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!
I made these for dinner last night and they were a hit! My boyfriend didn’t even miss the meat. I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe to make over and over again. I didn’t have the adobo sauce so I just used a little less than a teaspoon of chipotle chile powder that I had on hand (added to taste.) So delicious!
What an explosion of flavor! I have had lentils as a taco base before, but never with such a flavorful sauce! And with the added chipotle sauce, it was absolutely delicious! I stuck to the recipe 100% and definitely recommend!! Quit4 easy to make as well.
Success! My carnivorous husband expressed worry with “We’re going to run out of lentils.” My carnivorous ten-year-old stepson, who was at first disdainful of a meatless meal, soon claimed he was going to eat ten tacos and that “This dish could be at a fancy restaurant.” Finally, our two-year-old son kept clamouring, “More cauliflower!” The only thing I will do differently next time is to double the recipe!
Absolutely delicious – even my 16 month old loved the lentils!! Excited to try out more of your recipes.
Found this recipe last week and have already made it twice! The second time, I made twice as much cauliflower for our family. LOVE!
Wow!! Absolutely delicious!!!!! My significant other and I are trying to slowly cut meat out of our diet and head towards a vegetarian lifestyle. We decided we would start with 2 vegetarian days a week, and increase it from there as we found recipes we liked. A big change for us. Well this was the first recipe we tried for our first night, along with your kale and Brussels sprout salad — what a hit!! These tacos are incredible! We couldn’t get enough of them! They were so filling, I actually have most of the salad leftover for lunch today! We cannot wait to try more of your recipes!! I think this transition will be easier than either of us thought with meals like these. Thank you so much!! So happy to of found your website.
Thank you, Shana! I’m so glad you found my blog. Yay for more meatless meals!
Thank you for this great recipe! Delicious blend of flavors and very satisfying.
Holy smokes, these are good. I couldn’t even wait until dinner was over before popping over to the computer to write a review. My meat-eating hubby and picky toddler are both devouring. Thank you for such a delicious and healthy recipe, Kate!!
One year late to the party but this was soooo good!! Didn’t have any adobo sauce on hand so I swapped it with a mix of Sriracha, Cayenne pepper and smoked paprika and it turned out really nice and spicy :)
These tacos are delicious. My meat loving boyfriend exclaimed that he could eat these every night. I love anything chipotle, and roasted cauliflower is always good. Will make again for sure!
Is it OK to use green lentils?
My daughter and I have made this three times and it’s such a tasty recipe. We’ve used the chipotle mayo for a topping on black bean burgers too. Thank you!
These tacos are AMAZING! And I have been eating tacos all my life (I am from Mexico).
Thank you for this recipe Kate!
These tacos are perfection. I made the recipe for the first time for a dinner party (taco bar, vegan option (using vegan mayo)) and it was a smashing success. It’s always risky to make a new recipe to feed guests, but the rave reviews were spot on. These are going into my weeknight rotation. Thank you!
These were unbelievable good. I would have never thought to put these items in a taco! Loved them and I think they are best the day you make them. I had a little bit of leftovers (only because I doubled the recipe). The beans held up great but the cauliflower wasn’t as tasty as day 1. I will be making these again. Thank you for the recipe. :)
These were amazing!!! Everyone loved them- my teenage Crossfit boys were skeptical when I told them there was no meat tonight for dinner, but I lost count on how many they ate. Thankfully, I doubled the recipe!!! I love trying a new recipe that is a huge success!
Thank you! This recipe is in regular rotation at our house. We all like it – even my 9 month old. Keep up the good work.
Hooray for your 9-month-old eating lentils! I’m certain my parents never tried that on me. :) So glad you all enjoyed the tacos.
These are fantastic! I used chilula instead of adobe and it still tasted super yummy. Will definitely make again.
Thank you, Maggie! Glad you liked them.
I have recently gone vegetarian and these instantly became a favorite! Delicious and super easy! I did end up using about 3 1/2 cups of veggie broth in the lentils, but that is the only change I needed to make. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Angela! Happy to hear it! You are in the right place. :)
I really like the sound of these, though I would substitute chipotle powder for the adobo – not sure why but I just don’t like adobo.
Can I use frozen cauliflower?
Hey Kate, I don’t think so.
I’ve made this twice now, and I really like it! It’s quick, easy, and tastes great. I’m new to your page, but everything looks delicious; I can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Thanks for sharing :)
Just made this and it’s great! I used red lentils, since that’s what I had on hand, and did them in the pressure cooker to speed things up, but otherwise followed the recipe as is. Delicious!
