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Vegan Chorizo

By Jocelyn Ramirez

Updated March 17, 2022

Vegan Chorizo
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(204)
Comments
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When tofu is crumbled into small bits, combined with umami-rich mushrooms and coated with big-flavor ingredients like chile guajillo, clove and oregano, it becomes a real showstopper. For this soyrizo recipe, the seasonings are similar to those used in Mexican pork chorizo, so use it in dishes where you would normally use the traditional sausage: Serve it as part of a savory breakfast, add it to veggie hash or tuck it inside tortillas for tacos topped with crunchy onion, cilantro, guacamole and lime.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 7large guajillo chiles, destemmed, deseeded and rinsed
  • 2chiles de árbol, destemmed, deseeded and rinsed
  • 3cups boiling water
  • 2large garlic cloves
  • 2tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1tablespoon paprika
  • ¾teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½teaspoon ground clove
  • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Ceylon
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2tablespoons liquid aminos, soy sauce or tamari
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
  • 15½ounces firm tofu, patted dry and crumbled
  • 10ounces shiitake or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and finely minced (about 3 cups)
  • ½cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

303 calories; 25 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 657 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add the guajillo chiles and chiles de árbol to a heatproof bowl and pour in the 3 cups of boiling water. Allow the chiles to rehydrate for at least 10 minutes, gently pressing a bowl on top to submerge them in the water if needed.

  2. Step 2

    Once tender, add the chiles to a blender with ½ cup of the soaking liquid. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, oregano, coriander, clove, cinnamon, liquid aminos and vinegar, and blend for 1 to 2 minutes until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the blender as needed.

  3. Step 3

    Combine the crumbled tofu and minced mushrooms in a large bowl. Pour the blended mixture over the tofu and mushrooms, and mix until fully incorporated.

  4. Step 4

    Add the oil to a large (12-inch) pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the soyrizo mixture.

  5. Step 5

    Cook for 20 minutes until the mixture begins to sear and lightly brown, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan. The liquid from the tofu and mushrooms should be mostly absorbed.

  6. Step 6

    Serve as taco filling with diced onion, minced cilantro, guacamole and lime, or add to your favorite dishes that call for chorizo. Keep refrigerated for up to a week in an airtight container.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
204 user ratings
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Comments

Joanna

This looks great, but Trader Joe's makes an excellent soy chorizo, at a very moderate costs. I'll let someone more ambitious make this.

Eric

Made this but swapped for spices common to hot Italian sausage: 2tsp crushed fennel, 2 tsp cracked black pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1tbs assorted Italian spices (basil, thyme, oregano, etc.) in whatever combo you like, 1tsp paprika, 1 tsp kosher salt. I kept the soy (it helps color the tofu) and cut the oil to the few tablespoons necessary for browning. It worked worked well for a vegetarian lasagna and can see it being a good in a pasta sauce or as a ravioli filling.

Patti

Made this a couple times now and this is the new go-to. Better than the TJ’s, which we like a lot. I make it using TVP instead of tofu (1 C dry w/ 1 c water or broth) as I prefer the chewier texture. TVP also soaks you the oil nicely. Only had an 8 oz container of mushrooms the first time so subbed 2 oz. ground walnuts. Used chiles from Rancho Gordo.

Michelle OMG SO fabulous!

I will try this next with tofu but I really just wanted a creative way to use up some ground turkey and an old package of tempeh so I weighed them then added about 4 large cremini mushrooms so the “meat” portion of the recipe would be correct then followed the rest as written. Wow this will be a go to from now on!

Cristina

I made this recipe with only one substitution. Instead of using the dried chilis, I used La morena’s chipotle sauce (which of course is a chipotle puree and not a puree of ancho chilis). The flavor was amazing. I used 3 7-oz cans of the chipotle puree. I also increased the amount of mushrooms. I used soy sauce instead of liquid aminos. Based on my results, you could also buy chiles in adobo, and puree them for a similar effect. I am definitely going to be making this regularly. With the chipotle sauce, it was very easy to make.

Stephanie

This recipe is my go to making it at least every two weeks. Can't get enough! Make tacos adding only cabbage slaw tossed with chipotle mayo (Veganaise). Now that's good eating. Thanks for this keeper recipe.

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