These Epic Pumpkin Tacos are loaded with the best of fall flavors!
IT’S HERE – The 2017 Virtual Pumpkin Party!!! This year I’m bringing these epic pumpkin tacos to the party, but in 2016 I made chipotle pumpkin hummus, and in 2015 I made vegan pumpkin gnocchi. However, I think this year’s recipe is my best one yet.
I won’t talk your ear off about these tacos, but I just wanted to say, from the bottom of my heart (and before everything gets hectic during the holiday season), that whoever you are, wherever you are, reading this blog – I wish you true peace, happiness, and joy in your lives. I’ll see you later this week with another recipe :)
OH! P.S. – I’m going to Disney World with my family in March (!!!!!), and I’m wondering if y’all would like to see some foodie highlights from the parks? (i.e. Dole Whip, Mickey bars, The Grey Stuff (it’s delicious!), and other treats from the World Showcase). Maybe a copycat recipe? Let me know in the comments :)
Epic Pumpkin Tacos
Ingredients
Roasted Pumpkin
- 1 Sugar Pumpkin about 4 cups when broken down
- Glug Olive Oil or Neutral Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- Black Pepper to taste
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- Pinch Cayenne optional
Avocado Crema
- 1 Avocado pitted
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Water or more to thin
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro or sub parsley
- 1/2 Jalapeño ribs and seeds removed
- Juice from 1 Lime
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- Black Pepper to Taste
Tangy Purple Cabbage Slaw
- 1 Cup Purple Cabbage very thinly sliced
- Juice from 1 Lime
- 2 Tsp Maple Syrup
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
The Rest of the Tacos
- Corn or Wheat Tortillas
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Pomegranate Arils
- Diced Jalapeño
- Sprouts
Other Possible Toppings
- Any type of salsa you like
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
Instructions
Roasted Pumpkin
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Take your sugar pumpkin and break it down. This is how I did it - I cut off the top, then scooped out the seeds and goo (I reserved the seeds for roasting.) Then, I cut the bottom off the pumpkin, and cut the remaining part into quarters. I used a veggie peeler to remove the skin (it is not edible). Then, I took the cleaned and skinned pumpkin "meat" and chopped it into inch-ish sized cubes. The final yield should be about 4 cups.
- Toss the pumpkin cubes with the oil, salt, and spices.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until tender but still firm.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, make the avocado crema and cabbage slaw.
Avocado Crema
- Take all of the avocado crema ingredients and blend in a blender until smooth and creamy. Add more water to thin if necessary (however, too much water will dilute the taste.)
- Taste and adjust seasonings - i.e. add more salt or pepper.
Tangy Cabbage Slaw
- In a bowl, mix together the lime juice, salt, and maple syrup.
- Marinate the thinly sliced cabbage in the mixture while the pumpkin is roasting in the oven.
- Make sure you "drain" the cabbage from the marinade before adding to the tacos!
Putting It All Together
- Everyone loads up their tacos differently, but this recipe should yield about 4-6 tacos (or two per person).
- Take your corn tortillas and fill them with the roasted pumpkin and tangy cabbage slaw. Drizzle everything with the avocado crema. (You may have some left over in the end. It's delicious as a salad dressing!)
- Add whatever toppings you like. I used roasted pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, diced jalapeño, cliantro, and sprouts, but you can use whatever you like. Roasted pumpkin is a blank canvas - it'll go with almost everything!
- Enjoy!
51 Comments
Sophie | The Green Life
October 23, 2017 at 10:40 amThese tacos look SO GOOD, Sarah! And I love these photos too. The colours are just beautiful. <3 <3
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 2:12 pmThank you so much Sophie!! :) <3
Jessie Snyder
October 23, 2017 at 12:01 pmYUM Sarah! I love this idea of little pumpkin pieces in a taco. And Disney World – eeee! We are huge disney people too, actually going to D-Land here in two days. It really is the most magical place on earth, yeah? Hugs sweet girl.
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 2:13 pmOh no way!!! I’ve never been to Disneyland, but I’ve always wanted to go because it was the original Disney park. I hope you have the best time!!! <3
Milena | Craft Beering
October 23, 2017 at 12:05 pmSarah, these look gorgeous. Cannot say that I have had pumpkin tacos before, your recipe seems the perfect way to rectify this! Pinned.
