Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

If you love easy recipes that pack a huge punch of flavor, these roasted cauliflower tacos are for you. They're healthy, delicious, and simple to make.

Cauliflower tacos

When I opened Julia Turshen’s new cookbook Simply Julia, I landed on a photo of these roasted cauliflower tacos. My first thought? “I want to eat that.”

After trying them, I think it’s safe to say that you’ll want to eat these cauliflower tacos too. They’re jam-packed with flavor from nutty roasted cauliflower, aromatic spices, and a zingy avocado sauce, and they’re also super easy to make. Roast the veggies, whizz up the sauce, stuff it all into tortillas, and voila! Dinner is served.

If you’re looking for more recipes that combine easy prep with big flavor, I highly recommend you check out Simply Julia. Recipe after recipe will catch your eye – Everything Bagel Hand Pies, Creamy Roasted Tomato & Orzo Soup, White Pizza-Style Kale – and you’ll find that each one is easy to prepare. They’re not all vegetarian, but not to worry! If you have a dietary restriction, Julia is looking out for you. The book is filled with vegan, gluten-free, and low carb options.

But even better than new recipe ideas, Simply Julia will give you a new friend in the kitchen. Julia’s good-humored, honest writing makes you feel like you’re cooking together, with her cheering you on the whole time. Cauliflower tacos, here we come.

Cauliflower taco recipe ingredients

Cauliflower Taco Recipe Ingredients

Like many of the recipes in Simply Julia, these cauliflower tacos only require a few ingredients:

  • Cauliflower, of course! We’ll roast it until it’s nutty and golden brown.
  • Red cabbage – It roasts right along with the cauliflower, becoming tender and browned in the oven.
  • Cumin, coriander, olive oil, and salt – They fill the roasted veggies with aromatic flavor.
  • Avocado sauce –  This rich, zesty sauce is super simple to make! You just need avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and a little mayo.
  • TortillasMake your own if you’re up for it, or use your favorite store bought corn tortillas.
  • And whatever fixings you like! I topped my cauliflower tacos with avocado slices, radishes, cilantro, and sliced serranos. Diced onion, pickled jalapeños, or even a dash of hot sauce would be great too.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Cauliflower and red cabbage on two separate baking sheets

How to Make Cauliflower Tacos

Did I mention that this cauliflower taco recipe is easy to make? 🙂 Here’s how it goes:

First, roast the veggies. Julia roasts the cauliflower florets and cabbage together on one baking sheet. I tweaked the recipe and put them on separate baking sheets, adding the cabbage to the oven partway through the cauliflower cooking time. Either way works! Whether you’re using one baking sheet or two, toss the veggies with the spices, olive oil, and salt before you stick them in the oven.

Roasted cauliflower tacos

While the veggies are roasting, make the sauce. You could whizz it together in a food processor or mash it by hand. It’ll be chunkier if you mash it yourself, but it’ll still be delicious.

Finally, assemble and eat! Fill the tortillas with a scoop of the avocado sauce, the roasted veggies, and whatever fixings you like.

Simply Julia by Julia Turshen

Cauliflower Tacos Serving Suggestions

These cauliflower tacos would be perfect for all sorts of occasions:

Yum!

Cauliflower tacos recipe

More Favorite Taco Recipes

If you love these roasted cauliflower tacos, check out Simply Julia! In the meantime, tide yourself over with these other veggie taco recipes:

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roasted cauliflower tacos with avocado sauce

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

rate this recipe:
5 from 20 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4
This roasted cauliflower tacos recipe is lightly adapted from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen and is reprinted with permission from the publisher. Feel free to get creative with the toppings here! I used what's listed in the recipe below, but Julia also suggests diced white onion, pickled jalapeños, and hot sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 small cauliflower, outer leaves and core discarded, cut into small florets
  • 1 pound red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1/2 small red cabbage or 6 cups sliced)
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For Serving

  • 1 recipe Avocado Sauce
  • 12 corn tortillas, warmed
  • Thinly sliced radishes, optional
  • Sliced serrano peppers, optional
  • Avocado slices, optional
  • Cilantro, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Place the cauliflower and cabbage on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, and salt. Use your hands to mix everything together and spread it out into an even layer. Roast, stirring every 15 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and browned in spots, about 45 minutes. (I roasted my cabbage and cauliflower on two separate sheet pans. I cooked the cauliflower for 25 minutes and the cabbage for 10 minutes. Both ways work!)
  • Evenly divide the Avocado Sauce and roasted vegetables among the tortillas. Serve immediately with the radishes, serranos, avocado slices, and cilantro, if using.

