Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce
You're going to love this vegetarian lentil tacos recipe. Roasted cauliflower, seasoned lentils and creamy chipotle sauce combine to make a delicious taco!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Pop quiz! What is a “pulse,” in food terms? Pulses are the edible seeds of legumes, including lentils, chickpeas, dry peas and beans. I’ve been a big fan of pulses ever since I stopped eating meat. All of a sudden, I was craving them and cooking them all the time.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. Pulses are packed with protein, fiber and iron. Did you know that one half-cup serving of cooked lentils has twice as many antioxidants as blueberries and twice as much protein as quinoa? Plus, they’re inexpensive and an important drought-resistant crop to many people around the globe. They’re definitely a crave-worthy food, whether you’re a meat eater or not.
I’m writing about pulses today because each year, the United Nations picks a topic of global interest. They named 2016 to be International Year of Pulses because of their significant health, economic and environmental benefits. Gearing up for 2016, the UN asked each country to submit one pulse recipe to represent their country. The USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council reached out to me to develop a recipe to be in the running. How cool is that?!
They are running a Facebook competition to pick the winner. With your help, my recipe could be selected as the National Signature Pulse Recipe for the U.S.! You can help me out by going to the USADPLC Facebook page, and voting for mine by Liking the photo. Please do! You’d make this food geek really happy. (Update: Voting is over, and this recipe won! Thank you tremendously for your support!)
Watch How to Make Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos
We’ll talk about these tacos when you get back. They’re a little out there, I know. I discovered that golden, roasted cauliflower makes a great taco filling when I was in Austin. It’s a little crispy, a little chewy and totally perfect.
I cooked up some lentils that are seasoned with onions, garlic, tomato paste, cumin and chili powder. Top all that off with a drizzle of spicy, creamy chipotle sauce and some fresh cilantro, and you have one tasty taco. Not to mention, affordable and good for you, too!
Please let me know how these lentil tacos turn out for you in the comments! Looking for more fun taco recipes? I’ve got you covered right here.
Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce
You’re going to love this vegetarian lentil tacos recipe. Roasted cauliflower, seasoned lentils and creamy chipotle sauce combine to make a delicious taco! Recipe yields 8 modestly portioned tacos.
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 1 large head of cauliflower, sliced into bite-sized florets
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Seasoned lentils
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
- 2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ cup brown lentils, picked over for debris and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
Chipotle sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers) or chipotle hot sauce to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Everything else
- 8 small, round corn tortillas
- ½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves*
Instructions
- To roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss cauliflower florets with enough olive oil to cover them in a light, even layer of oil. Season with salt and pepper and arrange the florets in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway, until the florets are deeply golden on the edges.
- Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic with a dash of salt for about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened and turning translucent. Add the tomato paste, cumin and chili powder and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the lentils and the vegetable broth or water. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes to 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender and cooked through. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and add more broth or water if the liquid evaporates before the lentils are done. Once the lentils are done cooking, drain off any excess liquid, then cover and set aside.
- To prepare the chipotle sauce, just whisk together the ingredients and set aside (if you have no choice but to use whole chipotle peppers from the can, use a blender to purée it all).
- Warm tortillas individually in a pan over medium heat. Stack the warm tortillas and cover them with a tea towel if you won’t be serving the tacos immediately.
- Once all of your components are ready, you can assemble your tacos! Top each tortilla with the lentil mixture, cauliflower, a drizzle of chipotle sauce and a generous sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
Notes
Make it vegan/dairy free/mayo free: Substitute vegan mayonnaise or, better yet, check out A Couple Cooks’ tahini chipotle sauce! (For what it’s worth, I tried making this sauce with yogurt and it really missed the mark. Mayo is much better.)
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use 100% corn, certified gluten-free tortillas.
Chipotle sauce tip: If you have leftover sauce and peppers, pour the leftovers into a small freezer bag, then squeeze the air out of the bag and flatten out the bag. Store it in the freezer, flat, and you can just pull off as much as you need and defrost it!
*Cilantro note: For those who dislike cilantro, substitute some fresh spring greens instead.
If you love this recipe: Check out my other taco recipes and lentil recipes!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This recipe was created for USDAPLC as part of their National Signature Recipe Contest and I was compensated for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Just made this! Fantastic! Did it without the tortillas, just topped the cauliflower and lentils with the sauce.
Voted, too!
All of your recipes are so delicious. Every time I talk to the friend of mine who recommended your blog, I thank her!
Thank you, Madeline! Delighted to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes. Next time, please tell you friend thank you from me, too! :)
We had this last night for supper. It was awesome!! Tried both corn and whole wheat soft tacos and enjoyed tremendously. We will share pictures and a link to your site on our The Elf in the Kitchen blog next Sunday. Love your site!
Janne, that’s great to hear! Thanks for sharing on your blog!
