Tofu Tacos With Mango Slaw

These Tofu Tacos with Mango Slaw are surprisingly filling and simple to customize. The recipe uses a quick and tasty shortcut: tofu that’s already been marinated and baked. If you’re curious about trying tofu but aren’t ready for the whole pressing and marinating hoopla, grab a package and give them a try tonight! 

Tofu Tacos with Mango Slaw on a blue plate with lime wedges.

Smart Dinner Shortcuts

This easy weeknight recipe features two of my favorite shortcuts: Single-Serving Guacamole and Baked Tofu. 

We get our individual guac from Trader Joe’s but Wholly Guacamole has a minis variety too. What I love about buying guacamole this way is that it helps us avoid wasting food. Instead of having to deal with a big batch of guacamole you can use just the amount you need for one or two people.

Plus, you can freeze the whole box and have small-batch guacamole whenever you want!

First Photo: Hand holding box of single-serving guacamole. Second Photo: Guacamole packet in a mug of water.

Defrosting is easy peasy. Just pop the packet in a cup of warm water for a few minutes and you’re good to go. 

Next up is packaged baked tofu. It’s super-firm tofu that’s been seasoned so it’s loaded with flavor and like any good convenience food it saves you lots of time because it’s already baked!

There’s no need to press the tofu or marinate it for hours – it’s ready to go right out of the package. You can actually eat the tofu cold but we like to warm it up and add it to sandwiches, tacos, and salads.

A hand holding a package of sriracha baked tofu.

Where can you find baked tofu?

  • At natural food stores and Asian markets.
  • In the refrigerated section of some grocery stores (near the water-packed tofu).

We’ve made this recipe with sriracha-flavored baked tofu and teriyaki-flavored tofu (Trader Joe’s and Sprouts both sell tasty versions). The sriracha is a little spicy and tangy. The teriyaki has a meatier vibe.

How to make this recipe faster:

As written, the recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. If you need to make them quicker, swap the slaw ingredients for prepared mango salsa (or your favorite salsa) and a handful of chopped lettuce.

Tofu Tacos with Mango Slaw on a blue plate.

Tofu Tacos With Mango Slaw

Yield: 4 Tacos
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes

Bright and tangy plant-based tacos with mango slaw, guacamole, and baked tofu. 

Ingredients

For the Mango Slaw:

  • 1 cup coleslaw mix (about 3 ounces), or shredded cabbage
  • 1/2 cup diced mango, about half a large mango
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (see note)
  • A small chunk of red onion (about 1-inch wide), thinly sliced
  • Half a small jalapeno, seeded and diced (omit if you prefer less spicy heat)
  • Juice of 1 lime, about 2 to 3 teaspoons
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey (optional)
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

For the Tacos:

  • 4 fajita-sized flour tortillas
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 7 ounces baked tofu, storebought, sriracha or teriyaki flavor
  • 2 ounces prepared guacamole (or half a small avocado, seeded and sliced)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl combine the coleslaw mix, mango, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, and lime juice. Toss well to combine. Taste and add a little maple syrup or honey and salt and black pepper as desired, set aside.
  2. Remove tofu from packaging and slice into 8 equal pieces. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook until browned about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
  3. While the tofu is heating, warm the tortillas using one of the methods in the notes section. Once warmed through, place tortillas in a clean towel and cover to keep warm.
  4. To assemble the tacos, spread tortillas with guacamole. Layer each one with 2 tofu pieces and 1/4 of the slaw mixture. Serve immediately with extra lime wedges, if desired.

Notes

Cilantro stems are actually flavorful (and not bitter like parsley) so you don’t have to take the leaves off the stems. Just grab a handful, slice the ends off the stems and give the pile a good chop.

Ways to Warm Tortillas:

  • On the grate of a gas stovetop, place a tortilla over medium heat, warm for a few seconds on each side using metal tongs to flip frequently.
  • Add tortilla to a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm for 20 to 30 seconds per side.
  • Wrapped all of the tortillas in a paper towel and microwave until warm, about 30 to 40 seconds.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 tacos Serving Size: 2 tacos
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 397Total Fat: 15.2gSaturated Fat: 1.9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 791mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 8.5gSugar: 11.5gProtein: 18.3g

How to Make Tofu Tacos with Mango Slaw

Mango slaw in a glass bowl.

You’ll want to start by making the mango slaw first. This gives the flavors time to marinate and combine.

To make the slaw combine the coleslaw mix, mango, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, and lime juice in a large bowl. Grab a pair of tongs and toss everything together. Then, give it a taste and add a little honey or agave and salt and black pepper as desired.

Two Quick Mango Slaw Tips:

Four photos of hands chopping cilantro and squeezing lime juice.

#1 Don’t waste your time picking the cilantro leaves off of the stems. The stems are actually flavorful (and not bitter like parsley). Just grab a handful, slice the ends off the stems and give the pile a good chop.

Also, does your cilantro always gets slimy after a day in the fridge? Check out these tips for storing fresh herbs and find out how we get ours to stay slime-free for over two weeks!

#2 Get a hand-held citrus juicer. This little tool presses ALL of the juice out of lemons and limes in a way that a squeeze of your hands just can’t. FYI it makes a great birthday, housewarming or Mother’s Day gift.

Once you’ve got the slaw set it’s time to warm the tortillas.

Man warming tortillas in a skillet on a stovetop.

There are a lot of ways you can tackle this task. We’re partial to the skillet or warm grate methods but if the microwave is your jam, you do you.

Tortilla Warming Options

  1. Place a tortilla on a gas stovetop grate, over medium heat, warm for a few seconds on each side using metal tongs to flip frequently. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  2. One at a time, add a tortilla to a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm for 20 to 30 seconds per side.
  3. Wrap all of the tortillas in a paper towel and microwave until warm, about 30 to 40 seconds.

As you finish warming a tortilla place it in a clean towel and cover to keep warm. Repeating until all of the tortillas are warmed and tucked away in the towel.

To keep things moving, we like to use different burners to heat the tofu and warm the tortillas at the same time.

How To Prep The Tofu

Hands slicing sriracha baked tofu on a cutting board.

Remove the baked tofu from the package and slice it into 8 pieces.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu pieces and cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Sriracha baked tofu slices browned in a skillet.

Use your tongs to flip the tofu and continue cooking until the other side is browned.

Put It All Together

Tofu tacos on a blue plate with lime wedges.

When you’re ready to serve the tacos spread tortillas with guacamole. Layer each tortilla with 2 tofu pieces and 1/4 of the slaw mixture.

Serve the tacos immediately (otherwise, they’ll get soggy from the slaw) with a few extra lime wedges if you want (we always want).

Then dig in!

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