This vegan burrito bowl with spicy baked tofu, cilantro lime rice, roasted pepper, black beans and creamy avocado is the ultimate recipe for meal prep. This is the tofu bowl you’ve been waiting for.
I know I’ve said before that spicy food isn’t really my cup of tea (I always sweat and it’s embarrassing lol). But this spicy baked tofu burrito bowl most definitely is my cup of tea. Anything burrito bowl style is a yes from me and this one checks all the boxes.
It has quite a few steps but I promise it’s incredibly easy to make and well worth it!! The tofu is crispy, loaded with flavor and can easily be customized to your spice preferences.
Serve it up with my cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice, black beans, roasted peppers, spicy tahini dressing, and of course… avocado.
No burrito bowl is complete with avocado or even better, a fresh dollop of guacamole. This tofu bowl recipe makes for the best gluten free, dairy free and vegan high protein dinner around. Let’s get cooking, shall we?
If you love this recipe, try my crispy tofu nuggets or cauliflower tacos next!
How to make a tofu burrito bowl
The first step is to remove the tofu from the package and drain out the excess liquid.
Place the tofu block between two towels or paper towels and put a heavy object on top (a few books, tea pot, pan etc) and let press for 5-10 minutes. I know pressing tofu annoying, but it does help crisp up the tofu really well!
Some brands of tofu are much firmer than others. Even if it’s labeled “extra firm tofu,” they’re not all created equal.
I find the brand SoyBoy to be the firmest, so it works really well for baking. Any brand is fine, but if it seems too soft, try pressing the liquid out for longer.
While the tofu is pressing, mix together the coconut sugar, arrowroot starch, spices and salt.This mixture will not only help season the tofu, but it helps make it crispy as well!
Chop the tofu into cubes and add to a large mixing bowl.Smaller cubes get crispier, but the center sometimes dries out. About 1 inch cubes area ideal.
In a small bowl, mix together the oil and sriracha or hot sauce of choice.
Add half of the oil/sriracha mixture to the tofu and toss lightly. Set the rest aside and we’ll use it later.
Toss the tofu with the spices until well coated. I like to add everything to a large bowl and gently shake the bowl up and down to make sure the tofu is coated but the pieces don’t break.
Bake for 20 minutes and brush the rest of the sriracha mixture on the tofu.
Bake for 15-20 more minutes or until crispy on the outside.The spices naturally darken as they cook, so keep an eye on things to make sure nothing burns.
Assemble into vegan tofu burrito bowls withcilantro lime rice, black beans (warmed if desired) peppers, tofu, avocado,spicy tahini dressing, and salsa if desired. A generous serving of guac is also highly encouraged.
How long do you bake tofu for?
All ovens are different, so the cook time will vary a bit. 30-40 minutes should do the trick. If you want the top of the tofu to get extra crispy, you can put the oven on broil for just 1 minute to crisp the top.
Broiling happens very quickly, so do not take your eye off the tofu if you go this route!
How to store
This tofu is best served fresh, but it will store in the fridge for 3 days in an air tight container. Let it cool completely before storing to try to retain as much crispiness as possible!
Flavor tips & variations
If you don’t want the tofu too spicy but still want lots of flavor, use cholula instead of sriracha. It’s a brand of hot sauce that isn’t quite as spicy as sriracha, but still tastes amazing. You can also cut back on the amount of hot sauce too.
Variations: Feel free to add any other veggies or toppings of choice to these tofu bowls! I love some fire roasted corn, roasted red onions, chopped romaine lettuce, cilantro and fresh lime juice. You can also try my chipotle aioli if you aren’t a fan of tahini!
Try these recipes next!
- The Ultimate Vegan Buddha Bowl
- Vegan Poke Bowl
- Peanut Tofu Bowl
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Bowl
Be sure to follow along on oninstagramandsubscribe to my email listfor more recipes and updates.Leave a comment and rating belowif you try this recipe and let us know how it turns out!
5 from 42 votes
Spicy Baked Tofu Burrito Bowl
by: claire cary
Tofu dreams really do come true. This vegan burrito bowl with spicy baked tofu, cilantro lime rice, roasted pepper, black beans and creamy avocado is the ultimate recipe for meal prep. This is the tofu bowl you’ve been waiting for.
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Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 40 minutes mins
Total: 50 minutes mins
4
Ingredients
Bowl:
- 1 batch cilantro lime rice or Vegan Mexican Rice
- 1 can black beans
- 1 avocado
- 1 red pepper
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 batch spicy tahini dressing
Tofu:
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 3 tbsp corn starch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 1/2-1 tsp sea salt
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the tofu from the package and drain out excess liquid.
Place between two towels and put a heavy object on top (a few books, tea pot, pan etc) and let press for 5-10 minutes. I know its annoying, but it does help crisp up the tofu really well!
While the tofu is pressing, mix together the coconut sugar, arrowroot starch, spices and salt.
Chop the tofu into cubes and add to a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, mix together the oil and sriracha.
Add half of the oil/sriracha mixture to the tofu and toss lightly. Set the rest aside and we’ll use it later.
Toss with the spice/arrowroot mixture until well coated.
Add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
De-seed and chop the peppers into strips and place on the same baking sheet but away from the tofu (the tofu crisps best when it’s not touching anything).
Drizzle the peppers with olive oil, just 1-2 tsp so they don’t stick and add a sprinkle of salt.
Bake for 20 minutes and then brush the rest of the sriracha mixture on the tofu.
Bake for 10-15 more minutes or until the tofu crispy on the outside and the peppers have softened.
Assemble the bowls with cilantro lime rice, black beans (warmed on the stove if desired), peppers, tofu, avocado, spicy tahini dressing, and salsa if desired.
Notes
You can use red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, but orange and red have the strongest flavor when roasted.
If you don’t want the tofu to be too spicy, feel free to sub the sriracha for a less spicy hot sauce such as cholula.
Some brands of tofu are much firmer than others. Even if it’s labeled “extra firm tofu,” they’re not all created equal. I find the brand SoyBoy to be the firmest, so it works really well for baking. Any brand is fine, but if it seems too soft, try pressing the liquid out for longer.
The arrowroot starch can be subbed for corn starch or tapioca starch. Be sure to use the full 3 tbsp since it’s the key ingredient for making the tofu crispy!!
Serving: 1/4 of the recipe / Calories: 543kcal / Carbohydrates: 59g / Protein: 22.6g / Fat: 21.1g / Fiber: 13.1g
