These vegan burrito bowls are made with spicy tofu and black beans over a bed or rice with salsa and creamy guacamole! A delicious and easy dinner that's perfect for meal prep!
I love my traditional burritos — you know, the tortilla-wrapped kind, like black bean burritos or vegan seven layer burritos. But I've got to say, there's just something about a meal in a bowl. I love bowls so much that I've even curated a massive round-up of delicious vegan meal bowls.
Digging into a big bowl of delicious food with sauces and toppings…bowls are fun to make and super comforting to eat, and they're great for meal-prep.
These vegan burrito bowls are one of my favorite bowl recipes. I think you'll love it too!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Oil. The recipe calls for canola oil, but just about any high-heat oil can be used in it's place. Olive oil, corn oil, and coconut oil are all fine choices.
- Tofu. I like this recipe best using extra firm tofu, which is just firm enough, but porous enough to soak up the flavors of the sauce. Super firm tofu can be used in it's place if that's your preference. If you're not a fan of tofu, skip it and use some extra black beans instead.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Spices. You'll need ground cumin and chili powder.
- Black beans. We're using canned, precooked black beans to save time. If you prefer to cook your beans from scratch, go for it! You'll need 1 ¾ cups of cooked beans for the recipe.
- Canned tomato sauce.
- Adobo sauce. This is the smoky sauce that canned chipotle peppers are packed in. Look for chipotle peppers in the international foods section of your supermarket.
- Hot sauce. I like this recipe best with Cholula brand hot sauce, but feel free to use your favorite.
- Cooked rice.
- Guacamole.
- Salsa. Use your favorite store-bought salsa, or whip up a batch of my mango salsa or pico de gallo.
- Fresh cilantro and/or scallions.
Tip: You'll have some leftover chipotle peppers and adobo sauce when you make this recipe. Try using them in sandwiches, chili, or tacos. Or place them in a sealed container and freeze for later.
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!
- If you're using extra-firm tofu, you'll need to press it first. Once it's pressed, dice it.
Tip: Super firm tofu is your other option, and this variety does not need to be pressed.
- Heat up some oil in a large nonstick skillet. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the tofu cubes in an even layer. Let them cook for a few minutes on each side until they begin to brown. Take the tofu out of the skillet and put it on a plate.
- Heat up a little more oil and add your onion. You want the onion to cook until it just begins to brown — 10 minutes or so, giving it a stir every so often.
- Add your garlic and spices. Cook the mixture for just about a minute more, stirring and watching it closely to avoid burning.
- Add the black beans, tomato sauce, adobo sauce, and hot sauce.
- Give the mixture a stir and bring it up to a simmer. Let it cook at a low simmer for five minutes or so, just to give the flavors a chance to mellow and the sauce a chance to thicken up.
- Stir the tofu back into the mixture and let everything cook for just a minute or so more, until the tofu is nice and hot.
Fill some bowls with rice, then arrange your tofu mixture on top, along with some guac, salsa, cilantro and/or scallions.
Tip: Feel free to pile on any other toppings you like! Veggies, vegan sour cream, cashew cream, cashew queso, and shredded vegan cheese would all be excellent on these burrito bowls.
Meal Prep
These vegan burrito bowls are great for meal prepping! The only ingredient I don't always recommend prepping in advance is the guacamole, as it can turn brown during storage. You can either prep it the day of serving, or skip it.
All other components of the recipe can be prepped up to 4 days in advance and stored in sealed containers in the fridge.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan burrito bowls can be stored in airtight containers and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are!
The adobo sauce and hot sauce both add a bit of heat. You can cut back on the amounts for a milder version. If you leave out the adobo sauce, I recommend adding some smoked paprika for flavor.
Just about any variety is fine. I'm a big fan of basmati rice (even if it's not the most authentic). Brown rice is an excellent healthy option, as is cauliflower rice. Cilantro lime rice would be great for adding a flavor punch!
More Vegan Mexican-Inspired Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Vegan Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil (or high-heat oil of choice)
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers), or to taste
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cups cooked rice
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Chopped fresh cilantro and/or scallions
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of 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 the pieces once or twice to achieve browning on multiple sides.
- Remove the tofu from the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet, and give it a minute to heat up.
- Add the onion to the skillet and allow it to cook, stirring occasionally, until it just begins to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Cook everything for about 1 minute more, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Stir in the beans, tomato sauce, adobo sauce, and hot sauce.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow it to cook for 5 minutes, until thickened slightly.
- Stir in the tofu, cook the mixture for about 1 minute more, then remove the skillet from heat.
- Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
- Divide the rice among 4 bowls, then top it with the tofu mixture, guacamole, salsa, cilantro and/or scallions.
- Serve.
Notes
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Great dinner!! First time I made ‘bowls’ for dinner. So easy and so delicious. I added a bit of shredded lettuce, tomato, cuke , etc. on top of the bowl and served it with tortilla chips so fillings could be layered on the chip for a mini-tostado, in between delicious forkfuls.
We loved it and my husband suggested it gets 6 stars. 🥰