Chorizo is one of my comfort foods. Nothing beats a breakfast of huevos con chorizo, warm corn tortillas and salsa molcajeteada. Of course as a vegan, there aren't many chorizo options. This recipe though, might change your mind about vegan chorizo. This has to be my most tested recipe. I tried many versions of this, one made with quinoa, one with tempeh, another with tofu, and one with just mushrooms. After many failed chorizo attempts, I give you the best homemade vegan chorizo recipe you will be able to find.
The recipe takes a little bit of time, but believe it is worth it. This chorizo is spicy and crumbly, with tons of umami flavor and notes of clove and coriander. To make this chorizo you first have to press the tofu for 30 minutes. Place in between two plates with a heavy object on top. This eliminates the excess water in the tofu, creating a better texture for the chorizo. Then crumble it into a large bowl.
Take your dry chiles, and remove the stems and seeds. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop the chiles inside. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the chiles from the water and place in the blender. Reserve ½ cup of the chile soaking liquid. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, cloves, paprika, coriander, apple cider vinegar, and ¼ cup of soaking liquid to the blender and process until smooth. If necessary add the remaining ¼ cup of the soaking liquid to get things moving in the blender. Strain the chile mixture. Add half of it to the crumbled tofu.
Mince your mushrooms finely. I recommend you do this with a knife not a food processor. Sauté them until golden brown and a bit crispy. Add the remaining half of the chile puree and cook for a couple more minutes until the mixture has thickened.
Sauté the tofu until golden brown and crispy. In a large bowl combine the cooked mushrooms and tofu and check your seasoning. The chorizo possibilities are now endless. I will be making papas con chorizo, torta de chorizo, sopes con chorizo, and many more dishes. I can't wait for you to try them. Enjoy!
The Recipe: Homemade Vegan Chorizo
The finished chorizo will keep in your fridge for 3-5 days, or you can freeze for up to 3 months. To increase the spiciness add more chile de arbol.
Homemade Vegan Chorizo
Ingredients
- 1 block (12 oz.) Tofu, extra firm
- ½ lb. Mushrooms, finely chopped
- 6 Chile guajillo, dried, seeded
- 2 Chile ancho, dried, seeded
- 4 Chile de arbol, dried
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp. Oregano, dried
- ½ tsp. Cumin, ground
- 2 Cloves, whole
- 1 tbsp. Paprika, ground
- ½ tsp. Coriander, ground
- ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Vegetable oil, optional
Instructions
- Remove tofu from package and place in between two small plates. Place a can on top of the plates and leave like this for 30 min.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and discard them. Drop the chiles into the boiling water. Turn heat down to the lowest setting and let the chiles sit in the water for 10 min.
- Remove the chiles from the water and place in blender. Reserve ½ cup of the chile soaking liquid.
- Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, cloves, paprika, coriander, apple cider vinegar, and ¼ cup of soaking liquid to the blender and process until smooth. If necessary add the remaining ¼ cup of the soaking liquid to get things moving in the blender.
- Season the chile mixture with salt and pepper and pass through a fine strainer. Set aside.
- Drain the water from the tofu and crumble with your hands into a large bowl. Pour half of the pureed chile mixture into the bowl with the tofu and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a large sauté pan to high heat and add 1 tbsp. of oil. Once the oil is hot add the finely chopped mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 6-7 min.
- Lower heat to medium-low and pour in the remaining half of the chile mixture. Stir and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to absorb the chile mixture. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl.
- Heat a non-stick sauté pan set to medium heat, add 1 tbsp. of oil. Add the tofu mixture and continue to cook until the liquid begins to evaporate and tofu becomes crispy, 7-8 minutes. You can make the tofu as crispy as you like. (Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or the tofu will never get crispy.)
- Pour cooked tofu mixture into the bowl with the mushrooms and mix well to combine. Adjust seasoning.
Video
Notes
Hi Dora,
This recipe sounds and looks amazing! Do you think I can use the chorizo with potatoes as a filling for vegan tamales?
Thank you!
Yes Elizabeth that would work!
I am mexican and was doubtful this would taste good. It was GREAT. I add a bit more vinager when I reheated the chorizo. Tasts just like pork chorizo. Mix wirh papas (potatoes paid fried) . This will really keep me on the path to be vegan.
Hi Theresa, yay!!! I'm so happy that yo liked it. I know it was super helpful to me when I first started eating vegan,
He sido vegetariana por 8 años y chorizo es una de las pocas cosas que extraño. Ya no tendré que extrañar nada -
quedo increíble, hasta mis hijos se sorprendieron cuando me vieron cocinando carne (ja!). Hice taquitos con tortillas hechas a mano y una salsita verde.
Gracias por la inspiración.
¡Qué bueno que les gustó!! A mi me gusta engañar a todos mi amigos omnis con esta receta.
I want to try this but do I have to put mushrooms? I don’t like them
No, you can used mashed cooked chickpeas or lentils instead of mushroom or even chopped up cauliflower
I made this and it's the best chorizo I've ever ate. My kids LOVE it and so does my meat eating Mexican macho man. My hubby said do not buy store bought, anymore. Thank you, Dora!
I'm so happy to hear that!! I know it's a little time consuming, but it's totally worth it.
Hi Dora. Thanks for this great recipe. I never liked chorizo as a kid because it always seemed to have gristle or cartilage. Problem solved! Since mine didn’t crisp up, I formed the final mush into patties and fried them briefly. A vegetarian could add an egg as a binder. Maybe a vegan has a suitable binder idea. Regardless, this is an amazing recipe. The vinegar really rocks it. I’m going to use more chiles de arbol next time.
I felt the same way, because cheap cuts of meat are used to make it there's always some grizzle in there. Gross!
This was absolutely amazing!! I’m trying to eat plant based and this is making it easy for me! I feel like it tastes way better than any Chorizo I’ve had before! Thanks so much!!! I accidentally pulverized the mushrooms in my food processor, but I feel like it made the recipe better! It was sort of a mushroom paste but it turned out delicious!
I'm so glad you liked it! Using the food processor really saves time.
I made these tacos to share with non-vegan friends last week, and they were a huge hit! The chorizo is very quick and easy to make, and starting with dried chiles gives it such a rich, authentic flavor. Definitely a keeper!
So glad you liked it!