This Easy Homemade Sofritas recipe is the ultimate Chipotle copycat – use this yummy vegan filling in burritos, tacos, or meal prep bowls!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Tofu – super firm vacuum-packed tofu is best but you could also try regular firm tofu.
- Avocado oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like olive or canola oil.
- Poblano pepper – you could also try substituting a roasted red bell pepper.
- Garlic – whole peeled garlic cloves work best but minced garlic is fine.
- White onion – yellow or red onion could also be substituted here.
- Green bell pepper – red or yellow bell peppers can be used, but I love the Tex-Mex flair that the green peppers bring to this dish.
- Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce – a combination of fresh chipotle peppers and smoked paprika is the next best thing.
- Fresh lime juice – bottled lime juice will work in a pinch.
- Tomato paste – tomato puree or sauce could work here, using a 3:1 ratio for tomato puree to paste.
- Maple syrup – you could also try using honey, corn syrup or brown sugar.
- Ground cumin – double up on the ground coriander instead.
- Smoked paprika – chipotle powder is the next best alternative.
- Ground coriander – double up on the ground cumin instead.
- Tamari – soy sauce is a great substitute.
- Vegetable broth – a bouillon cube dissolved in water will have a similar flavour.
- Cilantro – to garnish.
How to make this recipe
- Roast the poblano pepper.
- Blend the sauce mixture.
- Crumble the tofu.
- Brown the tofu.
- Cook the blended sauce for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the tofu, serve and enjoy!
Nutritional info in Chipotle sofritas vs my recipe
There are 150 calories in one scoop of Chipotle’s sofritas without any toppings or sides. My recipe has 258 calories per serving, but the serving size is likely also bigger so you’re getting more food for your calories. Chipotle’s sofritas also contains 560 mg of sodium whereas my version only contains 473 mg of sodium.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Chipotle’s sofritas are made of shredded soy-based tofu that’s prepared with lots of yummy spices, chipotles chiles and roasted poblano peppers.
Sofritas are slightly spicy, peppery and salty with a chewier texture.
Yes! This recipe is made with lots of yummy veggies and plant-based protein, so it’s a great vegan meal option.
Tofu is a great source of protein. There are 10 grams of protein per serving in this recipe, which is slightly more than Chipotle’s version that has 8 grams of protein per serving.
You can freeze tofu for up to 3 months in an airtight glass container, just keep in mind that the texture won’t be the same.
Storing and reheating
You can store the tofu and sauce separately in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, reheat in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Freezing components of this dish
You can freeze the cooked sofritas and sauce separately for up to 3 months, but the tofu tends to lose it's texture when frozen. The sauce will freeze great in airtight glass containers. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat it in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave and serve over fresh crumbled sofritas.
More vegan bowls
- Build Your Own Buddha Bowl
- Caribbean-Inspired BBQ Tofu Vegetable Bowl
- Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl + Roasted Chickpeas
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this sofritas into leftovers.
- My Vitamix is a must have for sauces, soups and purees.
- An Immersion blender is a cheaper way to blend things up.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls for up to 3 months.
Easy Homemade Sofritas {Chipotle Copycat}
Ingredients
- 16 oz block super firm tofu, vaccum packed
- 4 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 1 poblano pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 1 medium green bell pepper, quartered and seeds removed
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- chopped cilantro, optional garnish
Instructions
- Roast the poblano pepper. Set the broiler on high and place the oven rack on the highest setting. Place poblano pepper on a baking sheet and broil on one side for 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Flip pepper and broil on the other side for another 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, cover the pepper with foil, and let steam for 10 minutes. Once it has cooled, remove the stem, seeds, and skin.
- Add the poblano pepper, garlic, white onion, green bell pepper, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, lime juice, tomato paste, maple syrup, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, and tamari to a blender or food processor. Blend until everything is evenly distributed and resembles a thick, smooth salsa. Set aside.
- Prepare the tofu. Using your hands, crumble the tofu into roughly ¼ inch chunks. A few larger pieces are okay since they will break up during cooking.
- In a large pan, heat half of the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the tofu and spread across the pan in an even layer. Let cook for 2 minutes undisturbed. After 2 minutes, stir the tofu, scraping up any browned bits, and let cook again for another 2 minutes. Repeat this process for a total of 6-8 minutes, or until the tofu is browned. Remove the tofu from the pan and set it aside.
- Keeping the pan on medium-high heat, add the remaining half of the avocado oil. Once shimmering, add the blended sauce mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan and scrape up any browned bits.
- Add the tofu back into the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Once the sauce has reduced by about a quarter, remove from heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
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