Baked Tofu Burrito Bowl
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, vegan ramen noodles or cauliflower tacos next!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make
- Vegan & gluten free
- Packed with flavor
- Perfect for meal prep
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.
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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 with cilantro lime rice, black beans (warmed if desired) peppers, tofu, avocado, spicy tahini dressing (or my cilantro lime crema), 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!
I suggest reheating in the air fryer or oven to get some of the crispy texture back.
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 or cashew queso if you aren’t a fan of tahini!
Try these recipes next!
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Spicy Baked Tofu Burrito Bowl
by: claire cary
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 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot starch
- 1-2 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
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, corn 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
Comments
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After trying to get my wife to eat tofu on and off for about ten years, this was the first tofu-based dish that she genuinely loved. I was in shock as she was pretty unhappy with most of my other attempts to prepare tofu. We used the baked tofu cubes in tacos with rice, black beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, lime, Mexican cheese mix, sour cream, and salsa. Definitely not vegan, but extremely delicious! Thank you.
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Hi I’m under new dietary restrictions and this looks amazing! I can’t have any sugar or sugar substitutes. Is there anything you recommend in place of the sugar or is it okay to skip it entirely? Thanks!
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You should be fine just to leave it out entirely! Maybe just add a pinch more of some other spices to boost the flavor a bit more.
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This recipe was amazing! First time I have ever made (or had) tofu and both my husband and I loved it! We are making it again this week. One note, the tofu can be reheated in an air fryer and will crisp right back up like the first day you made it!
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Oh perfect! Good to know it reheated well!
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Absolutely delicious! I made mine spicier and added onions, mushroom, and broccoli for color. It does require some work but absolutely worth it!
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ohh yum! Sounds delish with those ad-ins!
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Made this for lunch today and it was amazing!!!! Wouldn’t change a thing.
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Aww thank you! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
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It was a lot of steps. But overall, very good for meal prepping! I’m a nursing student that’s in the hospital! I needed a new meal to prep for those busy days!!!
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It’s not the fastest recipe, but if you make extra of everything you have dinner for a few nights! So happy you enjoyed it!
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Took a bit to assemble all this but it was well worth it. My mouth was on fire after eating this, but I can not wait to have this again. And this is the first time I have successfuly prepared tofu!
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Love that! definitely worth it to prep some extra ahead of time and speed up the assembly process!
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Just made this and topped the bowl with what we had on hand….so so SO good! I’m going crazy over this tofu, and am craving the burrito bowl like nobody’s business. A new favorite recipe in my house! =D
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Thanks Jamie! so glad it’s such a hit!
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I loved it! Made it for dinner and was really surprised. I am trying to eat healthier so I thought I would give it a try. I did add red onions to The meal. I also added corn because I was afraid I would be hungry. I was wrong. This is one I will make again.
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It ends up being more filling than you’d think! So happy you enjoyed it!
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This recipe is delicious! I used Frank’s Red Hot instead of Sriracha, just because that’s what I had, but was still great! The tofu was so nice and crunchy, and fit really well with the rest of the bowl! The tahini sauce gives a cheesy-like note to the bowl. Highly recommend.
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So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks Miya!
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Hey Claire! Going to make this tonight. Looks yummy! But it looks from your picture like you added salsa?
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Hi Linda, yes I added some fresh pico de gallo! It’s totally not necessary with all of the other flavors, but you are welcome to add it if you have some/want to!
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The tofu came out so good! My spices were more jerk in nature and I cooked the rice with coconut milk
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Yum! That sounds so good. If you don’t mind leaving a star rating with your review next time, it really helps!
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Loved this recipe! It was easy to make, colourful and delicious. The right amount of heat. Thank you!
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Thank you Randi! So happy you enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback!
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So excited to try this! Could the tofu be made in an air fryer for maximum crispy-ness?!?
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I can’t say for certain because I don’t have an air fryer, but I do think that would work! If you try it, let me know, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
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This is right up my alley! Definitely saving to make soon. 🙂 Beautiful photos!
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Thank you, Caroline! Hope you love it 🙂
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