Cilantro Lime Shredded Tofu with Roasted Carrots

Tajin roasted carrots over shredded tofu is delicious vegan lunch recipe that you are going to LOVE! Cilantro lime shredded tofu pairs perfectly with Tajin roasted carrots on bread or topped with nuts or seeds for an easy bowl meal.

Shredding pressed, extra firm tofu gives it a unique, meaty texture that’s great for filling sandwiches, wraps, bowls, and more. Shredding also increases the tofu’s surface area, which allows it to take on even more flavor from the amazing cilantro lime marinade. I pair it with these easy flavor packed Roasted carrots that you can serve up as a bowl topped with seeds and fresh herbs.

If you don’t want to use tofu, you can use cooked rice instead for a delicious bowl meal!

I’m using tajin in this recipe to season both the tofu and the roasted carrots. Tajin gives this nice tang to the overall flavor profile. If you don’t like that much tang from the tajin, you can use Cajun spice or a different spice blend, like chili powder, curry powder, Jamaican curry powder, or whatever spice mix you like.

The carrots for this recipe have been cut into a diagonal shape to give them more surface area for roasting. And they pair so well with the tangy, shredded tofu! You can serve this dish in many different ways. I love how versatile this pairing is.

To make the shredded tofu into a bowl meal, serve it  with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and hemp seeds or top with chopped walnuts or pecans. For the sandwich version, just pile the carrots and the shredded tofu onto your bread of choice, add some a creamy dip or some hummus to the bread, and it makes an absolutely delicious brunch or lunch. You can also add these to a wrap or lettuce wrap and top with some lime juice, cilantro, and more seeds.

No matter how you serve this flavor-packed cilantro lime shredded tofu, you are going to just love it!

Why You’ll Love Cilantro Lime Shredded Tofu

• zesty, flavorful tofu with a meaty shredded texture
• tender, sweet roasted carrots with tangy tajin flavor
• versatile! Serve as a bowl, sandwich, wrap, pita, or lettuce wrap. Mix up the spices to suit your tastes.
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free
• easy to make soy free using cooked rice instead of tofu

What to Serve with Shredded Tofu and Roasted Carrots

Serve this as a sandwich or wrap with chips or fries on the side. This is great with more conventional potato oven fries .

If you are making this as a bowl, it’s a great meal all on its own, but feel free to serve with a salad! My roasted Brussels sprouts salad goes great with this, and so does chickpea dill salad.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• carrots – Slice your carrots on the diagonal to give them more surface area for roasting.
• oil – To roast the carrots and sauté the tofu.
• lime juice – Adds tang to both the carrots and the tofu.
• maple syrup – Adds a touch of sweetness to the carrots
• salt and pepper – To season the carrots and the tofu.
• tajin – Adds a tangy, mild heat to the carrots and the tofu. You can use other spice blends, like curry powder, chili powder blend, or cajun spice, if you prefer.
• garlic and cumin – To season the tofu. You can use a garlic clove or garlic powder.
• tofu – Extra firm tofu is pressed and shredded to give it a rice-like texture that cooks up to be almost meat-like!
• cilantro – To season the tofu.
• green onion – Adds umami to the tofu.
• garnish – Garnish your shredded tofu with sesame seeds, hemp seeds, and lime juice. You can also sprinkle on pepper flakes for more heat, if you like.

How to Make Shredded Tofu with Roasted Carrots

Preheat the oven to 415° F (213° C) and grease a baking dish that will fit all of the carrots in about a single layer or just slightly overlapping. You don’t want them to overlap more than double, and you also don’t want them to spread too far from each other, because that will cause them to dry out.

Add the sliced carrots to the baking dish. Drizzle the oil, lime juice, and maple syrup over the carrots, tossing well to coat. In a small bowl, mix all of the spices, and then sprinkle those all over the carrots, tossing again to coat really well.

Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then stir well, spread them back out, and cover the pan with parchment paper. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender to preference. Variation in baking time depends on your baking dish, your oven, thickness of the carrots, etc.

Press the tofu if you haven’t already, pressing longer if your tofu is more moist and soft. Then, use a big box grater to shred the tofu.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is starting to turn golden. Mix in all of the spices, then mix in the shredded tofu and salt. If the tofu is too dry, add in a splash of water.

Now, cover the pan, and let it cook for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on your texture preference. Then, open the lid and mix in the lime juice, cilantro and green onion.

Taste and adjust the flavor: add more salt, if needed; if you want a more heat, add in some pepper flakes; add more lime juice for more tang. You can also add chopped green chili into the mix. 

If you’re serving in a bowl, add a good helping of the cilantro lime tofu to the bowl, top it with some warm roasted carrots, more chopped cilantro, a good sprinkle of sesame seeds and hemp seeds, and also a squeeze of lime juice. You can serve the bowl as-is or with some toasted bread, sourdough, or pita.

To make a sandwich, use your bread of choice, and add a layer of some kind of creamy dip or spread to the bread — like my tahini dill dip, hummus, or vegan mayo — and then top it with the roasted carrots and shredded tofu. Slice and serve.