These cauliflower lentil tacos are full of flavour, the perfect shared meal, and will definitely be a crowd-pleaser.
The three main components that make up these vegan tacos are roasted cauliflower, lentils, and a creamy spicy sauce.
All of the other components are interchangeable. I decided to add raw red onion slices, coriander/cilantro, jalapenos, and the juice of a lime.
If you’re hosting a get-together, or want to impress your family, these tacos will be your new go-to meal. If you’re making it for kids, you can adjust the heat in the lentils and the sauce to suit your family’s needs.
Like many ideas for new recipes, I find inspiration for them while travelling and eating out. These cauliflower lentil tacos were inspired through our travels on the west coast of the US, in particular LA and Seattle.
We visited two great places called Gracias Madre and No Bones. They make amazing tortillas and tacos, full of flavour and bursting with colour.
I started experimenting with different combinations back in 2017 when we returned from our trip and I’ve since decided to re-visit that original recipe I shared, and I must tell you, this 2.0 version is out of this world.
These cauliflower tacos with lentils can be made for lunch, dinner, or as an afternoon snack.
Note that they’re best eaten straight away regardless of what kind of tacos you’re using. The hard ones will go soggy over time and the soft ones that you warm up will turn into a cracker as they cool down.
A diverse lentil taco filling
This lentil filling is the main hero in these tacos. The flavours are simple, yet really delicious. All you need is:
- Canned lentils
- Oil
- Onion
- Tomato paste
- Cumin powder
- Chilli powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
That’s it! You’ll also use the liquid that comes with the can of lentils. So make sure you don’t drain them before you start.
You can use this easy lentil recipe for so many different things. Tacos, nachos, sandwich or burger filling, the start of a spaghetti bolognese, added to soups, layered in lasagna, and so much more!
Roasted cauliflower for additional flavour
Like the lentils, the roasted cauliflower for these tacos is a great way to add more nutrients, texture, and taste.
The ingredients used to coat these beautiful florets (I love how they look like little trees) are:
- Cornstarch
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Oil
- Salt
Using a vegetable that’s so versatile, besides my creamy vegan cauliflower bake, this is my favourite way to use cauliflower.
So next time you’re scratching your head wondering what to do with a head of cauliflower, you have a few delicious and easy ways to use it!
Great base for a delicious taco
You can make so many different variations of a meal like this. I would start with a hero vegetable, which in this case is the cauliflower. You can add some beans or legumes, which are the brown lentils in this recipe.
Lastly, create a great topping with some fresh vegetables, like avocado, peppers, tomato, cucumber, coriander/cilantro, parsley, and any vegan sauces you can think of that work with the combination of flavours you’ve created.
Some other sauces you can try from our selection:
- Healthy Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
- Tahini Dressing
- Easy 5-Minute Vegan Peanut Sauce
- Easy Garlic Parsley Sauce
- or even our 5-Ingredient Vegan Guacamole
It’s also a fun way to get kids involved in putting the filling in their own taco. They can try different flavour combinations and pick out their favourite. A great way to get the whole family to help out!
These tacos are:
- Full of flavour
- Easy to make
- Packed with nutrients
- Affordable
- Gluten-free (option)
- Meat-free
- Dairy-free
- Vegan
Other delicious, quick, and easy recipes to try:
- Vegan Buddha Bowl Three Ways
- Mushroom Fajitas
- Vegan Loaded Nachos with Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Juicy Tofu Sandwich With Smoked Mayo
- Vegan Tempeh Reuben Sandwich
- Healthy Vegan Burrito Bowl
- Turkish-Style Shredded Tofu Wraps
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Cauliflower Lentil Tacos (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 tacos
Description
These crowd pleasing vegan tacos with lentils & cauliflower are so easy to make, and are full of flavour! A nutritious way to enjoy legumes and veggies.
Ingredients
Cauliflower:
- 450g / 1 pound / half a medium cauliflower, cut into little florets
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil*
- ½ teaspoon salt
Lentils:
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder (or to taste)
- 425g / 14.99 ounce can brown lentils (don’t drain water)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Sauce:
- ½ cup / 70g raw cashews,* soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Serving:
- 10 wheat or corn tacos (if gluten-free double check that the corn ones are gluten-free)
- Red onion*, sliced into thin half-moons
- Jalapenos
- Handful coriander/cilantro
Instructions
- For the cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the washed and cut cauliflower florets and the cornstarch. Toss well.
- Add in the smoked paprika, garlic powder, oil, and salt. Toss well with your hands to cover all the cauliflower evenly.
- Place in a single layer in the lined baking tray and roast for 30-40 minutes until they start to brown on the outside. Once finished, remove and set aside.
- For the lentils: While the cauliflower bakes, add a skillet to medium-high heat. Add in the oil and onions, sauteing for a few minutes until the onions start to colour.
- Add the tomato paste, cumin, garlic, and chilli cooking for 1-2 minutes to release the aroma.
- Add in the lentils with the water in the can and stir well. Season with salt and simmer for 5-10 minutes until all the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.
- For the sauce: Drain the cashews and add them to a small high-speed blender along with the lime juice, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and 4-6 tablespoons of water. The sauce should be smooth and thick but pourable.
- Now you’re ready to assemble your tacos. Grill or toast your tacos for 30 seconds to a minute and fill them with the lentils, cauliflower, topped with red onions, jalapenos, coriander, and the spicy sauce.
- Enjoy straight away.
Notes
Oil: Use a high smoke point oil like grapeseed, rice bran, or sunflower oil.
Cashews: If you want to keep this recipe nut-free, substitute cashews with sunflower seeds.
Red onions: You can use them raw, or if you want to take them to another level, you can make these quick pickled red onions.
This recipe was originally published in November 2017, and completely recreated in November 2021.
- Diet: Vegan
Just delicious!! Making that recipe again and again since I discovered it 😋
I’m glad you love it, Vinci! It’s definitely one of my favourites 🙂
I’m surprised to not see other comments saying how great this recipe is! I made a few adjustments for what I had. I don’t have a smaller blender so I had to double the sauce to have enough volume for my Vitamix. To save on fat, I did 1/2 C cashews & 1/2 C Northern beans. I also added about 2 Tbl of nutritional yeast. For the cauliflower, I used aquafaba in place of oil, which I 100% avoid. The cauli was delicious! For the lentils, I like lots of kick so I added some Well Your World’s Fiesta Fire Blend seasoning. I had frozen Ezekiel tortillas that I thawed & toasted on the stove. The 1st one I made came out like a frisbee, I think since it had been frozen. So, I crumbled it into pieces, tore up some romaine & made a taco salad, topped w/ tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa & pickled onions. So yummy! I will definitely make this when I need to impress any of my non-vegan family or friends. Nice work!
Thanks for sharing the changes you made! So happy to hear you enjoyed it, and thank you for the lovely review x
Looks amazing! 🙂 I have used lentils in tacos before, and I just loved it. I have a big pack of lentils waiting in my pantry, I will give this recipe a go. 😉
Hope you enjoy it Elisa-Maria! 🙂