Let's shake up Taco Tuesday with spicy roasted barbacoa cauliflower tacos with your favorite fixings and quick pepita dressing.
Barbacoa is a Mexican-inspired paste that's easy to make and clings to cauliflower florets as they bake and soak up the flavor. The result? Mighty fine cauliflower and happy taco-eaters.
Try these yummy tacos with avocado guasacaca sauce, sweet mango salsa fresca, or traditional pico de Gallo for a weeknight taco dinner, sure to please.
Table of Contents
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A flavorful and easy recipe made with no added oil is tasty and gluten-free.
- Barbacoa paste is made from 9 ingredients that you likely have on hand. If you don't, there are some easy substitutions. Make a double batch - it's freezer-friendly.
- Top barbacoa cauliflower tacos with your favorite taco toppings like lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and red onion.
📋 Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Cauliflower: Use a medium head of cauliflower and think of filling tacos as you cut the florets. You can also cut some of the stalks into pieces and use them. Less waste!
Dried red chilies: Crack open the dried chilies and remove the seeds if you want them milder. Substitute with crushed red chili or Aleppo pepper.
Tomato paste: Sweetness, color, and binder. That's the role of tomato paste (tomato puree) here. Use 3 heaping tablespoons of your favorite tomato paste.
Cilantro: Cilantro (coriander) adds a peppery flavor. I know it isn't for everyone, so leave it out if you don't like it. Parsley is a good substitute.
Maple syrup: Balance the taste with something sweet. I prefer Maple syrup for this recipe. You can also use coconut or date sugar. Commercial or easy homemade date paste is a great option.
Oregano: Traditional barbacoa flavor here. Use regular oregano or, if you are fortunate, Mexican oregano. Either works.
Ingredients for Pepita Dressing
Pepitas: Pepitas are a kind of pumpkin seed, but don't confuse them. Pepitas are small, green, shellless, and not from the inside of most Halloween pumpkins.
Dill: Specifically, dried dill. If you use fresh, you may want to add 2 teaspoons as dried dill has a more intense flavor.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
- Toast the cumin seeds and chili peppers to add a smoky, aromatic flavor.
- Make the barbacoa paste by blending the ingredients.
- Coat cauliflower florets in barbacoa paste.
- Bake the cauliflower until tender.
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🔪 Pro Tips
- If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you may want to grind the chilies and cumin seeds before adding them to the rest of the ingredients.
- When you start covering the cauliflower with barbacoa paste, you might think there isn’t enough paste. You aren’t dipping. The spice will filter through the florets as they bake.
Denise's Tip. Always start with a preheated oven when roasting vegetables. This ensures that the middle will cook without the edges burning. Toss the cauliflower a few times as it bakes so all sides get roasted.
🥣 How to Make Pepita Sauce
- Grind the pepitas first. They are soak-resistant, so like making vegan sour cream with sunflower seeds, grind rather than soak.
- Blend the dressing ingredients, adding water a tablespoon at-a-time to thin it out.
- Stir in the dill and black pepper after blending.
- Taste and adjust the ingredients.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Cauliflower gets cold quickly, so keep it covered and warm as you serve it and build tacos. Put everything on the table and let folks choose their own fixings as they go.
Traditional yellow corn tortillas are delicious to serve with barbacoa cauliflower. For a change of pace, serve cauliflower stuffed into whole wheat pita pockets with creamy lime tahini dressing.
If you want tasty sides to serve with tacos, consider mango and cabbage slaw, Indonesian cucumber salad, or tomato and pomegranate salad.
🌡️ Storing and Reheating
Store leftover cauliflower in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The pepita dressing lasts in the fridge in a container or jar for about 5 days.
It’s best to reheat the cauliflower in the oven wrapped in foil to avoid getting too brown. Steaming diminishes the barbacoa flavor. You can also use a microwave.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily roast barbacoa cauliflower in the air fryer. The only drawback is that you may need 2 batches to cook all the cauliflower. Set the temperature to 300 F (150 C). After preheating, place the cauliflower in a single layer in the air fryer. Set the time for 10 minutes and shake the cauliflower after 5 minutes. You may need to adjust the timing depending on the size of the cauliflower florets and your air fryer.
Although any dish with dried chilies is bound to be spicy, making it yourself means you can control the heat. Rather than use 3 or 4 dried chilies, simply reduce the amount. After making the barbacoa paste, blend in dried chili flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper if you decide it isn't spicy enough.
Barbacoa paste is a thick, Mexican-inspired barbecue paste that can flavor various vegan foods. Barbacoa can be used with tofu, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, or chickpeas. A few tablespoons of barbacoa paste can also be added to rice or quinoa as a foundation for a spicy side or filler for tacos or pitas.
To make this recipe with frozen cauliflower, first, bake the cauliflower for 10 minutes at 450 F (220 C). Remove the cauliflower and mix it with the barbacoa paste. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Roasted Barbacoa Cauliflower Tacos
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Ingredients
Barbacoa Cauliflower
- 1 medium cauliflower head - cut into small florets
- 3-4 medium dried red chilies - or 2 teaspoons red chili flakes
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled and cut into quarters
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Pepita Sauce
- ½ cup pepitas - pumpkin seeds
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Tacos
- 6 medium corn tortillas
- Lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, or other taco toppers of choice.
Instructions
- Add the dried chilies and cumin seeds to a small, heavy-bottomed skillet. Toast for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Stir the ingredients constantly to avoid scorching. Remove the skillet from the heat when you can smell the cumin and the chilies have a few darker spots.
- Add the chilies and cumin seeds to a large spice grinder or blender. Blend the spices into a powder. Add the tomato paste, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, oregano, and cinnamon to a blender. Blend until you have a smooth paste.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set the oven to 425 F (220 C).
- Cut the cauliflower into small, bite-sized florets. Add the florets to the bowl with the barbacoa paste. Use a spoon or your hands to coat the cauliflower with barbacoa. Place the florets, separated, in a single layer onto the baking sheet.
- Place the cauliflower in the center of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Toss and bake another 5 minutes until they are tender. Use a fork to pierce a floret to check that they are tender. Keep them warm on low until you are ready for tacos.
- To make the pepita sauce, grind the pepitas into a fine powder using a spice grinder or blender. Add the garlic, vinegar, and maple syrup to a blender. Blend until you have a smooth dressing with the consistency of sour cream. Add water, a tablespoon at-a-time, until you have a consistency you like.
- Transfer the pepita dressing to a small bowl, then add the dill and black pepper.
- Divide the cauliflower over 6 warm tortillas or wraps. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, or avocados. Tops with pepita dressing.
Notes
- Remove the seeds from the dried chilies to reduce the spiciness.
- Cauliflower gets cold rather quickly. Keep it warm by covering it if you serve it at the table.
- Steaming tends to dilute the flavor of barbacoa, so it is recommended that you reheat cauliflower in the oven or the microwave.
- To make barbacoa cauliflower in the air fryer, preheat to 300 F (150 C). After preheating, place the cauliflower in a single layer in the air fryer. Set the time for 10 minutes and shake the cauliflower after 5 minutes. You may need to adjust the timing depending on the size of the cauliflower florets and your individual air fryer.
- Store barbacoa cauliflower in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. The pepita dressing keeps for 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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