Tofu Taco Salad

No one will ask for the meat.

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My ultimate dinner salad is a circus of textures, flavors, and colors, and this tofu taco salad brings all of that— and then some. Taco-spiced tofu joins romaine, cheese, tortilla chips, romaine, and a medley of veggies for a vegetarian spin on a classic that’s fresh and familiar, all at the same time.

As a kid in the Midwest, I grew up with the type of taco salad that’s topped with nacho cheese and comes on a bed of rice in addition to the classic tortilla chips. Absolutely delicious— but also insanely heavy. Here I’m reinventing it into something I’d love to eat any and every weeknight: big in flavor and still super satisfying, but just a little lighter and a lot more balanced.

I’m typically a fan of soaking tofu in boiling salted water to eliminate excess moisture because it’s a great way to preserve the tofu’s light, spongy texture, as well as ensure it’s seasoned all the way through. In this case, though, I actually want the tofu to have a denser texture, so it reads as almost meaty, and since the tofu it going to be crumbled into small pieces in the pan, it’s easier to season all the way through. For these reasons, I prefer to press it here. You can use a tofu press, if you have one, or just a cast iron pan and a baking sheet.

The tofu taco crumbles can be made up to 3 days in advance. Let cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can make the corn, bean, and tomato mix up to 3 days in advance as well— and if you know you’re going into a really busy week, you can even wash and cut the lettuce and store it in a plastic bag.

Once assembled, leftovers will keep for 3 days— except for any chips you’ve mixed in. They’ll go soggy pretty quickly, so I recommend picking them out and discarding before you refrigerate. You can toss in a few fresh chips when you’re ready to eat the leftovers.

Enjoy!

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Tofu Taco Salad

(Serves 4)

Prep time: 25 minutes (you can do a lot of this ingredient prep while the tofu is being pressed)

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the Tofu Taco Crumbles

1 (14-oz.) package extra-firm tofu, drained

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (I used Diamond Kosher), plus more

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

½ white onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

For the Taco Salad

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup black beans

½ cup frozen corn, thawed

¼ red onion, finely chopped

¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped, plus more for serving

½ teaspoon kosher salt (I used Diamond Crystal), plus more

1 head romaine (about 10 oz.), washed and sliced

1/2 lime, plus more for serving

½ cup crumbled queso fresco

3 oz. tortilla chips (or more!)

1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and chopped

Equipment: Paper towels, rimmed plate or baking sheet, cast iron pan, small bowl, spoon, large pan, large bowl, flexible rubber spatula, fish spatula, medium bowl, large bowl, mixing spoon.

Instructions

1. Wrap tofu in a thick layer of paper towels and set on a large rimmed plate or baking sheet. Top with a cast iron pan or a second baking sheet weighed down with a large can.

2. Let sit 20 minutes, changing the paper towel if it becomes soaked through, then unwrap tofu and tear into 1” chunks (it’s okay if the chunks are irregular). Pat the tofu dry and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together together paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and 1 ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

4. In a large pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Add onion and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl and set aside.

5. Add 2 tablespoons neutral oil to pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the tofu and toss to coat in oil. (If the pan and oil are hot enough, they shouldn’t stick.) Arrange tofu into a single layer, flat side down, and cook until browned and crisp on the bottom, 2-3 minutes.

6. Stir the tofu, then push it to one side of the pan and add the remaining tablespoon oil and tomato paste to the other side. Cook tomato paste, stirring, until darkened, about 1 minute, then toss with the tofu to coat.

7. Sprinkle the tofu with the soy sauce and reserved spice mix and continue to cook, stirring and breaking up the tofu until it’s broken down into smaller pieces. (A potato masher is helpful for this, if you have one!)

8. Stir in reserved cooked onion and toss to combine, then taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

For the Taco Salad

1. In a medium bowl, toss together cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, red onion, and chopped cilantro. Season with ½ teaspoon salt.

2. In a large bowl, toss romaine with the juice of half a lime. Season lightly with kosher salt, then add half of the queso fresco and half of the tomato and bean mixture. Layer tortilla chips chips and tofu taco crumbles on top and top with remaining cheese, remaining tomato bean mixture, avocado, and fresh cilantro leaves.

3. Serve with additional lime wedges, for squeezing.

Originally posted October 4, 2026.