I need no other tacos right now. None. These bang bang cauliflower tacos are all I want.
I have a lot of favorites, but this one has quickly claimed the top spot.
After making the sweet and spicy roasted cauliflower, I couldn’t stop thinking about another version. We’ve always loved bang bang shrimp and a lighter bang bang shrimp recipe inspired me to try the flavor with cauliflower. The result is vibrant, crunchy, and addictively saucy.
The bang bang sauce is ridiculously simple — mayo (yes, a little richness goes a long way), sweet chili sauce, and a spicier chili-garlic sauce. It’s only three ingredients but delivers a balanced, tangy-sweet-heat profile that you’ll want to drizzle on everything. I doubled the sauce in this recipe so you have extra to spoon over the tacos.
For the best texture, make a light, bubbly batter and pan-fry the cauliflower until it gets an airy, tempura-like coating. It’s worth the bit of extra effort: the crispy batter holds up beautifully when tossed in sauce and keeps the tacos from getting soggy. If you’re short on time, roasting the cauliflower works too — the sauce still tastes great, though you’ll miss that ultra-crisp bite.
These tacos are a little high-maintenance only if you opt for frying, but even then it’s pan-frying — not deep-frying — so it’s manageable. The contrast of crisp cauliflower, creamy-spicy sauce, and bright cabbage-lime slaw makes for an exceptional taco experience.
If you want to keep things simple, roast the florets and toss them with the sauce. It’s an easy weeknight option that still delivers great flavor.
Is there really any question about what taco to make this week?
Watch the video of how I make bang bang cauliflower tacos:
Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos
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Ingredients
Slaw
- 2 cups chopped napa cabbage
- 1/2 cup chopped red cabbage
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime, juiced
Cauliflower
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup club soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Bang Bang Sauce & Tacos
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
- 8 4-inch flour or corn tortillas, warmed
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Slaw
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In a bowl, toss together both kinds of cabbage and the cilantro. Toss with the lime juice and set aside.
Cauliflower
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and line a baking sheet with paper towels.
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Chop the cauliflower into florets with short stems so they cook evenly. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, club soda, salt and pepper to make a light batter.
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Add the canola oil to the hot skillet. Dip each floret in the batter to coat, then place in the oil and cook until the batter is light golden and crisp. Work in batches and avoid overcrowding. Transfer cooked florets to the paper towel-lined baking sheet.
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To make the sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and chili garlic sauce. Reserve half the sauce for drizzling. Gently toss the crispy cauliflower in the remaining sauce and top with chopped chives.
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Assemble the tacos by placing a scoop of cabbage slaw in the center of a warmed tortilla, topping with cauliflower, drizzling extra sauce, and finishing with a squeeze of lime.
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Honestly, this is the best thing to come out of my kitchen in weeks.