Alright, this recipe was a long time coming! Back in September 2013, I was craving the Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo and couldn’t get to a TJ’s. So I found the ingredients list for inspiration, and figured out how to make a copycat version myself. The results were completely delicious and I shared the homemade soyrizo recipe on this site. Since then it has continued to be a popular post; I guess a lot of people were looking for a great vegan chorizo recipe! (And while we’re talking about copycat recipes, have you tried my copycat Chipotle Sofritas yet?)
I always felt a little guilty about that, though. You see, the recipe itself is fine – the instructions were correct and reliable – but the procedure for making the soyrizo was unnecessarily complicated and weird (have you ever seen the word ‘pseudobroth’ before?), and I didn’t have a single large/clear/helpful picture of the soyrizo itself. So in the back of my mind I’ve really been wanting to remake it and provide you with streamlined instructions and better photographs.
Then, I caught wind that the Trader Joe’s soyrizo has supposedly been discontinued (yes, Reddit is my official source). I was thinking about how I hadn’t seen it at my local TJ’s lately and did a quick search, which led me to that thread. So I knew that it really was time to make the at-home version again.
Update 4/3/14: A reader let me know that soyrizo is back in some Trader Joe’s stores, but now contains milk as an ingredient =/. I will continue to keep an eye out for the latest soy chorizo news and always update it here. But in the meantime, there’s now even more of a reason to make it homemade!
Update 6/2/14: Good news! It looks like the Trader Joe’s soyrizo recipe was revamped again, and it has returned to being vegan. You can still save money by making your own soy chorizo, though!
Soy chorizo is also sold at Walmart, and while I have not tried those brands, I feel confident that this homemade version will blow them out of the water, too, in terms of price and taste!
I’m still not gonna be nominated for a photography award anytime soon, but at least I have a better camera and lighting setup now, so I hope these new pictures are more helpful. And I KNOW that this updated recipe is much easier to read, and follow. Plus, I made exact measurements of my spices this time around so that you have a better starting point for those. To make your homemade soyrizo, you’ll need Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), a soy product. TVP is available at most grocery stores in my area these days, and also easy to find online. Everything else is basically pantry staples and spices.
Where to use soy chorizo
Traditional chorizo is a type of spicy sausage that originates in Spain and Portugal. I did a great deal of research to develop this recipe to use traditional flavors, except vegetarian! The “real thing” is usually sliceable and can be pan-fried, but my vegan chorizo is crumble-style, so choose recipes that already call for ground meat.
Soy chorizo is amazing in tacos, burritos, and other places that ground meat would be used. You can also making a pretty bomb soy chorizo chili. Stir in the soyrizo toward the end of cooking your favorite tomatoey chili recipe so that it keeps all of its delicious spicy flavor.
So here it is. The streamlined, delicious-as-ever homemade soyrizo recipe. I hope that you’ll give it a try 🙂
Vegan Homemade Soyrizo (Soy Chorizo) - Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (see notes)
- 1 and 3/4 cups TVP
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth hot (I recommend low-sodium for better control over the soyrizo's saltiness)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp tamari (or use low-sodium soy sauce)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large white or yellow onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Spices:
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (use less if this is your first time making the recipe)
- 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder (or 1/2 tsp. regular chili powder) (omit if using hot paprika)
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper (if using freshly ground, reduce to 3/4 tsp)
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the TVP, as well as the sundried tomatoes if they need to be rehydrated (see notes). Don't stir them together. Pour the boiling hot vegetable broth onto the mixture and let sit for at least 10 minutes to rehydrate.
- If rehydrating the tomatoes, remove them now, finely chop them, and return them to the bowl. Stir in the red wine vinegar, tomato paste, and tamari to the mixture. Measure out all of the spices into a separate bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add all of the spices and stir well. Cook for just 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the entire bowl of soyrizo TVP mixture to the pan and stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until excess liquid is cooked off. Enjoy on tacos, on pizza, as a dip, in chili, or in any other way you please!
Notes
Nutrition
Psst.. my vegan chorizo is great with some cauliflower queso 🙂
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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.
Debra says
I love this recipe! My husband & I have given up on chirizo because it’s normally too darn greasy. I was given a lb of tvp , had no clue what to do so I Googled it & this was the first recipe that caught my fancy.
I make it as written and it is fabulous! Now ..I omit the allspice..not a fan in general of that spice..
THIS recipe is unexpectedly rich, spicy, perfect, without the grease or the heartburn!
I’ve made tvp meatballs, patties, lasagna but this recipe continues to be my favorite. I make large batches now & freeze into meal sized portions. Thank you for this outstanding recipe.
Denice Suekoff says
I just made this recipe for the first time. My husband and I have been vegan for almost a year and I try to make a lot of our food. We’ve used packaged soyrizo many times, but I don’t like using processed foods so much. So glad I found this recipe. I omitted some spices and the olive oil, as we don’t care for allspice at all, but it turned out great! Way less greasy and salty than store bought and so much healthier than processed!
Melissa says
I was looking for a healthy Soy – Rizo Recipe & am so glad I found your site.
The other day I purchased two packs of the Soy-Rizo from Wally Mart. I have used it before. I really like it as I do not eat Pork.
From your site I have learned about TVP which is amazing.
Sweet Home Alabama, your recipes are a Banquet of AB FAB delicious & healthy culinary de-lites.
Thank you, Merci & Oooh La La ☺
Rachel says
This was so good! Even approved by my omnivore boyfriend 😊. I used them for tacos
Linda Feldstein says
Delicious!! The spices come thru, giving depth of flavor that really sings! I might like it better than the original!
Madtown says
Made this this morning; had to sub out a couple of items which definitely changed the flavor (had to skip oregano most notably) but it was still absolutely delicious and will serve as a great platform for other dishes. Worked perfectly in my breakfast tacos!
Thanks for the recipe!!
Jen says
Thank you for this great recipe. This was my first time cooking with TVP. I don’t know if different TVP brands expand differently, but I used Bob’s Red Mill TVP with your recipe, and it made a really big batch of delicious spicy chorizo – at least 4 cups – way more than we get with Trader Joe’s chorizo. It really is a money-saving recipe. I’ll be able to make four chorizo potato skillets with this one batch!! Thank you again.
Victoria Payne says
YUM the joys of being plant based and having a store cupboard full of all these goodies. Just made this with mini roast potatoes, crisps and a gnocchi lasts dish and I still have a box left over to freeze (if it lasts that long!) delish!
Michael says
This soy-rizo SLAPS! I was skeptical but no longer.
I thought the spice was perfect, in fact it could’ve been a little hotter. I used smoked paprika and regular cayenne, and also added 1/4 t. of dried red pepper flakes.
I made a few other changes by necessity (to use what I had on hand instead):
– Instead of TVP I used soy curls, crushed in a food processor. Nice thing about soy curls is you can decide whether you want the chorizo finely ground or coarse ground or even just use the curls without chopping them.
– I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand, so I peeled a fresh tomato, chopped it finely and discarded the excess water, and added a tablespoon of salsa because I was still way short of the equivalent of 3 T of paste in the recipe.
– I also didn’t have sun-dried tomatoes on hand, but I did have a jar of roasted red peppers and used those instead, figuring they’d lend the sweetness we’d want from sun-dried tomatoes.
– I made the chorizo a day ahead — sautéed the onions, peppers, and tomatoes, but kept the rest “raw” and marinated the blend in the fridge over night. I split the batch into two and will freeze half.
This soy-rizo tastes a lot like the outstanding pork chorizo at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, Bravo Burritos in St. Cloud, MN. I was amazed. Thank you for the terrific and easy recipe!