Mango Burrito Bowls with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce
Think of these mango bowls as an Asian spin on your favorite burrito bowl. This recipe features brown rice, fresh mango, tofu and peanut sauce.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on June 10, 2025
Think of these sunny mango bowls as a Thai spin on your favorite burrito bowl. They’re refreshing and hearty, sweet and savory, and my new favorite summertime dinner.
These bowls were inspired by my Thai mango cabbage wraps, which are such a fun appetizer. I’ve added rice and shredded the cabbage to turn them into a more hefty dinner.
These bowls feature perfectly cooked brown rice and shredded cabbage topped with crispy baked tofu, fresh mango salsa and peanut sauce. None of the components are difficult to prepare, and the combination is irresistible.
You could make these bowls on a relaxed weeknight, or save them for the weekend. Invite friends over, or keep your leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. You can’t lose with this one.
How to Make Mango Burrito Bowls
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here’s the gist:
- Preheat the oven, bring a pot of water to boil for the rice, and prepare the tofu. You’ll need to drain off some excess water from the tofu before baking so it crisps up nicely. Plan to do this while you’re emptying the dishwasher, etc.
- Then, you’ll toss the tofu with a few basic ingredients and bake it. While it’s baking, you’ll cook the rice on the stovetop. They take about the same amount of time to cook, which is convenient.
- In the meantime, you can prepare the mango salsa and peanut sauce. Then, slice your cabbage and chop some peanuts for garnish.
- Once all your components are ready, assemble and enjoy!
Watch How to Make Mango Burrito Bowls
Fresh Mango Selection & Storage
Sweet, ripe mango is the key ingredient in this recipe (if you can’t find good mango, substitute fresh pineapple). Some tips:
- When you’re shopping, look for mangos that yield lightly to a gentle squeeze, like a peach or avocado. Most varieties (like the kind I used here) will turn reddish in areas as they ripen.
- If you come home with perfectly ripe mangos, store them in the refrigerator until you make this recipe.
- If you need your mangos to hurry up and ripen, store them in a paper bag at room temperature.
Not sure how to dice a mango? Here’s my tutorial on How to Cut a Mango.
Loving these fresh flavors? You’ll also enjoy these recipes:
- Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
- Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles
- Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice
- Thai Mango Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Extra Vegetable Fried Rice
- Build-Your-Own Buddha Bowl
Please let me know how these mango bowls turn out for you in the comments. I love hearing from you.
Mango Burrito Bowls with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce
Think of these mango bowls as a Thai spin on your favorite burrito bowl. This recipe features brown rice, fresh mango, tofu and peanut sauce. You will have time to prepare the produce while the tofu and rice cook, so get started on those elements first. Recipe yields 4 bowls.
Ingredients
Crispy baked tofu and rice
- 1 block (12 to 15 ounces) organic extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari* or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1 ¼ cups brown basmati rice or long-grain brown rice, rinsed
Peanut sauce
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari* or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, to taste
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit or reduce if sensitive to spice)
Mango salsa and cabbage
- 2 large ripe mangos, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup (about 4) thinly sliced green onions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 medium jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups shredded purple or green cabbage
- Handful of chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the tofu from sticking.
- To prepare the tofu: Drain the tofu and use your palms to gently squeeze out some of the water. Slice the tofu into thirds lengthwise so you have 3 even slabs. Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice through them lengthwise to make 3 even columns, then slice across to make 5 even rows.
- Line a cutting board with a lint-free tea towel or paper towels, then arrange the tofu in an even layer on the towel(s). Fold the towel(s) over the cubed tofu, then place something heavy on top (like another cutting board, topped with a cast iron pan or large cans of tomatoes) to help the tofu drain. Let the tofu rest for at least 10 minutes (preferably more like 30 minutes, if you have the time).
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rice and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Drain off the remaining cooking water and return the rice to the pot. Cover the pot and let the rice rest, off the heat, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Transfer the pressed tofu to the lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil and tamari. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the starch over the tofu, and toss the tofu until the starch is evenly coated, so there are no powdery spots remaining.
- Arrange the tofu in an even layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing the tofu halfway, until the tofu is deeply golden on the edges. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the peanut sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl. Taste, and if it’s too bold, add another teaspoon of honey to tame it. Set aside.
- Then, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the diced mango, bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice and salt. Stir to combine, and set aside.
