Enjoy making this Soy Chorizo (aka Soyrizo) for a healthy helping of plant-based power. Lightly spicy, crumbly, and packed with protein and fiber, this tasty soyrizo is ready in less than 30 minutes (plus the marinating time). 

Soyrizo is vegetarian, vegan, plant based, gluten-free, nut-free, and low fat.

Soy chorizo cooked with potatoes and beans on the side on a white plate.
Delicious Soy Chorizo prepared with potatoes, onions and eggs.

I LOVE Beef Chorizo and any recipe that involves cooking with it! What can I say? Chorizo is my BFF! It’s so easy to make great dishes with it since it packs lots of flavor and it cooks quickly.

Meatlover approved!

My meat lover husband can’t taste the difference between beef chorizo and soy chorizo! That’s a huge win in my kitchen.

Soy meat is a phenomenal way to add plant-based protein and it contains all the necessary amino acids for your body. It’s inexpensive, especially compared to meat, and it has a long shelf life.

I used to buy Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo but now I prefer to make it at home to know exactly what’s in it! I make a big batch to keep in the fridge or freezer, and put together a nutritious dinner on demand!

A large bowl with vegetarian chorizo and a wood spoon.
Make a big batch of soy chorizo to keep in your refrigerator or freezer.

Why you’ll love it!

  • So healthy – It’s packed with protein, it’s low fat and low calories.
  • So flavorful! – The adobo that coats the soy crumbles packs a ton of flavor.
  • Perfect for meal prep – It lasts in the refrigerator and there are many different ways to cook with it!

Pin this recipe for later!

The Ingredients

These ingredients are to rehydrate the soy meat. For this you’ll need:

  • Soy crumbles.
  • Onion – use white or yellow. Whatever you have at hand.
  • A bay leaf and a large garlic clove.

For the sauce

The magic flavors come from the sauce! For this you’ll need:

  • Dried peppers – 5 guajillo peppers, 1 ancho chile and 3 chile de arbol. If you like your chorizo spicy, add 3 to 5 more chile de arbol.
  • Garlic cloves and onion.
  • Spices – ground cumin, dried oregano, paprika, ground cinnamon, black peppercorns, whole cloves, kosher or sea salt, vegetable bouillon.
  • White vinegar and Vegetable oil.
All of our ingredients for this recipe on a white board.
Ingredients to make Soy Chorizo.

Where can I buy soy meat?

Luckily, soy meat can be found at most grocery stores in the organic departments. Latin stores carry it in the spices department or by the meat section. Also, there are numerous places online like Walmart or Amazon.

A picture of a store bought bag of soy meat.

Did you know that soy meat is very popular in Mexico? It’s used to make many Mexican recipes including this one and soy ceviche!

How To Make Soy Chorizo

First you’ll rehydrate the meat:

  1. In a large pot, add about 12 cups (3 liters) of water and bring to a boil.
  2. Add the onion, bay leaf, garlic and 1 tablespoon of salt. Boil for 3 minutes. Add the soy meat. Mix all ingredients and continue to cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the onion, bay leaf and garlic. Drain the soy and press it with something heavy or add pressure with the back of a large spoon to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside.

Make the sauce

  1. In a medium pot, add the dried chiles, onion, garlic and enough hot water to cover them. Cook for about 5 minutes on high heat.
  2. Remove the pot from heat and cool for about 10 minutes.
A blender cup with chiles, onions and garlic.
  1. To a blender, add the cooked chiles, onion, garlic plus the spices, the vinegar, oil, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chile water.
  2. Puree for about 3 minutes or until smooth.

Mix everything together

Cooked soy meat with red sauce on the side inside a large plastic bowl.
  1. Add the sauce with the soy meat and mix everything together using a spatula or your clean hands. Squeeze the ingredients together to ensure the soy meat is saturated with the sauce.
  2. Cover container with plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hour. Preferably overnight.


Tips & Notes

  • How To Cook Soy Chorizo. You can use it to make other recipes (see the serving suggestions below) or just cook it in a skillet until it starts get crispy. You can add onions, peppers, cooked cubed potatoes, and or eggs.
  • If mixing the mixture by hand wear gloves so that you don’t get your hands stained with the red sauce.
  • Use small crumble meat. The spices will infuse better if the soy meat is small.
A large bowl with vegetarian chorizo and a wood spoon.


How to Store Soy Chorizo

  • Refrigerate – Refrigerate a batch in an airtight storage container for up to a week.
  • Freeze – Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Place in separate batches to cook one as needed.
  • To Thaw – Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Freshly made chorizo placed in three separate freezer bags and placed on the counter.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to enjoy Soy Chorizo with is to add it to scrambled eggs and make breakfast burritos. Another great option is to cook it and add it to smashed potatoes to make crispy taquitos. So good!

Here are a few other recipes to enjoy it with:

A plate with soy chorizo cooked with potatoes and beans on the side.
Soyrizo, potatoes and eggs makes a delicious meal for any time of day.

If you enjoyed this recipe I’d love it if you take 5 seconds to rate and review it below on the blog. It’s also super helpful to me and other readers if you share any changes you made to the recipe. I’m so grateful you’re here!

Print Recipe:

A large bowl with vegetarian chorizo and a wood spoon.

