This vegan chorizo has the spicy complexity, smokiness, sourness, and meaty texture of the original. Made from beans, nuts, and tofu, it makes a versatile accompaniment to all sorts of Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors.
Why vegan chorizo?
I’ve long been a fan of the big flavors in chorizo. The spicy, smoky, sour, and slightly sweet sausage can be cooked until soft and rich or crispy and oily. These are all sensations that can be recreated from whole plant-based ingredients. While there are commercially produced plant-based chorizos available, I like to be able to recreate it from scratch so that everything is minimally processed.
Following the previous success of the vegan chili, which included store-bought vegan chorizo, I wanted to go one step further and try to break down the chorizo itself. Chorizo and chili share a lot of the same “notes”. There seemed to be strong elements of cumin and smoked chile powder in both of them. I peeked at Serious Eats’ version for some inspiration on the flavor profile. (I wanted this recipe to be less daunting than that one but still carry the bulk of the same flavor.) Oregano, some sweetness from dates, and a strong splash of vinegar help round out the overall taste of the chorizo.
How do I use vegan chorizo?
I developed this recipe to use with vegan migas in breakfast tacos. There are many other ways it can be used:
- Chorizo and avocado are delicious together in a sandwich, taco, or burrito
- It can be stirred into a chip dip, such as vegan queso
- As a topping for your plant-based chili
- Made into meatballs (it just needs a binder)
- In soup, such as caldo verde
- Served alongside roasted potatoes, Spanish style
What does the cooking process look like?
The texture of the chorizo comes from a combination of tofu, toasted pecans, and canned beans. You rinse and drain the beans, gently mash them, and then bake until crispy and mostly dehydrated. Use the food processor to chop the three main ingredients into a coarse mince.
In a skillet you saute onion and various chile peppers and spices in coconut oil. This sauteed mixture also goes into the food processor. You combine all the processed ingredients in the skillet and then cook to the desired consistency.
There is an optional recipe for a red oil to mimic the classic oily appearance of chorizo. It includes just chile powder and oil. It can be used on other dishes as a flavor accent.
The preparation is pretty straightforward and takes less than an hour to produce this batch of about 1.5 pounds. You can chop the vegetables and measure out the spices while the beans bake (that takes 35 minutes). Most of the work from that point involves pulsing ingredients in the food processor and sauteeing on the stove.
Some cooking notes before you get started
You can freeze the chorizo for up to a month or keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
Feel free to substitute other types of beans for the pinto beans, but keep in mind that they may take more or less time to dry out in the oven, depending on size.
Vegan Chorizo
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans toasted
- 1/2 pound firm tofu drained
- 1 can pinto beans (15-16 ounces per can) drained and rinsed
To saute:
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 onion (about 1 cup) diced
- 1/2 poblano pepper diced with seeds removed
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper diced with seeds removed
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
Spice Mixture
- 1 Tablespoon ancho chile powder
- 1 Tablespoon mild red chile powder New Mexico or other variety
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne chile powder
- 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
- 1/2 Tablespoon ground coriander seed
- 1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 medjool date chopped
Liquid seasoning
- 1/4 cup vegetable stock plus extra as needed
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
For optional red oil
- 1/4 cup oil see note
- 1/2 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 Tablespoon mild red chile powder
Instructions
Bake the pinto beans
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Spread beans evenly across a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Gently smash most of the beans with the bottom of a drinking glass. The idea is to mash them into a thin layer but not into a shapeless mass.
- When oven is hot, add baking sheet with beans. Bake until the beans are dried out and crunchy, but not burned, stirring occasionally. It should take about 35 minutes.
Process the pecans and tofu
- Place pecans into a food processor. Pulse until the pieces are roughly the size of grains of ground meat. Set aside in a bowl.
- Use the food processor to chop the tofu to the same size as the pecans. Set the tofu aside with the pecans.
Saute and blend the vegetables and seasoning
- Heat the coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion, poblano, jalapeño, and garlic. Saute until the onion and peppers are lightly browned, 4-5 minutes.
- Add seasoning mix. Stir for 2 minutes to toast the spices and coat the vegetables. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the sauteed vegetables from the skillet to the food processor. Add in the liquid seasoning ingredients. Process until it forms an even, coarse paste, 15-20 seconds.
Combine, heat, and tweak
- Transfer paste from food processor to skillet and return skillet to medium heat.
- Stir in the processed tofu and pecans and the baked beans. Add vegetable stock as needed if the mixture becomes too dry. Cook until the desired consistency is reached. Once heated through, taste and add salt as needed.
Prepare optional red oil
- Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat until hot.
- Add smoked paprika and chile powder. Stir for 1-2 minutes to toast the spices. Transfer oil and powder residue to a glass bowl
Serve
- Serve immediately. Drizzle red oil onto each serving as a condiment.
Hi, Spaniard here.
The European Spanish version of Chorizo is not spicy and there is a spread that has a lot of the same flavour notes that chorizo, this is called “sobrasada” and is typical from Majorca.
I found out that you can make a vegan version of that with very little ingredients:
– Miso (depends on how much you want of that, for instance a cup)
– Spanish smoked paprika
– Garlic (powder is OK for the ultra-quic version)
– Oregano ( a pinch, but up to you, I use half a tsp for a cup)
– Cummin (but not the Indian black ones, the gray “European” ones) also a tsp
– a shot of olive oil
Mix and mash or blend to a paste.
That’s all, it tastes 100% like the “real” stuff
I’ll try your Chorizo but with less chili (my significant half is not too fond of spicy stuff)
Thanks!
Hi Enric,
Thanks for your note! I was thinking about the Spanish chorizo as well. But I haven’t had Spanish chorizo in a long time, so I used the Mexican (or Texan) one as my reference. But it’s great to know that there is a simpler way that still tastes like the real deal. I’ll try your formula as well, and let you know how it goes. Do you use anything specific for texture or fill? Like beans, nuts, or tofu? And what are your favorite Spanish dishes to make/serve with it?
Hi,
The Sobrasada is a spread, this doesn’t need any texture, the original is made with lard and flour.
For the chorizo sausages I use the same mix with a Seitan mix, adding a tbsp of oatmeal to give it some texture. I roll the “Chorizos” in alu foil and steam them in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes (natural release). Note that this is still experimental, I would like to substitute the alu foil or the plastic foil with something else.
Regards,
Enric
Oh ok. I didn’t realize it was a spread. That makes sense now.
And it’s interesting to know your sausage making process. I admit I’m still early in my experimentation with it. The seitan and oatmeal sound like a good flavor-texture combination.
It’s tough to think of a substitute for the foil, though. Let me know what you figure out!
Sure !