A veganized version of a Filipino dish that is packed with bold flavors and is spot on to the classic recipe. This vegan filipino chicken adobo is easy to make and will be ready in about 30 minutes. With a marinade of vinegar, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and tamari, it has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a kick!
Today’s recipe is a bit different than others we have shared on our blog. I don’t want to be corny, but this dish truly does have a special place in my heart. I am excited to share a piece of my family with you to enjoy and I hope you love it! 🙂
Adobo has many different connotations across various cultures, but in the Philippines, adobo refers to a whole dish and not a specific marinade or spice blend. Many people have even claimed it to be the “national dish of the Philippines”. There are many different ways to make adobo (according to the region of origin in the Phillippines), and proportion (and even presence) of ingredients like soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic, or black pepper can vary from recipe to recipe. The recipe we are sharing today is based on how my family used to make it in the Philippines (Palawan).
When my mom came up to visit us in Washington in September, I took her to one of my favorite a restaurants (ever) called Ichiza. Not only did I want her to try their delicious food, but I also wanted to introduce her to their veganized versions of classic Filipino dishes she (and I) grew up eating. She was BLOWN away. She actually called the waiter over and talked to him for a good 5 minutes trying to get him to spill the deets on the recipe. Of course, he didn’t share, but he did give us some motivation to make our own.
Adobo was THE dish of my childhood. We had it at every family gathering (and still do to this day), and it was even something I requested every year on my birthday along with some pancit (Filipino noodles). After going vegan, I was sure that I was never going to be able to have the same adobo I grew up eating veganized. And by that, I mean I thought I wouldn’t be able to enjoy an adobo that was as nostalgic as the recipe my mom and aunties made for me growing up. Ichiza gave us the hope to squash that belief and try harder, and well, here we are!
My mom has on and off experimented with adobo for the last 6 years or so, since I started my vegan journey. She has tried various different vegan meat substitutes (store0bought seitan, jackfruit, tempeh, mushrooms) as well as all vegetable adobo, but nothing quite hit the spot. It wasn’t until I started eating more soy curls that I got the idea to try them out in the recipe. Soy curls are widely available up here in the Pacific Northwest, so when she came up to visit, we grabbed a few bags and tested it out. We also did more research to perfect the recipe–and by that I mean my mom called my aunties and asked them what they do and why. We made the changes we needed, and four batches later, we got it!
If you’re looking for more vegan Filipino dishes, we’ve got you covered!
+ We have a ton in our ebook, Planting Our Roots (now offered at a discounted price!). In it, we have recipes for bibingka, pancit, beef stew and kare kare.
We originally used water instead of broth (in the video) but after testing it with broth, it is what we recommend for the best results. If you use broth, you do not need to drain it as mentioned in the instructions of the recipe. If you use water, drain it (like the video).
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! + If you post any photos on Instagram, make sure you tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so that we don’t miss it, we love seeing your photos!
A veganized version of a Filipino dish that is packed with bold flavors and is spot on to the classic recipe. This vegan Filipino chicken adobo is easy to make and will be ready in about 30 minutes. With a marinade of vinegar, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and tamari, it has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a kick!
Prepare the soy curls. Add the broth to a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from heat. Add the soy curls into the pot and use a spoon to mix and make sure that every piece is covered. Allow the soy curls to rehydrate for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, set a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add in the oil. Once heated, add in the bay leaves and black peppercorns, and cook for 1 minute.
Next add in the minced garlic and continue cooking until golden brown, being sure not to burn it. Add in the white onion and cook for 1 minute more, then add in the potatoes and carrots and mix until well combined. Adjust the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Allow the vegetables to cook through for about 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, mix the soy curls (with the broth) into the pan along with the soy sauce, vinegar and ginger. Push the mixture to the side with a cooking utensil and mix 4 tablespoons of brown sugar into the liquid portion until mostly dissolved, then mix through.
Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat, cover the pot again and allow it to simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Adjust seasoning to taste. We added in 1 more tablespoon of brown sugar.
Remove from heat and cool before serving. If you would like, you can remove the bay leaves and peppercorns as best you can, but my family leaves them in and we just eat around them.
Serve with brown or white rice and enjoy!
Notes
We tested this recipe with several different meat substitutes and we were the happiest with the soy curls. We have also made this recipe using our seitan chicken, but we did not list that in the recipe as it would require you to make that from scratch since it would taste different than store-bought seitan. If you would like to make the homemade chicken seitan, just follow all of the steps up until the boiling. After you boil the seitan, it will be ready for the adobo. We suggest also making the seitan pieces 1/2 of the size that you would have used in that recipe for the nuggets.
We originally used water instead of broth in the video, but after testing it with broth, it is what we recommend for the best results.
Check your local health food store or even Whole Foods for Soy Curls. If you are unable to find them local to you, they are available on Amazon.
We used refined coconut oil to ensure that there was no coconut flavor in the dish.
Apple cider vinegar is our preferred vinegar for this recipe. We tested it with white vinegar as well and it was too strong for our liking.
