Vegetarian Cauliflower Tinga Tacos Recipe
This is my dream recipe because it checks off so many boxes for me! I could eat roasted cauliflower, or roasted veggies of any sort, daily. So this roasted cauliflower is hearty yet tender, tossed in a perfectly spiced chipotle sauce, forming the essence of your cauliflower tinga tacos. Chipotles in adobo sauce are always a key ingredient in any type of tinga taco recipe and here it does wonders for the cauliflower along with sautéed onions and tomato sauce. Talk about flavor galore. This sauced up cauliflower tinga mixture is added along with shredded cheese to corn tortillas and baked to crispy perfection. Finally, a quick and easy avocado crema, lime juice, and cilantro complement these amazing healthy tacos. Or check out this easy Chile Crema, too. You’ll never miss the meat in these naturally gluten-free, vegetarian (but easily vegan) baked cauliflower tacos. The roasted cauliflower more than compensates and lends a meaty texture and will more than satisfy your taco cravings! Plus the avocado crema is epic. There are so many amazing flavors in every bite of these tinga tacos from the crispy baked tortillas, they juicy and saucy cauliflower, and the divine avocado sauce. Tip: Scroll right on down to the recipe if you’re in a hurry for it. There are a lot of photos and chatter preceding it because of how much I loved these roasted cauliflower tacos!
A Quick Note About These Cauliflower Tacos
For anyone who doesn’t know this about me, I spend a lot of time in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and my partner is Mexican. When I am not in Mexico, I live in San Diego. I will tell you that Mexicans don’t put cheese in their tacos and still call them “tacos.” That becomes automatically a quesadilla. However, many Americans don’t know this. And many Americans put cheese on their tacos and still call them a taco, which is why I still called this recipe “tinga tacos,” although technically it should be called “tinga quesadillas”. Additionally, any time a taco is baked, or fried, to become crisped up or crunchy like the photos show, this would be called a taco dorado, meaning crispy. Americans may even refer to this as a “hard-shelled taco.” My title would have gotten a little too wordy and confusing with all of that going on! But I thought it may be some fun taco trivia for those who don’t know.
Ingredients in Cauliflower Tinga Tacos
To make out-of-this world vegetarian roasted cauliflower tacos, you’ll need the following common fridge and pantry ingredients:
Olive oil Cauliflower Onions Chipotles in adobo sauce Tomato sauce Olive oil spray (or olive oil) Corn tortillas Shredded cheese
To make the avocado crema, you’ll want to have on hand the following ingredients:
Avocado Sour cream Cilanto Lime juice Salt Pepper Garlic
Optionally along with the avocado crema, garnish your tacos with:
Mexican crema or sour cream Queso fresco Cilantro Limes
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Get started making your crispy cauliflower tacos by following these easy and straightforward steps: Step 1: Drizzle cauliflower florets with olive oil and roast it. Step 2: While the cauliflower is roasting, saute onions in olive oil, then add the chipotles in adobo, tomato sauce, and simmer. Step 3: Add the roasted cauliflower to the mixture and stir to coat it well. Step 4: Spray the tortillas with olive oil or lightly brush, place the cauliflower inside tortillas, add cheese, fold over and bake!
How to Make Avocado Crema
There’s no reason to ever settle for a store bought avocado sauce from a jar ever again when you can make your own avocado crema in 30 seconds! Add all the ingredients — the avocado, sour cream, lime, salt, pepper, garlic — to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. That’s it! When you’re ready to dive into your cauliflower tinga tacos, slather as much of the avocado crema over them as you like. For me, the more the merrier. Optionally add Mexican crema or sour cream, queso fresco, and additional lime juice or cilantro if you’d like, too.
Are Cauliflower Tinga Tacos Spicy?
These roasted cauliflower tacos with avocado crema are not spicy in my opinion. There is a lot of smoky and rich flavor from the chipotles in adobo sauce. However, they really aren’t “spicy” per se although that is subjective, of course. If you’re a heat lover and want to kick the flavor up, add the whole can of chipotles and adobo sauce rather than half of a 7-ounce can like I call for. Eliminate the tomato sauce then. You can also add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to the mixture which will crank up the heat level, too. Tip: Use the rest of your can of chipotles in adobo sauce in this Creamy Saucy Chipotle Chicken.
Should I Use Flour or Corn Tortillas for Cauliflower Tinga Tacos?
