Traditional Tacos with Tofu “Hamburger”

These traditional tacos with tofu “hamburger” are meatless, but the filling looks, feels, and tastes much like the cooked ground beef filling of yesteryear tacos. This chile powder and paprika seasoned “meat” is made with tofu!

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To get the “hamburger” texture, freeze the tofu, right in the package, water and all. When it is frozen solid, bring it out to thaw. After the tofu thaws, wring it out like a sponge. You just have to remember ahead of time to put the package in the freezer.

Do you ever buy tofu and never get around to cooking with it until the expiration date approaches? I do. So I pop it in the freezer. Bring it out to thaw on the counter in the morning if you’re planning on these tacos for dinner.

When the tofu has thawed, you squeeze it like a sponge to get rid of excess water. Break it up with your hands as you squeeze.

To flavor the tofu “meat”, sauté onions and garlic, then stir in the tofu crumbles and taco seasonings.

Engraved in my memory are vignettes of my mother or Mrs. Hills, my bff’s mother, standing at the stove in their respective kitchens frying tortillas one at a time. Before handing a soft fried tortilla to us, they would spoon in cooked ground beef.

The kids would all line up, plates in hand, waiting for their tacos. We ate our fill. While taco production was on, the mothers never sat down. Once at the table, we added our cheese, tomatoes and shredded iceberg lettuce.

These “tofu hamburger” tacos skip the part of frying the tortillas in 1/4-inch of oil to soften them. Here we spray corn tortillas with cooking spray and soften them in the oven. Healthier for sure. The other bonus is you don’t have to stand at the stove, one hand cupping folded paper towels, the other holding tongs, pulling softened tortillas from the oil and shaping and blotting into the paper towels.

In lieu of iceberg lettuce, garnish your traditional tacos with “tofu hamburger” with finely shredded cabbage and an array of condiments like avocado, chopped lettuce and green onions. If you wish, put out some grated white cheddar cheese. Don’t forget the salsa, either purchased, or one of my easy-to-make salsas, red or green.

For vegan traditional tacos with tofu hamburger, skip the cheese.

Do you have a childhood food memory that you’ve made healthier? What is it?

More vegetarian taco ideas:

• Vegetarian bean and potato tacos.
• Spicy sweet potato tacos with arugula and mole sauce.
• Lentil tacos with spicy greens and avocado guacamole.
• Fried egg and chard tacos. 

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Print Recipe

4.23 from 9 votes

Traditional Tacos with Tofu “Hamburger”

These meatless tacos are a fun dinner for family and friends. The "hamburger meat" is made from frozen then thawed tofu cooked with onion, garlic, and taco seasoning.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian

Keyword: tacos, tofu

Servings: 8 tacos

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas
• Cooking spray or olive oil, as needed

For the filling:

• 1 (14-ounce) package extra firm organic tofu, frozen solid
• ¼ cup chili powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons avocado or grapeseed oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water or beer

The garnishes:

• Chopped green cabbage or shredded lettuce
• Avocado slices
• Grated Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese, optional
• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped green onion
• Chopped cilantro
• Green or red salsa

Instructions

Make the filling:

• Remove the package of frozen tofu from the freezer. Without breaking the seal, let the package thaw. The fastest way is under running warm water. If you plan ahead, thaw for a day on the kitchen counter or about 3 days in the fridge.
• When the tofu has thawed, break the seal and remove the tofu from the water. It will be very sponge-like. Squeeze the tofu well to wring out as much water as possible. Squeeze again—more liquid will release. Place in a bowl. With your fingers or a fork, break into small pieces.
• Mix together the chili powder, paprika, garlic salt, black pepper and cayenne. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium flame. Add the onion; cook and stir until the onion is translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another few minutes.
• Add the tofu pieces to the onions and garlic. Stir in the spice mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes, until the spiced tofu is cooked through. Reduce the heat to low flame. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the tofu and onions until the mixture looks like hamburger meat. Mix in the water or beer and mash another minute. Keep warm.

To serve:

• Place the cabbage, avocado, cheese, tomatoes and green onion in separate bowls. Or all next to each other on one big plate. Estimate a small amount for each taco. (E.g. 2 tablespoons cabbage, 1 slice avocado, 1 to 2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon tomatoes, and a bit of green onion and cilantro per taco.)
• Heat the oven to 350° F. Arrange the tortillas on baking sheets, next to each other but not overlapping. Spray each tortilla with cooking spray. Turn them over and spray the second side. Alternatively, brush both sides lightly with olive oil.
• Heat the tortillas in the oven, 3 to 4 minutes, until they are pliable and warm. (Be careful to not let them get crisp—you want to be able to fold them.) Fold the tortillas in half to make taco shells. Let them heat in the oven another minute.
• Spoon about 1/3 cup of the tofu “meat” in each taco shell and arrange on plate.
• Allow each person to garnish their taco with their choice of condiments and salsa.

Notes

Tofu that has been frozen and then thawed before cooking has an incredibly meaty texture. Freeze the tofu in its package. Pull from the freezer, allow to thaw, then wrap the thawed tofu in a tea towel. Place a weight on top and set aside to squeeze out some of the water. The pressed tofu will look like a sponge.
The filling can be cooked the day before. The garnishes prepped earlier in the day. Soften tortillas in the oven a few minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?Mention @lettyskitchen or tag #lettyskitchen

Nutrition information is meant to be an estimate only and does not include cheese or the cooking spray used to soften the tortillas. Of course numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and substitutions that are made.