How to Make Easy, Bold Tofu Burrito Bowls

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Who doesn’t love a good Buddha bowl, am I right? They’re packed with healthy, plant-based flavors and make you feel awesome. Well, this is like that, but instead, we’re making tofu burrito bowls. We’re keeping the clean-eating vibe but taking it south of the border.

Beef Up Your Tofu with Big Flavor

Even when my husband’s gallbladder went bad and we were trying to not eat meat, we didn’t bother with buying tofu. We tried out tempeh and went to vegan restaurants for seitan. But tofu just seemed so flavorless.

Then, we got this crazy vegan cookbook, called Thug Kitchen (which we realized a few years later was an inappropriate name) and learned how to marinate our tofu and bake it to a meatier texture. That was when we learned that tofu is a flavor sponge.

It’s extremely versatile and can be flavored in any number of ways to suit the dish you’re preparing. The marinade in this recipe works great for these burrito bowls; it’s also super in pad thai or ramen.

I’m giving you a recipe below, but generally, I like to play it by ear and throw whatever I have on hand into my marinade. There’s a little bit of an equation to it. You want a little sweet, a little, sour, a little salty, a little spicy (optional), and a little smoky. Here’s what I usually have on hand:

A Little Sweet

• Maple Syrup
• Tomato Paste – I usually pair the tomato paste with maple syrup.
• Agave Nectar
• Ketchup – If I am out of tomato paste, I usually have ketchup.

A Little Sour

• Lemon, lime, or orange juice (which means I try to have citrus fruit in the fridge)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Rice wine vinegar

A Little Salty

• Soy Sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Pickle Juice – This also ticks the sour box. I use it primarily in my Chicken-Fried Tofu and Nashville Hot Tofu recipes.

A Little Spicy

Totally optional, but I recommend using ginger, garlic, sriracha, hot sauce, or something with a bite. This kicks the flavor up a notch.

A Little Smoky

I always add Liquid Smoke to my tofu marinade. It makes it taste like it’s been smoked or grilled, but I don’t have to set up camp in the backyard to do it.

Marinating Tofu for Burrito Bowls

So, once you’ve assessed what’s in your fridge and what flavors you want in your marinade, you can mix those together. Finally, I top it off with vegetable broth until the tofu is fully submerged.

It’s simple, and frankly, I think it’s cool that you can just use whatever you want/have on hand to marinate your tofu. Heck, go simple and marinate it in ranchera salsa! All we need to do is get some good flavor into the tofu.

But don’t worry. There’s going to be a recipe at the bottom anyways. I don’t want to send you into your first tofu burrito bowl blind.

Roasting the Heck out of Tofu

Even if you get extra firm tofu, right out of the packaging, it’s going to have a weird texture that most people just won’t go for. Now, obviously, pressing the liquid out before you marinate it helps a lot. However, it also does wonders to roast it at a high temperature until it starts to char.

I have a designated silicone baking mat for tofu roasting because I’ve sufficiently burned tofu marinade into the edges in the last five years (P.S. – That link gets you a 4-pack so you can destroy one in the name of good tofu and still have some for cookies). That’s how much it roasts. But at the end of the process, the tofu firms up and takes on a very nice meaty texture.

Assembling Easy Tofu Burrito Bowls

Aside from tofu, you need to think about what goes into your favorite burrito bowls. It’s just like going to Chipotle but in your own kitchen! For stovetop elements, I like to do basic rice (or get fancy with a little lime juice and cilantro) and black beans simply seasoned with a little salt and cumin.

Then, I like to get the fresh stuff in there for a cool crisp contrast. Lettuce is a good start for crunch. Avocado is necessary. I mean, it just is. Then you can either do fresh tomatoes or your favorite salsa.

But, here’s your reminder that you can do whatever you want! Add queso if you are feeling it. Build it all in a nice big bowl (I like these big pasta bowls).

And here’s the bonus: this makes for a fantastic lunch meal prep option! You’ll just need to double the recipe and portion it out in your favorite containers for the whole week. So easy!

Bonus: The Best Guacamole You’ll Ever Try

Now, I could send you on your merry way with just the ingredients for a Tofu Burrito Bowl, but we’re going one step further and making this bonkers good guacamole, too. It’s creamy, smoky, spicy, and zippy. And I love that it can be done on the same sheet pan as the tofu.

