Air fryer cauliflower chickpea tacos are a fresh, flavorful, and healthy dinner to get on your table quickly. Vegan, clean eating and easily made gluten-free.
The air fryer just might be tied with our Instant Pot as 'most loved' and 'most used' appliance of 2018.
While we initially bought the air fryer to make crispy, delicious 'fried' food, we have quickly realized it has some other perks: no need to heat up the oven (it also pre-heats a heck of a lot faster than the oven), cooks food quickly, and makes food taste deeeelish.
In the case of these air fryer cauliflower chickpea tacos, the cauliflower and chickpeas don't get crispy per se (for truly crispy chickpeas check out these Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas), but they do get that delicious, nutty roasted flavor that you get from the oven, just a whole lot faster!
Not only are these cauliflower chickpeas fast to prep, but they are vegan too! Perfect for if you want to combine Meatless Monday with Taco Tuesday 😉
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How to make them
You know when it comes to dinner, I try to make things as easy as possible, and for this recipe, all you need to do is:
- Toss the chickpeas and cauliflower in some olive oil and taco seasoning. You can use store-bought taco seasoning or make your own.
- Transfer them to the basket of your air fryer (this is the air fryer model I have), and cook for 20 minutes.
- Shake the basket a few times during cooking and keep an eye at the end so you get that perfect 'browned but not burnt' cauliflower
- Serve with fresh cabbage and avocado, and drizzle with coconut yogurt (for vegan) or regular yogurt (for vegetarian).
Ta da! That's it. Could it be any easier? I think not.
Can I prep the taco filling ahead? Yes! You can store the taco filling before or after cooking for 2-3 days. When you are ready to cook, simply toss it all back up, then into the basket. If you have already cooked the filling, it will reheat quickly (check at 5 minutes), and if you haven't already cooked it, follow the cook time on the recipe card.
Can I make these gluten-free/paleo/low carb? For sure! To make them GF, make sure you use corn tortillas. For paleo, swap the chickpeas for extra cauliflower, and use a paleo-friendly tortilla like Siete. For low carb you may have to go the extra mile and make your own low carb tortillas (unless you know of some good low carb tortilla brands, in which case, please let me know which ones!)
Can I make these in the oven? Yes! You can follow the same prep directions, then bake at 425°F for 20-30 minutes.
Recipe tips
- This is the air fryer model I have
- you can use one of these seven seasoning blends to add different flavors to the chickpeas
- Looking for more air fryer recipes? Check out these Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Tots, these Thai Salmon Patties, or this post on How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Air Fryer Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower florets cut into bite-sized pieces
- 19 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
To serve
- 8 small tortillas
- 2 avocados sliced
- 4 cups cabbage shredded
- coconut yogurt to drizzle
Instructions
- Pre-heat air fryer to 390°F/ 200°C.
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and chickpeas with the olive oil and taco seasoning.
- Dump everything into the basket of your air fryer.
- Cook in the air fryer, shaking the basket occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Cauliflower will be golden but not burnt.
- Serve in tacos with avocado slices, cabbage and coconut yogurt (or regular yogurt).
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Nutrition Information
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Julia says
This was awesome. My 17 year old daughter has been vegan for almost 2 years now and I like running across creative and easy recipes to prepare for her so she can eat similar meals so it was delicious taco night for everyone! Even her meat loving father tried some and said it tasted good. I added hominy and broccoli to the cauliflower and chick peas which worked out great. I didn’t have everything to put on it to serve so I made her favorite salsa to go on top so she didn’t miss the yogurt. I think this is my new favorite taco and I may just join her for these vegan tacos instead of meat ones that I make for the rest of the family.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Julia, awe so glad to hear! That sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing your swaps, and for taking the time to come back to leave a rating and review! ps. Many more vegan recipes here on the blog for your daughter! Have you tried our vegan bolognese recipe? It's so good!
April says
I’m new to this “air fryer world”, but loving it! Can I use frozen cauliflower instead of fresh?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi April, well you're in the right place, because we have so many Air Fryer recipes and tips to share! You should be fine to use frozen cauliflower instead of fresh. See this post on the best frozen foods to cook in the air fryer for tips. You might also find this post on common air fryer mistakes to be helpful! Enjoy, and be sure to come back and leave a rating and review after you've tried this recipe! We'd love to know how it turns out.
Christian says
This was the best meal of my entire life. Thank you. So much.
Denise Bustard says
Whoa! That's incredible to hear, Christian (and sorry for my late reply!). Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Sandra says
So delish! Loved these, thanks for the recipe!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sandra! Yay, I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the tacos! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review 🙂
Erin says
I love this recipe! Super easy and tasty. I personally recommend using some Bitchin’ Sauce (which is vegan) in place of the coconut yogurt. Adds a good flavor/kick to these, I like the chipotle flavor the best but the cilantro one is delicious too.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Erin! So happy to hear you've enjoyed this recipe. I have to find Bitchin' Sauce! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Amber says
Not my favorite to be honest! I usually make chickpea tacos by sautéing them in a pan with some water and taco seasoning which turns out great. In the air fryer I feel like they got super dried out, but I did enjoy the combo of the cauliflower and chickpeas. The flavor of the taco seasoning kinda got lost though.
Denise says
Sorry you didn't enjoy!
Brandie says
Absolutely fantastic!
Denise says
So happy to hear this! Thanks for reporting back, Brandie!
Yasmin says
In love! Thank You so much Denise.
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed, Yasmin! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a review.
Tori says
My Fiance and I recently went vegan and we are loving it! I am excited to try this recipe! Thank you, seems very simple and delish!
Denise says
I hope you enjoyed it!
Jaye says
What brand of coconut yogurt would you recommend?
Denise says
Hi Jaye! Silk and Yoso are both good!
friteuse vergelijken says
What a delicious recipes you always put on your website. Do you really make them all yourself?
Denise says
Thank you so much! I do test, photograph and write all the recipes and posts on this site.
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
I think I need to just bite the bullet and buy myself an air fryer! Looks like a delicious plant-based meal 🙂
Denise says
We LOVE our air fryer! Thank you!