When you want meatless tacos, try these roasted cauliflower tacos made in the air fryer, topped with Peruvian green sauce and pickled red onions.
Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
I have tons of air fryer recipes but needed a quick vegetarian taco to add to the list. These easy Roasted Cauliflower Tacos are a tasty vegetarian taco option made in the air fryer, my favorite appliance. I topped them with Peruvian green sauce, pickled onions, sour cream, and cilantro. More taco recipes you might like, Tzatziki Fish Tacos, Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos, and Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos.
How to Make Pickled Onions
If you’ve never made pickled onions, they are easier to make than you might think. You can use raw onion in the tacos if you don’t want to pickle them, but I encourage you not to skip this step – they’re so good! Plus, pickled onions will last in your refrigerator for at least two weeks, which means you can add them to salads, burgers, rice bowls, and much more.
- In a small saucepan, heat apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until it boils and the sugar dissolves.
- Pour the hot liquid over the onions and bay leaves in a heat-safe bowl.
- Let cool, transfer to a glass jar, and refrigerate overnight.
How to Air Fry Cauliflower
The air fryer (affil link) is a quick and easy way to make crispy cauliflower.
- Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and season with Tajin, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil (make sure it’s a spray that’s “propellant- free” – I like Bertolli’s) and add the cauliflower.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway.
If you don’t have an air fryer, roast your cauliflower in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Variations:
- If you don’t have Tajin, substitute it with chili powder.
- Add avocado or red cabbage for an extra veggie.
- Omit the sour cream for vegan tacos.
- If you don’t want to make Peruvian green sauce, use a store-bought salsa verde instead.
- Use corn tortillas for gluten-free tacos.
- Swap the tortilla for a lettuce wrap to make low-carb tacos.
More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love:
- Air Fryer Lobster Jalapeño Empanadas
- Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich with Sriracha Mayo
- Shrimp Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Skins
- Chicken Chimichangas
Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Tajin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 street taco size tortillas, I used Mr Tortilla low carb
- pickled red onions, for topping (see below)
- 6 tablespoons Peruvian Green Sauce, for topping
- sour cream, optional
- cilantro, for garnish
Pickled Red Onions
- 1 red onion, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar or maple
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the cauliflower, olive oil, Tajin, smoked paprika and salt.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil and add the cauliflower, cook 400F 12 to 15 minutes until browned and tender, shaking the basket halfway.
For the pickled red onions
- In a small saucepan heat the vinegar, water, sugar and salt until it boils and the sugar dissolves.
- Transfer onions to a heat safe bowl with the bay leaves and pour liquid over the onions.
- Set aside to cool then transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate overnight.
Can you give measurements for the onions? How much vinegar and sugar?
Ingredient list for the picked onions is under the ingredients for the tacos. 🙂
June 29, 2022
Hi Gina,
I have an oven-style counter top airfryer I got from Pampered Chef last year, and wanted to know if this would work in it.
Thanks 🙂
I LOVED these tacos. Honestly, I was a little skeptical of a cauliflower taco but had cauliflower in the fridge and green sauce left over from another recipe so it was meant to be. Not only was the flavor and texture amazing but three tacos were super filling. I used Mission Carb Balance street tacos and they worked well. I also added red cabbage for a little extra ump. Pickled onions are a must with this dish.
Delicious,all the famille enjoyed IT.!
Will regular granulated sugar work instead of cane sugar?
Loved this dish. How many points for
The pickled onions by themselves? Trying to account for putting them in a rice bowl.
This recipe was delicious!! I was a little skeptical at first but I really think the Peruvian green sauce brought it all together. So delicious and I will definitely be making this again!
So glad!!
Great meal option for vegetarians 🙂 would love to prepare it, thanks.
Where do you get those tortillas?
Walmart and Amazon carry them.
So easy, so good. We will make this again and again. That green sauce is AWESOME!!
Delicious! Loved the pickled onions and the Peruvian Green Sauce. Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Soooooo so good! 😋 Don’t sleep on the Peruvian sauce it is 🔥
Agree!!!
This recipe worried me. Cauliflower as an entree? But I’m trying new recipes rn so I went ahead. I broiled the cauliflower in the oven. It was beautiful. Not much protein so I added a bean salad. Beautiful to look at and amazing flavor. Looking forward to tomorrow and lunch leftovers.
These cauliflower tacos are AMAZING!!!! While eating, I literally kept saying “wow”. Lol. All of the textures, flavors & colors are a wonderful combination. My Peruvian green sauce had more kick than expected but the sour cream tamed it, while still getting all that flavor. Can’t go w/out the pickled red onion. They are delicious in salads as suggested & I won’t be caught without them now. Lol Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
How many calories is it for just the cauliflower?
Delicious! The Peruvian green sauce is amazing.
Can’t wait to make these again!
Thank you!
What is Tajin?
A chile spice (Tajin is the brand name)
I thought at one point I read on your site a recommendation for which air fryer to purchase but I can’t find it again, do you have one you could recommend?
Delicious! A great addition to Taco Night. I made the Aji sauce too. Great combo with pickled onions. Thank you!!