Vegan Cauliflower Tacos with Refried Beans

Vegan cauliflower tacos filled with winter vegetables like swiss chard and pickled red onions. Healthy refried beans make up the base here and you won’t miss the summery toppings usually served with tacos for this seasonal version.

Hiding under all that roasted cauliflower is refried black beans, because a taco isn’t a taco without refried beans. There are a lot of vegan cauliflower tacos out there, I know, but most of them seem to be doused in hot sauce (not my thing) so I’ve gone for lots of spices and pickled onions for acidity. Instead of out of season veggies like red pepper, a little seasoned swiss chard does the trick and keeps everything local – I promise that despite lacking stereotypical taco fillings, these will totally satisfy a taco craving. I was a little hesitant before I tried them but I’ll be making them until cauliflower disappears in April.

I used my spelt tortillas for these and altogether, including the tortillas, it took be about an hour from start to finish. I cut the cauliflower while I was frying the tortillas and did some multitasking and it came together pretty well. If you buy tortillas it’s super quick, with mostly down time waiting for the cauli to roast. If you remember, try to make the onions a day ahead to get the prettiest colour – if not, I made them about an hour before photographing but I stuck the jar on the radiator to give them a little heat to pickle faster and it worked like a charm.

Everything here should still be good the next day if you’re a leftover lover. I had a little trouble with my swiss chard but it’s usually fine; I think it got too cold in the back of the fridge. For lunch today I was out of refried beans so I stuck the leftover cauliflower in a tortilla with some sweet potato hummus, pickled onions, and a fried egg. NOT BAD. The refried beans were better though.

I know it looks like a lot when you look through the recipe, but it’s mostly spices, so don’t be put off. It’s not very much active time and then you get tacos!

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Cauliflower Tacos with Refried Beans

Vegan cauliflower tacos filled with winter vegetables like swiss chard and pickled red onions. Healthy refried beans make up the base here and you won't miss the summery toppings usually served with tacos for this seasonal version.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword cauliflower, vegan tacos

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Roasted Cauliflower

• 700 grams / 1 medium head cauliflower small florets
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste

Pickled Onions

• 2 small red onion thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut sugar
• Juice of half a lemon ~3 tablespoons

Refried Beans

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 300 grams / 2 cups cooked black beans
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 100 grams / 1/2 cup diced tomatoes canned
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream optional

Swiss Chard

• 1 bunch swiss chard
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Roasted Cauliflower

1. Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F. Place the cauliflower florets onto a large baking sheet and mix with the oil and spices. Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and browned in places.

Pickled Onions

1. Add all of the ingredients to a jar and shake. Let it sit, shaking occasionally, for at least an hour before serving. Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Refried Beans

1. In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the onions for a couple of minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the beans and spices, cook for another minute, then stir in the apple cider vinegar and diced tomatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the bean mixture until a rough paste forms, then stir in the coconut cream. Add additional seasoning if needed.

Swiss Chard

1. Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and use your hands to mix until the chard is slightly softened. To serve, layer the refried beans, chard, cauliflower, and onions in a batch of spelt tortillas and serve hot. 

Notes

• The coconut cream is my secret to making refried beans creamy without adding cheese, or fake cheese. You can't taste the coconut.
• The refried beans can stay in the pan with the lid on if you finish them early, it's fine sitting for a while.