34 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Sharon Strickland
    09.05.2022

    Can’t wait to make this. Love anything made with cauliflower.

  2. Susan
    08.05.2022

    5 stars
    My new favorite! I made roasted cauliflower tacos for a dinner party and it was absolutely delicious! So good that next time I will triple the recipe without adding much work! I used vegan Bitchin chipotle sauce (Walmart) with it because I couldn’t find ripe avacados. Altogether amazing!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.10.2022

      Hi Susan, I’m so glad they were such a hit!

  3. Margaret
    07.11.2022

    5 stars
    I’ve made (and enjoyed) so many different cauliflower taco recipes, but these are by far the best and easiest. The sauce takes them over the top but just the veggies alone are delicious. I made them last night and am eating the leftover cauliflower for breakfast. Cold. It’s that good.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.12.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them!

  4. Katy
    06.07.2022

    Does this recipe re-heat well as a left over? Is it good for meal prepping?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.11.2022

      Hi Katy, I think it’s great for meal prepping. The vegetables will be more soft after the first day, but I think they’re still delicious.

  5. Susan
    04.20.2022

    5 stars
    I’ve got to say I had my doubts about this one, but I made this last night and loved it. The avocado sauce was delicious! I put this recipe in the keep file! I may add a little heat to it next time as someone else suggested.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.20.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them!

  6. Mikayla
    04.09.2022

    5 stars
    This recipe was delicious! It was so simple that I didn’t really expect it to be so good. I did make a couple modifications though. I roasted some sweet potato with the cauliflower and added a southwest chipotle seasoning blend. Yum!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.11.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  7. Danielle
    02.24.2022

    It’s so crazy how such a bland raw veggie like cauliflower can morph into such an amazing flavor powerhouse in a dish like this. I’ve never done tacos like this…. now i have to!

  8. Kate
    02.20.2022

    Made these today for lunch and they were a huge hit. Every ingredient works so well together.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.21.2022

      I’m so glad you loved them!

  9. Eissie
    01.11.2022

    5 stars
    This was so delicious. My husband loved it. I am doing keto so I had it without the tortilla and it was still delicious! I baked the cauliflower and cabbage together.

  10. Plants Delish
    01.01.2022

    There seems to be no end to the possibilities with the humble old cauliflower. You’ve shown yet another deliciously inspiring recipe for it right here. Which I can’t wait to try out and maybe put my own spin on.

    Thanks for the great post

  11. Towing Denver
    08.17.2021

    5 stars
    That is the most meticulous breakdown of cauliflower that I have ever seen, and I have a degree in Culinary Arts. I will say that I think cabbage and cauliflower are the most humble of all the vegetables, and to make them taste good without FRYING, is commendable.

  12. Jen
    07.30.2021

    Do you think you’d get the same flavor with green cabbage instead of red?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.30.2021

      Hi Jen – yep, I think it would be just as good with green.

  13. 5 stars
    Hello! I am an intern for VegFest in MN, would I be able to have your permission to repost this recipe on our social media?

    Thanks!

    Maggie

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.22.2021

      I’m sorry, this is Julia Turshen’s recipe, so you cannot print the recipe. You can post a photo with a link back to this post if you’d like.

  14. Carrie
    05.22.2021

    5 stars
    These are amazing. My family was not excited when I said this was what we were having for dinner but they LOVED them!!

  15. Dana
    05.02.2021

    5 stars
    This was great! We made them into bowls with cilantro lime rice, black beans, and homemade salsa.

  16. bionaze
    04.29.2021

    5 stars
    Made this tonight for family Taco Tuesday we all loved it! Including my sometimes picky 11yr old daughter.

  17. Gil
    04.28.2021

    5 stars
    Made this last night as posted and it was a HUUUUGE hit.
    Thank you Jeanine !

  18. Business Directory
    04.28.2021

    I made this for the first time for a dinner party and it was fabulous and a favourite. Easy to make as well.

  19. Sam Visser
    04.27.2021

    This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  20. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    04.26.2021

    thank you for sharing this, a nice alternative to my standard ground beef and mix and love your avocado sauce too

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.