This is one of my favorite recipes I’ve created. This saucy, spicy, and savory homemade Sofritas recipe rivals restaurant versions and makes a fantastic plant-based main for burrito bowls, tacos, and wraps.
If you love Chipotle’s vegan sofritas, this homemade copycat shredded tofu recipe will quickly become a favorite. The tofu is shredded and crisped in the oven or air fryer, then simmered in a smoky, pepper-forward sauce made from roasted vegetables, chipotle, and spices. The result is spicy, savory, and deeply satisfying — perfect for meal prep or a weeknight dinner.
Why this version is easy: Roasting whole peppers and vegetables concentrates their flavor and shortens hands-on time compared with sautéing. Once the sauce is blended, it comes together quickly with the tofu for a rich, takeout-style meal you can make at home.
What Is Sofritas?
Sofritas are a tofu-based filling inspired by traditional sofrito — a blend of aromatics and peppers used across Latin American cuisines. In this dish, shredded tofu is simmered in a puréed sauce of roasted poblanos, jalapeño, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and spices. It’s moderately spicy, smoky, and hearty, and it’s a popular plant-based option for tacos, burritos, and bowls.
Why You’ll Love this Sofritas Recipe
Robust flavor: Fresh roasted peppers and aromatics give this homemade sofritas an intense, layered taste you’ll notice from the first bite.
Budget-friendly: Making sofritas at home costs far less than buying multiple servings from a restaurant.
Meal prep friendly: The recipe yields four servings and scales well. It reheats easily and makes a versatile protein to add to salads, bowls, tacos, and more.
Healthier option: This version uses little oil and crisps the tofu by baking or air frying rather than deep-frying, keeping the texture meaty without excess fat.
Key Ingredients
Peppers: A mix of jalapeño, poblano, and red bell pepper gives the sauce heat, smoke, and sweetness. Remove seeds for a milder result.
Vegetables and aromatics: Yellow onion, Roma tomatoes, and garlic roast down to add natural sweetness and depth.
Super-firm tofu: The firm texture makes shredding easy and produces a meaty bite. Extra-firm tofu can be used with a bit of pressing if needed.
Canned chipotle peppers and adobo: Two chipotles plus a tablespoon of adobo deliver smoky heat — reduce or omit for milder sofritas.
Seasonings and flavor enhancers: Tomato paste, tamari (or soy sauce), red wine vinegar, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and salt build a balanced, savory sauce.
See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and details.
Recipe Variations
Customize the sofritas to suit your taste:
Mild: Remove jalapeño seeds, use half or no jalapeño, and reduce adobo sauce.
Extra protein: Stir in a cup of cooked beans (pinto or garbanzo) while simmering.
More smoke: Add an extra chipotle or 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle for a deeper smoky edge.
How to Make Sofritas
- Prepare and roast vegetables: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place quartered onion, bell pepper, poblano, jalapeño, and tomatoes in a baking dish. Wrap trimmed garlic cloves in foil with a drizzle of oil and add to the dish. Drizzle the vegetables with about 1 tablespoon oil and roast 25–30 minutes, until peppers are soft and lightly charred and tomatoes and onions are tender.
- Shred and crisp tofu: While the vegetables roast, shred the block of tofu using the largest holes of a box grater. Toss with about 1 tablespoon oil. Air-fry at 400°F for 10 minutes, stir, then cook 5 more minutes until mostly crisp. Alternatively, spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, stir, then bake another 5–10 minutes until golden and slightly crisp.
- Blend the sauce: Let roasted vegetables cool slightly. Remove stems and seeds from peppers, squeeze roasted garlic from the foil, and add everything to a food processor with the chipotle peppers, adobo, tamari, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Pulse until you reach your preferred texture — slightly chunky or smooth.
- Simmer tofu in sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, pour in the blended sauce, then add the crispy tofu. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the tofu absorbs the flavors.
- Finish and serve: Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro. Sofritas are excellent over rice, in tacos or burritos, or topped with guacamole.
