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Here’s a healthy, flavorful, lightened-up recipe for Chorizo, a spicy Mexican sausage using ground turkey, ground chicken or tofu! A delicious addition to breakfast bowls, tacos, scrambles & burritos! Can be made in 20 minutes. Vegan-adaptable, Low-carb, Keto and GF!
Mexican Chorizo (not to be confused with cured Spanish Chorizo) is a highly seasoned, smoky pork sausage, typically made with raw ground pork, sometimes in casings, sometimes not.
I’m going to be honest here- I love the flavor of chorizo, but pork doesn’t always agree with me- so here is a lightened-up recipe for chorizo that we use at home.
It can be made with tofu, ground turkey or ground chicken– and yes ground pork or beef, if so inclined.
What you’ll need:
This recipe for Mexican-style Chorizo can be made with either ground chicken or ground turkey or even tofu!
- Tofu, ground chicken or ground turkey
- Mexican Spices
- Salt
- olive oil
- vinegar
Traditional Seasonings in Chorizo
Chorizo has a smoky, spicy and earthy flavor.
- Cumin
- chili powder,
- coriander,
- garlic granulated or fresh
- smoked paprika
- chipotle
How to make Chorizo
Step one:
Place the ground turkey, ground chicken or tofu (blot it first, then crumble it with your fingers) in a bowl.
Add the salt and Mexican spices to it.
TIP: Add little vinegar- which gives it acidity and pumps up the flavor even more.
Step two
Mix well, just using your fingers.
Step three
Once it’s mixed, store it in the fridge, freeze it, or brown it in a oiled skillet and use it throughout the week.
Storing Chorizo
- Keep chorizo raw and the fridge and cook it as needed- it keeps for one week.
- Cook the chorizo ahead, then freeze or refrigerate and add as needed.
Ways to use Chorizo
You’ll find many ways to use Chorizo but here are a few ideas…
- Mexican Breakfast Burrito Bowls!
- Enchilada Casserole
- Healthy Delicious Breakfast Tacos!
- Skillet-Baked Huevos Rancheros
- 65 Best Breakfast Ideas!
- Nachos Supreme
- Farmers Market Veggie Quesadillas
This morning I made these Mexican Breakfast Bowls with the Turkey Chorizo…..so good!
I know you’ll find so many uses for this Healthy, Easy Chorizo Recipe, so make sure to share what you create in the comments below!

How to make Chorizo!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Brucha
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Here’s a healthy, lightened-up recipe for Mexican Chorizo, a smoky spicy and flavorful Mexican style sausage using ground turkey, ground chicken or tofu!. Can be made in 20 minutes. Vegan-adaptable, Low-carb and GF!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, ground chicken or extra firm Tofu.
- 3/4 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic ( or 2 cloves finely minced garlic)
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (or cayenne) or substute chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (white, red, or apple cider)
Instructions
- See notes for Tofu. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl (or directly into an oiled skillet).
- Mix well. Store in the fridge, or freeze until ready to use.
- To cook, simply brown it in a skillet with a little oil, breaking it up into smaller pieces, like you would ground beef. (Alternately, you could shape into breakfast patties,or burgers, and sear, finishing in the oven if necessary.)
- Use in breakfast bowls or tacos, burritos, enchiladas, pizza, quesadillas, nachos, etc.
Notes
Tofu: Blot the tofu on all sides, pressing gently. Crumble the tofu, using your fingers into the bowl Mix with the spices- and pan sear with oil until cripsy and flavorful. Taste for salt– tofu generally needs a little extra salt.
Salt: I generally use 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat for the best flavor. Feel free to use less. Because chorizo is generally added to other things to enhance flavor, I like mine a little on the salty side. Adjust to your own tastes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 182
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 561.9 mg
- Fat: 9.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 22.9 g
- Cholesterol: 78.2 mg
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Most Sundays, I make a brunch for me and my husband with just some kind of egg, potatoes/hash and toast. Pretty boring!! But last Sunday I made these polenta eggs using the tofu chorizo recipe on this site. Wowza!! What an amazing, easy and delicious meal that my husband is now requesting for next Sunday. Thank you so much, Sylvia, for breaking us out of our dull, monotonous Sunday brunches!
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Love it Ceejay!
So good! Used ground chicken for this recipe, combined with the refried beans from this awesome site. Made AMAZING burritos!
★★★★★
Great to hear May!