Vegan Chorizo Tofu Tacos Recipe
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Elevate your taco night with the best vegan chorizo tofu perfectly seasoned with all the classic chorizo sausage flavors and roasted until golden brown and delicious. Deeply packed with savory flavors with a hint of mild smokiness from the smoked paprika and ancho chili.
Best Vegan Chorizo
Meaty, filling and easy to make these vegan chorizo crumbles make the perfect tacos topped with a fresh and zesty tomato salsa and a drizzle of sour cream. In the morning turn them into the best breakfast tacos drizzled with my vegan egg yolks or use them to stuff a nice burrito or the best vegan nachos.
Chorizo Tofu Meat Seasonings
- Olive Oil + Shoyu – Your 2 wet ingredients that serve as the first layer of flavor and what will help all the spices to stick and coat the tofu pieces perfectly. Traditionally chorizo is pretty fatty, you can add more olive oil at your discretion but I found this to be more than enough. You can always add another drizzle after roasting.
- Smoked Paprika – The classic dominant spice in chorizo, I prefer to use the sweet variety as you want to use quite a significant amount and the hot version can get super spicy.
- Ancho Chili Powder – Another layer of subtle and sweet smoky flavor. This specific chili powder is made from ground dried ancho chiles, it’s mild and it is not mixed with any other spices. If using another variety of chili powder make sure to check the heat level and ingredient list to make sure you love it.
- Onion + Garlic Powders – These are your aromatics in dried powdered form, don’t skip them.
- Ground Cumin – This is another major dominant spice in chorizo flavor but must be use sparingly as it can be quite overwhelming. I used one teaspoon but If you are not a fan cut that amount into half, you still want a little bit of it in there for that authentic flavor.
- Oregano, Coriander + Thyme – These are all supportive spices to the main flavor profile, you can get away with using more or less of all of them.
- Maple Syrup – Just a teaspoon to balance the earthiness of the other spices + it helps with caramelization during roasting.
- Chili Flakes – I love using them to control my spiciness levels, if using a spicy chili powder make sure to adjust accordingly.
- Sea Salt Flakes – Just before roasting I add a light drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt flakes, not a lot just a pinch to stick to the edges as they brown and you’ll get little bites of extra savoriness in your tacos.
About the Tofu
- Extra Firm – You’ll want to use an extra firm block of tofu here, drain but DO NOT PRESS. Whatever moisture is trapped inside will turn into steam during baking and keep the center moist while the outside gets nicely golden and crisp with perfect chewy edges. Super firm or high protein tofu will also work for this recipe (this is the kind that comes vacuum sealed usually), keep in mind however that it has less moisture so you’ll want to keep an eye on it while it roasts and adjust to your desired level of chewiness. Taste at the 20 minute mark and adjust as you go.
- The Shape – You can use the best kitchen tool here “your hands” and break it up into small bite size irregular pieces, the more irregular the texture the more crispy bits you will end up with. If you prefer more crumbles then you can use a potato masher to break up the tofu quickly, I just happen to like a little more bite to mine for this recipe. Consider the fact that the tofu will shrink during roasting as well and the smaller the size the quicker it will be done, so start checking on the 15 minute mark to make sure you don’t overcook it.
Serving Ideas
- Vegan Egg Yolk
- Peach Salsa
- Mango Basil Sauce
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Avocado Mango Salsa
- Cashew Queso
- Vegan Aioli
- Restaurant Style Red Salsa
- Creamy Black Beans
- Pickled Cauliflower
- Pickled Red Onion
- Grilled Corn Tomato Avocado Salad
- Avocado Tomato Salsa
- Vegan sour cream + lots of lime wedges to go around.
On Storage + Reheating
Although at its best sizzling hot straight out of the oven, the cold leftovers are also great in a salad or reheated in a hot cast iron skillet to crisp up and wake up the spices.
how to make vegan chorizo tofu tacos
Vegan Chorizo Tofu Tacos
Meaty, filling and easy to make these vegan chorizo crumbles make the perfect tacos topped with a fresh and zesty tomato salsa and a drizzle of sour cream. In the morning turn them into the best breakfast tacos drizzled with my vegan egg yolks or use them to stuff a nice burrito or the best vegan nachos.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz block extra firm tofu drained - DO NOT PRESS
- 2 Tbsp olive oil + more for drizzling
- 2 Tbsp shoyu
- 1.5 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 3 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1.5 tsp ancho chili powder or your favorite chili powder to taste
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 pinch red chili flakes to taste
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes
Serving Ideas
- tortillas, fresh tomato salsa, vegan sour cream, guacamole, refried beans, lime etc
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400”F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Prepare a medium mixing bowl.
- Drain the tofu block and using your hands tears it into small bite size pieces inside the bowl. Add the oil shoyu and maple syrup give it a toss to coat.14 oz block extra firm tofu, 2 Tbsp olive oil + more for drizzling, 2 Tbsp shoyu, 1 tsp maple syrup
- Sprinkle in the spices (nooch, paprika, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, thyme, chili flakes, black pepper) then toss everything together until coated all over. Transfer to the baking sheet and finish with a light drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt flakes.1.5 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 4 tsp sweet smoked paprika, 3 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp granulated garlic, 1.5 tsp ancho chili powder, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 pinch red chili flakes, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper, 1 pinch sea salt flakes
- Roast the tofu in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, give everything a toss and cook an additional 10 minutes until golden brown to your liking. (Keep an eye on it making sure to not let it burn nor overcook it, the longer you cook it the chewier it will become and the more it will shrink).
- Meanwhile char you tortillas and prepare you favorite toppings: fresh tomato or jarred salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, red or green onion, vegan queso etc...tortillas, fresh tomato salsa, vegan sour cream, guacamole, refried beans, lime etc
Video
Notes
- About the Tofu - You'll want to use an extra firm block of tofu here, drained but DO NOT PRESS. Whatever moisture is trapped inside will turn into steam during baking and keep the center moist while the outside gets nicely golden and crisp with perfect chewy edges. Super firm or high protein tofu will also work for this recipe (this is the kind that comes vacuum sealed usually), keep in mind however that it has less moisture so you'll want to keep an eye on it while it roasts and adjust to your desired level of chewiness. Taste at the 20 minute mark and adjust as you go.
- Smoked Paprika - The classic dominant spice in chorizo, I prefer to use the sweet variety as you want to use quite a significant amount and the hot version can get super spicy.
- Ground Cumin - This is another major dominant spice in chorizo flavor but must be use sparingly as it can be quite overwhelming. I used one teaspoon but If you are not a fan cut that amount into half, you still want a little bit of it in there for that authentic flavor.
- Ancho Chili Powder - This specific chili powder is made from ground dried ancho chiles, it's mild and it is not mixed with any other spices. If using another variety of chili powder make sure to check the heat level and ingredient list to make sure you love it.
Nutrition
Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 528mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1237IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 155kcal
Holy chorizo this spice mix and the way the tofu is roasted turned out amazing, a new favorite and watch me falling in love with tofu 🤩 thanks for such a delicious and easy recipe for my life.