Sounds delicious, I will try them for sure. On a side note, you can also substitute the mayonnaise with greek yogurt for your creamy chipotle sauce. It adds nice acid flavor without being so greasy and actually tastes good with veggies by itself. We use this as sandwich and salad dressing instead of store bought ones.
Thanks, Dianita! I did a side-by-side comparison with yogurt and mayo and mayo won for me, but it sounds like you’re partial to yogurt! Hope you love the tacos.
Tried the recipe last week and not only was it simple to make, it was crazy yummy! I honestly didn’t even need the chipotle sauce, the lentils and cauliflower alone were good enough. Thanks for sharing; it will definitely be made again!
Thanks, Ally! So glad you enjoyed it!
Just finished eating the best tacos ever! It was the first time I had roasted cauliflower and I was very surprised how good it is! Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
Hooray, thanks Edita! So glad you enjoyed them!
I just made these for dinner and they were amazing! I have a ton of chipotle cream left over so I’ll just have to make them again :)
Yay! Really happy to hear it, Meghan.
We just made these for dinner last night. Soooo good. Even the meat eating husband was so distracted by the taste that he didn’t ask “where’s the meat?
Awesome!!! Thank you, Amy!
Hi Kate! I had been wanting to make this recipe since I first saw it on your blog earlier this month…last night my husband and I had the tacos for dinner and we couldn’t. stop. eating. They were soooo good! The roasted cauliflower flavor was really interesting (in a great way!), the lentil mixture was yummy, and the sauce!! So good. In my head I keep finding other things I can schmear that smoky, spicy deliciousness on. Thanks for another great recipe. :)
Thank you, Jen! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tacos so much. Hope you find some more to try soon!
Fabulous! I made these last night for dinner and my meat loving husband LOVED them!! (So did I!). We can’t wait to make them again. The creamy chipotle sauce makes this dish really stand out. Thank you! I just found your website a couple of weeks ago and love your recipes. Also, major dog lover!
Thank you, Maureen! So glad you found my blog and enjoyed these tacos. Cookie says hi!
I made these last night and they were super easy, delicious and filling. I didn’t make the sauce and I thought they were still great and would definitely make them again. Thank you!
I have never left a comment on a recipe before, but these were just too delish not to! Even my husband (a meat craving man!) was licking his fingers clean afterwards. So, so, so good! Thanks so much!
Hooray! Thanks, Tricia!
This was delicious! My whole family LOVED it. Thank you so much. I am so glad I found your website. The only note I have is that it took my lentils a lot longer than 35 minutes to soften. Was I supposed to soak them first? I added lots more water and cooked for closer to an hour. Thanks again for the delicious recipe!
Hi Liz! I’m so glad you found my site, too! I’m guessing your lentils may have been older/more dried out than mine—this could totally depend on where you bought them and how long they sat at the store.
It’s been a while since I’ve been on here and I’m so happy to be back! Made these tonight after fasting all day. They were very delicious and economical. Chipotle Veganaise is a wonderful substitute for regular mayonnaise! Thank you, Kate!
Glad you’re back, Shiraz! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed these tacos, too!
Bit of a pilgrimage to find Chipotles in adobo in Sydney, but find them I did.
Phenomenally tasty recipe, Kate. First I’ve tried but certainly not the last!
Well, I’m so glad you found them! Thank you, Tim! Hope you enjoy the other recipes just as much.
I love the flavor combinations, But my corn tortillas fell apart when I put the filling in them.
I’m sorry to hear that, Margaret! I haven’t had that problem with tacos in the past, so I’d suggest buying a different brand next time.
I had these for dinner tonight and they were delicious!
I will definitely be making this again.
Thank you for your recipes.
I love trying new stuff.
Thank you, Janette! So glad you enjoyed these. Thanks for letting me know!
Delicious! This is the second recipe I’ve tried off your site and a second hit in my book! (First recipe was sweet potato black bean tacos). Love the flavor and the Chipotle sauce is a definite winner!
Thanks, Cindy! So glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
So, a couple of things. First, thanks for the recipe. :) I was excited to see such an healthy, non-traditional combination of taco fillings. Secondly, for some reason, this recipe didn’t turn out as I was expecting. The lentils took a lot longer to cook that stated–approximately 20 minutes longer. I had to add liquid several times until the lentils were no longer crunchy. Maybe because they were a little aged? Not sure. Anyway, the resulting lentils were almost doubled in size as a result, so now I have a lot of leftover lentils. Not to worry, they will make for a good salad topping. The other thing was the corn tortillas fell apart in our hands as we were eating them. Maybe the brand? Anyway, the flavors were excellent, and I would make this again, giving myself more time to prepare for the unexpected. We had some leftover avacado-lime sauce from a previous recipe, which we included along with the chipotle mayo, and it was fantastic. :)
Hi Laura! I’m bummed your tacos didn’t turn out perfectly. I think your guesses are correct—lentil cooking time varies quite a bit depending on their age. I just cooked up some fresh Bob’s Red Mill brand lentils and they were done at about 23 minutes. Did you warm the tortillas before bending them? That helps keep them pliable, and yes, some brands are just more fragile. Regardless, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I’ve finally figured out your flaw! Every time I make one of your delicious recipes I just can’t stop myself from eating and eating and eating! I made these for dinner tonight; who knew lentils and cauliflower could taste so good! Thanks for another great recipe!