- To assemble your bowls, start with a big scoop of cooked rice. Top with a handful (½ cup) shredded cabbage, then a big scoop of mango salsa, a handful of baked tofu, a hefty drizzle of peanut sauce, and a little sprinkle of chopped peanuts. Leftover bowls will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days.
Notes
*Make it gluten free: This dish is gluten free as long as you use gluten-free tamari, which is a variety of soy sauce that is usually (but not always, check the label) gluten free. I always use tamari instead of soy sauce because I prefer the flavor of it! Look for tamari next to the soy sauce in the Asian aisle of the grocery store.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
Change it up: If you can’t find good mangos, diced fresh pineapple would be delicious. You’ll need about 2 cups.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This was SO delicious. Fantastic flavor combo! I did a poor job reading the recipe and mixed the cabbage in with the mango salsa, but am taking the extra “mango slaw” for lunch tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing, Jeanne!
We LOVED it! The colors are beautiful, and my husband was happy that we have another vegan dish that is delicious and healthy!
I made this for lunch this week and I’m so in love!!! Like another reviewer, my peanut sauce was super thick by the time I came back to it, but I just added enough water to thin it out to my desired consistency and it was fine. The mango salsa is the BEST part! I do have a question though. The recipe states that it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. But am I supposed to heat it before eating? That seems like a silly question, and it’s actually fine eating it cold, despite the rice and tofu, but it seems like something I should store separately and build the bowls each day so I can heat up the rice and tofu. I didn’t think the cabbage and salsa should be heated. Maybe next time, I will store separately and see how that works out. Can’t wait to make this again!!
So I saw your mango lettuce wraps and decided to make that into a dinner…by adding rice and shredded cabbage. It was DELICIOUS (and a big winner with my whole family – none of whom actually like tofu!) so I came back to write a review. And found this recipe. Where you turned your mango lettuce wraps into dinner. By adding rice. And shredded cabbage. ha ha ha ha ha! Great minds, Kate!
Anyway, as usual, this is a major winner. I’m trying to cut back on how much meat we eat, but also appease the carnivores in my family. This did it. We all loved it! Thank you, again, for a delicious, healthy dinner!
Thanks for your review, Jennifer!
I have been a vegetarian for years but have never attempted to cook tofu on my own, this was my first go at it and it was a resounding success. This recipe will be a repeat one at my house for sure. I managed to find two perfect mangos at the store and that just made the whole thing even better. Can’t wait for the leftovers tonight!
Thank you for sharing, Rachel!
These are fantastic. My entire family loved them. I served them with purple rice.
These look amazing, can’t wait to give them a try! Did you use traditional or natural peanut butter?
Natural peanut butter :)
Hi Kate – I’m allergic to peanuts. Do you think I could sub in almond butter? I’ve tried with other recipes and it’s delicious! Thoughts?
That should work, Anna. Let me know what you think with almond butter!
These are to die for! Don’t think twice, and put these on your weeknight menu ASAP. These make the rotation in our house frequently.
I’m not a big fan of peppers in my bowls, so I leave them out – but I’m sure they add a nice crunch!
I’m so glad you loved it, Sarah! I appreciate your review.
Absolutely outstanding! I made as written except used a tofu press and mixed the tofu with the soy sauce and cornstarch in a bowl. Will make more peanut sauce for the leftovers!
Thanks for sharing, Jean!
This is by far my favorite recipe! I was nervous about making tofu but you made it so easy. My partner who is a huge meat person even said how good this was! Will definitely make again.
Hooray!! Thanks for your comment, Rachel.
Delicious….. I am new to vegan based meals and tofu this recipe is an absolute winner. My husband gave it the thumbs up. We couldn’t get manso did fresh pineapple salsa, it was excellent
I’ve made the Mango Burrito bowl numerous times and absolutely love it. It stores pretty well so I’m able to eat left overs for a few days.
I’m happy you loved it, Nancy!
I was so excited and followed the recipe to a T… but the flavours didn’t seem to go together and the tofu wasn’t great. On its own, the sauce and the salsa were great but when it alll mixed together. I was super disappointed. Not making it again too much work for a blah meal.
Oh no! I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. Thank you for your feedback, Lisa!
