Grilled Mexican Street Cauliflower Bites
This post may contain affiliate links. Click for full disclosures.
These easy Grilled Mexican Street Cauliflower Bites will take your taco nights up a notch by taking them out to the grill!
Okay, you already know we LOVE Mexican food around here, but you probably don't know I really love GRILLING and all things BBQ too! I grew up in Texas, so I feel like some good southern BBQ is in my veins. Do not get me started when someone says they are having a BBQ, and they serve hot dogs. That is NOT BBQ! Granted, hot dogs have their place on the grill, but maybe just not when you say you are BBQing.
Ingredients in Mexican Street Cauliflower Bites
Obviously, the original recipe is made with corn, which, if you can tolerate corn, by all means, give this a recipe a try with corn. I've switched out the corn for cauliflower in this recipe because I don't eat corn anymore. When I did eat corn, though, Mexican street corn was one of my favorites. I just decided to have some fun and switch things up so we can all enjoy the big, bold flavors we love.
-
- Cauliflower
- Avocado Oil
- Mayo
- Sour Cream
- Lime Juice
- Cotija Cheese
- Cilantro
- Spices
REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER FOR FREE AND RECEIVE WEEKLY RECIPE NOTIFICATIONS AND SUBSCRIBER ONLY BONUSES.
YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW GRAIN FREE TABLE ON PINTEREST TO MAKE IT EASY TO SAVE YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES!
How to Make Mexican Street Cauliflower Bites
- Par-cook the cauliflower.
- Mix the crema sauce and the spice mixtures.
- Grill the cauliflower.
- Coat the cauliflower in the crema sauce and spices.
- Dust with the cotija cheese and cilantro, and enjoy!
Making it Dairy-free
This recipe can be made dairy-free by subbing out the sour cream in the crema sauce for a non-dairy alternative and leaving off the cotija cheese.
Why do I par-cook the cauliflower?
What I mean by par-cooking the cauliflower is to boil the pieces of cauliflower for about 5 minutes. I do this because if you've ever grilled cauliflower or potatoes, for that matter, they tend to take a LONG time to cook on the grill. They will often brown more on the outside, and the center of pieces can be left almost raw. Since we use cauliflower pieces that tend to be thicker than cauliflower steaks, this little extra step makes sure we are getting what we want out of the cauliflower.
Grilling vs. Cooking it Inside
Traditionally Mexican street corn is grilled, and with this cauliflower version, I prefer it. However, you can easily move this recipe to the kitchen. I still like to par-cook the cauliflower because it ensures that the inside of the pieces are tender while the outside gets crisp.
More Taco Tuesday Fun
Melt in Your Mouth Pork Carnitas
Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Grilled Mexican Street Cauliflower Bites
Ingredients
- 1 Head Cauliflower
- 2 TBS Avocado Oil
- ¼ C Mayo
- ¼ C Sour Cream
- 2 TBS Lime Juice
- 1 TSP Chili Powder
- ½ TSP Salt
- ½ TSP Paprika
- ½ TSP Garlic Powder
- ½ C Crumbled Cotija Cheese
- ½ C Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
- Cut the head of cauliflower into pieces. I like to make them about 1-inch pieces.
- On the stove, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the cauliflower pieces and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cauliflower pieces from the water and place them onto a paper towel to dry them off.
- Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. You can do this in a grill pan on the stove as well. If you want to crisp the cauliflower in the oven preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Toss the cauliflower pieces in the avocado oil.
- Grill the cauliflower pieces about 8-10 minutes per side until they are starting to char and caramelize. If you are cooking them in the oven, place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and cook 20-25 minutes, flipping as needed.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and lime juice together and place the spices in a separate bow
- When the cauliflower is done, toss it in the sauce mixture and sprinkle with the spices
- Top with crumbled cotija cheese and fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.