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 Recipe (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 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
I chopped the tofu fine, but it was still spongier than I ‘d prefer. Perhaps slice the tofu into more slices (16) before pressing?
Hi Marla, I imagine tofu varies greatly by brand. You could definitely slice it more thinly before pressing if that’s what your tofu needs. Thanks! -Meggan
did you buy extra firm tofu? maybe try pressing it for longer or even cooking it for longer
Amazing recipe! I loved this marinade. Thanks you so much for sharing!
This is the real deal. As a vegetarian, I adore Chipotle’s sofritas and am so happy I found this recipe. It truly tastes just like theirs! Mine came out too wet, which I think is due to my food processor making the tofu bits too small, so next time I’ll chop it. Love that there’s really no chopping of veggies if you use a food processor. Will have to check out some of your other Chipotle recipes:)
Hey! I’m hoping to use this in some breakfast taquitos that I can freeze. Is this freezable?
Hey Ariadne! Yes, it’s okay to freeze tofu! It will actually absorb the flavor of the marinade even better through the freezing/defrosting process. It might be a little firmer and less soft, more chewy, but I’m assuming if you’re eating tofu you don’t mind that! If you need anything else, just let me know! Thank you so much for the great question. :D
I’m wondering how long does this last after making it
I made this a week ago and am obsessed! I am going to make this again tonight but am wondering if you have tried freezing it?
Delicious! I made this along with the lime rice, veggies and pinto beans!
Trying to cut down on the meat at my household and this definitely hit the spot.
By any chance how long will this keep? It’s just two of us and will like to keep it as long as possible.
(5x meal prep, hopefully!)
Thank you so much for sharing!
I plan on trying this ASAP! I’m attempting to start meatless Monday’s. What could i substitute to make this dish with less sodium?
Hi Lynn! Thanks for commenting. I was looking at the recipe trying to figure out WHY the sodium was so high in the first place when none of the ingredients are particularly, well, salty. I went back to the nutrition calculator and changed “Chipotle Chilis” to “Chipotle Peppers” because the program was pulling in canned chili and artificially inflating the sodium in the process. So, the sodium is reflected accordingly now and is much lower. Tofu itself isn’t very salty. When you choose your chipotle peppers and/or adobo sauce (whether you buy them together or separately) you should look at the labels for the one with the lowest salt. And, feel free to use less than the 1/2 teaspoon salt recommended in the recipe for your final seasoning. I hope this is helpful, sorry for the confusion, and if you need anything else just let me know! Good luck and take care. -Meggan
Made this recipe today along with a few other of the Chipotle copycat recipes on Culinary Hill. Always so good!
Thank you so much Bridgette, I really appreciate you!
I LOVE sofritas from Chipotle and never order a burrito bowl without it :D