This was great. I made it for my family – one son hates fruit, the other hates red peppers and rice. Can you see my eyes rolling? Anyway, they both ate it after I just looked them in the eyes and said, “You might think this is going to be a difficult meal for you, but mix it up and you will love it”. And they did! I made a non-hot peanut sauce (daughter doesn’t like spice) but the peanut & lime combination was fantastic. Thank you!
We made this for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I could also just eat bowls of the cabbage and veggie mix, it was so delicious. This will be a regular on our menu moving forward. Thanks for the great recipe!
This was my first adventure with cooking and trying tofu! I am blown away. It’s amazing. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
I’m happy to hear you loved it and that it worked so well for you, McKenzie!
Another fantastic recipe to go with the others I’ve followed
As others have stated my sauce was also thick after following the recipe prob due to my used brand of organic peanut butter so added a dollop of vegan coconut dairy free yogurt equivalent which worked well with the other flavours
I also added some wild black rice and farro grains to the basmati for additional texture
Mango used was frozen and defrosted producing perfect cubes
Defo do again keep up providing fab recipes
Thank you, John!
Oops further to my previous review defo a 5*+ recipe highly recommended
I also added some quick blanched curly kale to my shredded red cabbage to my dish then served with some tender stem broccoli
Amazingly filling !!
This was delicious! Peanut sauce better than any other, my husband couldn’t stop putting more on his portion! I don’t like spicy hot flavors or fresh onions so I only used half the chili, 2 scallions, omitted red pepper flakes. That gave it a tiny kick that was balanced out by rice and peanut flavor. My husband put rest of chili directly on his. Used pre-sliced mango that was a bit sour but worked well in recipe. I used salad-sized chunks of mango and bell pepper, wasn’t sure if that was intended in salsa but it was great! Omitted salt and extra peanuts, did not miss them. Peanut sauce took a while to whisk – blobs of peanut butter that finally turned into satin smooth sauce, I’m glad I didn’t give up on it too early. Looking forward to making and eating this again! Might switch out cilantro for Thai basil next time for a change.
Thank you for sharing, Kim! I’m happy to hear that.
The flavors of this recipe were awesome! Will definitely make this again!
I’m happy you loved it, Rachel!
Melding of dif flavors and textures makes this an all star dish!
Thank you, Lauren!
This was so good I made everything the day before except the rice and Then put it all together for dinner tonight and it was delicious! the flavors were so bright and refreshing. my three-year-old liked it all together in a bowl with me and my five-year-old ate everything separate on a plate. highly recommend I’ll be making this one again!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! The flavors of sweet and spicy were tantalizing! It was the first time I had tofu and it was wonderful. What a creative, beautiful dish. I’ve pinned this recipe. It’ll be one I enjoy many more times.
This has become our go-to recipe to wow any guests from vegans to old school types. It is gorgeous, the flavors pop from the first bite to the last, it is really satisfying and delicious. We’ve been using your baked tofu technique every time we do tofu now, we experiment with the size of the tofu cubes but the crispy pillowy texture is such a hit. We mess with the peanut sauce too: more or less thick and peanut-y. We haven’t really made a variation that isn’t delicious. thanks!
THIS WAS SO GOOD. And I am not one to review recipes, but it was so amazing (raves from meat-eating husband) that I need to just share my appreciation here.
I’m so glad you did! Thank you for your review.
Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! One change I used sunflower seed butter instead of peanut (allergy in the house). Worked perfectly and by far the best “peanut” sauce ever.
Wonderful to hear, Joanne!
This was such a light, fresh and zesty meal! I think hubby and I needed a little extra tofu though
Thank you for sharing, Stacey!
Delicious as usual thank you Kate! I have three very young children so used premaid mango salsa (peapod) and precut cabbage, which made it into a very fast dinner to throw together
Kate, I LOVE this recipe. I have made it many times now and look forward to it as one of my most consistently delicious and filling lunch meal prep recipes. It is a bit of a project to prepare all the different components, but worth it for four servings of this outstanding “burrito bowl.” I can’t shut up about the tofu method – it gets so crispy and you don’t even need a bunch of oil to make it happen! And the peanut sauce – YUM! I make the recipe easier on myself by using a bag of pre-shredded cabbage from Trader Joe’s (or, most recently, their broccoli slaw when they were out of cabbage and I actually liked this even more). I also cut the jalapeno into massive chunks, toss them with the mango, and pull them out again so I can have the spicy flavor without any actual jalapeno pieces in my food. :) Thank you for this wonderful bowl recipe, I know I will keep making it for years and years.
