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This tofu tacos recipe is what easy dinners are made of! The filling is spiced to perfection, making it a vegan meal everyone will love.
Here’s a fast and easy dinner that went over like a charm over here: tofu tacos! While it’s not typically served in a tortilla, tofu is ideal for tacos. Its neutral flavor takes on whatever flavors you season it with: and these tofu crumbles are quite the kitchen trick. Add cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and smoked paprika, and the filling is bursting with flavor!
You can whip up these easy tacos in just 20 minutes, making them ideal for weeknight meals. Wait: you can make a block of rubbery white tofu into a crazy good vegan tacos filling? Here’s how.
How to turn a block into tofu tacos filling
Yes, it’s easier than you think to make a flavorless block of pressed soy into a delicious tofu tacos filling! The secret: tofu crumbles. You’ll break the tofu into smaller irregular shaped pieces, then mix it with delicious seasonings. Here’s what to do:
- Crumble the tofu with your fingers. Yep, throw it right into a bowl and crumble it up! It’s usually pretty cold at this point (since it’s refrigerated), so you’ll have to grin and bear it.
- Add olive oil and the secret spices. In this case, that’s cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and smoked paprika.
- Cook in a skillet for 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll want it to be just browned and becoming lightly crisp on the outsides.
The easiest taco toppings
To keep these as a quick and easy dinner recipe, we went for the simplest toppings imaginable. Of course, you can customize them as you’d like! Here’s what we do when we’re in a rush:
- Sliced red cabbage with lime: Thinly slice it, then spritz with lime juice and add a few pinches salt. You don’t even need to measure!
- Pico de gallo: Get store-bought for the quickest prep.
- Torn cilantro: No need to chop: just tear it with your fingers.
- Yogurt mixed with hot sauce: This is our other favorite taco sauce trick! Take some vegan yogurt and swirl it with Mexican hot sauce (we like Cholula). It makes an instant creamy, spicy sauce. You can also use storebought salsa or taco sauce (or make homemade).
More tofu tacos topping ideas
The toppings listed above are the quickest and easiest: and usually they’re all we need! But if you want to get fancier, we’ve got lots of great options. Here are some fun tacos fillings ideas:
- Refried beans (homemade or purchased)
- Sauteed peppers and onions
- Easy black beans
- Pickled onions or pickled jalapenos
- Creamy cilantro sauce or cilantro lime sauce
- Chipotle sauce
Tip: warm your tortillas
Here’s our biggest tip for tofu tacos, or tacos of any kind: warm your tortillas! There’s nothing worse than a taco with a tough, cold tortilla. Here’s how to warm tortillas like a pro:
- Place them over the flame of a gas burner (preferred!). The best way? Place each tortilla directly on a gas burner for a few seconds per side. It lightly chars the edges and warms the tortillas. Then throw them into a tortilla warmer!
- Or, warm them in the oven. If you don’t have a gas burner, you can warm them in the oven. Go to How to Warm Tortillas.
Is tofu healthy?
There’s a lot of misinformation related to the health benefits of this soy product, so we get this question a lot. Here’s the thing: tofu in moderation can be part of a healthy diet (eaten several times per week). Per to the Harvard School of Nutrition, soy is a nutrient-dense source of protein that can safely be consumed several times a week. It’s likely to provide health benefits, especially when you eat it as an alternative to red meat and processed meat.
For more, go to Straight Talk About Soy and Is Tofu Good for You?. For years we avoided tofu, though we ate mostly vegetarian and vegan recipes. In the years, we’ve come around to it as a delicious and easy to prepare vegan protein!
Dietary notes
This tofu tacos recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Easy Tofu Tacos
This tofu tacos recipe is what easy dinners are made of! The filling is spiced to perfection, making it a vegan meal everyone will love.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 tacos 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 12 to 14-ounce block extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
For the tacos
- 2 cups red cabbage
- Lime wedges
- Fresh cilantro leaves, torn
- Pico de gallo (purchased or homemade)
- Vegan yogurt (or regular), mixed with salt and Mexican hot sauce to taste (we like Cholula brand)
Instructions
- Make the tofu crumbles: Drain the tofu container, then pat the tofu dry with a clean dish towel. Place the tofu in a large bowl and use your fingers to break the tofu into roughly bite-sized crumbles. (It might be a little cold on your hands: don’t worry, it should only take a few seconds!). Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the tofu and cook on medium high for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking up large pieces into bite sized chunks and stirring occasionally, until browned and lightly crispy and the liquid evaporates. (The exact timing depends on the tofu brand.)
- Assemble the toppings: Thinly slice the red cabbage, and place it in a bowl. Spritz with the juice of 2 lime wedges and add a few pinches kosher salt. Mix the vegan yogurt with Mexican hot sauce to taste, and add a few pinches of salt.
- Warm the tortillas: Warm and char the tortillas by placing them on an open gas flame on medium for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm. (See How to Warm Tortillas.)