Soy Chorizo (Chorizo De Soya)

Servings 6 cups
Ana Frias
5 from 15 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Enjoy making this Soy Chorizo (aka Soyrizo) for a healthy helping of plant-based power. Lightly spicy, crumbly, and packed with protein and fiber, this tasty soyrizo is ready in less than 30 minutes (plus some marinating time). 
6 cups

Ingredients  

To rehydrate the soy meat
  • 3 cups soy meat (about 200 grams)
  • medium onion (white or yellow)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large garlic clove peeled
For the sauce
  • 5 guajillo peppers Remove stem and seeds
  • 1 chile ancho Remove stem and seeds
  • 3 chile de arbol peppers (optional) Remove stem
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • medium onion (white or yellow)
  • teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 16 black peppercorns
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1 cube vegetable bouillon
  • ¼ cup white vinegar (60ml)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (60ml)

Instructions 

Cook the soy meat

  • In a large pot, add about 12 cups (3 liters) of water and bring to a boil.
  • Add the onion, bay leaf, garlic and 1 tablespoon of salt. Boil for 3 minutes. Add the soy crumbles. Mix all ingredients and continue to cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
    ⅓ medium onion (white or yellow), 1 bay leaf, 1 large garlic clove, 3 cups soy meat (about 200 grams)
  • Remove the onion, bay leaf and garlic. Drain the soy and press it with something heavy or add pressure with the back of a large spoon to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside.

Make the sauce

  • In a medium pot, add the dried chiles, onion, garlic and enough hot water to cover them. Cook for about 5 minutes on high heat.
    5 guajillo peppers, 1 chile ancho, 3 chile de arbol peppers (optional), 2 garlic cloves, ⅓ medium onion (white or yellow)
  • Remove the pot from heat and cool for about 10 minutes.
  • To a blender, add the cooked chiles, onion, garlic plus the spices, the vinegar, oil, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chile water.
    ⅓ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 16 black peppercorns, 4 whole cloves, 1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt, 1 cube vegetable bouillon, ¼ cup white vinegar (60ml), ¼ cup vegetable oil (60ml)
  • Puree for about 3 minutes or until smooth.

Mix everything together

  • Add the sauce with the soy meat and mix everything together using a spatula or your clean hands. Squeeze the ingredients together to ensure the soy meat is saturated with the sauce.
  • Cover container with plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hour. Preferably overnight.
  • Now it's ready to be enjoyed to make your favorite recipe!

Muy Delish Notes:

  • How To Cook Soy Chorizo. You can use it to make other recipes (see the serving suggestions below) or just cook it in a skillet until it starts get crispy. You can add onions, peppers, cooked cubed potatoes, and or eggs.
  • If mixing the mixture by hand wear gloves so that you don’t get your hands stained with the red sauce.
  • Use small crumble meat. The spices will infuse better if the soy meat is small.

Add Your Own Private Notes

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup (uncooked) | Calories: 149kcal

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

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Recipe Rating




19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Just made this today, I fried some up right away and made a batch of breakfast burritos. At first when I tasted the pepper sauce/marinade I thought it was to vinegary, after frying it though the acid tasted balanced out.

    I really enjoy this recipe, next time I might add a chipotle pepper to the mix.

  2. Hello!

    I’m really excited to try this recipe because it’s impossible to get chorizo where I live. It’s also impossible to get fresh chiles, so I only have dried ^^; Will those work? Do I still follow the directions as written where I boil them and then blend them?

    Can’t wait to make a big batch of this and freeze it! breakfast tacos are back on the menu <333

    1. Hi Gina! I’m so happy to hear you’ll give this recipe a try! When you say you only have dried chiles, is that in powder form? This recipe calls for dried chiles that you boil so if that’s what you have, then just follow the instructions and you should be good to go! You’ll love them! Let me know if you have any other questions.

  3. 5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe! I made it last weekend and will probably stop buying soy chorizo at the store. I’ve tried other soy chorizo recipes but this one is the best I’ve tried! Thank you, Ana!

    1. I have not Amy! I would assume it would be good if you crumble it very good! Just skip the step on cooking the tofu like instructed for the soy meat. Afterall, soy meat is almost as tofu right? If you try it let me know how it turns out!

  4. I bought a bag of homemade granola in the little tienda in the village where we live in Mexico. Turns out it was soy protein and it is truly disgusting with milk LOL but this little mishap was a revelation for my wife and me who have recently switched to a semi-vegetarian/vegan diet. We tried store-bought vegetarian chorizo which tasted great but we wanted to know exactly what we eat so we tried your recipe and all I can say is WOW, thanks for this recipe.

  5. 5 stars
    I’m AMAZED how good this tastes and how similar it is to beef chorizo both in flavor and texture! Much less greasy too! Without compromise, a much healthier alternative. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  6. 5 stars
    I’m always amazed by how much soy resembles meat. Soyrizo with eggs and potatoes looks delicious. I definitely need to try that!

  7. Thank you! I was literally talking about how much I missed Soyrizo here in Portugal the other day.

  8. 5 stars
    This vegan chorizo turned out amazing! So flavorful and I know exactly what I’m putting in it. Thanks for the recipe!