These vegetarian Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos are so delicious with a crunchy slaw, cilantro, avocado and ranch dressing!
Ingredients and substitutions
Cauliflower
- Flour – make this recipe gluten-free by using almond flour or cornstarch.
- Garlic powder – onion powder or garlic flakes would be the best substitute.
- Cauliflower – fresh cauliflower is best but frozen cauliflower will work, just make sure it’s thawed and pat dry.
- Buffalo sauce – use your favourite Buffalo sauce or make your own using hot sauce, butter, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and garlic powder.
- Melted butter – the butter helps cut the buffalo sauce so you can leave it out, but the flavour will be different.
To serve
- Corn tortillas – flour tortillas would also be delicious with these tacos or you can use lettuce wraps for a low-carb option.
- Avocado – use guacamole orleave this out altogether if you don’t like avocado.
- Jalapeno – any kind of peppers would be good in this recipe like Poblano peppers or even bell peppers.
- Cilantro – use parsley or leave this out altogether if you don’t like cilantro.
- Ranch dressing – blue cheese dressing would also be good but has a different flavour.
Coleslaw
- Coleslaw mix – thinly sliced green or red cabbage would also work here.
- Vinegar – white vinegar is best but cider vinegar or even lemon juice would work in a pinch.
- Sugar – swap out for your favourite sugar-free alternative or leave out the sugar if you don’t want your coleslaw to be too sweet.
- Canola oil – use any other neutral cooking oil like olive oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make buffalo cauliflower tacos
Step 1: Coat the cauliflower.
Combine the water, flour and garlic powder. Add the cauliflower and toss to combine.
Step 2: Bake the cauliflower.
Season the cauliflower with salt and pepper then bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 3: Make the coleslaw and sauce.
Mix together the buffalo sauce and butter, and combine all the coleslaw ingredients together.
Step 4: Toss the cauliflower in the sauce.
Pour the sauce over top of the baked cauliflower and gently toss to coat.
Step 5: Bake in the oven.
Add the cauliflower bake to the oven. Meanwhile, assemble your toppings and heat up the tortillas.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Assemble your tacos then serve and enjoy!
Topping ideas for cauliflower tacos
The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you want to put on your buffalo cauliflower tacos! Everyone has different preferences so feel free to mix up the toppings to whatever you’re craving. I like to add some avocado, jalapeno, cilantro and ranch dressing to mind. Some other topping ideas include:
- Avocado crema
- Homemade ranch dressing
- Pico de gallo or salsa
- Guacamole
- Diced white or red onion
- Corn or Mexican street corn
- Hot sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
I find that these buffalo cauliflower tacos are super filling on their own, but you can always cut down on the serving size and eat them with a side of cilantro lime rice or even taco soup.
I like using Frank's Red Hot buffalo sauce, but you can use any buffalo sauce of your choice. If you're not a big fan of spice, go for a milder option.
If you want to add more protein to your buffalo cauliflower tacos, I'd recommend adding some black beans or refried beans in with the toppings. They're a great source of plant-based protein and will go great with the tacos!
I personally haven't tried making this recipe in the air fryer, but you can definitely test it out! Preheat the air fryer to 400°F then air fry the battered cauliflower florets for 5-10 minutes per side, adding on some more sauce after flipping.
If you're using frozen cauliflower for this recipe, let the cauliflower completely defrost first. Pat the cauliflower dry with paper towel, then coat and cook as normal.
Storing and reheating
These buffalo cauliflower tacos are so delicious I doubt you’ll have any leftovers – but if you do, I recommend storing all the toppings and ingredients separately in airtight glass containers for 4 to 5 days.
To make sure the buffalo cauliflower maintains that crispy texture, reheat in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit on a baking sheet covered in tinfoil. When the cauliflower’s heated through, serve with fresh corn tortillas and all the fixings! I don’t recommend reheating in the microwave as the cauliflower will lose its texture.
Freezing this recipe
The texture might not be exactly the same, but you can totally freeze the buffalo cauliflower! Once the cauliflower pieces have completely cooled, stick them on the baking sheet in the freezer for an hour to make sure they don’t stick together. Transfer them to airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to eat, reheat from frozen on a baking sheet in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 375° Fahrenheit. Again, I don’t recommend using the microwave to reheat the buffalo cauliflower as the cauliflower will get soggy. Once you’ve reheated the cauliflower, use it to make fresh cauliflower tacos with all your favourite toppings.
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Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp garlic or onion powder
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2/3 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/4 cup melted butter
To serve
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- Ranch or blue cheese dressing to serve
Coleslaw
- 1 (397g) bag coleslaw mix
- 3 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 F. In a large bowl, combine water, flour and garlic powder. Add cauliflower, tossing to combine.
- Add florets to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, then bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix buffalo sauce and butter together and make coleslaw by combining all ingredients under the coleslaw heading together.
- When cauliflower is done, pour sauce overtop and gently toss to combine. Bake another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice avocado, chop up cilantro and heat corn tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave to soften them.
- Remove cauliflower from the oven. Add coleslaw to tortillas, followed by cauliflower, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeno and chopped cilantro. Drizzle with ranch or blue cheese dressing, then serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Laura Farris says
These were so different and amazing! My family really enjoyed them. I did pop them in the air fryer after baking to crisp them up, THEN added the sauce and broiled for a few minutes. Served with coleslaw, jalapeños, avocado, crispy red pepper strips, and ranch on corn tortillas. Thank you for the recipe! Will make these again!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! You’re reminding me that I have to make these again soon lol!