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3 soft tacos filled with Mexican tofu crumbles on a white platter.

Tofu Tacos

This tofu taco recipe is delicious, it will be sure to become a family favourite. Mexican tofu crumbles that taste amazing your family will love this vegan dinner.
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: tofu taco, tofu taco recipe, tofu tacos, mexican tofu, tofu crumbles, tofu crumble recipe
Servings: 6
Calories: 187kcal

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4.76 from 54 votes

Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoon Tomato paste 50g
  • 2 Tablespoon olive oil 30ml
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon corriander leaves
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon oregano leaves
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoons chili flakes
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 450 g firm tofu
  • 400 g canned black beans
  • ½ cup crushed tomatoes 125 ml
  • salt

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl add: 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, Tomato paste, soy sauce, cumin, paprika, coriander leaves, onion powder/granuals, oregano leaves, garlic powder, chili flakes (optional: refer to notes) and cocoa powder.
  • Whisk all these ingredients together until they form a paste
  • Dry the tofu using either a paper towel or tea towel to remove the excess surface water. You do not need to press the tofu for any lenght of time.
  • Use your hands to crumble the tofu into the mexican flavoured paste.
  • Mix the crumbled tofu through the mexican paste until the tofu crumbles are covered evenly with the spices.
  • Heat a large frypan/ skillet and the second Tablespoon of olive oil over a medium high heat.
  • Add the Mexican tofu crumble. Fry the tofu for 10 -15 minutes stiring occasionally. You want the liquid to cook off and the tofu to brown.
  • While the tofu is cooking, drain the black beans and rinse under the tap, I do this in a colander.
  • Add the drained black beans and crushed tomatoes to the tofu, cook over a medium-high heat until the beans are heated through and the tomato liquid has been absorbed.
  • Season your tofu and beans with salt and pepper to taste. I typically add ½ a teaspoon of salt.
  • Serve your tofu tacos with soft or crunchy tortillas and your favourite fillings (my fav combo for tofu tacos can be found in the recipe notes)

Video

Notes

My Tips

  • If you know your entire family loves chili in their tacos, then add the chili flakes into the spice paste at the start, if not you can add them at the end, or perhaps only to some of the crumbles so that there are both spicy and nonspicy tofu tacos for your family to enjoy together.
  • When you crumble the tofu don't crumble it too far, ie keep the crumbles a little chunky and not super fine, I find this gives the crumbles a better texture.
  • Cook the tofu taco fillings until it is very dry, the moisture has absorbed and it is well browned.
  • Once cooked taste your tofu taco meat and season it well, add salt and chili as needed for your tastes. Tofu is great but I find it needs to be well seasoned.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Firm tofu or Extra Firm Tofu: No subs for this ingredient
  • Black beans: These can be substituted for another canned or cooked bean, kidney beans work very well. You can also skip them entirely and increase the quantity of tofu to make up for them.
  • Cocoa: This can be substituted for cacao powder.
  • Soy sauce: This can be substituted for Tamari or a yeast extract spread such as marmite or vegemite.
  • Crushed & sieved tomatoes: These are essentially tomato purée, another substitute would be passata.
  • Herbs and Spices: Instead of using my combination of Mexican-inspired spices you can use your own preferred Mexican spice mix, Taco Seasoning or Mexican paste.
  • Garlic and Onion powder: These can be substituted for 2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic and a small finely diced onion, however, I prefer the flavour the dried onion and garlic give to this dish which is why I recommend them.

Storage

You can store any leftover tofu taco meat in an airtight refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months, allow to defrost before reheating to piping hot in a frypan/skillet.

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 521mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 251IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 3mg