Jenné’s Recipe Tips
Shredding vs. crumbling: You can crumble the tofu into small pebble-sized pieces instead of shredding if you prefer a different texture.
Crisping the tofu: Baking or air-frying is important to remove moisture and create a meaty, crisp texture; avoid skipping this step when possible.
Multitask to save time: Roast the vegetables and bake the tofu simultaneously to maximize oven use.
Gluten-free option: Use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to keep the dish gluten-free.
Leftover sauce: The amount of sauce depends on the size of your vegetables; extra sauce freezes well or can be used as a salsa.
How to Enjoy Tofu Sofritas
Use these sofritas as a go-to plant-based protein: spoon them into burrito bowls, load tacos and burritos, or combine with rice, grains, or salads. They pair well with guacamole, vegan sour cream, queso, or a zesty black bean and corn salad.
Storage Directions
- Refrigerate: Cool leftovers to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze cooled sofritas in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Texture may change slightly after thawing, but flavor remains strong.
- Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low for 3–5 minutes or microwave in short increments until heated through. Add a splash of water or vegetable stock if the sauce is very thick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sofritas are shredded, crispy tofu simmered in a spicy, smoky sauce made from roasted poblanos, jalapeño, red bell pepper, tomatoes, oregano, cumin, and other seasonings.
If you can’t find super-firm tofu, use extra-firm. Slice it in half lengthwise, press between paper towels with a heavy pan for 20–30 minutes to remove moisture, then grate or crumble as directed.
Yes. Reduce or omit jalapeño and adobo for milder sofritas, or add an extra chipotle or jalapeño for more heat.
Hungry for more? Check out more popular vegan recipes on the site.
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Sweet Potato Breakfast Burrito
Main Dishes
Tempeh Tacos
Main Dishes
Mushroom Carnitas Tacos
Recipes
Classic Vegan Fish Tacos
Sofritas (Chipotle Copycat Recipe!)
Video
Equipment
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food processor
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, stem removed, peeled, and quartered
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 2 Roma plum tomatoes, ripe
- 3 cloves garlic, base trimmed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
- 1 14 oz block super firm tofu
- 2 canned chipotle peppers
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the onion, bell pepper, poblano, jalapeño, and tomatoes in a baking dish. Wrap the trimmed garlic cloves in foil with a drizzle of oil and add to the dish.
- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon oil over the vegetables and roast 25–30 minutes until peppers are soft and charred and tomatoes and onions are tender.
- While vegetables roast, shred the tofu on the largest holes of a box grater. Toss with the remaining oil to coat.
- Air fryer option: Line the air fryer basket with parchment, air fry tofu at 400°F for 10 minutes, stir, then cook 5 more minutes until mostly crispy.
- Oven option: Spread tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast alongside vegetables for 25 minutes, stir, then bake another 5–10 minutes until golden and slightly crisp.
- Let roasted vegetables cool slightly. Remove stems and seeds from peppers, squeeze roasted garlic into a food processor, and add the roasted tomatoes and onions.
- Add chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tamari, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the food processor. Pulse to desired texture.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high, add the blended sauce and crispy tofu, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Adjust salt if needed. Serve hot with chopped cilantro over rice, in tacos or burritos, or with a salad. Top with guacamole if desired.
Notes
Pro tips:
- Texture: Crumble the tofu to small pebble-sized pieces as an alternative to shredding.
- Crisp it: Baking or air-frying the tofu is key to drying it out and achieving a meatier texture.
- Multitask: Roast vegetables and tofu together to save time and oven space.
- Gluten-free: Substitute tamari or coconut aminos for soy sauce.
- Sauce: Extra sauce can be used as salsa or frozen for later use.
Storage:
- Refrigerate: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze up to 2 months; texture may change but flavor holds up.
- Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low or microwave in short intervals; add a splash of vegetable stock or water if the sauce is thick.
Nutrition
| Carbohydrates: 16 g
| Protein: 20 g
| Fat: 17 g