If you're looking for a satisfying and flavorful vegan meal, look no further than these vegan spicy baked tofu burrito bowls. Inspired by sofritas at Chipotle, these bowls feature baked tofu coated in a smoky and spicy sauce, tangy and herbaceous cilantro lime rice, and plenty of customizable burrito bowl add-ons.
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You Will Love This Recipe
- It's packed with incredible flavor. These bowls are packed with all the tangy, smoky, spicy, savory, and fresh flavors of your favorite burrito bowl order, only these are homemade!
- It's easy to throw together. I've written this recipe to make the best use of your time while putting together all of the components.
- It's customizable. I don't know what you get on your Chipotle burrito bowl, but you do! Customize this recipe by omitting or adding ingredients to re-create your favorite bowl order from home!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Super-firm tofu gives the best texture to this dish in my opinion, but extra-firm tofu will work fine as well.
- Olive oil adds richness and healthy fats to this dish, but use whatever neutral-flavored oil you prefer.
- Roasted green chiles add heat and some smokiness. You could alternatively use a roasted poblano pepper for even more smoky heat.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce build yet another layer of smoky heat, with a touch of sweetness. If you'd prefer something milder, you can substitute it for a few tablespoons of your favorite tomato-based salsa.
- Tomato sauce serves as the savory base for our sofritas sauce.
- Seasonings including cumin, Mexican oregano, ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper help to reinforce all the smoky and savory flavors we're building here. If you're looking for something simpler, you can use a Tablespoon of taco seasoning for a similar flavor.
- Orange and red bell pepper make up the "fajita" baked veggies in this bowl. Green bell pepper can add more vegetal flavor if you'd prefer. Chipotle also usually has red onion in their fajita veggies so this would be a great addition too!
- Rice is a classic base for a burrito bowl. I've opted for white rice, but brown rice would also be delicious.
- Fresh cilantro adds herbaceous and citrus flavors. Of course, omit this if you think cilantro tastes like soap!
- Fresh lime juice makes all the flavors pop with its bright acidity.
- Optional bowl additions: I've opted to add lettuce, black beans, corn, avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and fresh sliced jalapeño to my bowl, but customize this to your taste!
Instructions
To start, preheat your oven to 400°F (205℃). While the oven is preheating, start cooking your rice according to the package directions or per your preference.
From here, slice your bell peppers and (optional) onion. Crumble the tofu into small pieces, about the size of the tip of your pointer finger or smaller. Spread the tofu and veggies onto a baking sheet, and toss them in oil, salt, and pepper. Bake them at 400°F (205℃) for about 20 minutes or until the tofu appears golden and the veggies have some slight browning.
While the tofu and veggies bake, Add the sofritas sauce ingredients to your blender and blend them until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender once or twice to ensure that there are no chunks. Once the sauce is smooth, add it to a medium skillet over medium heat and allow the sauce to come to a simmer. When a simmer is reached, turn the pan down to low.
While the veggies and tofu continue to bake and the sauce gently simmers, prepare the rest of your burrito bowl components. I rinsed and sliced leaf lettuce, limes, avocado, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. I also heated up some black beans and frozen corn.
When the rice has completed cooking, fluff it with a long-stem fork and mix in the cilantro, lime, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
When the tofu and veggies have finished baking, use a heat-safe turner to scrape the crispy baked tofu into the sofritas sauce. Mix the tofu with a wooden spoon until it is fully coated in sauce.
Now that all your components are ready, it's time to assemble your crispy tofu burrito bowls! You can set out all of the components "burrito bowl bar" style, or simply add rice, tofu sofritas, and baked fajita veggies to each bowl, then top them with the rest of your components. Serving them with a side of tortilla chips and salsa is never a bad idea, either!