I made this last night! Soooo good! I am a perpetual taster-as-I-go-along-er, so I was tweaking a things and concerned about the individual elements of the tacos and how it would all taste together, but the outcome was awesome! My boyfriend and I were both impressed and enjoyed them (and he is normally a “I need meat for this to be a meal” kind of guy)! ;) The tweaks I made were based on my taste buds.. I wanted a little more pizazz with the lentils, so I added some garlic salt, coriander, chipotle hot sauce, plus more cumin and more chili powder. I have never made chipotle mayo before so I was very leery of that, as on it’s own, I wasn’t a fan.. but when combined with everything else, um… delicioso!!! My ending thought for the night: trust Kate. :) Thanks for a great recipe and tasty meal!
Your classmate is missing out on some fantastic plant-based meals, so that bums me out! I spent the weekend at a retreat learning all about the latest research and benefits of plant proteins and so forth. So glad you enjoyed these tacos! I’ll keep an eye out for those tostada wrappers. I always say, the spicier the better, and try to provide a range of spice so everyone can find their match! I’m always at the top of the spectrum myself. ;) Cookie says hello. She is my best friend and beloved little clown dog.
These tacos are pure magic! I tried making mine a little healthier by topping with a dollop of greek yogurt instead of the chipotle sauce, with added a nice tart flavor to cut the heat of the lentils (I put in quite a bit of chili powder).
Note to self- don’t sit next to the roasted cauliflower after its done or you’ll eat it like candy & have none left for your tacos.
Second note to self- cook lentils like this all of the time, whether for tacos or not.
Thank you Kate!!
Ok…I’ve made these a lot. It’s my go-to recipe. My husband (who loves meat) loves these. I’ve made them for my co-workers….they loved them. I even brought these to a ‘taco potluck’ and people were pleasantly surprised! So yummy. And super budget-friendly. Thanks Kate!
These are awesome! I’ve made them twice now for my husband and I during advent (no meat for us Orthodox folks). It’s hard for me to find vegetarian recipes that are still satisfying, but we don’t miss the meat at all with these!
These are so. good. My boyfriend and I are meat-eaters, but since I made these tacos for the first time nearly a year ago, they’ve become one of my staple recipes that I make all the time. The only thing I do differently is I often use green lentils instead of brown. Delicious!
I made this for lunch today and it was SO good. Thank you Kate!!!
These were surprisingly really good. I would leave the tomato paste out next time as it made the lentils a little on the sweet side.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Incredible! Just made this. So delicious. The sauce is tasty and really gives that unique “punch.” Makes me so happy to be plant based!
I’m so glad you loved them, Sandra! And yes, the plant-based life doesn’t have to be a boring one ;)
This recipe looks delicious and my sister’s family said it was! Any suggestions for may substitute to lower fat/cal?
Hey, Andrea. I don’t have nutritional info for my recipes just yet, so I don’t have the exact figures for the fat and calorie content. But if you’re looking for something lighter, I’d suggest using plain greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise in the chipotle sauce. You could also try to reduce the olive oil somewhat, but I am generally careful to only use what’s necessary.
I love this recipe. Thank you! Has anyone frozen the lentil taco meat to eat at a later date? How does it hold up?
Hi, Maia. I don’t think any reader has tried that so far, but I think freezing it for a short period of time should be fine. I know that lentils can be cooked and frozen for up to three months, but I’m thinking the other ingredients may not fare very well for that long.
I’ve been avoiding the concept of vegetarian tacos (I am not currently vegetarian, but definitely enjoy vegetarian meals on a regular basis), but I’m not sure I can avoid making these. I’m trying to figure out getting my husband to eat them. He likes the lentil enchiladas I make, but he’s also definitely a meat eater. Maybe I should make a meal that has partly these tacos, and partly meat street tacos like a friend of the family made not too long ago… I would choose to use chipotle powder in place of the adobo sauce – I just have never liked adobo. The chili powder has worked well in other circumstances.
Let me know if you try these, Susan! (And if the husband likes them!)
Made these tonight and they are amazing. I never knew cauliflower could taste so good! P.S. My husband says it goes perfectly with Guinness.
Ha! I’m glad this paired well with his beverage choice. And yes, cauliflower is delicious and so, so versatile, too.
Subbed adobo sauce with sriacha and added some pineapple chutney that I had on hand and it was super delicious :) Any chutney would probably be a nice addition actually!
Chutney sounds really great with this, Audrey. Thanks!
We love these tacos (and all of your recipes)! Instead of mayonnaise we use greek yogurt for the sauce, which is a great substitute for both that and sour cream!
Yes, I love greek yogurt! That’s a great way to incorporate it here.
