A vegan rendition of the beloved taco bowl. Roasted chipotle cauliflower with black beans, fluffy cilantro rice, and a creamy tahini chipotle sauce for healthy comfort food to the max. Chopped tomatoes, creamy avocado, and spicy jalapeños make for a flavorful garnish to this already delicious taco bowl creation!
Packed with all the essentials for a healthy meal, these cauliflower taco bowls are perfect for any gluten-free + vegan eaters. Most of the ingredients can be prepped ahead of time too, making for a simple meal whenever the craving strikes!
For more healthy comfort food, check out these Healthy Loaded Nachos. Crisp tortilla chips loaded with spicy plant-based meat crumbles, shredded mexican cheese, cherry tomatoes, queso, guacamole, and sour cream for the ultimate loaded nacho experience.
Ingredients in Vegan Taco Bowls
Cauliflower – You’ll want small to medium-sized florets for this recipe. If the cauliflower florets are too big, they won’t get as browned! Part of the deliciousness with roasted cauliflower is the charred crisp yet soft texture that comes from proper roast time to floret size.
Sweet Onion – I prefer the flavor of sweet onion in these taco bowls but if you want more spice and bite, try using red or white onion instead.
Black Beans – It wouldn’t be a true chipotle bowl without beans! If you’re not a fan of black beans, you can sub for garbanzo or pinto beans.
White Rice – For fluffy and tender rice, I suggest using short-grain Japanese white rice.
Cilantro – If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can substitute it for another herb such as parsley, dill, or any combination of herbs that you enjoy!
Tahini – This creamy chipotle sauce is made with tahini as the base. I prefer Soom brand tahini for the ultimate smooth and creamy texture + high-quality flavor.
Chipotle in Adobo Sauce – This may not be a common kitchen ingredient but using canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce adds such great flavor to this recipe! 10/10 recommend finding some to really capture the chipotle flavor for these taco bowls.
How to Make Chipotle Cauliflower Taco Bowls
Chipotle Roasted Cauliflower:
- Preheat the oven to 400F and a baking tray with parchment paper.
- To a large mixing bowl add chopped cauliflower, diced onion, olive oil, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine and spread in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Move to the oven and bake at 400F for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and add your drained black beans, stir to combine, and return to the oven to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside.
Cilantro Rice:
- To a medium saute pan, add olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until onion becomes translucent and just starts to brown.
- Stir in cooked white rice and sprinkle with salt. Cook until heated through, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh cilantro. Set aside.
Creamy Chipotle Sauce:
- Add all ingredients for the sauce to a small food processor or immersion blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
Cauliflower Taco Bowl Assembly:
- Evenly distribute cilantro rice, chipotle roasted cauliflower & black beans, diced tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno slices between 3-4 bowls. Drizzle with creamy chipotle sauce and extra chopped cilantro. Serve immediately and enjoy!
What is Chipotle in Adobo Sauce?
While it may not be a common canned good in most kitchens, canned chipotle in adobo sauce is an absolute staple for authentic Mexican cuisine. It’s simply jalapeño chiles that are dried and smoked then packed into the cans with adobo sauce. And adobo sauce is simply put, a heavily spiced & flavored sauce made from a tomato base.
The result is the chipotle flavor we all know and love, slightly sweet and tangy with a smoky heat to it. Aka pure deliciousness to cook with!
Substitutions for Chipotle Taco Bowls
The great thing about “bowl” food is that the singular base ingredients can always change. Making for healthy, easy, and adaptable cooking – we love those types of recipes!
As I mentioned before, the black beans are super tasty in these bowls but could easily be left out entirely or subbed with pinto, kidney, or even garbanzo beans.
If you’d like something different than traditional white rice, you could use brown, forbidden, or even wild rice. Just be aware of the difference in cooking times + texture that each rice variety will have!
The final sub would be for my favorite ingredient, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you truly cannot get these peppers for the recipe, you can try substituting for 1/2 to 1 tsp of chipotle seasoning and taste as you go (add more if needed). I can’t guarantee anything though as I’m a firm believer in the actual peppers in adobo sauce all the way.
How to Store Chipotle Cauliflower Taco Bowls
Since these taco bowls are made from a handful of different ingredients/components, I always advise storing them separately! This keeps the individual flavors and textures fresh for each part of the bowl.
To reheat, I suggest putting the cauliflower & bean mixture back in the oven on broil for a few minutes to crisp it up. The rice can be heated in the microwave or in a stovetop skillet with some oil or broth to add moisture. For the sauce, either drizzle it on chilled to cool off the hot bowls or give it a 20-30 second heat up in the microwave as well!
If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you and it helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Chipotle Cauliflower Taco Bowls 🙂
Ingredients
Chipotle Cauliflower:
- 6 cups chopped cauliflower florets ~20oz
- 1 cup diced sweet onion ~1 small onion or half of a large
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1, 14 oz can black beans rinsed & drained
Cilantro Rice:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced sweet onion ~1 small onion or half of a large
- 2 cups cooked white rice I used short grain japanese rice
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro rough chopped
Creamy Chipotle Sauce:
- ⅓ cup tahini I used Soom tahini
- ¼ water plus more to thin if needed
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice ~1 lime
- Zest from 1 lime
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce from can
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro
- ½ tsp salt
Toppings:
- 1 tomato diced
- 1-2 avocados cubed
- 1 jalapeno cut into slices
- ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
Chipotle Roasted Cauliflower:
- Preheat the oven to 400F and a baking tray with parchment paper.
- To a large mixing bowl add chopped cauliflower, diced onion, olive oil, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine and spread in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Move to the oven and bake at 400F for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and add your drained black beans, stir to combine, and return to the oven to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside.
Cilantro Rice:
- To a medium saute pan, add olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until onion becomes translucent and just starts to brown.
- Stir in cooked white rice and sprinkle with salt. Cook until heated through, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh cilantro. Set aside.
Creamy Chipotle Sauce:
- Add all ingredients for the sauce to a small food processor or immersion blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
Cauliflower Taco Bowl Assembly:
- Evenly distribute cilantro rice, chipotle roasted cauliflower & black beans, diced tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno slices between 3-4 bowls. Drizzle with creamy chipotle sauce and extra chopped cilantro. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute brown rice for white rice if needed.
- I love Soom tahini or the Whole Foods brand of tahini for the best creamy texture and taste.
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this recipe was amazing! Eating vegetarian during lent has never been so yummy- added tofu to the bowl and taco seasoning and turned out great, good for leftovers too
Full of flavor! This is one of my new favorite recipes!
This was really good! I’m trying to add more vegetarian meals to my diet and I will definitely make this again. I didn’t have the chipotle in adobe or tahini but I substituted peanut butter/sesame oil for tahini and added a generous amount of chiptole powder. I look forward to making again with the correct ingredients!