Sofritas (Chipotle Copycat Recipe!)

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These Chipotle copycat sofritas are a healthy, vegan-friendly protein alternative with tons of flavor. They’re low sugar, low sodium, spicy, and great for adding to tacos or veggie burrito bowls! 

When I saw that Chipotle added vegan tofu sofritas to their menu as a vegan friendly, meat free option, I had to try it. And while I appreciated this new addition at Chipotle, I didn’t love all of the extra sugar and fat that came along with their recipe.

Which is why, I knew I had to recreate a healthier, tastier version of Chipotle sofritas at home! 

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This copycat Chipotle vegan sofritas recipe tastes even better than the original recipe! It’s flavorful and fresh, and is also much better for you thanks to less oil, less sodium and less sugar than the Chipotle version!

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to try a vegan protein alternative that is both hearty and satisfying. One serving will get you 12 grams of satisfying plant protein and 5 grams of fiber. Meat eaters will love it too!

Get those creative juices flowing as you cook these spicy, fresh healthy sofritas – because you can add them to just about anything. Try them in these vegetarian fajita bowls, in a taco casserole, as a filling for enchiladas in this vegan enchilada casserole, these veggie keto enchiladas, or in these vegan tacos!

They are even more enjoyable to eat as they are to cook. It’s a super simple high protein vegetarian Mexican recipe!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

• Rich, spicy chipotle sauce filled with aromatic ingredients
• Delicious, mouth-watering flavor
• Packed with plant-based protein
• Just as good, if not better, than the original version!
• Vegan and gluten free, but also satisfying for meat lovers
• Healthy and easy
• Will quickly become one of your favorite Mexican dishes
• Best copycat Chipotle sofritas recipe ever!

🥘 Ingredients

This recipe requires just a few simple ingredients, easily found at your grocery store!

• Tofu Mixture: Tofu is the main ingredient for this recipe. For the mixture, you need extra-firm tofu, olive oil and black beans (optional). The chipotle tofu ingredients don’t include black beans, but I like it for the additional protein and texture. For the tofu, you will either have to press your tofu to get out all of the excess moisture / water content, or buy vacuum packed extra firm tofu that has already been pressed for the perfect crumbly texture.
• Fresh Vegetables: To deepen the flavor of the sauce, we added red onion and peppers (you can use a green bell pepper or a poblano pepper).
• Rest of The Marinade / Sauce Ingredients: Blended with the onion/pepper mixture, we added tomato paste, prepared salsa, chipotle peppers, and 1 tablespoon of Adobo Sauce. A note on the adobo sauce & chipotle chilies – a little goes a long way! I recommend adding less than what’s listed in the recipe, taste as you go and add more as needed.
• Spices: Definitely don’t skimp on the sofritas seasoning in this recipe! You’ll need chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, oregano, garlic cloves, a pinch of coconut sugar, and salt.

🔪 Instructions

Press Tofu, Prep Ingredients: Press and drain the tofu for 15 minutes to get rid of the excess liquid. You can either use a tofu press, or wrap it in a few paper towels or a kitchen towel, and place a heavy object on top. Saute the onion and pepper in 1 tsp olive oil until caramelized. Add your sauce ingredients (including onion/pepper mixture) to a blender.

Make Homemade Sofritas Sauce: Blend all of the sauce ingredients until smooth.

Cook Sofritas Tofu: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the block of tofu and crumble it into small pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook the shredded tofu until golden brown and slightly crispy (about 8-10 minutes).

Combine Sauce And Tofu: Pour the sauce into the skillet (over the cooked tofu) and stir until combined. Cook on medium/low heat until the flavors combine about 5-10 minutes. Add black beans with the sauce if using.

Serve: Serve warm, on its own topped with fresh cilantro and lime, with a side of rice, or using our serving suggestions below! Enjoy!

🍽 How To Serve Sofritas

While you can eat these on their own, I recommend adding them to a taco shell, a burrito or a bowl with other fresh ingredients for an awesome meal. You can think of spicy sofritas meat the way you think of using other protein you may eat for more ideas. Some of my favorite ways to serve them include:

• As a filling for tacos or vegan burritos — topped with shredded lettuce or baby spinach, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, red onions, salsa, and anything else you like!
• As a base for salads or vegan burrito bowls. Load it up with toppings like black beans or refried beans, guacamole, cilantro lime rice or brown rice, tomatoes, corn, peppers, baby spinach, pico de gallo or corn salsa, crumbled tortilla chips, vegan sour cream, vegan queso, and a squeeze of lime juice!
• As an addition to vegetarian chili for an even meatier texture
• As a topping for loaded veggie nachos
• As a meaty filling in this vegan crunchwrap supreme recipe!

❓Recipe FAQs

💭 Expert Tips

• For best results, make sure to use extra firm tofu for the best crumble texture. You want to crumble it similarly to a tofu scramble consistency, but just a little smaller in size. You want it to be pea-sized so the tofu can absorb all of the flavors of the sauce. Do not use soft tofu for this recipe, it will become way too mushy!
• How to press tofu properly: The key here is weight! If you use a tofu press, it’ll do all the work for you. But if you don’t, then you want to wrap your tofu in enough paper towels to absorb the moisture, place it on a plate, and weigh it down with a heavy pan filled with books (or another heavy, flat object) for at least 15 minutes, although 30 minutes is ideal. You can even press the tofu ahead of time and store it in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, so it’s ready to go when you need it!
• Freezing the tofu: Some people prefer the texture of frozen and thawed tofu for meaty dishes, because once the tofu is thawed it ends up being more dry and crumbly. So feel free to use frozen and thawed tofu for this dish if you like!
• You don’t have to use organic ingredients, but I recommend them! Especially for the tofu, it is important to avoid GMOs, fertilizers and pesticides.
• To cook tofu perfectly: If you find your tofu sticking too much to the pan, just add a little more oil. You’ll want the tofu to be golden brown and slightly crispy. 
• To avoid too much heat: Try halving the peppers, and adding more after tasting to get it to the spice level you prefer. You can also substitute the poblano for a roasted bell pepper to get the same flavor without as much heat.
• For more flavor or heat: If you want to add more flavor, try adding a touch more of salt and spices, or add a bit more of the adobo sauce. You can also roast your poblano pepper and onion before adding it to the sauce (instead of sauteeing it).
• For kids: This Chipotle sofritas copycat recipe has great flavor and texture which can be appealing to kids, but can be pretty spicy thanks to the heat from the chipotle and poblano peppers. If your kids are more sensitive to spice but love the crumbled texture of tofu, you can reduce the amount of spices and peppers, or substitute in regular bell peppers instead of poblano/chipotle peppers.

🍲 More Delicious Vegan Recipes!

• Slow Cooker Vegan White Bean Soup
• Vegan Black Bean Soup
• Vegan Tikka Masala with Tofu
• Vegan Chorizo
• Vegan Butternut Squash Chili
• Vegan Recipes For Beginners
• 21 Delicious Vegan Lunch Ideas

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