Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos

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Quick Summary

These roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos are bursting with flavor. With a vegetarian base, the strong flavors of fresh jalapeño and a spice blend, and the creaminess of avocado and lime crema, these tacos have it all.

Close up of three roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos on a plate

There’s never a bad time for tacos, and these Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos are my all-time favorite. With a cauliflower and chickpea base, these vegetarian tacos are super healthy and super satisfying. Vegetarians, meat lovers, and even kids LOVE these tacos. I promise!

The cauliflower tacos are full of flavor, with a balance of spice, salt, and citrus. They have lime, jalapeño, avocado, four different spices, and a mouth-watering lime crema. Simply put, these tacos are DELICIOUS! You will want to make them for Taco Tuesday or any night of the week.

Overhead view of ingredients for roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos: tortillas, raw cauliflower, car cabbage, jalapeño slices, a lime, an avocado, canned chicpeas, a bowl of spices, a jar of water, a bowl of olive oil, and a sprig of cilantro

Taco Ingredients

These tacos have a lot of different ingredients, with each bringing a new flavor element to the dish. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact ingredient amounts.

For the Tacos:

  • Chili powder
  • Ground cumin
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Salt
  • Lime juice – Be sure to use freshly-squeezed lime juice.
  • Olive oil
  • Water
  • Canned chickpeas – The chickpeas should be drained and rinsed.
  • Cauliflower
  • Corn tortillas
  • Red cabbage
  • Jalapeño
  • Avocado
  • Cilantro

For the Lime Crema:

  • Greek yogurt – You can also use sour cream for a richer and more traditional flavor.
  • Lime juice
  • Cilantro
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Can These Tacos Be Made Vegan?

The tacos are already healthy, vegetarian, and gluten-free. But you can also make them vegan! The only non-vegan ingredient in this recipe is the Greek yogurt or the sour cream that you’ll need for the crema. Use your favorite vegan yogurt or sour cream, and suddenly you’ve got vegan tacos! 

How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos

These tacos may be full of flavor, but they’re pretty easy to make, and only take about 45 minutes. Here’s how to make them.

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Season the cauliflower and chickpeas. Add the lime juice, olive oil, water, salt, and spices to a bowl, then mix to combine. Then add the cauliflower and chickpeas to the bowl.
  • Roast. Mix the cauliflower and chickpeas in the seasonings, then pour into a greased baking tray. Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cauliflower should be fork tender, and the chickpeas should be starting to get crispy.
  • Make the crema. Add the Greek yogurt or sour cream to a bowl, along with the lime juice and cilantro. Stir until combined, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Assemble. Place some of the cauliflower and chickpea mixture on a tortilla, then top with cabbage, jalapeño, cilantro, and avocado. Drizzle the crema on top, and then devour! 

Tips for Success

Here are some tricks and tips for making the best possible roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos. 

  • Heat the tortillas. Before assembling the tacos, heat the tortillas in a pan, or directly over a flame. Warming them up makes them more malleable, so they’re less likely to tear or fall apart. It also increases the corn flavor. 
  • Use a perfectly ripe avocado. Picking the right avocado can make a huge difference. An unripe avocado can ruin the texture of these tacos, while also not being very flavorful. Pick an avocado that doesn’t feel mushy, but is soft when you squeeze it. 
  • Make the crema ahead of time. The further in advance you make the lime crema, the longer the flavors will have to meld together. Making it a few hours in advance, or even the day before, can really increase the intensity of the flavors.
A plate with two roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos, next to half an avocado and a bowl of jalapeño slices

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these tacos with some traditional Mexican side dishes. Here are a few of my favorite things to have on the table when eating these tacos.

How to Store 

These tacos are definitely best served fresh. You can keep them in the fridge for a few days, but the tortillas will get soggy almost immediately. Instead, I recommend storing the ingredients separately, and then assembling them when it’s time to eat.

The roasted cauliflower and chickpeas will last for up to 7 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer. The lime crema will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, and shouldn’t be frozen. Both items should be stored in airtight containers.

How to Reheat

To eat leftover roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos, simply heat up the filling, and then assemble. You can reheat the cauliflower and chickpea mixture in the oven, on the stove, in the air fryer, or in the microwave. If the mixture is frozen, reheat in the oven, or thaw before heating in the microwave or on the stove.

A plate with two roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos on it, topped with avocado and fresh jalapeño, next to a plate with lime slices and a jar of lime crema, with half an avocado and a plate of tacos next to it

More Taco Recipes to Try

If you liked these roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos, then check out some of my other favorite taco recipes.