Without a doubt, for your cauliflower tinga tacos, I recommend corn tortillas. Tips for when working with corn tortillas, to make them more flexible or pliable without ripping, cracking, or breaking:
Place a very slightly damp paper towel (some people use dry but I add a few drops of water for some steam) on a microwave-safe plate, add 10 tortillas, and heat for 15 to 20 seconds. When adding the ten tortillas, don’t just plop them all down in one perfectly uniform stack. Stagger them a little bit so they are mostly overlapping each other, but not in a perfect stack. This will make them easier to separate later.
Are These Cauliflower Tacos Crispy?
Yes, these are unbelievably crispy cauliflower tacos! You will never believe how crispy these cauliflower tinga tacos get by baking them! No frying necessary. That’s because before baking, the corn tortillas are lightly sprayed with Chipotles in adobo sauce or you can brush them with olive oil. Just a bit is all you need to do the trick. I absolutely adore the texture of the crisped corn tortillas, the juicy yet meaty texture of the cauliflower, and the avocado cream sauce on top.
Serving and Storage for Cauliflower Tacos
Tacos of any kind are the type of food that’s best served hot and fresh and these cauliflower tinga tacos are no exception. Extra cauliflower tinga mixture will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reassemble and then bake off the tacos at that time if you have extra tinga mixture that you don’t need all at once. Meaning, don’t assemble, bake, and then store your leftovers.
Tips for the Best Cauliflower Tinga Tacos
Cauliflower: Since the cauliflower is the star of the show, I chop my own from a whole head of cauliflower. Although to save time rather than chopping up a head of cauliflower, you can use precut cauliflower florets that are sold in bags. However, I find those bags to be on the skimpier side so I would purchase at least two bags. Apart from that, check for freshness and how the cauliflower looks and that the florets aren’t too tiny. Mexican crema: Mexican crema is similar to American sour cream, although it’s runnier, thinner, and drizzles easier. It’s easily found in most well-stocked supermarkets. However, sour cream can be used in place as a garnishing option. Then again, with the homemade avocado crema, you may not even need anything else. Make it spicier: As I mentioned before, you can make the recipe spicier by adding a full can, or three-quarters, of a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. If you use 3/4-can, scale back the tomato sauce to 1/4-cup. And if you use the whole 7-ounce can of chipotles in adobo sauce, omit the tomato sauce entirely. Make it vegan: To make this naturally gluten-free and vegetarian recipe vegan, use vegan cheese in place of the shredded cheese and vegan sour cream in place of the actual sour cream. Easy swaps!
More Easy Mexican Recipes:
Easy Chicken Tinga Tacos — FAST, super easy, and the super juicy chicken has AUTHENTIC smoky chipotle FLAVOR!! When you’re craving tacos, these are the tacos to make! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef – Learn how to make authentic-tasting barbacoa beef in your Instant Pot or slow cooker!! EASY, tastes BETTER than a restaurant, and is a dinnertime WINNER!! Easy Carne Asada Tacos — EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that’s seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!! Loaded Smothered Beef Burritos Recipe — Mexican comfort food that’s loaded with seasoned ground beef, refried beans, rice, and smothered with sauce and CHEESE!! Tastes BETTER than from a restaurant, plus these burritos are freezer-friendly and so EASY!! Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas — EASY juicy enchiladas with so much flavor from the salsa verde and TONS of melted CHEESE!! Ready in 30 minutes, are made with just a handful of ingredients, and will be an instant family favorite!! Ground Beef Taco Salad Bowls — Making homemade taco salad bowls is so easy and they’re perfect for holding this family-favorite taco salad including seasoned ground beef, black beans, cheese and more! Everything is topped with a creamy lime-cilantro dressing that’ll have everyone finishing their salad! Loaded Beef Taco Salad – Crisp romaine lettuce, sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, and more! It comes together in just 20 minutes and is topped with the most incredible cilantro lime dressing. Layered Beef Taco Salad – A classic taco salad that everyone LOVES, it’s EASY, and it’s ready in 20 minutes!! There’s ground beef, refried beans, red peppers, tortilla chips, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes!! Cheesy Beef Taco Dip – EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and tastes like an awesome beef taco that’s extra CHEESY in dip form and so good!! The Bakeable Tortilla Bowls are so fun! PERFECT for game day parties and get-togethers!! Loaded Chicken Taco Salad — Fast, easy, fresh and healthy!! All your favorite taco flavors in one big kickin’ salad that everyone will love!! Buffalo Chicken Burrito Bowls — These chicken burrito bowls are ready in 15 minutes, making them perfect for busy weeknights or a quick lunch! Plus, they’re easily customizable.