This is one of my favorite recipes from your website, and definitely my favorite way to eat cauliflower and lentils. I often turn it into a bowl with brown rice so that I don’t have to worry about overfilling these little corn tortillas ;) For non-vegans, I’d recommend trying Mexican sour cream (Crema Mexicana) in place of mayo in the sauce.
Can’t wait to see your cookbook in my mailbox, Kate!
Sounds like a delicious taco bowl, Barbara! And I can’t wait for you to see the book, either. I hope you love it.
I’ve been meaning to write a comment/review on this recipe forever! I made these last week for the fourth (or fifth?) time and they are quickly becoming a favorite. My boyfriend and I are not vegetarian but I’ve started using veggie blogs (especially yours!) as we cut down on the meat in our diets, eat healthier, and learn to make more fulling veggie meals and this is our absolutely favorite veggie taco recipe. I crave it every couple of weeks and my boyfriend enjoys it so much he’s already thinking of ways to riff off it with different vegetables. Much appreciated!
Very good! We added a dash of sriracha to the sauce (in addition to the chipotle), and garnished with cilantro and avocado. Tasty, and filling. I’d make these again.
Wonderful! Thanks, Kate.
We made these this week and they were fantastic. The lentil mixture made for a perfect taco filling texture, and the cauliflower complements that really well. Be sure and get a BIG head of cauliflower if you want enough for more than 6 tacos. I also loved the flavor of the chipotle mayo (this was my first time working with adobo sauce, and boy it won’t be my last). It didn’t require much prep work, just the need to allow for plenty of cooking time. So I’ll definitely be making these again in the future. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad, Haley! Thanks for all the pointers, they’ll be useful to other readers.
We had these last night exactly as written and they were a huge hit! I’m used to adjusting recipes to suit my taste but with Kate I’ve learned to trust that she’s got the details just right, perfectly balanced. The ingredients are minimal for the complex flavor/texture you end up with! So yummy!
I do recommend toasting corn tortillas on a preheated comal (or even an open flame, or cast iron skillet) until they get some charred spots for the best taco experience.
Thank you for upping the ante on all of our taco experiences, Eve! Toasting the tortillas over an open flame is brilliant. I’ll have to try that!
So yummy!
:)
My wife and I have been trying to mix in more vegetarian dishes into our diet, and your blog is one of my favorite places to try new recipes from! These tacos are one of my all-time favorites, and my wife (who is maybe-sorta-definitely a picky eater) says she likes these better than regular tacos! They keep well for leftovers, so my lunch the next day is always the best. I also need to lower my cholesterol, and these fit right into my diet. Thanks, Kate!
I’m so glad these fit the bill for the two of you, Shannon! All the best with reducing meat in your diet– the benefits are absolutely worth it. :)
My husband requests that I make this dish about once a week. Its a definite favorite in our household and one that we frequently make for guests as well. Thanks to this recipe, lentils are also a staple in our diets now! So tasty and filling! Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
You’re welcome, Karyn! I’m so glad the both of you enjoy it so much.
This recipe is awesome and has become a regular in our rotation. The lentils are so good that I make extra just for eating throughout the week. Thanks for continuing to inspire home chefs to cook vegetarian!
You’re welcome, Kelly! I’m glad you loved the tacos.
These tacos haunt my dreams. I’m not kidding. I’ve mentioned them to every. single. person. in my acquaintance who might be even remotely interested in trying them. They are near the top of my favorite things I’ve ever put in my mouth. My sons (2 & 6) won’t eat tacos in general, but devoured the cauliflower and lentils separately. All the elements are delicious but together they sing, and that chipotle sauce…!!!! You’re the Queen of Sauces, Kate. Thanks for another winner.
This comment made me smile! Thanks so much, Marta. I’m so glad these are such a hit with everyone who tries them. :)
Kate – I’m going to try making these tonight, they’ve been on my “to make” list for ages! Question – have you ever made your own tortillas for tacos? We had cauliflower tacos at a food truck on Chincoteague Island in VA and they were so good – I think about them all the time! This recipes looks very similar – but they used freshly made tortillas and I don’t live in an area where they are available. If I could figure out a way to make them (ie, convince my favorite food blogger to come up with a recipe), I think I might then love tacos even more than I already do. Love all your recipes – and congrats on the cookbook!
Oh my. These are delicious. A hit with my husband and 2 young girls. Will be making these again soon.
Great! Thanks, Donna!
Hi Kate,
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, but to keep the fat content down I’d like to substitute the mayo with Greek yogurt and avocado. Hopefully it still turns out well. Also, I noticed at the end of this recipe, in the “CATEGORIES” section, it’s labeled “egg-free”, however mayo is made with eggs, correct? Just thought I’d let you know.
Thank you for all the great recipes! I refer everyone to your site!
Melissa B.