Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Dairy-free Ranch Drizzle

Easy vegan buffalo cauliflower tacos will bring a deliciously spicy, tangy twist into your Taco Tuesday rotation. They are made with roasted 4-ingredient buffalo cauliflower, crunchy veggie toppings, and finished with a drizzle of homemade dairy-free ranch sauce.

This recipe is egg free, soy free, dairy free, and gluten free (if used with gluten free tortillas).

Tacos are one of our family’s go-to dinner choices for weekend nights. I love the idea of wrapping delicious toppings in a warm tortilla, and drizzling them with a vibrantly flavored sauce.

While our family is partial to my vegan tofu tacos and soy curl fajitas, we also like to experiment with different flavor combinations.

I don’t know who first had the genius idea of putting buffalo cauliflower in tacos, but I’d definitely shake that person’s hand if I met them.

Buffalo cauliflower bites make a perfect taco filling thanks to their texture and size. Sprinkle them with crunchy vegetable toppings and drizzle some cool dairy-free ranch sauce on top, and your Taco Tuesdays or Cinco de Mayo will never be the same.

These vegan buffalo cauliflower tacos pack a serious flavor punch, yet they’re actually on the healthier side thanks to all the veggies.

Here’s what this recipe includes:

Ingredients of vegan buffalo cauliflower tacos

Roasted buffalo cauliflower. Vibrantly spicy, tangy buffalo cauliflower is the centerpiece of this recipe. My 4-ingredient gluten-free buffalo cauliflower works great both as a taco filling in this recipe, and as a standalone appetizer.

The ingredients of my vegan buffalo cauliflower are:

• Cauliflower florets
• Brown rice flour (naturally gluten-free)
• Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce
• Melted vegan butter OR neutral cooking oil OR aquafaba (for an oil-free version)
• Water

Vegan ranch drizzle. This topping sauce may sound fancy, but it’s actually very easy to make. I start with my easy dairy-free ranch dressing recipe (it takes less than 5 minutes to make). Then I add some unsweetened non-dairy milk to thin it out to a pourable consistency.

If you’d rather use dollops of ranch instead of drizzling it onto the tacos, feel free to skip adding more milk.

See the ingredients of my vegan ranch dressing over here.

Toppings. You can get pretty creative with toppings when making these tacos. Tip: keep things simpleso that to avoid overpowering the flavors of buffalo cauliflower and ranch dressing.

My go-to toppings for these vegan tacos:

• Ripe avocado, sliced or cubed
• Shredded cabbage (purple or green)
• Red onion, coarsely chopped
• Cilantro leaves

See more topping ideas over here.

Small tortillas or taco shells. I use 6-inch flour tortillas whenever I make these tacos. If you prefer corn tortillas, feel free to use those.

Not a fan of soft tacos? Use crunchy taco shells, either store-bought or homemade (here’s an easy recipe).

If you want your buffalo cauliflower tacos to be gluten-free, use gluten-free tortillas. Since all other components of these tacos are gluten-free, tortillas are the only thing you need to watch out for.

Store-bought corn tortillas are often made without gluten, but make sure to check the box before you buy those.

More topping ideas for buffalo cauliflower tacos

A few additional ideas for what you can use as toppings for these tacos:

• Store-bought coleslaw mix, used as is or tossed with dairy-free ranch
• Canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained (they’ll add more protein too)
• Guacamole (instead of chopped avocado)
• Vegan sour cream or unsweetened plain yogurt
• Cooked grains – quinoa, rice, etc.
• Sliced or diced bell peppers
• Sliced or diced jicama
• Sliced or julienned radishes
• Lettuce leaves, whole or shredded
• Other types of leafy greens – kale, arugula, etc.
• Thinly sliced scallions

Are vegan buffalo cauliflower tacos gluten free?

If you make these tacos exactly as my recipe shows below (i.e. using my buffalo cauliflower and dairy-free ranch recipes), these tacos will be gluten-free except for one ingredient – tortillas/taco shells.

However, there are plenty of gluten-free tortilla options on the market today. Most corn tortillas are gluten-free – make sure to check the ingredients though before you buy them.

If corn doesn’t work for you, make gluten-free tortillas at home! This recipe uses chickpea and tapioca flours, and this one uses all-purpose gluten-free flour.

How to make vegan buffalo cauliflower tacos

First, make roasted buffalo cauliflower bites.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash the cauliflower and trim off the leaves. Cut it into bite-sized florets.

Make a slurry for coating the cauliflower (step 1 in the photo below). Whisk together brown rice flour and water in a large mixing bowl. The mixture needs to look a bit thinner than regular pancake batter. If the batter looks too thick, add more water, 1-2 tablespoon at a time.

Toss the cauliflower pieces in the batter (step 2). Shake off the excess, and arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Make sure to leave room between the cauliflower pieces – if it looks too crowded, use an additional baking sheet (step 3).

Roast the breaded cauliflower until the cauliflower pieces look mostly dry, about 20 minutes (step 4).

Meanwhile, make the buffalo sauce: whisk Frank’s Red Hot Sauce with melted vegan butter OR neutral cooking oil OR aquafaba (use the latter for an oil-free option). Set aside.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven and add it into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the buffalo sauce, toss gently to combine.

Return the cauliflower onto the same baking sheet. Roast another 10-15 min, or until the cauliflower looks dry with crispy edges (step 5). Remove from the oven.

While the cauliflower is roasting, make the ranch drizzle sauce.

Use my easy dairy-free ranch recipe (or your favorite vegan ranch recipe) to make the ranch sauce. Add 2-3 Tbsp of non-dairy milk to thin out the sauce for drizzling.

(Or skip the milk if you want to keep your ranch thicker and use it in dollops.)

Assemble the vegan buffalo cauliflower tacos (step 6).

Put a few pieces of the roasted buffalo cauliflower onto a warmed tortilla or taco shell. Add avocado slices, shredded cabbage, chopped red onion, and cilantro.

Top with the dairy-free ranch drizzle to taste. Serve with additional ranch drizzle (you’ll have plenty left over) on the side.

How to store buffalo cauliflower tacos

I highly recommend storing all components of these vegan cauliflower tacos separately. Roasted buffalo cauliflower and dairy-free ranch sauce will keep well stored in the fridge in airtight containers for 2-3 days.

Taco toppings can also be stored in the fridge, but for best results I suggest prepping veggie toppings fresh just before you serve the tacos. (Day-old browned avocado bits aren’t that pretty on tacos.)

The same goes for soft taco shells. Keep soft tortillas refrigerated, then warm them up just before serving.

More Tex-Mex-inspired vegan recipes from the blog:

Vegan tofu tacos with fajita vegetables

Soy curl fajita filling with peppers and onions

Vegan enchiladas with potato and veggie filling

Veggie-loaded vegan quesadillas

Spicy chipotle coleslaw with creamy chipotle dressing

I hope you enjoy this vegan buffalo cauliflower tacos recipe as much as we do in my family!

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