Variations
There are probably a million ways to customize your tofu bowl, but here are some more tasty topping ideas to create your perfect burrito bowl:
- tahini lime dressing
- vegan cheese shreds
- hot sauce
- pinto beans
- pico de gallo
- vegan hot honey
- green onion
Storage
Make ahead most of these components including prepping the fresh components, blending the sauce, or cooking the rice 3-4 days before serving. Store them in the fridge until you're ready to assemble your bowls. Be sure to store the bowl components that you need to reheat separately from the components that you would like to remain cold.
Store leftover vegan burrito bowl components in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store the cold elements (i.e. lettuce, salsa) separately from the components served warm (i.e. tofu, rice) for easy reheating.
Reheat your tofu, bell peppers, rice, and other components (i.e. black beans) in the microwave on high for 1 ½-2 minutes or in the oven in a covered oven-safe dish at 325°F (163°C) until heated through to 165°F (74°C).
Tips
- These bowls are great for meal prep! I like to add the fresh components to a larger container and the tofu, rice, fajita veggies, and beans in a separate container. This way I can heat the warm components and add them to the top of my fresh components afterward.
- If using extra firm tofu, it may help to press the tofu first to get rid of some excess water before baking. I like to do this using a lint-free tea towel, a cutting board, and a heavy object, but if you have a tofu press, use that!
- Eco tip: Store the rest of your chipotles in adobo by placing a chipotle and some sauce each in a section of an ice cube tray and freezing. When frozen, you can transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe bag or another freezer-safe container. The "chipotle cubes" will last for up to three months this way, and will make several batches of sofritas sauce!
FAQ
You can omit the rice altogether and use more lettuce! Alternatively, you could use riced cauliflower, corn, quinoa, lentils, or even put all your burrito bowl fix-ins into a baked potato!
While "healthy" may have a different definition from person to person, I would call this recipe healthy as it contains a nourishing combination of plant-based protein, carbohydrates, and fats. It also contains a variety of fresh and well-preserved produce to contribute micronutrients and flavonoids.
Recipe
Spicy Baked Tofu Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Baked Tofu and "Fajita" Veggies:
- 1 (16 oz) block super-firm tofu
- 2 medium bell peppers
- 1 medium red onion (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- several cracks fresh cracked black pepper
Sofritas Sauce:
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 (4 oz) jar fire roasted green chiles (or 4 oz can diced green chiles)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (or oregano)
- ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cilantro Lime Rice:
Burrito Bowl Add-Ons (optional):
- 1 head leaf lettuce, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup corn
- 1 small avocado, sliced
- 1 fresh jalepeño, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup vegan sour cream
- ¼ cup salsa
- 1 fresh lime, sliced into wedges
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205℃).
- Start cooking the rice according to the package directions or per preference.
- Slice the bell peppers and (optional) onion. Crumble the tofu into small pieces, about the size of the tip of your pointer finger or smaller.
- Spread the tofu and veggies onto a baking sheet. Toss in oil, salt, and pepper, and bake at 400°F (205℃) for about 20 minutes or until the tofu appears golden and the veggies have some slight browning.
- While the tofu and veggies bake, add the sofritas sauce ingredients to your blender and blend them until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender once or twice to ensure that there are no chunks in the sauce.
- Add the blended sauce to a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer. Once a simmer is reached, turn the heat down to low. Cover and allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- While the veggies and tofu continue to bake and the sauce simmers, prepare the rest of the burrito bowl components. Rinse and slice the leaf lettuce, limes, avocado, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. Heat the beans and corn for about 2 minutes in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.
- When the rice has completed cooking, fluff it with a long-stem fork and mix in the cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
- When the tofu and veggies have finished baking, use a heat-safe turner to scrape the crispy baked tofu into the sofritas sauce. Mix the tofu with a wooden spoon until it is fully coated in sauce.
- Assemble the bowls with about ½ a cup of rice, ¼ of the tofu sofritas mixture, and ¼ of the baked fajita veggies. Add about ¼ of each of the other bowl components (or to preference) and serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store tofu, baked fajita veggies, rice, beans, and corn separate from the components served cold.
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