crispy teriyaki cauliflower tacos
Who said vegans can’t have fun with their food?
FYI, I am not vegan, which should be tipped off from my homepage which pretty much contains two salmon recipes right off the bat. So don’t get that idea. I do, however, appreciate a delicious plant-based meal and when a flavor combo makes meat eaters wonder why they don’t eat more veggies. I love even more when I experiment with a vegan recipe and it turns out luscious, like these tacos.
I didn’t really set out to make a vegan taco, but this whole shebang turned out that way, and I couldn’t be happier. J dislikes cauliflower about as much as I dislike spineless nitwits, and he actually said these are legitimately pretty good. Fuck yeah. When I can make a cauli hater enjoy a dish with the little white tree involved, I basically feel like I can hang up my apron forever and retire to my nonexistence tropical beach house.
So, I hope you like these, too, as much as I do. Crispy tacos are my jam right now and serve any upcoming NFL playoff tailgates beautifully. They’re easy, colorful, healthy, and pack a huge teriyaki punch thanks to a hefty portion of homemade drizzle. Serve a tray with lots of toppings and some spicy mayo (vegan, of course, if needed) and all the extra sauce. It’s a real Taco Tuesday treat, yo.
Cauli Crunch
For my first attempt at these tacos, I didn’t batter the cauliflower florets. The concept didn’t really work so well as a result; the sauce kind of just fell onto the pan and turned the veggies into slop. Not cute. So, kids, battering your cauliflower is key here to a good texture that might fool someone at first sight into thinking it’s chicken.
The batter is not complex, not like deep fried chicken shit. Just whisk up some flour, milk of choice (I actually used whole, but a thicker plant-based milk like soy or oat are perfectly good, too), smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper. The batter will be thick, like pancake batter. This is what you need. Too runny and it’ll just dribble away like a cold nose.
I cut my cauliflower florets into about one-inch bites, but you don’t need to be ridiculously precise. I recommend on the smaller side, though, so they actually fit in your taco shells. Dunk each cauliflower into the batter, shake off the excess, and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake the cauliflowers at 450 for about 20 minutes. The higher temperature ensures a nice crisp.
Bring On the Sauce
While the cauliflower bakes, whisk up the teriyaki sauce. This is phenom, salty and sweet with a hint or orangey citrusy goodness. You can pile it over many a dish and call it a day, so keep the formula in your back pocket for later.
Teriyaki sauce needs to be thickened, so I mix everything up right in a sauce pan and boil it briefly. Corn starch helps this process along. The whole ordeal takes only two or three minutes, so watch it closely so it doesn’t turn into dark Elmer’s glue.
Pull the cauliflower out of the oven, let them cool a couple minutes so you don’t burn a hole in your fingers, then place the florets in a bowl. Pour over about 3/4 of the sauce and gently toss with a wooden spoon until the florets are well soaked. The coating is actually quite hardy and shouldn’t tear unless you go at it with a fucking butter knife or some shit.
At this point, I take the parchment off my baking pan because I like to finish the cauliflower under the broiler, and broiling parchment means you’ll have a fire on your hands. Not ideal. You don’t have to broil if you don’t want, though! In either case, bake the florets again for 5-10 minutes to let the sauce absorb and get some nice crispy bits on the edges.
So saucy.
A Shell of a Taco
Get it, cos we’re talking about taco shells. Hah.
You can buy storebought hard taco shells, but I like to make my own. Though I usually drape them right over the oven grate as in my Crispy BBQ Pinto Bean Tacos, in this case I took a slightly different approach. Instead, I formed long tubes with aluminum foil. I formed the shape by loosely wrapping the foil around the box in which the foil is stored, then set the tubes on a big baking sheet. I used three total.
Microwave the tortillas for about 20 seconds, spray both sides with oil, and drape over the foil tubes. Bake at 425 for about 12-15 minutes (12 does the trick for me). Boom, hard taco shells! If you make these before your cauliflower, be sure to pump the heat to 450 once you’re done with the tortillas.
Now, the funnest part: assembling your tacos. I don’t really overgarnish these guys. I like a bed of romaine or slaw in each tortilla, then the cauliflower and lots of extra teriyaki sauce. A sprankle of sesame seeds and green onions make for a pretty garnish, and a hint of lime juice before plopping on a good spoonful of spicy mayo. Delish.
By the way – I make my spicy mayo with just vegan mayonnaise, sriracha, and honey. I like keeping a jar in my fridge at all times for whenever the occasion calls for it. Which is often, to be honest.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Taco time!
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crispy teriyaki cauliflower tacos
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk of choice (whole, soy, or oat are best)
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 8-10 hard tortilla shells, homemade or store bought
- 2 cups lettuce or cabbage slaw
- green onions, sesame seeds, limes, and spicy mayo, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. The batter should resemble pancake batter in thickness.
- Working 1-2 florets at a time, dunk the cauliflower into the batter. Shake off excess and set onto the baking sheet. The batter may pool a little bit around the florets, but should not run like a criminal being pursued by the po-po. Repeat until all of the cauliflower is used. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the florets halfway through.
- While the cauliflower bakes, in a small sauce pan combine the soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, maple syrup, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and corn starch. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes. Add to a bowl and toss with 3/4 of the teriyaki sauce until well coated. Spread onto the baking sheet again and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until crispy.
- Fill the hard tortilla shells with lettuce, then squeeze in cauliflower florets. Drizzle with the reserved teriyaki sauce and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Finish with a blob of spicy mayo.