- Serve: Place the tofu crumbles in the tortillas, then top with toppings and enjoy.
More great tofu recipes
There are so many great recipes to make with tofu! Now that we know the best ways to prepare it, we always look forward to including it in weekly meals. How about you: are you a tofu convert too? Have you always loved this tasty soy protein? Here are a few more great tofu recipes we’d recommend in addition to these tofu tacos:
- Opt for the best fast and easy dinner, coconut tofu curry.
- Make baked tofu, or use it to top a tofu salad.
- Try the ultimate comfort food, a great tofu stir fry.
- Fry up pan fried tofu to go in grain bowls and ramen.
- Mix up a tofu scramble, an ultra fast breakfast, lunch or dinner.
More great tacos
Everything’s better in a tortilla! Here are more of our top tacos recipes:
- Try 15 minute Easy Black Bean Tacos or Quick Refried Bean Tacos
- Start the day with Epic Breakfast Tacos
- Whip up Vegan Walnut Taco Meat for a vegan taco
- Try Amazing Egg Tacos: meatless, but the taste like meat
- Go for Epic Fish Tacos
- Try delightfully Crispy Avocado Tacos
This is such a great and easy recipe!
I’ve made this multiple times for tacos/burritos/taco bowls. I showed the recipe to my family and they have now made it multiple times. It’s definitely 5 stars from us!
I am obsessed with these tacos! They are so easy and delicious! I have made them about 10 times in the past year with a variety of side dishes and toppings!! YUM
So glad to hear that!
YUM! Quick, easy, and delicious. This tofu taco filling was just what I was looking for. I used super firm tofu so no need to press or pat dry. It cooked well in a cast iron pan and did not stick. Thanks for the recipe!
These are amazing! My family all agreed that these are the BEST tofu tacos we’ve ever had.
Awesome! Thank you for making.
Wow, this is so good! I was looking for a use for leftover tofu and tortillas and came across this recipe. It was ready in no time and the spices on the tofu were perfect. Will definitely make this again!
Absolutely delicious. The tofu recipe I recommend to anyone tofu-curious.
These are so easy and delicious. We make them pretty much weekly now. Thanks!!
Awesome! We love to hear this :)
I have been looking for some new tofu recipes and just made these. DELICIOUS!!! I added some kimchi because why not and it was so good. Seriously thank you I’ve been trying so many tofu recipes and they’ve been so disappointing 😭 I’m so glad to have found a good one
Thank you for making!
I really don’t many reviews but this dish totally stood out! I wanted to make something other than a stir-fry with my tofu and I was really hesitant about this one, but oh my gosh was it ever delicious! I added much more spice, fresh diced tomatos, pickled jalapeno and crumbled feta. So warm and delicious. Also thank you for the tip of heating up the tortillas on the gas top, I will do that from now on.
This recipe will be a new favourite, thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for making.
Sadly this was a fail for all 6 of us. We are newer to tofu so maybe that was the issue. But it was just too soft.
I’m sorry they didn’t work out for you!
Hi Maureen,
I hear you about the soft texture. I often freeze my tofu—it changes the texture a LOT. Makes it much firmer and chewier. Maybe you & fam would like it better that way. I just throw the whole container of tofu into the freezer, then thaw, squeeze, & crumble when I’m ready to use it.
These tacos were so tasty!!! My family gave it 5 stars! Thank you!❤️🙏🏾
These are amazing! I tried them with 1/2 of the chili powder, garlic, paprika, and cumin this time, but will use the full amount next time. I am going to double the recipe and use for lunches for the week. Also, I had some reservations about whether the liquid-y mixture in my bowl would actually evaporate the liquid and become lightly crispy. It took longer than 8-10 minutes for me, but it absolutely did. Definitely a ‘make again’.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Love this! Decided spur of the moment to do taco Tuesday, searched for tofu tacos and am so glad I hit on yours. This is definitely now part of the dinner rotation. Thanks!
Absolutely delicious! Smothered in pan roasted red peppers and mild Pico de gallo , and rolled in warmed corns tortillas !!! I used the recommended, cashew/cilantro cream sauce (used the cheat of putting the cashews to soak into a covered pot of just-boiled water, adding a dash of lime) . Cashews were ready for the blender in only 15 minutes!!!!! So easy!!!!
This is my new go-to tofu taco (and the cashew sauce will be perfect for a veggie dip too!!!!
So glad you enjoyed! Thank you for making :)
I tried these and combined them with some portobello mushrooms I sautéed with similar spices, a Greek yogurt sriracha aioli, and toasted the tortillas with a touch of cheese before assembling with toppings, and these were possibly the best tacos I’ve ever made! They almost felt like meat tacos but were 100% vegetarian!
I was a little apprehensive to try this recipe because it included soy sauce for Mexican taco but surprisingly the tofu came out so delicious thank you. the recipe calls for just the right amount of ingredients to easily coat the tofu without being too saucy or too dry excellent job!!
suuper agree