These crispy Buffalo Caulifower Tacos are spicy, tangy and so moreish. Guaranteed to impress even meat lovers, you’ll be amazed at how tender and slightly caramelized the cauliflower becomes, with crispy edges and sticky, hot buffalo sauce. Served in soft tortillas with creamy avocado, pickled red onion and aioli, they are so colorful and look impressive. Easy to make in the oven or air fryer in under an hour, and can be partially prepped in advance. Great for casual entertaining, or a weeknight dinner for Meatless Mondays. Just as delicious as standard buffalo tacos, but lighter.
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Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
I first tried cuffalo cauliflower as an appetizer on a trip to the US while I was pregnant with my son. We were doing a day trip from Portland to the Columbia River Gorge which is known for its craft breweries, and stopped by Thunder Island Brewing Co. I got a kombucha, and even without a beer, I couldn’t be disappointed because the buffalo cauliflower wings were INCREDIBLE… and also, you can’t beat the idyllic scenery.
I don’t know if it was the pregnancy cravings but something about the crispy edges, tender cauliflower and spicy sauce had me hooked. When I got back to Australia, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I made my own easy Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipe.
Now since becoming parents, my husband and I have tried to simplify as many other aspects of our life as possible, and we now (loosely) follow themed dinners for weekdays. So, Taco Tuesday is a thing in our house, and these tacos are an adaptation of my original buffalo cauliflower wings, served with my Quick Pickled Red Onion and Cabbage.
These tacos are a medium level of spicy, so not suitable for young kids, but you can easily leave the buffalo sauce off a portion of the cauliflower. Without the sauce, it’s a basic “crispy cauliflower” for the littles, but it makes the recipe work as a family meal.
It’s also scales up easily if you’re having friends over for a casual dinner. If you want to make a spread, or offer a couple of different filling options, I suggest balancing the lightness of these tacos with a filling that has more protein like my Lentil Tacos, or you could even make up some Buffalo Tofu Fries as well to alternate with the cauliflower (it’s very similar).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious flavor: Now I know, if like me, you grew up eating boiled cauliflower then you might be skeptical about how tasty this can be. But trust me, when roasted or air fried, cauliflower is something else. Spicy, tangy buffalo cauliflower that turns tender in the centre with caramelised edges and a sticky coating that rivals the chicken version.
- Simple and can be prepped in advance: Oven or air fryer, ready in under an hour. The battered cauliflower and toppings (like the quick pickled onions) can be prepped ahead to speed things up.
- Perfect for hosting: Colorful, fun and impressive on the table. The pink onions, green avocado and red cauliflower are so vibrant. It’s a lighter vegan option but one that even meat lovers will enjoy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can find the measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here’s a quick shopping list:
- Cauliflower
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Hot sauce
- Vegan butter or olive oil
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup (optional)
- Tortillas
- Avocado
- Pickled red onion
- Jalapeños
- Aioli
- Coriander leaves
- Fresh limes
Instructions
Here’s how to make Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos! Jump to the recipe card for the detailed instructions:
Step One: Chop the cauliflower into small, bite-sized florets and add to a bowl with oil and spices.
Step Two: Toss to coat.
Step Three: Prepare the toppings – mash or chop avocado with a squeeze of lemon. Make a batch of quick pickled onion
Step Four: Stir together the hot sauce, vegan butter or oil, soy sauce, and maple syrup (if using).
Step Five: Toss roasted cauliflower in the sauce
Step Six: Return to the oven for a few more minutes to get it nice and crispy.
Step Seven: Char the tortilla lightly on an open gas flame, or in a dry frying pan
Step 8: To assemble the tacos,
add avocado, cauliflower, pickled onion, jalapeños, aioli, coriander, and lime.
Substitutions & Variations
- Toppings substitutes: We all love tacos because they’re so flexible. The color of the pickled red onions and avocado looks amazing but these would also be great with other toppings like pre-made dill pickles (the quick and easy option), fresh slaw, ranch or even blue cheese.
- Gluten free: Make them gluten-free with corn tortillas, and replace soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari.
- How to adjust the heat level: When testing this recipe, I wanted to stay true to a classic buffalo sauce, it’s about a medium level of heat. It will be too spicy for young kids, but you can hold back some of the florets before coating them in the sauce and leave them as plain, crispy cauliflower bites. Or, coat them in a sweet sticky BBQ sauce instead. If you want to reduce the heat overall, try a blend of mild BBQ sauce and hot sauce instead.
