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This Chipotle Sofritas recipe tastes just like the original! Shredded tofu braised in spices makes a great vegan option for burritos, tacos, and salads.
To all my meat-eating friends: This recipe tastes better than you think it does.
Seriously. If you took a bite right now, you’d nod your head in puzzled agreement and say, “Hm. This actually tastes really good!”
I’ve seen it a million times. Okay, about 40 times. But still! DATA DOESN’T LIE.
One reason I am posting Chipotle Sofritas is because I have a Type-A personality and want to finish the project I started: Sharing all Chipotle copycat recipes.
A second reason is because vegan Chipotle Sofritas is delicious whether you’re a vegan or not.
How to Press Tofu
Start with extra-firm tofu and squeeze it to extract as much liquid as possible. There are two easy ways.
- Wrap in paper towels and place in a dish. Set a heavy dish on top such as a large can, a brick, or your oversized cat.
- Use a handy-dandy super-slick fast-and-easy tofu press (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link).
Once you’ve pressed the tofu, slice it into 8 slices. If you your brick is really divided into 2 bricks, cut each slab into 4 slices. You’ll know what I mean once you start looking at tofu.
How to make the Chipotle Sofritas marinade
While pressing the tofu, make the easy Sofritas marinade. It’s a combination of fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions, some chiles, and lots of spices.
- Throw everything in a food processor or blender and hit BLAST. Marinade = done.
- Brown the tofu in a pan to give it texture and flavor. Depending on the size of your pan, it’s okay to brown your tofu in batches. Use enough oil to cover all the areas where the tofu is going to touch. But don’t worry if it feels like it’s sticking! Just leave it in the pan and when it’s ready, it will release. If you try to flip it too early, it might stick.
- Pulse the browned tofu in your food processor or blender until coarse crumbs form. Try not to pulverize it. Those big pieces add a nice texture to the final dish.
- Combine the shredded tofu with the marinade. Toss it together in a large pan and simmer it on the stove until heated through. If you like more liquid in the pan, add more water.
What can I do with my leftover Chipotle peppers and/or adobo sauce?
Transfer to a bag and freeze for future use, or use in:
- Chicken Tinga
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
- Chipotle Chicken (copycat)
- Chipotle Barbacoa (copycat)
- Chipotle Steak (copycat)
- Chipotle honey vinaigrette (copycat)
- Chipotle black beans (copycat)
- Chipotle pinto beans (copycat)
Chipotle Sofritas (Copycat)
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 1 medium green bell pepper (about ½ cup)
- 1 medium tomato quartered
- 1/2 medium onion quartered
- 1/2 cup water plus additional water as needed for braising the tofu
- 2 chipotle chilies plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tofu:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or rice bran oil
- 1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu pressed, cut into 8 slices (see notes)
Instructions
To make the marinade:
- In a food processor, combine bell pepper, tomato, onion, water, chipotle chilies and adobo sauce, garlic, red wine vinegar, ancho chile powder, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Pulse until the marinade is slightly chunky and thoroughly combined. Set aside.
To make the tofu:
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Working in batches if necessary, carefully place the tofu in the pan, flip occasionally, and cook until the tofu is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Roughly chop the tofu, or pulse the tofu in a food processor until the tofu is roughly in ¼ inch pieces. Place in a bowl and add the marinade. Cover and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator.
- To cook the tofu, heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the marinated tofu and any remaining marinade. Add ¼ cup water and bring to a boil. Add additional water to desired consistency. (I like there to be additional liquid for serving.) Reduce to simmering. Cook until the tofu throughout heated, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Drain the tofu, wrap in paper towels, and place in a dish.
- Place a heavy object, such as a can, on the tofu for about 15 minutes, to remove moisture. Or, use this easy tofu press.
Nutrition
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We have made this a few times and it is really delicious! My daughter rarely eats meat so this is a quick and easy recipe to make and she loves it! Thank you!!
Hi Jennifer, you’re welcome! I’m so glad you both loved it! – Meggan
Your calories per serving does not include the actual tofu, just wanted to let you know. I will be going to make this
Thank you
Hi Rose, thanks for pointing this out! I’ll go in and fix that. – Meggan
Mine definitely came out mushy, but I am obsessed with how my sofritas smelled like the chipotle sofritas!! I will absolutely be trying this recipe again, I think part of the reason why mine came out so mushy was because I blended the tofu… I tried to not overdo it, but I think next time I should just chop it up instead.
The marinade is absolutely delicious- I left my tofu in the marinade for about 45 minutes, honestly felt like I could have just put it on the stove instead of waiting. I had a lot of liquid in it- either leftover from the tofu, or possibly from the onion and bell pepper- so I didn’t add more water, and ended up leaving it to simmer for a good 15-20 min.
I had my sofritas on nachos- so good! Looking forward to trying them in a quesodilla too!
Mushy is usually from there being too much water in the tofu itself. I freeze then thaw my tofu squares, easiest way to do it!
I made this sofritas recipe along with the black beans, rice, corn salsa, and tomato salsa copycat recipes and it tastes JUST LIKE the vegan lifestyle bowl from Chipotle. Making it at home also allowed me to upgrade the bowl with a dairy-free queso! Canāt thank you enough for such a wonderful collection of recipes!
That’s awesome Kasey I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment. – Meggan
How many calories is this? I donāt understand Kcal, are they the same thing?
Hi Judith, I pulled this from the USDA website: “One (1) kilocalorie is the same as one (1) Calorie (uppercase C).” So a calorie and a kcal are the same thing. One serving is 66 kcals. I hope this helps! – meggan
Really good chipotle sofritas recipe! I made this twice. The first time i put the hot pan friend tofu 3 at a time in my small blender and they turned to mush. The second time i let it cool down on a plate and put them 1-2 at a time in the processor for 3 quick pulses and it turned our a bit chunkier which was nice, with cilantro lime rice, corn salsa and some black beans and a chipotle dressing recipe i use, i have a perfect meal!
Just made this to use as filling for vegetarian enchiladas and it’s amazing!!! Born and raised in Texas but had to move to NorCal for work, and I’ve been missing TexMex food greatly, and this hit the spot! However, I have quite a bit of the sofritas leftover after only making 6 enchiladas, how long do the sofritas last in the fridge? Also can they be frozen? Thanks so much for the delicious recipe :)
Hi Alyssa, I’m glad you loved it, you’re welcome! I would recommend keeping in an airtight container for up to three days. I haven’t personally tried to freeze it, but I believe you could in an airtight container. I believe it will change the texture of the tofu to be more porous, so it may not be the same later. – Meggan
Really good!