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This Chipotle Sofritas copycat recipe tastes just like the original! Shredded tofu braised in spices makes a great vegan option for burritos, tacos, and salads.
Meggan’s notes
To all my meat-eating friends: This recipe tastes better than you think it does. If you took a bite right now, you’d nod your head in puzzled agreement and say, “Huh, this DOES taste really good!”
And to my plant-based friends, I see you! We all need more delicious, vegan options for healthful, homemade meals. This recipe is easy to make at home so you can skip the lines at Chipotle (and it’s always more economical to make it at home, anyway).
Table of Contents
Chipotle Sofritas Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Oregano: Chipotle uses Mexican oregano, but you can use Italian oregano if that’s all that you have. They have different flavors (Mexican oregano tastes more like marjoram) but both taste great in this recipe.
- Olive oil: Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but olive oil is more widely available (and probably already in your pantry).
- 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 object on top such as a cast-iron skillet with cans on top.
- Use a handy-dandy super-slick fast-and-easy tofu press (this is the one I have and it works really well).
- 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 Sofritas
- 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.
- 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.
- Reduce heat and simmer, adding additional water to desired consistency (I prefer additional liquid for serving). Cook until tofu is heated through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups Sofritas braised tofu, enough for servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The tofu can be added to the marinade and refrigerated a day in advance.
- Freezer: The marinade can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding with marinating the tofu.
- Chipotle Burrito Bowls: Make your own copycat burrito bowls, tacos, and salads at home with my full collection of Chipotle Copycat Recipes:
- Proteins: Chipotle Chicken, Chipotle Steak, Chipotle Barbacoa, Chipotle Carnitas, Chipotle Sofritas
- Sides: Chipotle Cilantro-Lime Rice, Chipotle Black Beans, Chipotle Pinto Beans, Chipotle Fajita Veggies
- Sauces: Chipotle Guacamole, Chipotle Tomato Salsa, Chipotle Corn Salsa, Chipote Tomatillo Salsa, Chipotle Hot Salsa, Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
Frequently Asked Questions
Sofritas are a spicy, tomato-braised shredded tofu dish. They get their heat from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and are 100% vegan.
Start with extra-firm tofu and squeeze it to extract as much liquid as possible. There are two easy ways: 1). wrap in paper towels and place in a dish. Set a heavy object on top such as a cast-iron skillet with cans on top. Or, 2). use a handy-dandy super-slick fast-and-easy tofu press (this is the one I have and it works really well).
Transfer to a plastic bag, label, date, and freeze indefinitely for future Chipotle copycat recipes. Chipotle peppers are also delicious stirred into mayonnaise or salsa and are a key ingredient in Chicken Tinga (or Cauliflower Tinga Tacos) and Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers.
To make a substitute for adobo sauce, whisk together 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or ½ teaspoon EACH smoked paprika and cayenne powder), ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and a pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
Complete your Sofritas burrito bowl
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Fajita Veggies (Chipotle Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Guacamole (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)
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Chipotle Sofritas (Copycat)
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 1 medium green bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 medium tomato stemmed and quartered
- 1/2 medium onion peeled and 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 note 1)
- ½ teaspoon Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tofu:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or rice bran oil (see note 2)
- 1 (16 ounce) package extra-firm tofu pressed, cut into 8 slices (see note 3)
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.
- Reduce heat and simmer, adding additional water to desired consistency (I prefer additional liquid for serving). Cook until tofu is heated through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Oregano: Chipotle uses Mexican oregano, but you can use Italian oregano if that’s all that you have. They have different flavors (Mexican oregano tastes more like marjoram) but both taste great in this recipe.
- Olive oil: Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but olive oil is more widely available (and probably already in your pantry).
- 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 object on top such as a cast-iron skillet with cans on top.
- Use a handy-dandy super-slick fast-and-easy tofu press (this is the one I have and it works really well).
- 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.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 c. Sofritas braised tofu, enough for servings, 1 c. each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Ahhhhmazing!! Adding this to my meal plans!
Hi John, there isn’t any soy in this recipe. Sorry for the confusion! -Meggan
Megan, tofu is soy 🙂
LOL!!! yes it is Lauren, yes it is. Wow. Clearly I forgot to turn my brain on that day… I have no explanation for why I said that. I think I must have thought he meant soy sauce? Wow. In any case, thank you so much for being nice about my egregious error. 🥴 Thank you. -Meggan
I don’t believe in using tofu I eat meat..
Thanks for sharing! You stumbled across the ONLY tofu recipe on my site, LOL. Sorry you got lost. -Meggan
Literally better than chipotle. Thank you so much.
I love this recipe sooo much but when I make the marinade it turns out more like a chunky salsa. Just wondering if this is how it supposed to be or if I’m doing something wrong. They don’t look like the Sofritas at chipotle which is fine by me since the flavor is on point I just don’t know if they are supposed to.
Hi Samantha, I think mine also looked like chunky salsa. It probably depends on your food processor (or some people might use a blender and it might grind up more). I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong. You could try running the processor longer if you want it smoother, but that might not make a huge difference. I think it could even depend on how juicy the tomato is or something like that! The way it looks for my photos vs. my video are just COMPLETELY different, but it all tastes the same. So, I think you’re fine. The real question is – are you happy with it? If you’re happy, then I’m happy. -Meggan
If you want to have some liquid to the salsa, just add a little water to the mixture and it will loosen up.
taste just like the real thing! Great flavor! Makes for a tone of leftovers that lasted me a week!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! I just had Chipotle’s sofritas for the first time and immediately looked up recipes so that I could make it at home. I pressed my tofu for about two hours and it was stayed firm and crisp. The spice level was perfect. I served it as a “burrito bowl,” adding chopped greens, brown rice, chopped onions and just a dab of sour cream. Everyone loved it!
Just like Chipotle!
Easy to do – tastes great but very spicy hot. I’ve eaten at Chipotle many times and it was never this spicy hot. Unless you really like it hot, cut the chipotle chile to 3/4 or at most 1. The rice was terrific though.
Hi Marilyn, I appreciate the feedback and I’m so sorry that it was spicy. I’m going to change the recipe to make the chipotle chiles optional. I know I have 2 listed, but the problem is I never mentioned you are supposed to take the seeds out. If you take the seeds out, 2 are probably fine, but it also depends on the particular pepper. So I think optional is best, I’ll leave the adobo for sure, and I’ll mention about taking the seeds out if you use them. I’m so sorry about that! Thanks. -Meggan
So good!
The meals look delicious, appetizing, fresh and wonderful. In fact i salivated when i was critically looking at the meals.
Congratulation Meggan
Thank You.