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 2:13 pmThank you so much, Milena! :) I had never had pumpkin tacos before developing this recipe, but they’re really good! Much like sweet potato tacos! :D
Sara @ Cake Over Steak
October 23, 2017 at 1:08 pmI LOVE a veggie taco and these look soooooo incredible. Thanks for joining in!
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 2:14 pmThanks so much Sara, and thank you again for hosting!! :)
Katya
October 23, 2017 at 2:23 pmPumpkins are possibly my most favourite vegetable (fruit?…) EVER. Nothing even comes close to pumpkins and my love affair with them would be perfect if there wasn’t one small thing: how to get inside the bloody thing. So my method is to chop the pumpkin in half – or into quarters, depends on the size – roast it until it gets kinda tender but not mushy and then peel it and chop it into bits. I highly recommend it :)
Your tacos look divine :) It never occurred to me to put pumpkin into a taco but this year I maybe will.
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 5:24 pmOhhh that’s an interesting technique… It sounds a heck of a lot easier than what I did lol. But that way you wouldn’t be able to roast the pumpkin with the olive oil and spices :/ I wonder if you could roast the pumpkin your way, then maybe fry the pieces up in a pan with the oil and spices? If you try these using the full-pumpkin-roast method, please let me know how it turns out!! :)
Katya
October 31, 2017 at 8:23 amOh sorry, I’ve never noticed your reply!
So here’s what I do with my pumpkin if I want them roasted: take them out of the oven when they’re still a bit hard. You know, not yet fork-tender. Wait until it’s cooled down a bit, then peel, cut into bits, then finally toss the pieces in spices and oil/olive and – you guessed it – put it on a hot frying pan with no added olive. Ta-dam :)
Sarah
October 31, 2017 at 8:52 pmNo worries :) That’s a genius way to make pumpkin, and I’ll have to try it out next time I make these!! To be honest, I’ve only made pumpkin a handful of times (and most of them were in the development of this recipe lol). So I really appreciate the tips and feedback! :)
Jeanine
October 23, 2017 at 3:26 pmOoh, these look gorgeous – I bet they’re so so yummy!
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 4:52 pmHey Jeanine! Thank you so much for your sweet note :)
Tessa | Salted Plains
October 23, 2017 at 5:37 pmSo vibrant and beautiful! I cannot wait to make these!! <3
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 9:10 pmAww thanks Tessa! Hugs! :)
annie@ciaochowbambina
October 23, 2017 at 7:20 pmSo beautiful and delicious! Doesn’t get any better than that!
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 9:12 pmAww thank you Annie <3 <3
kate | tasty seasons
October 23, 2017 at 8:43 pmthese tacos are gorgeous! i love all the colors and textures – i bet they taste amazing! i have a sugar pumpkin sitting on my counter that i wasn’t sure what to do with… i think i’ve found my answer! :-)
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 9:16 pmThank you so much, Kate! If you make these tacos (or some variation thereof) please let me know how you like them!! :D
Wendy
October 23, 2017 at 11:12 pmThese tacos sound wonderful and are so beautifully colorful! Though I have cooked a variety of foods made with pumpkin, they have always called for pumpkin puree. I’ve never had any idea how to tackle a fresh pumpkin! Thank you for sharing your method. I will give fresh pumpkin a try!
Sarah
October 23, 2017 at 11:48 pmHey Wendy! Thanks so much for stopping by :) Breaking down a fresh sugar pumpkin requires a little elbow grease, but I found it to be worth it in the end ;) Cheers!
Kym Grimshaw | On The Plate
October 24, 2017 at 5:41 amThese really do look epic! My instinct is always to go for comfort food recipes when cooking with pumpkin so it’s great to find new inspiration for something a bit more fresh and zingy. Happy #virtualpumpkinparty! Xx
Sarah
October 24, 2017 at 9:59 amThank you Kym!! I’m more of a savory type of gal, but seeing all these amazing sweets at the Virtual Pumpkin Party has got me re-evaluating that ;)
Anna
October 24, 2017 at 6:02 amOhhhh, this is just too good!!!! Your pumpkin tacos look and sound amazing! And I just love the sound of that avocado crema! Drooling over here (and I just had my breakfast!)… And Disneyland trip sounds incredible! Roll on March! ;)
Sarah
October 24, 2017 at 10:00 amThank you so much Anna!! And I literally CANNOT wait until Disney World… it’s my favorite place in the world!!! <3
Kelsey @ Appeasing a Food Geek
October 24, 2017 at 6:17 amEpic, indeed! These tacos look sooo good. The colors are incredibly vibrant! Happy VPP! xoxo
Sarah
October 24, 2017 at 10:00 amThank you so much, Kelsey!! Happy Virtual Pumpkin Party to you too :)
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
October 24, 2017 at 7:02 amThese look amazing, girl! I can’t wait to try them out. Tacos fro life! Love the photos!
