With the introduction of Chipotle sofritas, vegans around the USA rejoiced. For anyone not familiar, Chipotle is a fast food chain that serves burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, and salads. The customer chooses a protein and then chooses from a selection of beans, veggies, salsa, and other toppings. Previously, the vegan option was to skip the proteins altogether and of course, pass on the optional cheese and sour cream. But now, Chipotle is offering a tofu sofritas option and it is super delicious!
When sofritas, the first dedicated vegetarian/vegan protein option, was rolled in at Chipotle’s West Coast locations, I waited with bated breath for it to reach me here on the East Coast. Spicy shredded tofu, braised with fresh spices in adobo sauce? Sign me up, right? I’m happy to say that, at least for me, sofritas totally lived up to my expectations when it finally got to Baltimore. Spicy, juicy, and full of flavor, it was a great addition to my vegan burrito. So why make a copycat sofritas at home when the original is so good? I’ll tell you my reasons 🙂
- Chipotle’s sofritas is a little on the salty side. Combined with the salsas and beans that they offer, it can make for an overall too-salty meal. By making sofritas at home you can control the salt level yourself, depending on your tastes and what the accompaniments are.
- Chipotle hack: if you decline a protein option, you get free guacamole! Otherwise, the guac costs $2 extra. When we have Chipotle we usually get it as take-out, so with a batch of sofritas in the fridge, I can get the free guacamole, add my homemade sofritas, and save money.
- General taste preferences: I personally happen to really enjoy the sofritas, but some people aren’t as sold on it. By having this method of shredding and braising tofu in your back pocket, you can make something similar but change up the spices, heat level, and/or amount of sauce according to your own preference.
This DIY sofritas tastes surprisingly similar to the sofritas you get at Chipotle, but with key differences:
- Not as salty (see above)
- Mouthfeel is not as oily (but cook with more oil if you prefer!)
- Chewier: I attribute this to the super-firm tofu that I used and to the slightly larger pieces of tofu.
- Cheaper! Duh!
Of course, the most important reason at all to make homemade tofu sofritas is that it’s incredibly tasty! It doesn’t have to be in a burrito bowl – we enjoyed this sofritas in collard green wraps; quesadillas; and in a bean dip! I imagine it would also make for a truly fantastic chili. (Or be used anywhere that soyrizo is called for). The method for the tofu is not difficult, and in this particular recipe, I don’t call for freezing – just pressing it for a few minutes before getting started.
In a nutshell: the tofu is pressed, then pan-fried at a high heat. Once it cools slightly, we chop or shred the tofu into tiny pieces, and return it to the pan along with a a vibrant sauce made from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chargrilled fresh poblano pepper (you can substitute another pepper if needed/desired), tomato, garlic, onion, and seasonings. To finish the Chipotle sofritas, the tofu simmers in the adobo sauce until the flavors and juices are absorbed. Yum! I chose to freshly grind the spices in my coffee grinder. I’ve been buying more whole spices in an effort to increase their shelf life and flavor. You can use already-ground spices but you may need to adjust the quantity. It’ll taste good no matter what, though!
If you give this Chipotle sofritas a try, let me know on Instagram by tagging @yupitsvegan and #yupitsvegan in your post. Happy cooking!
Copycat Chipotle Sofritas (Spicy Adobo Braised Shredded Tofu)
Ingredients
- 16 oz extra-firm tofu
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or other neutral, high-heat oil)
For the spice blend:
- 1 and 1/4 tsp cumin seeds lightly toasted
- 1 tsp coriander seeds lightly toasted
- 1/4 tsp black peppercorns lightly toasted
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp coconut sugar or other sugar
For the spicy adobo sauce:
- 1 medium poblano pepper
- 2 tb chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 tb additional adobo sauce
- 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth divided
- 1/2 white or yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional, for added umami)
- 1/4 tsp salt plus more to taste (I personally went up to almost 1/2 tsp.)
Instructions
Prep the tofu:
- Press the tofu using a heavy object & towels, or your tofu press, for at least 5 minutes to remove any excess moisture. Slice the tofu into about 8 slices.
- In a skillet, add 1 tb. or so of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat, until shimmering. Add as many slices of tofu as you can fit without crowding.
- Cook the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until evenly browned all the way around the outside. Remove from the heat and repeat with remaining slices of tofu. Set aside.
- Once the tofu has cooled, chop it into very small pieces, or to the size desired.
Prep the spice blend:
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns just until they start to smell fragrant. Add them to a spice grinder or mortar & pestle, along with the oregano and sugar. Grind into a fine powder.
