These Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos are slightly spicy and a whole lotta delicious! A tangy slaw, crispy cauliflower and avocado slices.
So, a couple weeks ago I introduced you to Bang Bang Tofu. And it took me all of 2 seconds to decide I needed to use that same sauce on cauliflower tacos. There is something so tasty about that creamy, spicy sauce that I can't get enough of. And I could eat cauliflower all day every day. It was meant to be.
How to make the bang bang cauliflower
The cauliflower is your typical process - wet dredge, bread crumbs, bake, sauce, bake again. The wet dredge is made up of flour, corn starch, white pepper, salt, sriracha, non-dairy milk and water. You want this to be the consistency of pancake batter. It will coat the cauliflower and help the panko bread crumbs stick. Add the finished florets to a baking sheet and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.
While the cauliflower is baking, it is time to make the bang bang sauce. It is just a simple combo of vegan mayo, sriracha and rice vinegar. You can adjust the sriracha to your spice level, but I like to add the max amount.
Once the cauliflower is done baking, give it a bath in the sauce and then put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Pull it back out and top the cauliflower with sesame seeds - not necessary, but a fun addition.
How to assemble Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos
To assemble, heat the tortillas and then layer on homemade slaw, the bang bang cauliflower, avocado wedges, cilantro and a drizzle of sriracha for some extra spice. Serve with lime wedges and dig in.
I do want to note that the cauliflower will lose some of its crunch when you add the sauce. If you want super crispy cauliflower, you have the option to skip the sauce bath and just drizzle the sauce over the finished tacos. I think these taste great both ways!
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
FOR THE CAULIFLOWER
- 1 head cauliflower cut in florets
- ¾ cup flour I used all purpose GF flour
- 3 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 5 tablespoon sriracha separated
- ½ cup non-dairy milk unsweetened
- ¼ cup water
- panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup vegan mayo
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- black sesame seeds optional
FOR THE TACOS
- 1 cup purple cabbage shredded
- 1 cup green cabbage shredded
- 1 lime juiced
- salt to taste
- 2 avocados sliced
- 8 tortillas corn or flour
- cilantro, lime wedges, sriracha for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, corn starch, salt, white pepper, 1 tablespoon sriacha, non-dairy milk and water in a bowl. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, spread out some panko.
- Dredge cauliflower in the wet mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Place in the panko and coat on all sides. Add the finished floret to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining cauliflower. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the slaw. Combine the cabbage, lime juice and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Also prepare the sauce by combining the vegan mayo, rice vinegar and remaining sriracha (you can use 2-4 tablespoon depending on your spice preference) in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven and use a fork to dip the florets in the sauce.* Place the florets back on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for another 5 minutes. For an even crispier cauliflower, turn the oven to broil and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with sesame seeds.
- Heat the tortillas over an open flame or in a skillet and assemble the tacos. Layer tortillas with the slaw, cauliflower, avocado, cilantro and sriracha. Serve with lime wedges.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Christine Rupert
I am not vegan, but I am a vegetarian. For the past two nights I’ve made your recipes. Agave chipotle tacos and braised coconut tofu. Both of these were nothing short of spectacular. Restaurant worthy. Your recipes could make me become a vegan! I want to thank you for creating these amazing recipes. Tonight I’ll be making this one! I already know it will be awesome.
Denise
So delicious! I used Hemp milk which was a poor choice, the flavor came through way too much, and it’s a thick milk, so I needed to thin it quite a bit with water. I will be making these again with a different plant-milk. And this is the first time I was successful with breaded cauliflower! I have learned to really shake off the excess batter before coating. And, true to time estimates, I was eating in just less than an hour. Thank you for sharing this delicious dinner plan!
Rene
So glad you liked it! And my go-to non-dairy milk for savory recipes is soy or unsweetened almond milk!
Francene
This is one of house favorites. We make it a bit more spice and add an avacado crema but recipe is great the way it is. Recommend!
Rene
Thanks so much Francene!
Lea
I can't wait to make these!! I'm adding them to the meal plan!
Rene
Hi Lea! Hope you enjoy!
Brianna
Amazing!!!!!
Aimee
This was terrific! I used all non-vegan versions of the ingredients and went low on spice for my 12yo. I didn’t dip cauliflower, but baked it to crunchy, and had everyone drizzle sauce as desired. So good. All the texture and flavor combinations were spot on. And I don’t feel disgusting because the cauliflower wasn’t fried. It’s added to the *rotation.*. Thank you.
Rene
Hi Aimee - so glad you enjoyed this! And I love the idea of serving the sauce on the side so each person can add as much as they like!
Branyd
These were unbelievable!!! Even the meat eaters in my house came back for more. My husband is in love with these taco's. I will definitely be making this a regular dinner in my house.
Rene
Hi Branyd - woo! So glad these were a hit with you and your family!
Ande
So delicious even my husband asked for seconds. Thanks for the recipe!
Curious…what vegan Mayo do you prefer.
Rene
Hi Ande - so glad you both liked it! And I usually buy Veganaise 🤗
Jerica Rose
Dude - this recipe is F I R E . I've had it twice , once baked and once air fried . Both bomb . The baked version definitely doesn't even need to be double baked with the sauce , the crunch is perfect and the Cait lower is cooked all the way through . Drizzled sauce with that crunch ?! Lip smacking good .
Air fryer , same thing . We did some baked again with sauce and others not . 15-18 minutes at 375 in and air fryer - DELICIOUS . 18 minutes if you baked again with sauce , 15 without . Make sure to spray with oil before and during . SUCH A GOOD RECIPE . Will forever be a fav . (Also added a litte maple syrup to sauce, and chili sauce . Oof )
Rene
Hi Jerica - so glad you liked this! And thanks for the air fryer insight!
Kylie D
Found this on Pinterest. Just made these--they were excellent! I used spring mix salad instead of cabbage (sliced it into thin strips) because I didn't have cabbage. It was great but I bet the crunch from cabbage is even better. So I added red onion, and topped with fresh mango. Absolutely delicious. Love your recipe! Thank you for posting!!
Rene
Hi Kylie - those all sound like great swaps! So glad you enjoyed these!
Lori Ferguson
SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!
Rene
Hi Lori - thank you! So glad you enjoyed!