This is really easy. You’re going to quarter a small yellow onion and throw it on your baking sheet with that tofu. Just scooch the tofu to one side. To the onion, add 2 poblano peppers cut into large chunks and 3 tomatillos quartered.

You’re going to roast those veggies with the tofu for 40 minutes. When you pull the tofu at the 20-minute mark to flip it and baste it, you’ll flip the veggies around a bit, too. Don’t worry that the marinade is getting into your veggies; it’s just more flavor.

Now, at the 40-minute mark, you’ll just be flipping the tofu, but you’re pulling your veggies. They’ve now got a bit of char and they’re nice and soft. Toss the onions, poblanos, and tomatillos into a blender with a large avocado or two small avocados (if you bought them in one of those net bags, they’re likely small avocados).

Squeeze in the juice of one lime and add half of a teaspoon of salt. Now, blitz it in the blender until it’s totally smooth. Move to a bowl with a lid and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble.

And that, my friends, is how you can amp up your tofu burrito bowl even further. It’s not too fussy, but it certainly kicks carry-out options to the curb. You’ll be so proud of yourself for saving money, eating healthy, and making this incredibly tasty meal! So, get cookin’!

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This blog post was updated on 19 October 2020, and again on 7 September 2021 with new photos.

Easy Tofu Burrito Bowls

Super easy and packed with plant-based protein and lots of bold flavor, these Tofu Burrito Bowls are a Meatless Monday miracle dinner.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 2 people

Equipment

• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• 4 cup glass storage container with lid

Ingredients

  

Marinated Tofu

• 1 package extra firm tofu
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or coconut liquid aminos
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp sriracha
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp liquid smoke
• 1-2 cups vegetable broth

Burrito Bowl Assembly

• 1 cup rice, prepared
• 1 can black beans, drained and heated on the stove *add cumin and salt to taste
• 1 large roma tomato diced
• 1 medium ripe avocado (or optional Smoky Guacamole)
• 1-2 cups greens (chopped lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.)
• 2 Tbsp salsa

Smoky Guacamole (optional condiment)

• 3 tomatillos
• 2 poblanos
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 large avocado
• 1 lime
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

 

• Drain the package of tofu. Then wrap tofu in a towel and press between two plates with a weight on top (I have used a cast iron skillet, or cans of beans in the past). Press tofu for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Unwrap tofu and slice into quarter inch slices.
• In a glass storage container, large enough to store tofu and marinade, mix together the ingredients of the marinade (excluding the vegetable broth). Add in tofu, turning to coat it. Now, pour in vegetable broth until the tofu is submerged. Seal the container, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Now is a good time to start cooking your rice and beans if you are using them in your bowls.
• Place strips of tofu on the lined baking sheet, reserving the marinade, and roast for 20 minutes. If making the smoky guacamole, add the chopped onion, poblano, and tomatillos to the other half of your sheet pan.
• Turn the tofu slices over and spoon additional marinade on this side. Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. If making the smoky guacamole, stir them around as well and roast for the same additional 20 minutes.
• When the timer goes off, move the veggies to your blender. Turn the tofu over. Spoon more marinade on each slice and place back in the oven for 10 minutes.
• While the tofu bakes, add avocado, lime juice, and salt to the veggies in the blender, and blitz it until smooth. Move to a bowl with a lid, and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
• When the timer goes off, turn the tofu one last time, spoon marinade over each plank, and roast it for a final 10-minute cycle. After the timer goes off, you can start assembly.

For Burrito Bowl Assembly

• Into each of two pasta bowls, portion out ½ a cup of rice and black beans if you are using those.
• Add in a handful of your choice of greens. I use romaine a lot.
• Add in your diced tomato and avocado. Or, if you are using the guacamole recipe, spoon as much of that in as you please.
• Finally, add in as many strips of tofu as you wish. We vary from getting 2 to 4 servings of tofu out of one brick, depending on how hungry we are.

Notes

NOTE: The recipe is very loose. You can use whatever toppings you want along with the recipe for the tofu and guacamole. Portions are also up to your discretion based on your dietary needs and cravings.

Keyword Burrito, Tofu, Vegan

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