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.
A great dish! Will make it again. Had to wait for a mango to ripen over a few days. Question: “which peanut sauce”? That stuff would stick in a whisk, right? I just stirred it with a butter knife until it was mixed.
You can use a whisk, fork or whatever works best for you to stir. It shouldn’t be too thick to not be able to use a whisk.
I use frozen mango!
Absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it and my husband and son are normally meat eaters. This is going into the rotation as is the Crunchy Thai Peanut and Quinoa salad, which we tried last week.
Thanks so much Kate!
You’re welcome, Katja!
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! The fam asked me to make it again. Thank you! I omitted the garlic and used chunky peanut butter but otherwise followed the recipe. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Alison!
Wow! These bowls are absolutely BURSTING with flavor! My family (husband and two boys, 6 and 8) loved all the textures and flavors. The baked tofu recipe is the only way I make tofu and my 6 year old especially loves it. He sits there and pops tofu in his mouth (what kid does that?). Anyway, I love how healthy and filling this is. I make the recipe verbatim, except I like to double the peanut sauce. I also use frozen mangoes– always ripe, and already cubed up. Winner!
This was delicious! I loved the fresh flavors. It was much more filling than I expected.
I made this with spaghetti squash and HOLY YUM!!! definitely do this for a nice fall recipe
I also heated it all up on the stove before serving and it was perfect!!
That’s great to hear, Amberrr!
I love this recipe. It is sooo good. It’s a little fussy to make (for me) but it’s worth it. Definitely give it a try.
This is my favorite recipe of yours! I serve with different protein options for different preferences in my family, but it’s so yummy! Made recipe as written. Thanks! Laurel
Delicious! My husband is not a mango fan, so I tried the pineapple option. We had some amazing fresh pineapple in Oz and it worked a treat.
Going on the rotation – great week night summery bowl of goodness.
Thanks!
So yummy! I’ve made this many times. My mouth is watering as I think of the peanut dressing! It is amazing. I use your recipe for crispy tofu for all tofu dishes, same for the peanut dressing. Sometimes I throw a hot pepper in the dressing.
Love this recipe! I make it whenever mangoes go on sale. The family thinks it tastes great too!
Would nut butter work instead of peanut? We have peanut allergy at home so looking for something else to substitute for the sauce
Hello, you could try another type of nut butter, but the flavors would be different. Please do share if you try it!
Another delicious recipe from Cookie & Kate! The blends of flavor in this dish are amazing. My husband and I LOVED the peanut butter sauce, especially on the warm rice, with the crunchy salad on top. I’m usually not a huge fan of tofu, but I also loved how these were done. This has been one of our favorite Lenten/vegan meals so far.
Just made this two days ago and it was fabulous. I made it as a stirfry with noodles. I layered it the same way the tofu the mango the peanut sauce. It was all fabulous. The only thing I omitted was the lime in the vegetables and the peanuts on top. I kept everything the same just that I heated up and it was amazing thank you.
Hi Jean, I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Kate, this was absolutely delicious. The mango I bought yesterday was, unfortunately, all brown when I cut it open, so I searched the fridge and came up with the idea of using Carolina Reaper jam thinned with water and tamari for the sweet in the salsa. It was perfect for us, and added the heat. It is on my list for dinner when we have 4 friends over in a few weeks.
The Mango ‘Burrito’ Bowl with crispy tofu and peanut sauce was EXCELLENT!
Relatively easy to make, and the crispy tofu was delicious! Highly recommend this recipe!
Incredible recipe, deceptively simple. My partner doesn’t like mango or cilantro but he said it was so good he was mad when he finished it – says a lot!