- Buffalo sauce: If you’re following my recipe, I recommend Frank’s Hot Sauce. Or, if you want to make this recipe even easier, you can skip my buffalo sauce recipe and use store-bought. I really like Yo Mama’s Sugar Free Buffalo Sauce because it’s vegan, but you can choose any brand you’d like. I’ve heard good things about Sweet Baby Rays Wing Sauce (but note: it contains egg). I would still recommend adding a little dash of soy sauce and oil to the recipe for extra flavor.
Storage
- Cauliflower: Tastes best on the day but leftover buffalo cauliflower will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. To reheat, pop the cauliflower back in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes to get it crispy again. You can microwave but it won’t be as crispy.
- Toppings: the avocado will brown quickly – I would throw out any leftovers. The quick pickled red onion will keep for weeks in the fridge.
How to Prepare Buffalo Cauliflower in Advance
You can prep the cauliflower one day ahead of time (no more than that or it will start to turn floppy). Follow the recipe as normal, until you get to the step of roasting – instead of fully cooking it, you will just partially cook it for 20 minutes. It should be firm and slightly undercooked. Allow to cool and store in the fridge for up to a day. When you’re ready, return to the oven for an extra 10-15 minutes, then continue on with the recipe as normal (coating it in the sauce, roasting again etc). Saves a lot of time if you’re hosting.
Expert Tips
For extra crispy cauliflower, cook it in the air fryer instead of the oven. Make sure to cut your florets so they are same size and cook evenly too.
FAQ
Yes, I love making this in the air fryer because the edges are so crispy. Instructions are in the recipe card.
Assemble them right before eating. These are best served immediately.
Mayo or ranch is fine. Or mix the mayo with a squeeze of lemon or lime for an extra kick.
They’re spicy, about a medium level of heat, and what you’d expect for buffalo sauce. Check out the ‘Substitutions & Variations’ section above on how to adjust the heat for kids or Assemble the tacos with a smear of mashed avocado, the buffalo cauliflower, pickled red onion, dollops of aioli, coriander leaves, and a squeeze of lime.
Yes, partially. You can pre-cook the cauliflower up to one day in advance without compromising texture. See my earlier instructions ‘How to Prepare Buffalo Cauliflower in Advance‘ for details. You can make the quick pickled red onion in advance, it will keep for weeks in the fridge.
Hope you love these Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos, they are on regular rotation in our house. Tag me if you post them on socials @glowdiaries___and leave a star rating below to let me know what you think 🙂
Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 500-600g head of cauliflower cut into small florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powderÂ
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Buffalo Sauce
- ¼ cup hot sauce I use Frank's
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or melted vegan butter
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp maple syrup
To Serve
- 8 pieces soft wheat tortillas
- Mashed avocado Â
- Pickled red onionÂ
- Sliced jalapenos (optional)
- AioliÂ
- Coriander leavesÂ
- Squeeze of lime
Instructions
- Oven option: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking tray with parchment. Air fryer option: Preheat air fryer to 400°F (200°C) if required.
- In a bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Oven option: Spread the cauliflower on the tray and roast for 25–30 minutes until lightly golden and tender enough to pierce with a fork.Air fryer option: Place the seasoned cauliflower in the basket in a single layer and cook for 15 minutes, shaking halfway.
- While the cauliflower cooks, mix the buffalo sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Toss the cooked cauliflower in the sauce. Return to the oven for 7 minutes, or air fry for 5 minutes more, until the sauce clings and the edges crisp up.
- Heat and lightly char the tortillas.Gas stove: hold each tortilla over the open flame for 5–10 seconds per side until lightly charred.Electric or induction: warm them in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 20–30 seconds per side until soft with a few brown spots.
- Assemble the tacos with a smear of mashed avocado, the buffalo cauliflower, pickled red onion, dollops of aioli, coriander leaves, and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
Nutrition
If you’re looking for a vegan-friendly salad recipe to go with these, I recommend this tasty Vegan Coleslaw from Simple Veganista.
Ron says
love this tacos sm!! it’s filling, tasty and easy to make. i love how beautiful and colourful it looks too. I plan to make this on Xmas as a snack for my friends