Close up of half a roasted cauliflower and chickpea taco, topped with avocado, lime crema, and fresh jalapeños
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Close up of a roasted cauliflower and chickpea taco on a plate, next to a plate with lime slices and a bowl of lime crema, with a sprig of cilantro

Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos

These roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos are bursting with fresh and spicy flavors. Plus, they're vegetarian and gluten-free!
4.68 from 75 votes

Ingredients
  

For the Tacos:

  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small head cauliflower, washed and cut into bite-size florets
  • Corn tortillas
  • 1 cup finely chopped red cabbage
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced, seeds removed
  • 1 large avocado seed removed and diced
  • Chopped cilantro

For the Lime Crema:

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1/8 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, lime juice, olive oil, and water. Stir in chickpeas and cauliflower florets. Place seasoned chickpeas and cauliflower on a greased baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally during cooking, until chickpeas are slightly crispy and cauliflower is tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • To make the lime crema, place the Greek yogurt or sour cream in a small bowl. Add fresh lime juice and cilantro. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Take a corn tortilla and place roasted cauliflower and chickpeas on top. Top with red cabbage, jalapeño slices, avocado, and cilantro. Drizzle lime crema over the tacos and serve!

Notes

You can make this recipe vegan by substituting vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream in the crema.

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 671mg, Potassium: 858mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 737IU, Vitamin C: 95mg, Calcium: 115mg, Iron: 2mg
Keywords cauliflower tacos, healthy tacos, vegetarian tacos

Have you tried this recipe?

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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  1. 4 stars
    I like this recipe – it was even better with some salted honey added to the cauliflower and chickpea mixture. The salmon taco recipe was my favorite.

  2. 5 stars
    Amazing! My husband and I agree, these are the best tacos I’ve ever made!
    Substituted Kale for cabbage, to add some extra nutrition.

  3. 5 stars
    Wow. This was delicious. My husband and I were looking for something healthy, but we were also dubious about the recipe…..no sacrifices on taste. Thank you!

  4. 5 stars
    These are even better than I could have imagined! The combination of spices and lime dresses up the humble chickpea and cauliflower along with the crowning glory, the lime crema. Healthy, easy and delicious. Thank you, Maria!

  5. 3 stars
    These were okay, but would have been better if the spice mixture didn’t slide right off the chickpeas and cauliflower. I suspect it was the water and lime juice added to the oil, so if I make these again, I’ll omit those next time as an experiment.

    1. Not being rude or critical, just wanted to ask – did you make sure to mix the chickpeas and cauliflower in the bowl with the spice mixture before adding to the pan? I almost didn’t, but glad I caught that. If you make sure the chickpeas and cauliflower are really well mixed with the spices first – oil, water and all – I promise it won’t slide off!

  6. 5 stars
    These tacos are amazing! Full of flavor! I made them for dinner tonight and everyone loved them! A definite keeper.

  7. 5 stars
    Amazing recipe. We had to make them 2 times in a row! Super easy. We didn’t make the lime cream since my gang wanted more individual choices. Thanks!

  8. 5 stars
    These were so delicious! The spices were perfect on the cauliflower- I did double them because I had a big head of cauliflower, and it was the right amount. We subbed a vegan lime crema for the one in the recipe. Even my carnivorous husband thought they were tasty!

  9. 5 stars
    Soo delicious!! Already shared the recipe with some family and friends because we loved it so much! I added a little Mayo and some like zest to the crema.

  10. 4 stars
    There’s a taco restaurant near us that serves cauliflower chickpea tacos. I really love them. They have a great earthy flavor, but I always think it needs something a little sharp and acidic to make the flavors sing. The cilantro lime sauce did the trick! Great balance of flavors and textures, and easy enough to become a regular weeknight dinner! When I make this again, I will probably use more chili powder and add some ancho chili powder. I made the recipe for four servings, and I’m a little skeptical about the serving sizes. It’s very light and it was so good my husband and I had seconds and nearly finished all the cauliflower and chickpea filling

  11. 5 stars
    Maria! This was soooo delicious-yum! I served it on soft flour tortillas with avocado(with lime and garlic powder) and feta cheese, red cabbage, fresh cilantro and red onion. The chick peas had a nice crunch and the was cauliflower so tasty. A new favorite for sure and another great recipe from 2 Peas! *****

  12. These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them… question…. the tortillas in the IG pic (where I found this recipe) look like they have been charred. ???Different from the pics on this recipe. ???? Did you char the tortillas at some point?

  13. 5 stars
    These are so delicious and have so much flavor! Didn’t even miss having meat or chicken in our tacos. Will definitely be making these again!

  14. This is a family favorite! We live be these tacos and add a little Yellowbird Jalapeño sauce for an extra kick.

  15. This is a family favorite! We love these tacos and add a little Yellowbird Jalapeño sauce for an extra kick.

  16. 5 stars
    My husband thinks it’s not a meal without meat yet he liked these and said they were “meaty”, high praise. I loved them and the lime crema took it over the edge for me! I could eat these weekly! Love all recipes I’ve tried and bought you book. Thank you!

  17. This was an amazing dish. I also made an elote corn side and people used that on top of tacos and it was amazing.

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