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If I had to choose a favorite item from Chipotle, it's hands-down their braised tofu. It's the perfect, protein-packed "meaty" option that pairs perfectly with a side of rice, black beans, and guac.
Why You’ll Love This
- Yep, this recipe requires just 20 minutes of your time. Faster than driving to Chipotle, ordering, then driving back home. Making this recipe a perfect weeknight dinner dish!
- Our homemade, copycat sofritas recipe is 100% plant-based, gluten-free, and made with easy-to-find ingredients.
- Speaking of ingredients, we are working with only NINE ingredients! No need to cart away a big batch of groceries for this recipe.
I highly recommend serving this dish with your favorite, go-to sides. Mine include Puerto Rican yellow rice (switching it up from white rice), black beans, sliced avocado, and fried plantains.
What is Sofritas?
Sofritas is braised tofu made with a variety of aromatics and ingredients.
According to Chipotle’s website, their sofritas are made with bell pepper, chipotle chili, cumin, garlic, onion, tomato, and many more ingredients.
We’re using sofrito, a blend of aromatic that is used as a cooking base to take care of many of the ingredients in that list. It is the magic ingredient that makes this recipe incredibly easy.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil - Use olive or any neutral, high-heat oil. This includes vegetable or canola oil.
- Tofu - Be sure to use firm tofu! Extra-firm tofu will not work for this recipe. It will turn out too tough.
- Cumin seeds - Cumin seeds will provide a warm and earthy flavor to the dish. It's a must-have!
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce - This comes in a can. To hold back on the heat, either just use one chipotle pepper, completely omit. However, you'll still need to use the adobo sauce. This is where the base of the flavor will come from. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be found at most grocery stores in the "ethnic" section of the grocery store. Or, find them at Latin/Mexican grocery stores.
- Sofrito - If you're into sofrito, you'll know why this ingredient is crucial in this recipe! Sofrito has all of the aromatics you need including bell peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro. I highly recommend making it yourself. If you don't have sofrito, you can add these individual ingredients into the blender in place of sofrito:
- ½ onion (chopped)
- ½ green bell pepper (chopped)
- ½ red bell pepper (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced/grated)
- 1-2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
- Red Wine Vinegar - Cider vinegar may also be used.
- Tomato Paste - This is where umami will come in! The tomato paste will also help with thickening the sauce for the sofritas.
- Water
- Salt
How to Make Chipotle Sofritas
- First, toast the cumin seeds in a skillet until fragrant. Remove, then add the adobo sauce, sofrito, red wine vinegar, tomato paste into a blender. Blend until smooth.
- You’re already halfway there to getting the recipe done. Next, allow the Chipotle sofritas sauce to cook and simmer for about 1 minute to get the flavors to mingle.
- Combine the marinade with the cooked tofu simmer for 15 minutes. The result is a saucy, flavorful, sofritas recipe made in under 30 minutes!
How To Store
Once cool down, store the cooked sofritas in an airtight container or reusable silicone bag for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Looking for more tofu recipes? Check these recipes out:
Recipe Tips
- This recipe is fairly spicy. If you prefer mild sofritas, either omit the chipotle peppers (keep the sauce) or use just one.
- Freezing the tofu is very important in this sofritas recipe. This step will help yield "meatier" tofu. Additionally, frozen tofu will become porous, making it easier for the marinade to cook through the tofu.
- There are about 4 servings in this recipe.
20-Minute Chipotle Sofritas
A flavor-packed sofritas recipe that's inspired by Chipotle's version of the dish. Made with adobo sauce, fresh homemade sofrito, and "meaty" firm tofu. A great dish to add with rice, tacos, burritos or a salad.
Ingredients
- Oil
- 16 ounces firm tofu frozen
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 7 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for mild add 1 chipotle pepper. For spicy, add all.
- 1 cup sofrito
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- First, defrost the block of tofu, drain, and press as much of its water from the block. Cut the tofu into small, 1-inch cubes.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu on all sides until golden. Remove tofu from skillet and set aside.
- In the same pan, remove from heat and toast cumin seeds for about 30 seconds.
- In a blender, blend together the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sofrito, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, toasted cumin seeds, water, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- In the same skillet add oil and heat over medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add the Chiptole sofritas sauce mixture. Cook and stir for a minute.
- Add the tofu to the pot with the sauce and bring everything to a boil. Once at a boil, lower heat to simmer. Cook the sofritas, stirring occassionally for 15 minutes. Crush tofu into smaller pieces with a fork half way through.
Notes
- Your pan or skillet should be deep enough to hold all of your ingredients, with a couple of inches on top to allow for evaporation. I used a cast-iron skillet.
- If you’re unable to freeze the tofu prior to use, it’s fine. It’ll just be a bit softer. Be sure to press the water from the tofu.
- This recipe is fairly spicy. If you prefer mild sofritas, either omit the chipotle peppers (keep the sauce) or use just one.
- Freezing the tofu is very important in this sofritas recipe. This step will help yield "meatier" tofu. Additionally, the tofu will become porous, making it easier for the marinade to cook through the tofu.
- There are about 4 servings in this recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1-ServingCalories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 10gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 1251mgPotassium: 50mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2548IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 151mgIron: 3mg
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Saucy Chipotle Smoked Tempeh
Kate
Looks so good, I can't wait to make it!
How long does this store in the fridge? How do you typically reheat it for best flavor/texture?
Aly Michell
Thank you! I’m excited for you to try it! The sofritas will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, I recommend warming it in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or broth to keep it moist—this helps maintain the best texture and flavor. The microwave works too in a pinch, but stovetop is ideal if you have a few extra minutes!
Karrie
Is there a measurement for the vinegar?
Aly Michell
Hi Karrie! I added the red wine vinegar to the recipe card. Thank you for pointing that out.
Sahil Saini
I can't wait to try this recipe!! Thank you for sharing..
Randi
Omg I bought a jar of sofrito from the grocery store months ago and didn't know what to do with it, so I'm super excited to try this! Saw it just in time because I'm meal-prepping burrito bowls next week 😀
Aly Michell
Yessss that sofrito came in handy! Let me know how the recipe comes out when you try it. Also, I have the recipe on this blog for homemade sofrito, if you ever want to make your own! Super fresh with easy-to-find ingredients.
Will
What does the 1cup of sofrito in the ingredient list refer to?
plantbasedandbroke
Hey Will. Thank you for pointing that out. It was supposed to be hyperlinked to bring more context to the ingredient. Sofrito is a vegetable base that's popular in Latin-Caribbean cultures and it can either be store-bought, or homemade. I prefer the homemade stuff. I will make the call out more clear and add a short description within the post to explain what that is. If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know.