My easy tofu fajitas are bursting with flavor and come together in just 30 minutes! Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, they’re loaded with spicy tofu and sizzling peppers and onions in a tangy, smoky sauce.
I can be a little unenthusiastic about fajitas. Oh, fajitas are lovely and all. I adore my zesty vegetable fajitas and my vegan chicken fajitas. But I have a big issue with restaurant fajitas. Vegan restaurant fajitas in particular. (Obviously I have an issue with non-vegan fajitas, but that's not the point.) My problem is that fajitas can be super boring. I'm here today to tackle that issue, one fajita at a time.
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I've had one too many restaurant fajitas that were basically just peppers and onions in a tortilla. Vegan or not, that's kind of a let down! I set out to create a vegan fajita recipe worth getting excited about. What might make me jump for joy if I found it in my fajitas? Besides a big fat wad of cash, I mean? The answer is tofu. And fajitas featuring tofu as the main ingredient are the the bomb!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Lime juice. Use freshly squeezed juice to give your fajita sauce the best flavor. Bottled lime juice just isn't anywhere near as good.
- Garlic.
- Spices. You'll need ground cumin, dried oregano, paprika, ancho chile powder, and black pepper.
- Vegetable oil. You can substitute any high-heat oil that you like here. Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and vegetable oil all work!
- Tofu. The recipe calls for super-firm tofu. Firm or extra-firm tofu can be substituted, but both varieties will require pressing before they're ready to cook with.
- Bell peppers. I used a red pepper and an green pepper for the tofu fajitas shown in the photos. You can use your favorite color(s) of bell pepper though!
- Red onion.
- Fresh cilantro.
- Tortillas. Fajitas are traditionally served in small flour tortillas. You're welcome to break with tradition and use larger flour tortillas if you prefer. You'll end up with fewer fajitas.
- Accompaniments. Pile your favorite vegan Mexican toppings on your fajitas. Try guacamole, vegan sour cream or cashew cream, shredded vegan cheese or cashew cheese sauce or pico de gallo.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Make the sauce. Stir lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano, paprika, ancho chile powder, and black pepper together in a small bowl.
Step 2: Pan-fry the tofu. Heat your oil in a large skillet, then add tofu strips. Cook them for a few minutes on each side, until they're browned. Move them out of the skillet and on to a plate.
Step 3: Cook the peppers and onions. Add them to the hot skillet and cook them while stirring frequently until they soften and brown a bit.
Step 4: Add the tofu and sauce. Return the cooked tofu to the skillet, then pour the sauce over everything. Cook the mixture for a minute or two, just to reduce the sauce a bit.
Step 5: Finish the filling. Take the skillet off of heat. Add the cilantro, then season the filling with some salt. You can give it a taste-test at this point and adjust any seasonings if you'd like.
Step 6. Assemble the fajitas. Now for the fun part! Stuff the filling into tortillas, along with any accompaniments you like with your fajitas. Dig in!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce and gluten-free tortillas, such as toasted corn tortillas.
Store leftover filling in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to three days. Simply reheat it in the microwave or in a hot skillet when you're ready to enjoy your fajitas.
They're pretty mild, although the ancho chile powder does add a tiny bit of heat. You can leave it out if you'd prefer, or include it and add some cayenne pepper or hot sauce if you'd like your fajitas extra spicy.
Variations
- Extra smoky fajitas. Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the sauce. Alternatively, if you don't mind some extra heat, add a teaspoon of chipotle chile powder or a tablespoon of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers.
- Fajita bowls. Serve the filling over a bed of rice, quinoa, or another grain instead of in tortillas.
- Fajita lettuce wraps. For a low carb option, wrap your filling in large lettuce leaves instead of tortillas.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Easy Tofu Fajitas
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Fajitas
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package extra firm tofu, cut into small strips (about ½ inch thick by 1 to 2 inches long)
- 2 medium bell peppers (any color), sliced into strips
- ½ large red onion, sliced into strips
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- 6 small (fajita-size) flour tortillas
Optional Accompaniments
- Guacamole
- Cashew cream or vegan sour cream
Instructions
- Stir all of the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu in an even layer. Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping once or twice, until the pieces are browned on multiple sides. Remove the tofu from the pan and transfer it to a plate.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and add a dash more of oil to the skillet if it seems too dry. Add the peppers and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until they become browned in spots and tender-crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes.Â
- Return the tofu to the pan and pour the sauce over the tofu and veggies. Cook everything for 1 or 2 minutes more, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the cilantro. Season the mixture with salt to taste.
- Stuff the tofu mixture into tortillas and top with salsa, cashew or vegan sour cream, and/or guacamole. Serve.
Notes
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Alissa, I know exactly what you're talking about with restaurants. It's like they can't be bothered to keep cans of beans or pre-cooked lentils or some firm tofu on hand for vegetarians or vegans. How out-of-touch with the real world! And yet, they will cater to people with *sensitive tummies* and off extensive gluten-free options. Ugh.
I'm going to make the fajitas this weekend. I already know they will be delicious and satisfying!
Came out pretty good! I would dial back the lime juice if I made them again, the acidity was very front and center.
Loved this recipe! We added black beans and served over rice! Fabulous!
Really tasty! We only had large tortillas so we made burritos. Next time I might add some rice but im going to use this sauce all the time! Thank you!
SO GOOD!!! The family love it!!
Super quick and easy to make and really yummy! I added some pumpkin seeds as garnish which gave the meal a fun texture!
SOOOOOO delicious - thank you! :D
Yay!! Glad you like them! Thanks Crystal!
these fajitas were bomb.
I'm glad you enjoyed them!!