These Mexican-inspired tofu burrito bowls are made with baked tofu cubes, beans, corn, fajita veggies, brown rice, avocado, tomato, and a creamy cilantro lime tahini dressing. They’re high in protein, thanks to both tofu and black beans, and fully vegan. Make them for lunch, dinner, or meal prep!
Burrito bowls make a perfect meal, IMO. Whether I’m having my Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls or a Healthy Chicken Fajita Bowl, I’m one happy camper. They feature many of my favorite foods — namely, a whole lotta vegetables — and taste good hot or cold, making them a great prep-ahead option.
My latest rendition, these tofu burrito bowls, are a vegan option of my beloved meal. Crispy baked tofu is surrounded by more plant-based goodness, like fajita veggies, corn, beans, and brown rice, and smothered in a tahini dressing. Top it all off with avocado and diced tomato, and WOW. We’ve got ourselves a winner, gang.
Make this recipe for lunch or dinner for yourself or the whole fam. You can easily pack it up to eat at work or store it in the fridge to assemble when you want to at home. Plus, many of the components can be made in advance, saving you some precious time on busy days.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Extra-firm tofu: This is the best kind of tofu to use if you’re making baked tofu cubes like you will do in this recipe. You can use a 12- or 14-ounce block. You’ll also need olive oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch to make the tofu.
- Fajita veggies: I use red onion and bell peppers. You can use white or yellow onions instead.
- Brown rice: I highly recommend making this in advance or using microwaveable packets of brown rice (available in the freezer section of most grocery stores) to save time. You can sub quinoa, white rice, or any grain of choice.
- Black beans: These add a punch of extra protein to tofu burrito bowls. You can sub my Instant Pot Pinto Beans, Slow Cooker Black Beans, Stovetop Kidney Beans, or another type of canned beans if desired.
- Corn: I use canned corn but you can use fresh or frozen corn, too.
- Cilantro: Key ingredient for the cilantro lime tahini dressing. If you don’t like cilantro, try parsley in the dressing.
- Lime: You’ll love the zest it adds!
- Tahini: I like the Trader Joe’s brand or Soom tahini if you’re looking for a good option. If you don’t need the recipe to be vegan, you can use Greek yogurt in place of it.
- Spices: You’ll need oregano and cumin for the fajita veggies and garlic and cumin (plus some honey!) for the dressing.
- Avocado and tomato: For toppings.
Instructions
For the tofu burrito bowls recipe card, including ingredient quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the process, followed by more tips for making the best possible version of the recipe.
Press the tofu to remove excess liquid. You can use a tofu press if you have one or press it between two plates with books stacked on top.
Cut the tofu into cubes.
Place the cubes in a large container with a lid. Drizzle with olive oil and soy sauce, seal the lid, and shake. Then, sprinkle with cornstarch, seal the lid, and shake.
Spread the tofu cubes out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until the cubes are browned and crispy to your liking, about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, slice the peppers and onions.
Cook the fajita veggies in a skillet with oil and spices.
Prep the dressing by combining the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
Gather the other ingredients: canned beans and corn, cooked rice, avocado, and tomato. When everything is ready, assemble the bowls!
Variations
- Make gluten-free tofu burrito bowls: Use tamari or liquid aminos in place of soy sauce if your soy sauce is not gluten-free. Make sure the tofu you use is gluten-free, too.
- Increase the spice level: Add some jalapeños or other types of chilis to your fajita veggies and/or season them with a pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder. You can also add a canned chipotle pepper in adobo to the dressing and/or use a spicy salsa as a topping.
- Add cheese or meat: If you don’t need your tofu burrito bowls to be vegan, they would taste great with cotija or shredded Mexican cheese. You could also incorporate some shredded chicken, such as my Veggie-Loaded Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken.
- Mix up or add more toppings: Sliced green onions, jalapeños, extra cilantro, Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa, Fresh Garden Salsa, tortilla strips, and shredded lettuce would all be great toppings for these bowls.
- Prepare tofu in a different way: My crispy panko tofu can easily be subbed for the tofu in the recipe.
Storage and Reheating
You can assemble any and all of the components for tofu burrito bowls ahead of time. Store them in separate containers in the refrigerator for three to five days. When you’re ready to eat, make your bowl and add toppings and dressing. You can eat the bowl cold or reheated in the microwave for a couple of minutes until warmed to your liking.
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📖 Recipe
Tofu Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Baked tofu
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Fajita veggies
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 bell peppers - sliced
- 1 red onion - sliced into half-moons
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt - to taste
Other fix-ins
- 1 15-ounce can corn - drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can black beans - drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 tomato - diced
- 1 avocado - sliced
Cilantro-lime tahini dressing
- ½ cup cilantro leaves - tightly packed
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 2 limes - juiced; about ¼ cup juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons water - to thin; more as needed
Instructions
- First, review the ingredients list and see what you would like to do first. For example, if you are making brown rice from scratch, you can start that first. Alternatively, you can use pre-made rice or frozen, microwaveable packets to save time.
- You will also want to press the tofu to remove excess water before starting the recipe. Use a tofu press if you have one. If you do not have one, put the block of tofu on a large plate, place another plate on top of it, and then pile on a stack of books so that the tofu is pressed in between the plates. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes until water begins to pool around the block. Remove the block from the press and cut it into cubes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the cubed tofu in a large container with a lid. Drizzle the olive oil and soy sauce on top of it. Seal the lid and shake the container to coat the cubes. Open the container and sprinkle the cornstarch over the cubes. Seal the container again and shake it to coat the cubes. Transfer the tofu to the baking sheet. Spread it out in a single layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, flipping about halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
- While the tofu bakes, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Start with the fajita veggies. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced bell peppers and red onion. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for 10 to 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender.
- Gather and prepare the other fix-ins.
- Prepare the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients (cilantro, tahini, lime juice, honey, garlic, cumin, salt, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of water) in a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds. Add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) as needed to thin the dressing to your desired consistency.
- When everything is ready, assemble the bowls. Divide the tofu, fajita veggies, rice, beans, and corn across four bowls. Top the bowls with tomato and avocado and drizzle with the tahini dressing. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- All components can be made in the advance and stored in separate containers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Enjoy cold or reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes until warmed through.
- You can substitute pinto beans or another type of bean for the black beans or quinoa for rice. Feel free to add different toppings, like salsa, shredded lettuce, cheese (if you don’t need it to be vegan), tortilla chips, and more.
Nutrition
Eat up! – Lizzie
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