Adobo is traditionally made with pork or chicken, but since we are using soy curls here, we added ¼ cup of oil to try and mimic the fat content that the non vegan version has. It seems like a lot, but keep in mind that there are 6 servings.
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Category:Entree, Dinner
Method:One Pot
Cuisine:Vegan, Filipino
Keywords: Entree, Dinner, Vegan, Filipino, One Pot, Adobo, Soy Curls
Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
I just made this recipe with a seitan leftover and I have to say I am impressed by how good it is!
We are not huge fans of garlic so we put garlic powder instead of fresh one and we didn’t have apple cider vinegar so we used regular lemon. It was full of flavor and deliciousness, thank you!!
We are so glad that you liked it! Your substitutions sound great and we actually would like to try those the next time we make this so thanks for sharing!
Glad you found soy curls! I bought them in bulk in June and haven’t stopped using them since. Including using them for Adobo! I’m a Filipino Vegan too (transitioning) since the start of the year.
Omigosh, I just bought soy curls at Trader Joe’s a couple days again and was wondering what to do with them! Now I know — I’ll be making this 🙂 I love Filipino food so this brings back fond memories for me, too. Now I need to get your pancit recipe as well!
Soy curls are my FAVORITE! I haven’t used them in forever but I really do miss them. I made a vegan orange chicken stir-fry with them before, but I do want to explore my realm of possibilities, starting off with this chicken adobo! I have never actually tried the dish before, but this is a glorious recipe to start with!
This recipe was incredible!! So homey and delicious. I added peas since I had some I was trying to get rid of them. Can’t wait to make this for my vegan mom!
BOMB. I’m half Filipino and grew up on adobo (although I’ve never actually cooked it). It’s comfort food that I haven’t had since going vegan 5+ years ago. I couldn’t bring myself to use an entire cup of soy sauce, so I did a half cup combo of regular and low sodium, and a half cup of water. I regretted the decision last night as the curls didn’t seem flavorful enough. But today, after sitting in the juice all night it’s perfect and taste just like I remember! I love the potato addition, and threw in some mushrooms too. Great recipe, thanks!
I couldn’t love this recipe more!!!! So delicious and super easy and fast! My only complaint is I ate too much too fast!!!! Lol! This is going to become a regular dish in our house! Once again Sweet Simple Vegan delivers a hit!!!! Thanks so much!
Love, love, love it! Delicious, quick and easy and even non-vegan family members loved it. Thanks for this recipe, it will be one of my go-to favorites..
I LOVE your mother!! Great content, and I can’t wait to make a great Adobo for my non-vegan Filipino friends at work. I never really miss meat, but I’ve missed Adobe, which I haven’t had for at least 12-14 years! You both are a joy to watch, and know the recipes are going to taste awesome. So happy I stumbled upon your website.
Just made this tonight. I added about half 3/4 cup of coconut milk because I love anything creamy and it was delicious! Great recipe! Please make more Filipino vegan dishes <3 Kare Kare please!!
This was absolutely AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing <3 I only put 150ml soy sauce and used fake chicken instead of soy curls, but it turned out iiiiiiinnnncredible!!! WIll definitely be making again…and again…and again…and again!
Hella confusing recipe If you read the instructions it sounds like your supposed to add the ‘broth’ you soaked the soy curls in into the potato/carrot/soy curl mixture but if you watch the video then the ‘water/sauce’ is nowhere to be found
Will definitely have to remake this, as the instructions vs the video are soooo different. I followed the recipe and then watched the video. I should have watched the video first. I found that 4 cups of broth made it very soup like. Anywoo thanksssss.
Adobo is the dish I miss the most and never thought I’d be able to replicate it. Hoping the oil will make up for the fat (my family would always use thighs). Thanks for sharing.
Hello! I’m from the Philippines and I love your recipes. Unfortunately, where I live, there aren’t many vegan-friendly ingredients. The closest thing I can find for soy curls is tofu (and it’s also not available daily). Can I use tofu as a substitute? Amazing website guys! Kudos!
Hey sorry for the delay on this! Tofu should work to replace the soy curls, just make sure it’s fully pressed and then resoaked with the vegan chicken broth! You can also leave out both and just add a bunch of veggies instead 🙂
[…] Of course, no list of Filipino food would be complete without adobo. With this veganized version of the crowd favorite, you may want to try to bring this new dish to your next family potluck. The recipe can be found here. […]
My husband is Filipino and enjoyed this vegan adobo very much! I put the soy curls in the air fryer at the end to crisp it up and it turned out delicious! I highly recommend using the airfryer for the soy curls.
This is my go to when I have to cook! I was even able to make it while living in the dorms when I was in college. Great recipe and easy to follow instructions! I feel closer to my Filipino side when I make this.
I grew up with my mom making chicken adobo for me. I am half Filipino and I went vegan 2 years ago, and I have really missed being able to eat some of the Filipino food my mom used to make me. Well this recipe brought me back to my beloved childhood meal!!! It tasted so close to the one my mom used to make! I love how simple this recipe is. I can’t wait to try more of your Filipino recipes!
