Vegetable Tacos Recipe | Joyful Healthy Eats

These smokey vegetable tacos with tangy cilantro lime crema served on toasted corn tortillas make any taco night better. Topped with creamy avocado and crunchy red cabbage for the perfect bite.

Get ready to elevate your taco game with these roasted 5-vegetable tacos! They’re bursting with bold flavors from a spice blend of cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, spicy chili powder, and herby coriander. With the oven handling most of the work, this recipe is as effortless as it is comforting and filling. Paired with your favorite garnishes like sliced avocado and crisp cabbage, they’re perfect for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. Drizzled with silky yogurt-cilantro lime crema, they’ll be making repeat appearances on your dinner table!

Why I Love These Veggie Tacos

These spicy vegetable tacos with homemade cilantro lime crema are an easy, 45-minute solution to bringing taco Tuesdays home.

• Vegetarian. This recipe won’t have you trying to figure out what to make for dinner when you’re expecting vegetarian friends over.
• Versatile. You can add chickpeas, make them extra spicy with jalapeños, or use leftover sweet potatoes.
• Effortless. Toss the veggies with seasonings, roast them, and assemble the tacos. That’s it!

What You’ll Need

Here’s the ingredient list for these hearty vegetable tacos as well as some useful substitutes in case you need them. You can find exact ingredient amounts and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

For the Veggies

• Red bell pepper – Any color of bell pepper works for this.
• Red onion – Feel free to use white or yellow onions instead.
• Baby portobello mushrooms – Cremini and white button mushrooms are fine as well.
• Sweet potatoes – The pieces should be cut into the same size so they cook evenly.
• Cauliflower florets – Try to remove thick stems.
• Garlic powder – You can also use onion powder.
• Ground cumin – Skip it if you’re not a fan of its smokiness or swap it for 2 teaspoons taco seasoning.
• Smoked paprika – If you use sweet paprika, add an extra teaspoon of ground cumin or 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke to the recipe.
• Dried coriander – Reduce the amount by half if you use ground coriander.
• Chili powder – Cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes are good swaps.
• Salt – Kosher salt is best.
• Ground cinnamon – It rounds out the flavors but you can also use ground nutmeg.
• Olive oil – Go for vegetable, corn, or canola oil if you prefer.

Cilantro Lime Crema

• Plain Greek yogurt – Make sure it’s unsweetened.
• Fresh cilantro – Remove any yellow leaves to make sure the sauce doesn’t taste bitter.
• Garlic – You can use fresh garlic or garlic paste.
• Red wine vinegar – Apple cider vinegar is a great substitute.
• Lime juice – Lemon juice works too.
• Red pepper flakes – Leave it out if you don’t like spicy crema.

For the Tacos

• Corn tortillas – Use regular or street taco-sized (small) ones.
• Avocados – It can be sliced or diced.
• Red cabbage – Feel free to use green cabbage or shredded lettuce instead.

How to Make Vegetable Tacos

This is a quick breakdown of how to make these garlicky veggie tacos. You’ll be glad that the oven does most of the work for you. For more detailed instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Make the crema. Add all the cilantro lime crema ingredients to the food processor. Blend until completely smooth. Set it aside.
• Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Season the veggies. Toss the red pepper, onion, mushrooms, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, chili powder, salt, cinnamon, and olive oil in a large bowl until completely coated.
• Roast them. Spread out the seasoned veggies on the prepared baking sheet. Pop it into the oven for 20 minutes, stir with a wooden spoon, and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Set it aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Assemble the tacos. Heat the tortillas in a pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes per side or until warm and bendy. Add 3-4 tablespoons of roasted veggies to each one. Garnish with avocado, red cabbage, and cilantro lime crema. Enjoy!

Tips and Variation Ideas

You can get creative with this homemade vegetable tacos recipe if you add tender beans, sour cream, or even leftover veggies! Here are a couple tips and variation ideas to make your weeknights more flavorful:

• Make them spicy. Finely chop up 1/4-1/2 fresh jalapeño or serrano chili. Mix it with the veggies before roasting them for a kick of heat.
• More toppings. Top the tacos with sour cream, hot sauce, or crumbled queso fresco for more flavor and texture.
• Go Tex-Mex. Add 1 cup sweet corn and 1 cup black beans (drained) to the veggie mixture for a simple Tex-Mex twist.
• Add legumes. Stir 1 cup canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained), cooked lentils, black beans, or lima beans with the veggies for an extra hearty bite.
• Make burritos. Swap the corn tortillas for flour ones and spread them with 1/4 cup refried beans. Add the roasted veggies and garnish as usual. Roll them up and enjoy.
• Use leftovers. Chop up Roasted Cauliflower with Smoky Maple Spice Rub or Grilled Sweet Potatoes. Fold it into the veggies once they’ve been roasted.
• Bake in batches. If the seasoned veggies are too crowded in the baking sheet, divide them. Use two baking sheets. That way everything roasts evenly and you’re not left with under-cooked veggies here and there.

Serving Suggestions

These vegetable tacos are an easy weeknight dinner. Enjoy them on their own or with Guacamole and tortilla chips on the side. My Mexican Street Corn Dip, Pico de Gallo, and Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites) are other great sides. Refried beans too! Don’t forget to top the tacos with your favorite salsa like my Homemade Salsa, Roasted Tomato Salsa, or Avocado Salsa Verde.

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