Char the poblano pepper:
- If you have a gas stove, then turn on a burner with a low flame and place the pepper over the flames, using metal tongs if needed to hold it in place. Rotate the pepper occasionally, until it is browned on all sides and soft in the middle. The pepper should look like it has collapsed in on itself. You could also grill the pepper, or roast it in the oven until browned and soft. See the notes for suggestions on managing the spiciness or substituting for this ingredients.
- Remove the skin, stem and seeds from the pepper.
Prep the sauce and braise the sofritas:
- In a blender or food processor, combine the poblano pepper, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, about half of the water or broth, onion, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and optional nutritional yeast. Process until completely smooth.
- Add the sauce to a large skillet or saucepan along with the chopped, fried tofu. Bring to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the rest of the water/broth, the salt, and about half of the prepared spice blend. Cover the pan, and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or more of the spice blend as desired. Stir, cover again, and cook for about 5 more minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the raw onion and garlic taste is gone.
- Enjoy in a burrito bowl, or anywhere else with Mexican-inspired flavors!
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more recipes to serve alongside this tofu sofritas? May I recommend:
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Becky says
Ahhhhmazing!! Adding this to my meal plans!
Kate says
Love this recipe! I made it tonight for dinner to top on tacos after trying chipotle’s version last week. It was quite spicy, but I know the adobo peppers we buy seem hotter than usual. I will definitely make this again, with a little less of the adobo sauce. Yum!
Jackie says
Oh my, this is delicious! I made this for dinner tonight to go into my copycat Chipotle burrito bowls. Everyone agreed that this was waaaaaaay better than what it is copying. Thank you, this is going into the regular rotation. YUM!
Hana says
Looks amazing, I am looking forward to making this at home and saving some $$! One question, where do I get the extra adobo sauce? Is it just from the can of peppers? Thanks!
Kelly says
I got it from the can
Samantha says
This is an amazing recipe…and it looks are fabulous and too yummy as well…! i will make it into few days…Thanks for sharing…!
Pam Burnham says
Can anyone help me out, here? What does “tb” stand for, as in:
2 tb chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tb additional adobo sauce
I see “tbsp” in the recipe, so that accounts for “tablespoon,” and “tsp” for “teaspoon,” but I’m at a loss to come up with anything for “tb.”
I’ll admit I was reared back in the days when “teaspoon” was represented by a lower=case “t” and “tablespoon” was an upper-case “T,” so I’m in uncharted territory, here.
Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi, it stands for tablespoon! Sorry there is a bit of mix and matching as we are always working on converting our older recipes to a more modern format!
Janelle says
I just randomly found your blog looking for this recipe and it’s awesome.
Thank you!
Ford says
OMG! This recipe is literally, the bomb. I followed it to the T and my sofritas turned out amazing.
Ronda says
These sofritas are even better than the ones at Chipotle! So flavorful and delicious! I’m made these for the weekend, everyone devoured it!
Carissa G. says
Best Copycat recipe U’ve found with excellent texture and an abundance of flavor. Easy to follow recipe with ingredients easily accessible in grocery store. Family loved it and requested a second batch! This will be a staple in our home.
Auset says
During this Coronavirus epidemic, my son, who is a vegan and normally eats Chipotle every Friday, is the reason why I searched for a similar recipe as we are eating everything from home right now. This was spot on. He, who is also serious about critiquing every thing that I cook, absolutely loved this. Thank so very much.
David Modic says
Great recipe. First time ever eating tofu. Turned out as advertised; spicy but good.
Elisabeth says
SOOOOOOOOOOOO good! I made some substitutions because I needed to – 1 red bell pepper for the poblano, liquid aminos for the soy sauce, a handful of cherry tomatoes for the tomato paste, homemade taco seasoning for the spice blend.
Ravyn says
I was hesitant to make this recipe since I was going to only use what I had on hand but it turned out great! I didn’t follow everything to a T because I didn’t have poblano peppers, coriander seeds and I don’t use oil but they came out awesome anyway! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Nanci says
SOOOOOOO GOOOD!!!!! I made it early in the day to serve in our taco salad for dinner tonight – but I can’t stop tasting it 😂. The only changes I made was I cooked the tofu in the air fryer w/out oil & I used the entire pepper – seeds and all bc we love very spicy foods . I should have made a double recipe – do you know if this freezes well? Thank you for a great recipe – it is really DELISH
Sofia says
A regular part of my meal prep, just wanted to share that this time around I crumbled the tofu and baked it in the oven (I learned that technique from another blog) instead of frying it. It came out just as good!
Tiffany says
That’s what I was hoping to do as well. 🙂 How long? And at what temp?
Michelle says
How long do you bake and what temp?
Leah says
I haven’t made this version yet, but I’m looking forward to doing so. I have made the other version and it is very good, but this one is sufficiently different that I’m intrigued. To answer the question, the crumbled tofu is dredged in some cornstarch and baked at 400F for 25 minutes. I go and stir it around about half way through the cooking time.