Haha! Thanks, Melissa!
I made these for dinner tonight- fantastic! Even my non-veg husband loved them!!!
Thank you, CJ! That’s so great to hear!
Congrats on winning the contest Kate! I made these for my family this weekend and we all gobbled them up (including my 1 1/2 and 3 1 1/2 year old kids). Your site is the only one I’ve found where EVERY, SINGLE recipe is amazing and turns out great! I can’t wait to get your book in 2017. :)
Thank you so much, Michelle! Your comment made my day.
Oh my word, these tacos are delicious! I made them last night, but a few hours beforehand my oven stopped working so I boiled the cauliflower and then sautéed it to get a little browning on it. I also topped each one with a thin slice of avocado. My 17 year old son pronounced it a “10 out of 10” after wolfing down three of them. I will most certainly make these again. Thanks for the recipe Kate, and for your beautiful, appetizing pictures as well.
Hooray! Thank you, Rhonda. Glad you made it work even without an oven!
Second time trying one of your recipes, second time having a huge hit with the family! I will note like others that I had to add water to the lentils, even though I followed your proportions exactly. Not sure why but I wanted to give a heads up for those who don’t watch simmering pots closely. Also, we usually use flour instead of corn tortillas, and they hold up better. I think they are considered less “authentic” in terms of tacos, but it’s what my family is used to.
Congrats on winning the contest. I hope you enjoyed your trip to NYC!
Hooray! Thank you, Beth. I just amended the recipe to suggest adding more liquid if necessary. Glad you enjoyed these!
I made these for dinner the other night and they way exceeded my expectations! So delicious. Definitely going to be one of my go to’s!
Thanks, Gabrielle! Glad to hear it!
Thank you, Gabrielle! I’m glad to hear it!!
Hi Kate! Congrats on being selected for this recipe. It looks so delicious and healthy. However, I have a vendetta against chipotle sauce. Actually, I just don’t like it personally. But I really think these tacos look SO great. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute sauce? Or would this recipe still be delicious without any sauce?
Hi Mariah! I like the chipotle sauce because it gives the tacos a creamy, spicy kick. Do you have a favorite hot sauce? If so, I’d say just add that to the mayo, to taste.
These were fantastic. Like others have mentioned, I had to add water to my lentils and they took about 45 minutes to cook. So if you are lazy about watching your simmering pot, beware. Loved the adobo sauce. Tonight we are trying the brussel sprout, tofu and honey glaze recipe. I’ll comment on that when I’m done. Kate I’m having a good time with your recipes!
Woop! Glad you enjoyed this one, too.
These were amazing! They tasted so good and were easy to make too! I loved them so much I brought my leftovers to work so others could try them!
Yay, thanks Kristina! I hope your coworkers enjoyed them, too!
I made this last night and it was fantastic! I used Greek Yogurt instead of mayo for the sauce and it was tasty :) Thanks!!!
Happy to hear it! Thank you, Amiee.
Kate, I have to admit that when I first saw this I was bit scared to make it. Of course, based on how delicious your other recipes are, I should have known better. Well, no need to fear….this is soooo delicious!!!! Another winner for sure, even my nonvegan family loved this.
Hooray! I’m so glad, Tanya. Thanks for letting me know.
Ummm…these are mind blowing good. I told my husband that they are better than any ground beef taco I’ve ever had. The lentils give them “meat-like” heft but they are much more flavorful. Delicious…thanks for the recipe!
Yay!!! Thank you, Sarah.
I guess I’m late to the party! These cauli-lentil tacos were as delicious as they looked in your post! Thanks for another great recipie, Kate!
Thank you, Liz! Happy to hear that! :)
Made these tonight for the family, they were a hit! The roasted cauliflower and chipotle sauce were what put them over the top!
Made these tacos last night – absolutely delish! We both loved the recipe and will fixing this again soon. We used French lentils and they took a long time to cook – good job we started early! Keep up the good work – we’re new to your blog and enjoying it a lot.
Thank you, Jennifer! So glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes! :)
Wow. My husband doesn’t think its a meal unless there is 90% meat on his plate. He was very skeptical while I was making these, but really turned around after tasting them. They were delicious! He said he didn’t even miss the meat. Trying to be healthy in 2016! Thanks for the help with an awesome recipe!
