Are the sofritas one of your favorite vegan options at Chipotle? If yes, you have to make it at home!
This copycat recipe tastes just like the sofritas you get at Chipotle. It's smoky, rich, and spicy, and the flavors are perfectly balanced.
It's not only delicious, but it's also good for you as well. Just one serving packs 17 grams of protein per person.
The best part about this recipe is that it's so versatile, you can do so many things with it. My favorite way to serve chipotle plant-based sofritas is in a vegan burrito or into a salad bowl, with a generous dollop of fresh tomato salsa.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Get all the details on these simple ingredients in the recipe card at the post's bottom.
- Tofu. You'll need to press it for 1 hour, then crumble it into small pieces.
- Chipotle peppers. Make sure to use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which is the marinade they come in.
- Tomato paste. For a rich umami flavor.
- Maple syrup. You can also use agave syrup or brown sugar.
- Vegetable broth. If you don't have it on hand, you can dilute half of a bouillon cube in the same amount of hot water.
- Spices. You'll need smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Onion and garlic. You can use red onion, yellow onion, or shallots.
- Red wine vinegar. Or substitute with apple cider vinegar or lime juice.
How to Make Chipotle Plant-Based Sofritas
- Make the sofritas sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients except the onion and tofu into a food processor and blend until everything is smooth and no chunks remain. Set aside.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and saute the onion for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, until golden.
3. Add the crumbled tofu to the onion and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat, until it starts to brown and crisp up.
4. Pour the chipotle marinade and stir to coat. Cook for further 1-2 minutes until the tofu soaks all of the juices. Serve!
Top Tips
- Use extra-firm tofu for best results. Soft and silken tofu doesn't work in this recipe because they have too much moisture in them and can't be crumbled and crisped up.
- Press the tofu to get rid of the excess moisture. Either use a tofu press or wrap a tofu block in a few layers of paper towels. Place something heavy on top and press for 1 hour.
- Adjust the spiciness as needed. My version of the chipotle plant-based sofritas is on the milder side and is not too spicy. If you want to make it spicier, try adding one more chipotle pepper and one more tablespoon of adobo sauce.
- Crumble the tofu either by hand or with a food processor. If you're using a food processor, make sure to not over-blend the tofu. You want it crumbled into small pieces, not pureed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sofritas are made with crumbled or shredded tofu braised with a spicy sauce made from chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, tomato paste, and a few other ingredients that may vary such as maple syrup and vinegar.
The chipotle chiles are dried, smoked jalapenos that have been rehydrated and marinated. The marinade is called adobo sauce. It's smoky, spicy, tangy, and very rich, and brings a ton of flavor to anything that you add it to.
Yes! Let the sofritas cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Yes, but only in selected Chipotle locations and for a limited time. They've recently come out with a new vegan protein option- plant-based chorizo made out of pea protein.
Serving
In true Chipotle sofritas fashion, serve with black beans, corn salsa, sour cream, romaine lettuce, and cilantro lime rice. You can either make a burrito bowl or stuff everything into a taco shell.
Storing
Store leftover sofritas in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
More Tofu Recipes
- Air Fryer Buffalo Tofu
- Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets
- Baked BBQ Tofu
- Salt and Pepper Air Fryer Tofu
- Vegan Fried Rice with Tofu
- Tofu Ground Beef
- Tomato Tofu Pasta
- Honey Garlic Tofu
And for more inspiration on how to cook tofu, check out my post with 50 Best Tofu Recipes.
Copycat Chipotle Plant-Based Sofritas
Ingredients
Tofu crumbles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 14 oz (400g) extra-firm tofu, pressed and crumbled*
Chipotle sauce
- 2 chipotle peppers from adobo can
- 1-2 tablespoon adobo sauce (2 tablespoon to make it spicier)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the sofritas sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until everything is smooth and no chunks remain. Set aside.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and saute the onion for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, until golden.
- Add the crumbled tofu to the onion and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown and crisp up.
- Pour the chipotle marinade over the tofu and stir to coat. Cook for further 1-2 minutes until the tofu soaks all of the juices. Taste and adjust the flavor if needed, adding more salt or black pepper to taste. Serve!
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)
Suggested Equipment/Tools
Notes
- Use extra-firm tofu for best results. Soft and silken tofu won't work in this recipe as they have too much mositure in them and can't be crumbled or crisped up.
- Press the tofu to get rid of the excess moisture. Either use a tofu press or wrap a tofu block in a few layers of paper towels. Place something heavy on top and press for 1 hour.
- Adjust the spiciness as needed. This recipe is on the milder side and is not too spicy. If you want to make it spicier, try adding one more chipotle pepper and one more tablespoon of adobo sauce.
- Crumble the tofu either by hand or with a food processor. If you're using a food processor, make sure to not over-blend the tofu. You want it crumbled into small pieces with texture.
Nutrition
Post photography by: Petranka Atanasova.
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