Sarah says
Subbed jalapeño for poblano, turned out aces. Non-vegan partner asked for more🤓 Also great topping for vegan nachos, just top tortilla chips w vegan cheese, sofritas, chopped green onion, cilantro, and hot sauce.
Josua Howard says
Thank you for the recipe! It sounds soooo delicious! Can’t wait to try it. How long can it be stored in the fridge?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
This keeps well in the fridge for up to a week or so!
Sanny says
This recipe was perfect! Thank you so much!
Do you know if it freezes well? Thinking to make a bunch next time!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
It might get a little watery when thawed so you’d probably want to thaw it by cooking it in a saucepan.. but I think it would work well overall! Let us know if you try.
Carol J says
Came out great! We did a taco day with my work group, all 9 others are not vegan, I made this recipe, and they ate it all, even though 2 other meat dishes were also on hand. Great flavor. I did have to leave out the poblano, but used a tad more adobo, and added about 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. I would like to bake rather than fry the tofu slices, any suggestion on that?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yep! I sometimes bake the tofu for this nowadays. Press it and cube it, bake at 400F on a baking sheet with dry parchment paper (no oil or anything), untl it gets crispy on the outside. Then finely chop it and continue with the recipe.
Heather says
Absolutely delicious! Just the right amount of spice. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Betty says
I made this for dinner tonight….soooooooooo good! I used my air fryer to brown the tofu, and skipped the sugar and salt. So good. Next time I think I’ll use soy curls instead of tofu. Thank you!
Erin says
This is GOLD!! I’ve come back to this site just for this recipe several times. It’s kind of addicting, and I’m not even vegan!!! Thank you! I must try more of your recipes.
Jonna appleby says
I totally cheat and make this w Goya sofrito super quick . I add hot sauce if it’s not spicy enough
Apurva says
OMG! This recipe is literally, the bomb. I followed it to the T and my sofritas turned out amazing. It actually tastes just like the Chipotle Sofritas-maybe even better. I’m sad now that I didn’t double the recipe and won’t have enough for a few meals.
Thanks Shannon!
P.s I found already pressed Tofu at WF. Time saver 😊
Elizabeth says
Just made these and they were great! I didn’t have poblano, so I used one green pepper and one jalapeno instead. I also used ground spice, and a little more chipotle peppers in adobo than the recipe states. I don’t like too much heat, and this was perfect.
janice says
My husband and I loved this recipe, but the original recipe was too hot for my kids, so Ive been messing around with it. It turns out the perfect ratio for us is a double batch, with only one pablano, and only 2 tsp adobo sauce. I put in all the seasoning blend and 1 tsp salt for the whole batch. Its wonderful! It has enough heat for the adults without the burning mouths for the kids. Its one of our favorites! We’ve enjoyed it in burritos, salads and as a topping for nachos! Thanks for posting!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks so much for sharing your modifications Janice!
Pam says
Wonderful recipe. Clear and, of course, delicious. The nutrition facts are always appreciated. The “serving size” is listed as 1 gram, unless my eyesight is totally gone. Can you update that since most nutrients listed are more than 1 gram.
Thank you for sharing your hard work
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi, Pam! Thanks so much for pointing out my typo there. The serving size is 1/4 of the recipe, excluding any accompaniments. I’ve updated it to say that. 🙂
Katrina says
Hi! I made this recipe for dinner today and it was really good, and easy. Thanks. I tend to like spicy foods, but I have a tip for people who found it too spicy. You need to roast the poblano pepper not just until it is blackened on the outside but also very soft and juicy inside. Otherwise the spiciness won’t really be toned down at all if you don’t roast it thoroughly.
Carrie Pernell says
I’ve never tried chiptole’s yet so I can’t compare but I made this and the flavor is really good but just way too spicy to be enjoyable , at least for me. I’ll try it again and significantly reduce the heat factor .
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Carrie, thanks for the feedback. As I stated in the recipe notes, not everyone likes it this spicy but I offered some suggestions for how to tone it down for next time. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor nonetheless!
Dace Aina Krasts says
Thank you for this solid recipe. I don’t know the Chipotle dish that you are aiming for but what you’ve come upon is tasty. And the recipe is a great launching point for so many variations.
I usually freeze, thaw, press, then incorporate tofu into these kinds of applications. This prep was great for the way you describe. I have also tried crumbling and browning it as well. Two different tofu preps but ultimately the same great dish..
I have also played with the sauce and no matter what, still very nice.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for your comment, Dace! I’m glad to hear it worked well with frozen/thawed tofu and that you’re enjoying the recipe in general. Cheers!