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Coconut Cauliflower Tacos

Crispy coconut scented cauliflower is the star of these tacos. The slaw, taco sauce and pickled onions will be the ones you turn to for all your taco occasions!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex
Keyword cauliflower, coconut, coleslaw, pickled onions, tacos
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours
Servings 4

Ingredients

Citrus Slaw

  • 6 cups shredded cabbage blend of green and purple or prepped coleslaw, my preference is ready made in this case!
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1/4 tsp lime zest
  • 1/4 cup orange juice from the orange you zested above
  • 1 tbsp lime juice about 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Taco Sauce

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/3 cup sour cream or skyr
  • 3 medium cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp lime zest
  • 1 tbsp lime juice or more if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper

Pickled Red Onions

  • 1 medium red onion
  • 3-4 limes
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 pepper

Coconut Cauliflower

  • 1 medium cauliflower sliced into long pieces - see notes
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup sweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1 lime zested and juiced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs gluten free if necessary
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 24 small corn tortillas two per taco, 3 tacos per person Feel free to use flour tortillas if desired, you may need less since these are usually larger.
  • 1 cup torn cilantro leaves garnish
  • 2-3 jalapeños sliced into rings, garnish
  • radish and avocado slices optional garnish

Instructions

Citrus Slaw, prepare in advance

  1. Place the cabbage in a large bowl.
  2. Blend all the dressing ingredients well. Pour this over the cabbage and toss to coat evenly.
  3. Store in a smaller sealed container in the fridge to let the flavours meld.

Taco Sauce, prepare in advance

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a small food chopper or blend well by hand. Store in the fridge to let the flavours meld.

Pickled Red Onions, prepare in advance

  1. Slice the onions into thin half rings and place them in a medium bowl.
  2. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the onions slices. Toss to coat well. Transfer to a smaller glass or ceramic bowl and store, covered, in the fridge. The onions will be better as they get to sit in the lime juice. Do this at least 2 hours before serving them.

Coconut Cauliflower

  1. Slice up the cauliflower and place on a sheet or in a bowl.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the unsweetened and sweetened coconut onto a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 5-8 minutes, until just turning golden. Each oven is different, so watch till ready. Set aside to cool down.

  3. Whisk together the coconut milk, zest and juice of 1 lime and 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and chilli powder in a wide shallow bowl or pie plate.

  4. Whisk together the toasted coconut, panko, cornmeal, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, 11tsp salt and the pepper in a separate wide shallow bowl or pie plate.

  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a cooling rack over the baking sheet (optional, if you don't have one, no worries)
  6. Line up your dredging station in this order: cauliflower pieces, wet batter, dry coconut breading, and the baking sheet.
  7. Dip the cauliflower pieces into the coconut milk batter, making sure all sides are covered.
  8. Shake off any excess and place cauliflower pieces in the dry breading mix, pressing down and flipping over to make sure it's coated evenly on both sides. Transfer the breaded pieces of cauliflower to the lined baking sheet and cooling rack if using. Repeat until all the pieces of cauliflower are prepped. One medium sized cauliflower usually only requires one baking sheet.
  9. Bake the cauliflower until golden brown and crispy. This usually takes about 30 minutes. If you are laying the pieces flat on the baking sheet, gently turn them half way through the baking time, being careful not to disturb the breading.
  10. As the cauliflower is getting close to being roasted, prep the tortillas.
  11. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium low heat. Place the tortillas on the hot surface in a single layer, turning after about 30 seconds to heat evenly. Depending on the heat and the tortillas, it may take longer to warm through and make them completely pliable.
  12. Once the tortillas (flour or corn) are heated, wrap them in a damp towel and transfer them to a basket, plastic, or polystyrene tortilla warmer to keep them nice and hot. If you don’t have an “official” tortilla warmer, you can place the towel-wrapped stack into a slightly larger bowl, then cover it with a plate.

  13. Create a taco bar with the coconut cauliflower, citrus slaw, tortillas, and the finishing ingredients: cilantro, jalapeño, radish slices and avocado, taco sauce.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to halve the recipe for just two or three people. Still make the full amount of taco sauce though. See the blog post for more information on reheating tortillas!