Loved the flavour profiles in this recipe – but was short on time and made a lot of alterations with what I had on hand:
– used a pre-made stir-fry veg mix in place of the veg
– no tofu, so just pan-fried some vegan mushroom-based “mince” that I had in the fridge with garlic and soy sauce
– no fresh mango, so I defrosted some frozen mango chunks and they worked just as well
Mixed all this together with white rice and the peanut sauce, and it was (as expected) delicious. Next time, would’ve loved to use tempeh as the protein and also brown rice!
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Bethan!
I would give this recipe a 6 star rating if possible! So. Good. It is easy to prepare but a bit time consuming prep wise- still 100% worth it. The flavors are so multi-faceted and delicious. The crispy tofu instructions alone make this recipe a winner. It’s a simple and fool proof way to prepare perfectly crispy, baked tofu.The peanut sauce and the tofu provide substantial protein and makes this recipe particularly hearty,
One of my favorite Cookie and Kate recipes to date. Thank you thank you!
My new favorite way to eat tofu – this is the best method I have found to cook it! These bowls are so good, especially with the peanut sauce.
We love this recipe! My 5 yr old daughter who is a little picky about her food loves this tofu!! If we have left over sauce does it need to be refrigerated? That is what I have been doing but then it gets so thick.
Hi Emily! I’m glad you loved it. Yes, I recommend refrigerating the sauce. You may need to gently warm the amount you want to use next time. Thanks so much for your review!
This was simply amazing! My “food” critical husband gave it a 9.4/10!!! I don’t think I’ve ever even made an 8/10 dinner before. And my picky 18 mos old gobbled it up! Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!!
Love love love! These are so great and easy to make. Thanks girl!
Yummy, delicious and very colorful!
A bit of time to prepare but you end up with 4 meals.Think it will take less time next time I make this.
My first recipe from this side. It was delicious!
I’m glad you loved it, Gerja! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Loved this dish. Used shredded chicken instead of tofu for my partner who doesn’t like tofu. I would suggest reducing the soy by a bit, I added a little more honey to balance out the sauce. Will be making this again, maybe with grilled fish!
My family loves this recipe! That includes my 4 and 7 year old children :) Thanks for all of the great reipes!
You’re welcome! I’m happy it was a hit with everyone.
My husband loves meat, but this may be one of his favorite meals. So refreshing and we love all the salty, savory, sweet, spicy going on! Thanks for hitting it out of the park again with this one!
OMGeeeee Delicious!!! Thank you and YUM.
I made some substitutions to use what I have. No cabbage so I shredded carrots, broccoli stems and threw in frozen peas. Also used frozen mango, cilantro and red onion. I also used 3 tablespoons of hot water to thin out the sauce and make it pourable
Omg omg omg these are the best. I’ve tried lots of your recipes and every one has been good. When we sat down to this last night my family insisted we add it to the regular dinner rotation! Thanks for another excellent recipe!
Love this recipe! I used 1/2 coconut milk and 1/2 water when I boiled the rice and it added a nice, sticky rice to go with the meal. It was a great hit and I’d definitely make it again!
My husband and I are huge fans of the Roasted Broccoli, Red Bell Pepper with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce from your cookbook but really wanted to try this after loving the mangos recently from the grocery store (I am coming around to mango very slowly!). This was delicious, light, summery, great for warm nights. We will gladly make this again. I love that the peanut sauce uses the lime juice instead of the rice vinegar like the one in your cookbook! Thanks for making such great and clear recipes for us to experiment with!
all the tofu stuck when i tried to flip it after 15 minutes, on a lined sheet pan, would recommend treating the foil with spray prior to lining with tofu
This was delicious! I made soba noodles instead of rice and added edamame as another topping, and it was amazing!!!
I made the peanut sauce according to recipe but it was so thick I couldn’t drizzle. Is it supposed to be that thick? Haven’t eaten it but will soon. Thanks for all your great recipes!
Hi Lin! Perhaps your peanut butter was thicker than mine. You can thin it with a tablespoon of water next time, if you’d like.
This was absolutely amazing!! We had been hiking all day and it was so refreshing. Will definitely make this again and have to show my friends who think they don’t like tofu!!! :)
I love it, Sydney! I’m glad this won them over too.