Victory!!! Thank you for letting me know, Sherry. Happy to hear it!
We loved this, so good. Only thing is my chipotle sauce was really thick. The adobo sauce I bought was more of a paste, wondering if I bought the wrong thing. Now that my husband is willing to have vegetarian meals I am having fun cooking!
I’m glad you enjoyed the tacos! Not sure what kind of chipotle sauce you found, but I’m glad the sauce turned out well anyway. I buy small cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican section of grocery stores.
Super yummy! I love how simple yet bright in flavor the cauliflower is. Definitely making it again.
Two tacos was enough for me and my man each. Thanks for another satisfying recipe!
Thank you, Sondra! Glad you two enjoyed the tacos!
I just made these tacos for my boyfriend tonight, and holy wow! He loved them! This was actually the first recipe I followed exactly that came out perfect, and tastes amazing. Finally, I found a recipe on Pinterest that we BOTH love. The cauliflower was actually a little too done, but it added another layer of flavor and a few of the crunchy bits made it even more delicious.
Thank you for being so awesome! We will definitely be trying more of your recipes in the future!
Thank you for your comment, Cassie! So glad you both enjoyed these tacos. I love those caramelized cauliflower pieces. I hope you love all the other recipes just as much! I work hard to make them easy to follow. :)
I want to make these tomorrow – I have canned lentils. Would that work? How should I modify?
One of my goals going into 2016 was to be more conscientious about the meat I’m eating. I envisioned making trips to the local butcher and farmers market every couple weeks to stock up on expensive cuts, but instead, I cut corners by looking up meatless recipes. I found your blog back in early January and was wowed by the recipes–they all look so simple, healthy, and flavorful. My husband (still a die-hard meat eater) and I have enjoyed every recipe we’ve tried so far and I think I’m officially on a mission to try every one of your recipes before I even start cooking with meat again.
For the past few weeks I’ve been meaning to leave a comment about how happy I’ve been with your recipes, but I couldn’t even finish putting leftovers in the fridge before professing my love for these tacos. The flavors were delicious and balanced and the chipotle cream sauce was perfectly fresh and spicy. My husband and a friend of ours were both complimenting me on the awesome tacos…I owe it all to you!
I’ll do my best to keep commenting on other recipes I try (and I’ll be trying a LOT). As I was reading about you I was also ecstatic to see you live in Kansas City–I’ve lived here my whole life!
My husband and I LOVE this recipe! Amazing flavors. Thank you for helping me turn my meat-loving husband into a lentil taco fan! Your recipes are fantastic and much appreciated.
Sooo flavourful..gonna be one of my new favs!
Made this for the umpteenth time last night, and it was again so good… in fact, I had such a huge craving for these I couldn’t put them out of my head, and then cycled ten kilometers to the nearest place I know where they sell chipotle peppers (they’re not so easy to come by in my country). The combination seemed so odd to me when I saw this posted first, but it’s now in fact one of my favourite recipes of your website (and that says something). I also tried the tahini sauce and it was lovely too, but your creamy spicy chipotle mayonnaise cannot be topped for me.
I found this recipe in the Optimum Wellness magazine and pulled it out right away. I made it last night and my whole family loved it, including my 8 year old and 4 year old and my husband said he didn’t even miss meat and thought they were amazing!! I love that you used two high fiber ingredients to make these!
This recipe is delicious. For anyone who might be debating the cilantro, go for it. It really compliaments the rest of the dish…. Next time I might use two heads of cauliflower.
This is hands down the most delicious vegan taco EVER! I dream about it and make it all the time. Tonight I’m going to try to shortcut and buy the ready cooked lentils and add all the seasonings. I hope it works out! Also, if you have a whole foods store nearby, they sell a Chipotle veganaise and it’s the bomb.com with these tacos. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful, healthy, delicious recipe! I can’t say enough how amazing it is!!!!
This is the third recipe I make from your blog and I absolutely love everything you do! They are always super tasty and healthy. My boyfriend now loves vegeterian food. I am for sure going to add more of your recipes to my life because they are delecious!
Keep up the amazing work :)
Love from Montreal,
Gen
These tacos are an omg experience. I fixed them for my honey her comment was when are you going to do again. I will be fixing for company. the spicy lentils were good the roasted cauliflower are a must but the chipotle mayo takes it to a new level.
Wow, Kate, another winner of a recipe! We are putting this dish on our dinner rotation. Lentils were flavourful, complemented the cauliflower perfectly. And that zippy chipotle mayo was AH-mazing. I used it as a veggie dip for my lunch the next day, but really could have just used my fingers as a dip vehicle :)
I made these tacos and they were delicious! The cauliflower was great, but if you don’t have any, the lentil filling alone makes these tacos great!
So delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I’ve made these before and making them again tonight!