This vegan burrito bowl with seasoned tofu and black beans is really easy to make at home. With tangy cilantro-lime rice, and all the fixings—corn, pico de gallo, and guacamole, it’s so good, you’ll forget all about Chipotle!

chipotle copycat vegan burrito bowl in white bowl on grey marble surface.

Why I loooove this recipe!

There’s something about recreating healthy and homemade vegan recipes from the comfort of home.

For one it’s easier on your wallet and you have enough for multiple portions! Preparing something from scratch also means having the ability to customize it however you’d like. You can mix in toppings based on what you’ve already got in your fridge and pantry!

I love how colorful these bowls are — the bright red tomatoes, the green avocado, the yellow roasted corn and the pop of green from the cilantro. Not only are they bursting with color, they’re also packed with delicious Mexican-inspired flavor, a bit of heat, and nutrition, just like my zucchini black bean tacos!

As a registered dietitian, I love nourishing homemade recipes, especially those with the staying power to to keep me feeling full and satisfied. With fiber-packed cilantro lime rice, satiating protein from the tofu and black beans, and healthy fat from the avocado, this tofu burrito bowl will do just that.

If you’re craving more tofu-based bowls that have a little bit of heat to them then you’ll definitely want to try my spicy peanut tofu bowl while you’re at it!

Ingredients You’ll Need

ingredients for Chipotle inspired vegan burrito bowl laid on grey surface with black text overlay

Notes on ingredients:

tofu: provides a plant-based protein that contains all essential amino acids.

brown rice: a good source of fiber providing a filling base to a bowl, while contributing a slightly nutty flavor and hearty texture.

avocado: a healthy fat that provides creaminess to the dish.

black beans: provides a plant-based protein and helps make the bowl more filling.

tomatoes: provide a vibrant flavor profile with a balance of sweetness and acidity.

corn: provides a burst of sweetness that contrasts many of the other flavors.

onion: adds a pungent flavor that gives the dish depth.

jalapeño: gives a spicy kick to the dish. keep the ribs and seeds if you want more heat!

lime: brightens up the rice

cilantro: provides a fresh, slightly peppery flavor to the rice

chili powder: adds warmth and depth to the dish.

chipotle powder: provides a smokey flavor with a subtle spice.

Let’s hear it for tofu!

As a registered dietitian, I LOVE tofu! This plant based protein is a nutrition powerhouse.

Tofu is made from soybeans and is rich in B vitamins, iron, and calcium and can potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.

Different types of tofu (silken, firm, extra-firm) can be used in a variety of recipes and prepared with various methods to achieve different textures. Silken tofu can be easily used in smoothies like my Vegan Energy Boosting Smoothie or desserts like my vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie.

How To Make Chipotle Inspired Vegan Burrito Bowls

  1. Prepare cilantro lime rice: cook rice and stir in cilantro, lime juice and lime zest
  2. Prepare guacamole: mash avocado, add onion, lime juice, cilantro and season with salt to taste.
  3. Prepare pico de gallo: Combine tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, and lime juice in a medium bowl, then season with salt to taste.
  4. Cook corn: Add corn to sauté pan with chipotle powder and chili powder and saute until browned, about 5-8 minutes.
  5. Cook tofu: Working in two batches, add seasoned tofu to pan over medium-high heat and sauté, flipping over halfway through, until tofu is browned and crispy, about 5 minutes.
  6. Assemble bowl: Assemble your bowl with cilantro lime rice, tofu, black beans, corn, pico de gallo, and guacamole.

Equipment You’ll Need

(affiliate links – if you make a purchase I receive a small commission)

Pot

Sauté pan

Expert Tips!

  1. Customize by adding other desired toppings of choice like sautéed peppers, cheese or vegan cheese alternative, sour cream or vegan sour cream, or my avocado lime crema made with Greek yogurt (not vegan).
  2. Because of its high water content, I recommend pressing the tofu for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour before using can help result in a firmer texture, crispier exterior, and better ability to absorb flavors from marinades or spice rubs. You can press tofu with a tofu presser or by sandwiching the tofu between two plates and placing some weighted items on the top plate to help press down on the tofu.
  3. For a big time saver, you can use microwavable brown rice and store-bought pico de gallo!
chipotle inspired vegan tofu burrito bowl in white bowl on grey surface.

Storage and Preparation

This tofu burrito bowl is a great meal prep meal to make ahead of time. You can prep all the individual components like cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, tofu, corn, and beans in advance and then make your guacamole before you’re ready to serve!

I love making this for dinner one night and then having lunches ready to go the rest of the week! To keep your guac fresh, try covering it with a thin layer of water, lime juice and/or placing the pit in the middle.

This recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and you can store certain components in the freezer for up to three months like the rice, beans and tofu.

Recipes That Pair Well

5 Minute Avocado Lime Crema with Greek Yogurt

Blueberry Vodka Lemonade

Blood Orange Gin Fizz

Vegetarian Nachos

vegan burrito bowl - chipotle copycat with fork serving and toppings off to the side.

For more vegan recipe inspiration, check out my recipes below!

Vegan Green Goddess Dressing

Fall Harvest Buddha Bowl with Creamy Cashew Apple Cider Dressing

Vegan Loaded Sweet Potato

Vegan Chickpea Burgers

If you like this recipe, please be sure to comment and give it a 5 star rating below. If you make it, share it on Instagram and tag me @karalydonrd and I’ll re-share it with my followers! If you want to save this recipe for later, be sure to pin it on Pinterest!

