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Transform tofu into the most delicious Chipotle Sofritas recipe. This copycat recipe tastes just like Chipotle with all the smoky, meaty flavor but without the actual meat. Perfect for vegan tacos or burrito bowls.
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One of my most popular recipes is this Chipotle Burrito Bowl made with pulled chicken…and for good reason! It’s delicious.
That being said, I’ve been on a Chipotle Sofritas kick lately and wanted to see if I could master the recipe at home. I’m happy to see I’ve been successful! So for anyone looking for a vegan alternative to my Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls, I’ve got you covered. This tofu sofritas also tastes delicious on top of salad, in tacos or even on its own. Trust me, you’ll love this recipe!
What is Sofritas?
Sofrito is a Spanish pepper sauce that’s common in Spanish, Portugese and Latin American cooking. “Chipotle sofritas” was popularized in 2014 when Chipotle teamed up with Hodo Tofu to come up with a braised tofu recipe cooked in a spicy and smoky pepper sauce.
The key is to use extra firm tofu so that the tofu holds its shape and lots of spices to maximize flavor.
Ingredients Needed
- Extra Firm Tofu – it’s critical that you use extra firm tofu otherwise the tofu will break down and be too crumbly. That’s not to say it won’t be delicious! It just won’t have that “meaty” texture. Be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid too.
- Olive oil – for roasting tofu and for sofritas sauce.
- Red Bell Pepper – The base of the sauce.
- Sweet Onion – white or yellow onion will work too but the sweet onion maximizes on flavor.
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce – you can find this in the canned section of most grocery stores.
- Roma Tomatoes – I find roma tomatoes taste and work best but use whatever tomatoes you can find.
- Fresh garlic – be sure to use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Spices – Chili powder, smoked paprika (smoked is key!), ground cumin, salt and pepper. Feel free to reduce salt if watching sodium levels.
How to Make Chipotle Sofritas
STEP 1: PREP TOFU + BAKE
Press your tofu between paper towel or using a tofu press to remove all excess moisture. Chop into bite-size pieces. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until crispy around the edges.
STEP 2: MAKE SOFRITAS SAUCE
To a food processor add your olive oil, bell pepper, sweet onion, chipotles in adobo sauce, roma tomatoes, garlic and spices. Pulse until a thick paste is formed. Add your sofritas sauce to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in water and then allow sauce to thicken and reduce, 5-7 minutes.
STEP 3: STIR IN TOFU
Once tofu is done roasting add to sofritas sauce and cook until tofu has absorbed sauce and is nice and thick (another 5 minutes). Break up any larger pieces of tofu with a spatula. Serve over rice or with any of the suggestions below.
How to Serve Chipotle Sofritas
The most classic way to serve sofritas is over a bowl of rice with an abundance of sides. Tacos are great too! You could build your own burrito bowl by using this recipe and replacing the chicken with vegan sofritas. Alternatively just pair with rice, black beans, chopped romaine lettuce, guacamole and corn salsa. You could also replace the protein in any of these Mexican-inspired recipes:
- Chicken Burritos
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Turkey Tacos
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Taquitos
- Green Chicken Enchiladas
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! A high-speed blender can be used in place of a food processor. Just add all your ingredients and blend until smooth.
For sure. You can easily stir your favorite veggies into the sofritas sauce either with or in place of the tofu.
No. Simply place your tofu between two pieces of paper towel and use your body weight or a heavy object to squeeze out all excess moisture. Do not skip this step though!
Absolutely. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
Yes! This recipe freezes well. See instructions below.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Store your leftover sofritas recipe in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in microwave or stove top.
Freezer: You can freeze your Chipotle Sofritas too. Just store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in fridge and then reheat on stove top or in microwave.
More Vegan Mexican Recipes
PrintChipotle Sofritas
Transform tofu into the most delicious Chipotle Sofritas recipe. This copycat recipe tastes just like Chipotle with all the smoky, meaty flavor but without the actual meat. Perfect for vegan tacos or burrito bowls.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 x 14 oz package extra-firm tofu
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/2 large sweet onion, quartered
- 1/4 cup chipotles in adobo sauce
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 3 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Press your tofu between paper towel or using a tofu press to remove all excess moisture. Chop into bite-size pieces.
- Place your tofu on parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until crispy around the edges.
- To a food processor add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, bell pepper, sweet onion, chipotles in adobo sauce, roma tomatoes, garlic and spices. Pulse until a thick paste is formed.
- Add your sofritas sauce to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Pour in water and then allow sauce to thicken and reduce, 5-7 minutes.
- Once tofu is done roasting add to sofritas sauce and cook until tofu has absorbed sauce and is nice and thick (another 5 minutes). Break up any larger pieces of tofu with a spatula.
- Serve over rice with veggies or with any of the suggestions above.
Whos’s chipotles in adobo sauce do you recommend? I have not found one that I like , they have a weird taste, not sure it is the citric acid or maybe I just do not like the flavor.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Otherwise I like your recipe ingredients.
Thank You