Sofritas (Chipotle-Style)
This sofritas recipe was inspired by Chipotle's. It's hearty and well-spiced, and adds plant-based protein and veggies to your meals.
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on October 21, 2025
This recipe was inspired by Chipotle’s tofu option called “sofritas.” Have you tried it? I often order it on my burrito bowl for some additional plant-based protein. It’s hearty, saucy and spicy, and makes the extra three-dollar charge for guacamole worthwhile.
I based this recipe directly on Chipotle’s ingredient list. Then, I played around with the amounts and the method until it tasted just right. Honestly, I like this version even better! It tastes fresh, flavorful and nicely spiced. Sometimes Chipotle’s sofritas are so spicy that they overwhelm the other flavors in my bowl.
Sofritas Ingredients
Chipotle’s recipe was inspired by sofrito, an aromatic base of garlic, onions and peppers found in Spanish and Latin American cuisines. You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s what you’ll need to make it and why.
Olive oil: Sofrito is traditionally cooked in olive oil, so these sofritas are as well. I always use extra-virgin olive oil for cooking.
Tofu: Choose extra-firm tofu and crumble it with a fork for a texture like Chipotle’s. Once sauteed in olive oil until golden, it develops a surprising, subtly smoky note. The crumbled tofu has a lot of surface area that is eager to absorb seasonings.
Onion, red bell pepper and garlic: This trifecta creates the flavorful backbone of the dish. If you can’t find a red bell pepper, yellow or orange will work well.
Tomato paste and canned diced tomatoes: Diced tomatoes offer moisture and tenderness, and umami-rich tomato paste ramps up the tomato flavor.
Adobo sauce or chopped chipotle peppers: Both come from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Chipotle peppers taste smoky and spicy, and contribute key flavor.
Recipe Tip
Store leftover tomato paste and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in their own small freezer bags. Squeeze out the air before sealing the bag. Flatten the bags before freezing, and you’ll be able to tear off what you need for your next recipe.
Red wine vinegar: A splash of acidity livens up the overall flavor. Sherry vinegar would be a fine substitute.
Dried spices: We’ll use a combination of ground cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. The smoked paprika echoes the chipotle peppers.
Watch How to Make Sofritas
Uses for Sofritas
Sofritas are a protein-rich addition to your favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex meals. I always serve my sofritas with rich, creamy guacamole or sour cream to balance the heat.
Try dolloping sofritas into your burritos and burrito bowls, sprinkling it over nachos, stirring it into cheese before making quesadillas, or using it as a base for your tacos. I like sofritas with eggs, too, whether scrambled or fried.
Build your meal with these complementary additions:
- Cilantro Lime Brown Rice or Cauliflower Rice
- Sour cream or Vegan Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Classic Pico de Gallo
- Fresh Corn Salsa
- Restaurant-Style Red Salsa
- Quick-Pickled Onions
- Shredded romaine lettuce
- Fresh cilantro
More Recipes to Enjoy
If you appreciate these sofritas, check out these recipes with Mexican influences.
Please let me know how your sofritas turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you, and I’m eager to hear how you serve this recipe.
Sofritas (Chipotle-Style)
This sofritas recipe was inspired by Chipotle’s. It’s hearty and well-spiced, and adds plant-based protein and veggies to a variety of meals. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings, depending on your portion size.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, excess water squeezed out, crumbled with a fork into ½-inch bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 small-to-medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce or chopped chipotle peppers (from a can of chipotle peppers), more to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tofu and cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until it’s lightly golden brown on the edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tofu to a bowl and set it aside. Carefully wipe the skillet mostly clean with a towel, then return the skillet to the heat.
- Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, vinegar, adobo sauce and garlic, and stir to combine. Cook until the mixture is fragrant and the tomato paste has deepened in color, about 1 minute. Add the cumin, paprika and dried oregano and tomatoes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the diced tomatoes and cook until the bell peppers are tender enough to easily pierce through with a fork, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the tofu back into the skillet and cook until the mixture is combined, stirring often, and some of the sauce has soaked into the tofu, about 1 minute.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and adjust to taste. If it’s not spicy enough for your liking, add more adobo sauce by the teaspoon until it is (I’ve added up to 3). Season with salt (up to ¼ teaspoon), to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve as desired.
Nutrition
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Can I use tempeh? I never cooked with it but have some
Hi Margie, yes I think this would work with tempeh. I realized I don’t have any recipes for tempeh! You can crumble it and cook it using this method.
Looks yummy! Looking forward to trying this out as a fresh take on protein for tacos and bowls.
I love your recipes. I live in Europe and I use metric. Could you possibly put the metric version in your recipes also?
Hi Julia, I do include metric weights for some baking recipes, but updating all 1000 recipes on my site to include metric would be quite the undertaking.
Delicious! Having never heard of sofritas (there are no Chipotle’s in Greece), I had no preconceived ideal of the dish. But like every C&K recipe, it just looked good. And when my wife says, “Put this one on speed dial,” I know I’ve scored big. I gather from the introduction that the dish is mainly used as a topping or filler, but I served it up as a lunchtime main course. 6-8 servings? Nope, we ate the whole thing. I specially like the way Kate coaches us for seasoning. I started with one chopped chipotle in adobe sauce from a can, added a second after tasting, but clutched at the third. Not next time. The finished product is like a Mexican shakshuka. So, “Darling, guess what’s for breakfast!”
Hi Mic, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Chipotle’s is a fast-casual Mexican-inpsired restaurant chain that specializes is custom rice bowls, burritos, and tacos.
Making this now and it says add tomatoes in steps 3 and 4! Which one is correct? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, add tomato paste in step 3, and diced tomatoes in step 4.
I just made sofritas and my family loves them! We like a ton of flavor, so I doubled the amount of red wine vinegar and tripled the amount of adobo sauce. I’m so thankful for this recipe. It’s a light, easy dish and doesn’t take long to make.
Hi Bronwyn, thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed them. I find they are a versatile addition of protein to so many meals.
Made this per the recipe, it was very good! I will be making it again. I used it as filling for quesadilla, adding a can of black beans to make it even more hearty. It was enough for 4 meal servings. Had leftovers for lunch in a taco salad format – also a winner!
I only put in the initial 1T adodo sauce, and next time I will put in 2T.
Hi Sarah, I’m glad you enjoyed the sofritas!
Long time follower, first time commenter!
I was so excited about this recipe- I am a huge fan of Chipotle’s sofritas and love your recipes Kate, so I knew I had to try this one as soon as I saw it.
It was sooo delicious! I followed the recipe exactly as written. Definitely as good if not better than Chipotle’s. This is going in the regular rotation. Thank you!
Hi Chelsea, I’m glad you enjoyed! I think it it works in all sorts of tacos, bowls, and burritos with a variety of accompaniments, so it’s perfect for a regular rotation because you can have it as a component in so many meals.