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Chipotle-Inspired Vegan Burrito Bowl with Tofu


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (64 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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3.7 from 64 reviews

Description

This vegan burrito bowl with seasoned tofu and black beans is really easy to make at home. With tangy cilantro-lime rice, and all the fixings—corn, pico de gallo, and guacamole, it’s so good, you’ll forget all about Chipotle!


Ingredients

Scale

For the cilantro-lime rice:

  • 1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lime zest (about 1/2 lime)
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro, finely chopped

For the pico de gallo:

  • 3–4 small-medium tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
  • 1/4 large red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 3-inch jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • Salt, to taste

For the Guacamole:

  • 2 avocados, mashed
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons minced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
  • Salt, to taste

For the bowls:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 15-ounce can corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, divided
  • 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

For the cilantro-lime rice:

  1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Add lime juice, zest and cilantro and stir to combine.

For the pico de gallo:

  1. Combine tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Season with salt, to taste.

For the Guacamole:

  1. In a small-medium bowl, mash avocado with lime juice, onion and cilantro. Season with salt, to taste.

For the bowls:

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn, 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder. Stir and sauté until corn begins to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Remove corn from pan and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, toss tofu with remaining chili powder and chipotle powder. Working in two batches, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan over medium-high heat and add half of tofu. Cook  flipping over half way through, until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Repeat with second batch.
  3. Build your bowl starting with the chipotle-lime rice, adding beans, tofu, corn, pico de gallo, and guacamole.

Notes

  1. For a big time saver, you can use microwavable brown rice and store-bought pico de gallo!
  2. These bowls would also be delicious topped with my 5 minute avocado lime crema with Greek yogurt!  
  3. Because of its high water content, I recommend pressing the tofu for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour before using can help result in a firmer texture, crispier exterior, and better ability to absorb flavors from marinades or spice rubs. You can press tofu with a tofu presser or by sandwiching the tofu between two plates and placing some weighted items on the top plate to help press down on the tofu.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Sauté
  • Cuisine: Mexican

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36 Comments

  1. This was amazing. My whole family is vegetarian and it always annoys me that I can’t eat meat often. But the flavours where so good that I didn’t even think it needed meat. My whole family loves Mexican food and this was a real winner. Had many requests to make it again.

  2. Cassie

    This was wonderful – thank you!! I doubled the recipe and my family of 7 gobbled it all up. No leftovers for tomorrow! Next time I’ll triple. 🙂 I made a few changes based on what I had available. I didn’t use the tofu at all, I heated up 3 can of beans instead of 2, and seasoned them. The red onion was strong in the pico, but they still ate it up. My husband and I loved the strong flavors – it was so fresh! Even my 3 yr old and 18 month old ate two bowls. I didn’t have chipotle seasoning, so I used chili powder, paprika and cumin. I also used frozen corn instead of canned. This was a winner, definitely!

  3. manpreet somra

    hey, Just a thought. I wish there was nutritional info for your recipes. I am trying to loose weight and it would be super helpful so I can track what i’m putting into my body.

  4. Wonderfull. I cannot resist, I’m going to prepare it.! Thank you very much

  5. This is exactly what I want after cheering on the Boston Marathon in the pouring rain today. Looks so warm and comforting!

  6. I love the cilantro and lime in the rice. Healthier than take out indeed! Hope you will join our meatless Monday linkup

  7. Paul Amschler

    Now all you women folk do NOT take offence to what I am going to say. I am not a vegan/no meat kind of guy, TOFU is just not a natural food nor does it taste like it. So what kind of meat would be okay to substitute for it?
    Great blog , good for making the brain work for once..
    Paul

  8. Sandy

    This was great! I went ahead and cooked the beans a little with a dash of lime. Fantastic recipe. Thanks.

  9. These look fantastic, any way I can have chipotle at home is a win!

  10. This is so fresh, fresh, fresh and I love it! I wish I had this bowl in front of me right now!

  11. Audrey

    I have just tried this bowl and it was amazing! I subbed the chipotle powder with smoked paprika (not a big fan of chipotle) for the tofu and the corn and it was delicious! Thank you for this recipe, the bright colours truly brightened my day as we are having a snow storm today where I live 🙂

  12. This looks AHHmazing, and thank you for the hope that maybe one day I won’t have to do the 9-5. It sounds positively amazing.

  13. Mercedes

    Your recipe says vegan, but it contains butter. Did you mean margarine? No offence because vegan means no animal products, and butter is made from cows milk. (we don’t believe it is kind to cows) ~Vegan

    • Hi Mercedes, BIG oversight on my part. My sincerest apologies. That should have read olive oil. Again I’m sorry for the oversight and thank you so much for bringing it to my attention! The recipe is now updated 🙂

  14. Yummy I love this!!!! This is my kind of food. Also if you haven’t yet tried the sofritas, you must !

  15. Yum- I love burrito bowls. Very jealous of your schedule, especially since you got to drink margs at 1:30- my favorite!

  16. So much color and flavor! While a 9-5 job would be great in many ways, the luxury of working on your own schedule – and drinking and eating delicious stuff every day – is worth it!!

  17. I love these colorful bowls! Beautiful job making healthy food look delish. I’m glad no margarita was left behind 😉 Next time, I’ll join ya!

  18. Yum! You just confirmed my dinner plans for tonight.