Sofritas is a popular Chipotle copycat recipe made with tofu, chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce. Enjoy in a rice bowl with guacamole and salsa – or use it to replace ground pork, beef, chicken, or turkey in your favorite Mexican dishes!
Copycat Chipotle Sofritas
If there was ever a meatless protein that even meat lovers can enjoy, it would be Chipotle’s Sofritas. We’re a meat-loving family, but Chipotle definitely has this menu item perfected!
Crispy and flavorful, sofritas makes a great stand-in for ground beef (or pork, chicken, or turkey!) in pretty much any recipe, and especially in rice bowls.
This easy recipe features pieces of baked tofu tossed with a super tasty tomato and chipotle sauce. It’s simmered until nice and crispy, to enjoy however you want.
I’m partial to enjoying this in a rice bowl with my favorite pickled red onions and guacamole. So dang tasty!!
What Is Sofritas?
Sofritas is a popular vegan protein option that Chipotle has offered for quite some time already. It’s a great choice for those who prefer to replace the ground beef or other meat in their bowls and burritos.
It’s made with baked tofu tossed with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and seasoned with some classic Tex-Mex spices. It’s a little spicy but not overly so, and makes a great addition to rice bowls, tacos, and more.
If you’ve loved this meatless option at Chipotle, I can’t wait for you to try this homemade sofritas recipe at home!
Ingredients
This flavorful dish is made with tofu, adobo sauce, and a few other ingredients to create a vegan dish that even meat lovers enjoy!
- Tofu – Use super-firm tofu for this recipe.
- Olive oil – For cooking the tofu.
- Chipotle pepper in adobo – These are just smoked and dried jalapenos in a tomato puree, with other ingredients. These add heat and loads of flavor.
- Adobo sauce – Extra adobo sauce adds more flavor and helps keep the tofu moist.
- Tomato sauce – For more flavor.
- Vegetable broth – Low-sodium is the best option.
- Sugar – Helps to balance out the savory and spicy.
- Seasonings – Fresh garlic plus chili powder, salt, and pepper flavor this vegan sofritas dish.
- For serving – I like to serve sofritas in a rice bowl to include rice, guacamole, pickled red onions, salsa, fresh lime, and cilantro.
How to Make Sofritas
Here’s how to make this Chipotle copycat vegan recipe. While the tofu needs to bake for about 30 minutes, the hands-on time for this dish is just 15 minutes or so.
- Prepare the tofu. Break the super-firm tofu into pieces. Toss with cornstarch, salt, pepper, and olive oil until evenly coated. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Make the sofritas sauce. Blend all sauce ingredients, using just half of the broth, until smooth in a food processor or blender.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the sauce and remaining broth to a pan. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the baked tofu. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the tofu is crispy and the sauce is reduced. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve. Add to a rice bowl, tacos, or however you’d like to enjoy your sofritas.
Do I Need To Press The Tofu?
Many recipes call for pressing tofu to remove any excess moisture, if it’s going to be sauteed or fried, or to just create a crispier texture. For this sofritas recipe, if you use the recommend super-firm tofu, there’s no need to strain the cheese.
However, if you use a firm or soft tofu, you will need to press it out. To do this, place a heavy object (like a skillet) over the tofu and allow it to drain for at least 30 minutes. You can also do this with a tofu press.
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a Chipotle sofritas copycat recipe, I often serve it up just as I would order it at the restaurant – in a rice bowl with my favorite toppings.
For me, the best toppings are pickled red onions, homemade guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, and lime. Sometimes I add black beans. And sauteed peppers and onions are also awesome, as well as fresh sweet corn kernels. Feel free to add any toppings that you personally love to your Chipotle bowls!
Besides rice bowls, here are a few more ways to enjoy sofritas:
- tacos
- quesadillas
- burritos
- in a taco salad
- with taco stuffed sweet potatoes
- in taco tater tot hotdish
- with tortilla chips – so simple, fun, and delish!
How to Store & Freeze
This recipe for vegan sofritas will keep well for up to 4 days when kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth if needed to prevent it from drying out.
Sofritas can also be frozen. Once it has cooled completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat.
More TexMex-Inspired Recipes:
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Sofritas (Tofu Chipotle Copycat)
Ingredients
For tofu:
- 16 ounces super-firm organic tofu
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground fresh pepper
For sauce:
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Serve with (all optional)
- Rice
- Guacamole
- Pickled red onions
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Break tofu into pieces and set aside. If you are using super-firm tofu as specified in the recipe, then there is no need to strain it further. If using soft tofu, be sure to strain it first – press out the tofu by placing a heavy object over tofu, like a skillet, and let drain for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Place broken tofu in a large bowl with cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and shake the bowl until tofu is evenly coated. Transfer tofu to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven.
- In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients for sauce, but use only half the broth in this step. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add prepared sauce and the rest of the vegetable broth to make it a little saucy. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add baked chopped tofu and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, until tofu is crispy and sauce is mostly reduced. Taste and add a bit more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve in rice bowls with pickled red onion, guacamole, lime wedges, and cilantro.
Nutrition Information:
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