its own.
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Natasha! So glad you loved it. And guacamole can never be wrong! Yum!
Brynnw says
This may be my favorite vegan recipe I’ve ever made, and I’ve been cooking mostly plant based for a number of years now. So so good! I will definitely be making these again and again. Don’t even make me miss fish tacos they’re so amazing!
Jenn S. says
That’s so great to hear, Brynn! So happy you love them. Thank you for your comment!
Erica says
Hello! I have not tried this yet, but it looks AMAZING- just curious what is making the sodium content so high? Thank you!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Erica. It was wrong! I use MyFitnessPal to calculate and their default salt option isn’t correct. Some of my old posts – before I figured out it was wrong – may have incorrect sodium. I just fixed it! Thanks for pointing that out. Hope you enjoy them!