Brace yourself for a flavor explosion with these homemade tofu sofritas. The recipe is super easy to make, incredibly delicious, packed with flavor, and it will leave you craving for more. And it comes together in just 30 minutes!
Why This Recipe Works
If you love Chipotle tofu sofritas, then this is the right place for you. This recipe is the perfect copy-cat recipe and it tastes just like the original!
Made with crumbled tofu, a medley of aromatic spices, and a zesty blend of tomatoes and peppers, this recipe works like magic to deliver a burst of flavors that will keep you coming back for more.
I absolutely love this recipe because it is incredibly versatile, bursting with bold flavors, and offers a protein-packed alternative to traditional meat-based dishes. It can be enjoyed in a variety of ways – as a filling for tacos and burritos, a topping for rice bowls, or even a flavorful addition to salads.
I experimented with this recipe quite a bit to get it perfect for you. For the best results, I recommend frying the tofu first and then crumble it when it’s nicely browned. The crumbled tofu soaks up the savory spices and seasonings, creating a satisfying and meaty texture that will have even the most die-hard meat lovers asking for seconds.
The marinade couldn’t be any easier. It’s made of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, a green bell pepper, tomato paste, a fresh tomato, oregano, smoked paprika powder, garlic, and a bit of salt.
Many sofrita recipes call for roasting a poblano pepper, but I wanted to create an easier recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights. So I skipped this step and used a canned chipotle pepper instead, which works perfectly.
For ultimate flavor, simmer the crumbled tofu in the marinade for 15 minutes. It’s very easy to adjust the spice level of the marinade to your personal preference by using more or less of the chipotle peppers.
You can also adjust the amount of salt to your personal liking. And let’s not forget that making sofritas at home is much cheaper. Trust me, once you try this recipe, you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients
- Firm Tofu – Don’t use soft or silken tofu for this recipe as it has a different texture. For best results use extra firm tofu.
- Chipotle Pepper – canned whole chipotles in adobo sauce
- Adobo Sauce – from the canned chipotle pepper
- Smoked Paprika Powder – if possible don’t replace it with regular paprika powder as it has a very unique and smoky taste.
- Salsa – use your favorite kind of salsa.
- Garlic – fresh.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Drain the tofu. Wrap it in paper towels and squeeze out as much of the excess water as possible. Cut it into slices.
2. Step: In a large non-stick frying pan, heat some oil and cook the tofu on high heat until it’s nicely browned on both sides. This should take about 8 minutes.
3. Step: In the meantime, make the marinade. Place all of ingredients into a food processor or blender and process them into a sauce with a few chunks left. It should look like a salsa.
4. Step: When the tofu is nicely browned, use a wooden spoon to crumble it. The crumbles shouldn’t be too small.
5. Step: Add the sauce to the tofu.
6. Step: Stir well.
7. Step: Simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat.
8. Step: Serve with burritos, tacos, or in a burrito bowl with brown rice, lettuce, guacamole, and vegan sour cream.
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to use very firm tofu. The recipe doesn’t work with soft tofu because it doesn’t crumble and it also doesn’t absorb sauces well.
- If your tofu is not firm enough, press it for 20-30 minutes before you start with the recipe. You could do this by placing a stack of cookbooks on top or by using a tofu press. I posted a post on how to cook tofu a while ago that also explains how to press tofu.
- Adjust the level of spiciness to your personal liking by using more or less of the chipotle peppers. We liked one chipotle and about two tablespoons of the adobo sauce, but feel free to adjust the amount you’re using.
- I love serving the sofritas with brown rice, black beans, lettuce, guacamole, vegan sour cream, nachos, and maybe a bit of vegan shredded cheese. So good!
Storing
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the sofritas will last up to 3-4 days.
Freezing
This recipe freezes pretty well. Let it cool down completely after cooking, then transfer it into a freezer-safe container. You can store it in the freezer for up to 4 weeks.
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I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like these sofritas as much as we do around here.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Ingredients
- 14 oz very firm tofu
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce (canned)
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tomato, quartered
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Drain the tofu. Wrap it in paper towels and squeeze out as much of the excess water as possible. Cut it into slices
- In a large non-stick frying pan, heat some oil and cook the tofu on high heat until it's nicely browned on both sides. This should take about 8 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the marinade. Place all of ingredients into a food processor or blender and process them into a sauce with a few chunks left. It should look like a salsa.
- When the tofu is nicely browned, use a wooden spoon to crumble it. The crumbles shouldn't be too small.
- Add the sauce to the tofu.
- Stir well.
- Simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat.
- Serve with burritos, tacos, or in a burrito bowl with brown rice, lettuce, guacamole, and vegan sour cream.
Notes
- Make sure to use very firm tofu. The recipe doesn’t work with soft tofu because it doesn’t crumble and it also doesn’t absorb sauces well.
- If your tofu is not firm enough, press it for 20-30 minutes before you start with the recipe. You could do this by placing a stack of cookbooks on top or by using a tofu press. I posted a post on how to cook tofu a while ago that also explains how to press tofu.
- Adjust the level of spiciness to your personal liking by using more or less of the chipotle peppers. We liked one chipotle and about two tablespoons of the adobo sauce, but feel free to adjust the amount you’re using.
- I love serving the sofritas with brown rice, black beans, lettuce, guacamole, vegan sour cream, nachos, and maybe a bit of vegan shredded cheese. So good!
Nutrition
Gail
Love this recipe! I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you
hannah
tastes just like chipotle sofritas! spot on
Debbie
This is a great recipe! It is a go to in our house for Mexican suppers. Serve it with a side of refried beans, a chopped kale salad, salsa, taco salad dressing, and chips or rice. Yummy!
George S.
Wow! This recipe is delicious. I kinda cheated with the tomatoes and substituted a can of diced tomatoes and omitted the tomato paste (by accident) and salsa because I used some of the juice from the diced tomatoes. It came out simply delicious. Much props for the recipe! I put some sofritas in a flour tortilla with cheese, and warmed it up in a dry pan! Can’t wait to try it, similar to a Chipotle bowl.
GEM
This recipe was BETTER than Chipotle. Made it for guests and it was delicious! Adding this to my rotation for sure! Followed to the letter, was perfect!
K
Thank you for this awesome recipe. My family loved it!
Mimi
This is super simple to make and absolutely delicious!
Andrea
Really great recipe. Super easy to make and so delish. It’s a keeper.
Rick
I prepared this exactly as written and I wouldn’t change a thing! muy delicioso. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you for sharing.