Copycat Chipotle Sofritas

Name: Copycat Chipotle Sofritas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 medium poblano pepper; 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 14-16 oz package tofu (drained, pressed and chopped into cubes); 1 large or two small chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce); 2 Tablespoons extra adobo sauce; ½ small yellow onion (chopped); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 Tablespoons tomato paste; 1 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce; ½ Tablespoon apple cider vinegar; ¼ cup water; ½ teaspoon organic sugar or coconut sugar; ½ teaspoon sea salt; 8 cups romaine lettuce; 2 cups cilantro rice; 1 cup cooked black beans; ½ cup corn salsa; ⅓ cup chopped red onion; ⅓ cup fresh cilantro; avocado (or guacamole)

By Brittany Mullins

4.49

Published Sep 16, 2021, Updated Jun 27, 2022

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A delicious copycat recipe for Chipotle’s tofu sofritas that’s loaded with flavor and a hint of spice. It’s the perfect vegan protein option for homemade burrito bowls!

I was so excited when Chipotle came out with their tofu sofritas a couple years ago. Sure, you can totally just avoid meat and load up on rice, beans and veggies, but I love the flavor and protein that sofritas adds to my burrito bowl.

And since Chipotle burrito bowls are so tasty I figured I should create a copycat recipe so we can all have Chipotle burrito bowls at home on the reg. And I must say, it tastes like the real deal!!

What are Sofritas?

First let’s start with the basics… what the heck are sofritas?

Chipotle popularized sofritas and at the chain, sofritas is marinated and braised tofu in a somewhat spicy tomato sauce.

Chipotle’s sofritas seems to be inspired by sofrito, which is a blend of aromatic ingredients, either chopped or pureed and braised in cooking oil. In Spanish cooking, sofrito is typically made from peppers, onion, garlic and tomatoes, which are cooked in oil to create a concentration of flavors.

Ingredients measured out to make sofritas: water, poblano pepper, adobo chipotle pepper, tofu, vinegar, oil, tomato paste, garlic, soy sauce, salt and onion.

Sofritas Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make the sofritas:

tofu – The star ingredient in the sofritas recipe is the tofu. Look for extra firm tofu, not soft of silken tofu.
poblano pepper – poblanos are a mild to medium pepper and aren’t as hot as jalapeños. For this recipe we’re charring the pepper and removing the seeds so it really just gives the sauce a ton of flavor and doesn’t make it extra spicy.
chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce) + extra adobo sauce – You’ll find canned chipotle peppers in adobo in the International section of your grocery store. The add a depth of flavor to the sauce and a little bit of heat!
onion and garlic – two key flavor enhancers for the sofritas sauce.
tomato paste – tomato paste is concentrated so a little goes a long way. You only need 2 Tablespoons for this recipe.
tamari or soy sauce – this adds a bit of salt to the sauce. Tamari is just gluten-free soy sauce so feel free to swap if needed.
apple cider vinegar, coconut sugar and sea salt – additional flavor boosters for the sauce.

Close up photo of a bowl of sofritas. Other bowls are around it with beans, salsa, lettuce and rice.

How to Make Sofritas

Press the tofu: You’ll want to drain and press your tofu before cooking. Use a tofu press or simply wrap the block of tofu in a dish towel or paper towels. Place a pan or plate on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy cookbooks on top. Let the tofu press for at least 20-30 minutes.

Prep The Sauce

While your tofu is getting pressed, you can go ahead and make the sofritas sauce. Start by blistering the poblano pepper.

This may seem intimidating, but I promise it’s super simple!

Simply hold over the flame of a gas range or broil it in the oven. Let cool then remove the stem and seeds.

Next, blend the de-seeded charred poblano pepper, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, onion, garlic, tomato paste, tamari, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt. You can use a food processor or a blender for this step. I usually use my food processor.

Charred poblano pepper, onion and chipotle peppers in a food processor.

Blended pepper sauce in a food processor.

Once your tofu has been pressed, cut into cubes and add to a skillet with olive oil. Cook until the cubes are golden brown on all sides and then use your spatula or a wooden spoon to break up the cubes into crumbles.

Sautéed crumbled tofu in a pan with a spoon.

Stir in the sauce and simmer.

Sautéed crumbled tofu in a pan with a spoon and a dollop of the pepper sauce.

How to Serve Tofu Sofritas

There are so many ways to serve this tofu sofritas, but my favorite is making Chipotle inspired vegan burrito bowls with the sofritas as the main protein. I top the bowls with cilantro rice, corn salsa (another Chipotle copycat recipe), black beans, salsa, guacamole or avocado, a squeeze of lime juice and extra cilantro. My cashew sour cream would be amazing on top too. I love loading on the toppings here.

Burrito bowl made with sofritas, black beans, corn, salsa, guacamole, rice, lettuce and romaine.

Some additional options serving options:

Tacos – tofu sofritas makes a delicious protein filling for veggie tacos.
Quesadilla – use the sofritas as a protein-packed filling for a vegetarian quesadilla.
Nachos – use the tofu sofritas as a tasty topping on nachos. You could use the sofritas instead of the refried beans on my cauliflower nachos.
Taco salad – the same concept as a burrito bowl, but just more lettuce and less rice. You can also serve it up in a taco salad shell if you’re feeling fancy. Swap the turkey with sofritas in my healthy taco salad recipe for a vegan option!

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