Sarah
October 24, 2017 at 10:01 amThank you so much Liz!! #TacosForLife ;)
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
October 24, 2017 at 8:36 amAbsolutely beautiful and I’m loving the savoury pumpkin dishes! I definitely need to think beyond the can of puree :)
Sarah
October 24, 2017 at 10:03 amThank you so much, Jennifer!! Although I WILL admit, pumpkin purée is much less stressful than breaking down a sugar pumpkin ;) Pros and cons to both, I guess! :D
Meg @ This Messs Is Ours
October 24, 2017 at 11:20 pmWhoa!! Those look incredible!! I know what I’m making for our next Taco Tuesday.
Sarah
October 25, 2017 at 12:51 pmThanks Meg :) Pumpkin tacos are definitely a great seasonal option for Taco Tuesdays!! ;)
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Meg | Meg is Well
October 27, 2017 at 1:28 pmThese are the prettiest tacos! So many bright and vibrant colors and that avocado crema drizzled over everything is making me drool. And please do a copycat recipe of the grey stuff! That would be amazing.
Sarah
October 28, 2017 at 12:19 pmAww thank you, Meg!! And I will DEFINITELY report back on The Grey Stuff and see if I can do a copycat recipe! :D
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
October 27, 2017 at 1:43 pmThe tacos of my dreams, Sarah! And I’ve made something similar – yes, a lot of work, but pumpkin is totally worth the effort IMHO. When breaking a pumpkin down to cut into bite size pieces, I always roast it a bit first, just until slightly softened.. it took me a while to figure this out after almost losing a few fingers. Avo creama is everything! Beautiful styling, photography and recipe, my dear! :D
Sarah
October 28, 2017 at 12:21 pmThank you so much Traci!! :) And that’s a really smart tip… the way you suggested it, the pumpkin is easier to peel, but then you can still do the “final” roasting with the oil and spices. I will definitely be giving this method a try!! <3 Hugs!
Aimee
October 28, 2017 at 5:12 pmFeel like I haven’t paid a proper visit to your blog in a while and I missed it! These look absolutely gorgeous and I’m so jealous about your Disney world trip… Looking forward to seeing your pics :) Have a great Halloween weekend!
Aimee x
Sarah
October 30, 2017 at 5:32 pmAww thank you so much Aimee! I hope you have a great Halloween as well :)
Maya | Spice & Sprout
October 29, 2017 at 7:49 pmMmm! These looks delish. Love your photos! xx
Sarah
October 30, 2017 at 5:32 pmThank you Maya! :D
Ruby
October 30, 2017 at 9:51 amHappy pumpkin party! I’m super late to checking out everyone’s recipes thanks to traveling, but it is so fun to see what everyone brought last week. These tacos are SERIOUSLY epic and so so gorgeous. I love all of the colors going on!! xx
Sarah
October 30, 2017 at 5:35 pmThank you so much, Ruby!! I think this may have been the best Virtual Pumpkin Party yet! :D
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
November 3, 2017 at 3:04 amHi Sarah! I am Robyn’s partner at More Media – we are super excited to work with you! This recipe is gorgeous – definitely “epic.” I absolutely love pumpkin and put pomegranate arils on just about everything this time of year!
Sarah
November 4, 2017 at 12:24 pmHey Michelle!! Thank you so much for leaving a note! I can’t wait to work with you too :)
Sonja
November 5, 2017 at 8:29 pmThese absolutely look epic! Thanks for the kind comment on our pumpkin recipe too :)
Sarah
November 6, 2017 at 3:16 pmThank you so much Sonja!! And you’re welcome :) I love reading A Couple Cooks!!
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