Tofu tinga uses crispy tofu shreds in a smoky chipotle tomato sauce to create a hearty, high protein vegan main dish that can be used in your favorite Mexican recipes.
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Let's get spicy!
Chicken tinga is a popular Mexican dish of shredded chicken in a chipotle, onion, and tomato sauce. This recipe was inspired by my friend Kelly at The Anthony Kitchen. She really knows her Tex Mex, and when I saw her chicken tinga recipe the sauce looked so good I knew I needed to find a way to try it!
I decided to use shredded tofu in place of the chicken because it cooks up a little crispy and doesn't feel as squishy as cubed tofu sometimes can. It also soaks up the flavor of the sauce, meaning you'll get plenty of protein and plenty of flavor!
I absolutely love the flavor that chipotle peppers in adobo add to a recipe. It's smokey, spicy, and pairs perfectly with the tomato base in this sauce. They also make it easy to adjust the spice level to suit your taste just by adding more or less peppers.
Ingredients
- Extra firm tofu
- Canola oil
- Yelloe onion
- Garlic
- Crushed tomatoes
- Chipotle peppers in adobo
- Adobo
- Coarse kosher salt
- Cumin
- Dried oregano
- Paprika
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cilantro
- Tostadas, optional
- Refried beans, optional
- Lettuce, optional
How to make tofu tinga
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Shred the tofu on the large holes of a box grater and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Transfer the onion mixture to a high powered blender and add the tomatoes, chipotle peppers, adobo, salt, cumin, oregano, paprika, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Reserve 1 cup of the sauce and transfer the rest back to the skillet you cooked the onions and garlic in. Place the skillet over medium heat until bubbling, then reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is done.
- Toss the tofu with a quick drizzle of canola oil on the baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes or until the tofu has dried out. If you pressed your tofu, you can reduce this to 10 minutes.
- Toss the tofu with the remaining 1 cup of sauce and return to the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- After baking, toss the tofu with additional sauce if desired and serve on tostadas spread with refried beans. Top with shredded lettuce and any additional toppings you prefer.
Top tips
Use extra firm tofu
I highly recommend using extra firm tofu for this recipe. Anything softer may fall apart in cooking.
How to press tofu
Pressing tofu is easy using either a tofu press or common household items. For more information, check out my posts about how to press tofu with a press and how to press tofu without a press.
How to blend the sauce
I used a high powered blender (affiliate link) to make my sauce super smooth, but a food processor would work also (don't overfill it, and open the tube to allow steam to escape). Otherwise you could use an immersion blender to smooth everything out, it would just take a little more work.
How to serve tofu tinga
Traditionally, chicken tinga is served on a fried corn tortilla with refried beans and sometimes cheese, crema, salsa, and other toppings. You can buy premade tostada shells or make them yourself like we did in my roasted veggie tostadas. This vegan tinga recipe would also be great in tacos, burritos, or salads.
How to store vegan tinga
Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing cooked tofu because it can change the texture, but you could freeze the sauce for up to 3 months, and just thaw it out and cook the tofu when you're ready to eat it.
Tips for customizing this tofu tinga recipe
- Use more or less chipotle peppers and adobo to meet your desired spice level
- Swap the tofu for garbanzo beans (adjust the cooking time accordingly)
- Cut the tofu into small cubes, or break it into bite sized pieces with your hands instead of shredding
- Drizzle the finished tofu with crema, sour cream, green avocado sauce, or poblano cream sauce
FAQ
It is up to you if you press the tofu or not. If you don't press the tofu you'll need to bake it for a while before adding the tinga sauce, so timewise it ends up being about the same.
Technically, no, you don't need to cook the tinga sauce. It is safe to eat as soon as you blend it, however I like the way that cooking it improves the texture and flavor.
I like to drizzle a little extra warm sauce onto my meal, but it's also great cold from the fridge with tortilla chips, kind of like a chipotle salsa!
More tofu recipes
- Vegan Tofu Bowl
- Crispy Peanut Tofu
- Air Fryer Tofu
- Pesto Tofu
- Scrambled Tofu
- BBQ Tofu
- Kung Pao Tofu
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Thai Tofu Sauce
- Balsamic Tofu
- The Best Marinated Tofu Recipe
- Crispy Fried Tofu
- Cajun Tofu
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Tofu Tinga
Ingredients
- 12 ounces extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus an extra drizzle for the tofu
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeds removed
- 2 teaspoons adobo
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- Tostadas, for serving, optional
- Refried beans, for serving, optional
- Shredded lettuce, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Shred the tofu on the large holes of a box grater and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Transfer the onion mixture to a high powered blender and add the tomatoes, chipotle peppers, adobo, salt, cumin, oregano, paprika, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Reserve 1 cup of the sauce and transfer the rest back to the skillet you cooked the onions and garlic in. Place the skillet over medium heat until bubbling, then reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is done.
- Toss the tofu with a quick drizzle of canola oil on the baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes or until the tofu has dried out. If you pressed your tofu, you can reduce this to 10 minutes.
- Toss the tofu with the remaining 1 cup of sauce and return to the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- After baking, toss the tofu with additional sauce if desired and serve on tostadas spread with refried beans. Top with shredded lettuce and any additional toppings you prefer.
Notes
Tips for customizing this tofu tinga recipe
- Use more or less chipotle peppers and adobo to meet your desired spice level
- Swap the tofu for garbanzo beans (adjust the cooking time accordingly)
- Cut the tofu into small cubes, or break it into bite sized pieces with your hands instead of shredding
- Drizzle the finished tofu with crema, sour cream, green avocado sauce, or poblano cream sauce
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