Description
Ever since publishing this recipe in 2019, this Roasted Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Tacos recipe has earned its spot in over thousands of PWWB readers’ regular dinner rotation. Whether you’re a longtime vegan, new to a plant-based lifestyle, or you’re simply a meat eater looking to add a few more veggie-forward recipes into your meal plan, you’re in for such a treat!
What makes this recipe so special is how its components come together to create layers of flavor & texture that make for a particularly satisfying meal: spiced roasted veggies, hearty black beans, irresistibly creamy dairy-free crema, & smoky charred tortillas.
A few tips to keep in mind along the way…
- Roast the veggies on a large sheet pan. Giving the individual pieces a little breathing room allows steam to escape as they cook, resulting in perfectly tender-yet-crisp texture.
- For best results, blend the cashew crema in a high-speed blender until it’s totally smooth & creamy, which takes a good 45 seconds – 1 minute. Our preferred blender is linked below.
- Don’t skip charring your tortillas! All the how’s & why’s are detailed in the blog post, above, along an alternate method if you don’t have a gas stovetop.
As one of PWWB’s first ever recipes to “go viral,” this roasted veggie tacos recipe holds an extra special place in my taco-loving heart. I hope you love it just as much as we do. ♡
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (approx. 1 ½ pounds or 6 heaping cups florets)
- 1 large sweet potato, diced into ½-inch cubes (approx. 1 pound or 3 heaping cups diced)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- one 14-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 lime, juiced
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: charred corn tortillas, mashed avocado (1 medium avocado + juice of 1 lime) or guacamole, vegan sour cream cashew crema (below), pickled red onions, chopped fresh cilantro, cotija cheese or vegan cheese of choice, salsa of choice, lime wedges, etc.
for the chipotle cashew crema:
- ⅓ – ½ cup roasted unsalted cashews (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 chipotle pepper &/or 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup water
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean-up as desired. Gather & prep all ingredients according to Ingredients List, above (e.g. break down the cauliflower, dice the sweet potato, measure the spices, etc.).
- Season the cauliflower & sweet potatoes: Place the cauliflower florets & sweet potato in a large bowl or on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over top, then season with the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then arrange in a uniform layer on the baking sheet, giving the individual veggies plenty of breathing room to roast up nicely.
- Roast the cauliflower & sweet potatoes: Transfer the sheet pan to the preheated oven. Roast 30 minutes, giving the pan a good shake halfway through to promote even browning, or until the veggies are tender throughout & crispy at the edges. In the last 5 minutes of roasting, place the drained black beans on the sheet pan, allowing them to warm up as the veggies finish cooking. Remove from the oven. Squeeze the lime juice over the surface of the sheet pan & set aside.
- Prepare the cashew crema & other taco fixings: Meanwhile, as the veggies roast, prepare the cashew crema. Combine all listed ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth & creamy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender canister as needed. Transfer to a bowl & set aside, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (At my house, we like to enjoy these tacos with a simple smashed avocado (avocado + lime + salt) & charred tortillas (more notes on this in the Recipe Notes, below) – this is a great time to prepare both of these components as well.) [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="37695,37697"]
- Assemble & serve: Pile the roasted veggies & black beans into a tortilla, with smashed avocado & a good drizzle of cashew crema as desired. Finish with any other toppings of choice – cashew crema, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salsa – whatever your taco-lovin’ heart desires. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Cashews: If you cannot find roasted, unsalted cashews, feel free to use raw cashews for your cashew crema. The consistency of your cashew crema will depend on how much juice your lime yields, so feel free to adjust as needed to reach your desired consistency (i.e. blend in more cashews for a thicker sauce, stir in a little more water for a thinner sauce). If you do not have a high-speed blender, you may want to soak your cashews for 10-15 minutes in boiling-hot water, which helps them break down much more easily in a less powerful blender. More tips & tricks! ⇢ Easy Vegan Cashew Crema.
- Charred corn tortillas: To char corn tortillas on the stovetop, pop a tortilla directly over open flame on a gas burner. Once you see a little smoke coming off the tortilla, then continue to rotate it until it’s lightly charred. Continue until both sides of the tortillas are evenly charred. It’s very important not to over-do it as this will completely dry the tortillas out – just aim for a little color! Once it’s as charred as desired, transfer to a tortilla warmer or wrap it in a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out until you’re ready to serve.
- Storage & Reheating: Leftover roasted sweet potatoes & cauliflower will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for 3-5 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave until warmed through, or under the broiler for 3-4 minutes if you like a little extra crispy-char. Leftover chipotle cashew crema will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. Enjoy leftovers with more roasted veggie tacos, or use it as an all-purpose sauce for any other meals or salads.
- 15-Minute Meal Prep: One of our favorite things about this roasted cauliflower sweet potato tacos recipe is how easy it is to throw together – especially if you’ve done a little bit of meal prep ahead of time. By chopping the veggies in advance, you can jump right into cooking during the week – easy! Here’s what you’ll do…
- Roasted veggie prep: Chop the cauliflower & dice sweet potato according to the Ingredients List, above. Transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (10 minutes active prep)
- Prepare the chipotle cashew crema according to Step 4 of Recipe Directions, above. Transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (5 minutes active prep)