Just made this for my Filipino nephew who is not a vegan but loved this dish! He said that he only knew it was vegan because he knew I wouldn’t cook anything with animal products. This is a total success! Thank you for veganizing traditional dishes. Please continue to expand the Filipino/Asian offerings.
This is simmering on my stove now and I was reading the other reviews I now see mine will basically be soup because your instructions on step four clearly state “mix in the soy curls (with the broth)” Grrrr why didn’t you instead say drain the soy curls and add to the pan?!?!
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I just made this recipe with a seitan leftover and I have to say I am impressed by how good it is!
We are not huge fans of garlic so we put garlic powder instead of fresh one and we didn’t have apple cider vinegar so we used regular lemon. It was full of flavor and deliciousness, thank you!!
★★★★★
We are so glad that you liked it! Your substitutions sound great and we actually would like to try those the next time we make this so thanks for sharing!
Glad you found soy curls! I bought them in bulk in June and haven’t stopped using them since. Including using them for Adobo! I’m a Filipino Vegan too (transitioning) since the start of the year.
I am in love with them! Haha and yess they are perfect for adobo! 🙂
really interesting
★★★★★
Omigosh, I just bought soy curls at Trader Joe’s a couple days again and was wondering what to do with them! Now I know — I’ll be making this 🙂 I love Filipino food so this brings back fond memories for me, too. Now I need to get your pancit recipe as well!
Yay! Let us know how you like them 🙂 We thought they were the perfect consistency for this recipe!
Soy curls are my FAVORITE! I haven’t used them in forever but I really do miss them. I made a vegan orange chicken stir-fry with them before, but I do want to explore my realm of possibilities, starting off with this chicken adobo! I have never actually tried the dish before, but this is a glorious recipe to start with!
Yum an orange chicken with soy curls sounds excellent!
This recipe was incredible!! So homey and delicious. I added peas since I had some I was trying to get rid of them. Can’t wait to make this for my vegan mom!
★★★★★
Yum, peas sound great in this!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
BOMB. I’m half Filipino and grew up on adobo (although I’ve never actually cooked it). It’s comfort food that I haven’t had since going vegan 5+ years ago. I couldn’t bring myself to use an entire cup of soy sauce, so I did a half cup combo of regular and low sodium, and a half cup of water. I regretted the decision last night as the curls didn’t seem flavorful enough. But today, after sitting in the juice all night it’s perfect and taste just like I remember! I love the potato addition, and threw in some mushrooms too. Great recipe, thanks!
★★★★★
We are so excited to hear that you liked the recipe Diego! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I couldn’t love this recipe more!!!! So delicious and super easy and fast! My only complaint is I ate too much too fast!!!! Lol! This is going to become a regular dish in our house! Once again Sweet Simple Vegan delivers a hit!!!! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Yay!! This makes us so happy to hear, my mom included. Thanks for sharing and enjoy!
Very good!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it! 🙂
Love, love, love it! Delicious, quick and easy and even non-vegan family members loved it. Thanks for this recipe, it will be one of my go-to favorites..
I LOVE your mother!! Great content, and I can’t wait to make a great Adobo for my non-vegan Filipino friends at work. I never really miss meat, but I’ve missed Adobe, which I haven’t had for at least 12-14 years! You both are a joy to watch, and know the recipes are going to taste awesome. So happy I stumbled upon your website.
Aw yay I hope you can try it soon! 🙂
Just made this tonight. I added about half 3/4 cup of coconut milk because I love anything creamy and it was delicious! Great recipe! Please make more Filipino vegan dishes <3 Kare Kare please!!
This was absolutely AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing <3 I only put 150ml soy sauce and used fake chicken instead of soy curls, but it turned out iiiiiiinnnncredible!!! WIll definitely be making again…and again…and again…and again!
Hella confusing recipe If you read the instructions it sounds like your supposed to add the ‘broth’ you soaked the soy curls in into the potato/carrot/soy curl mixture but if you watch the video then the ‘water/sauce’ is nowhere to be found
The recipe was updated and that is why it is different. if you read the recipe notes you will see it there 🙂
Will definitely have to remake this, as the instructions vs the video are soooo different. I followed the recipe and then watched the video. I should have watched the video first. I found that 4 cups of broth made it very soup like. Anywoo thanksssss.
This recipe has become a staple in our home. Thank you!! Quick question, does this freeze well?
★★★★★
We’ve never tried freezing it, but it should hold up just fine 🙂 Glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Great recipe, thanks for sharing. However, please keep in mind that brown sugar is not vegan. I used raw sugar instead.
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Organic brown sugar is vegan 🙂
Adobo is the dish I miss the most and never thought I’d be able to replicate it. Hoping the oil will make up for the fat (my family would always use thighs). Thanks for sharing.
Hello! I’m from the Philippines and I love your recipes. Unfortunately, where I live, there aren’t many vegan-friendly ingredients. The closest thing I can find for soy curls is tofu (and it’s also not available daily). Can I use tofu as a substitute? Amazing website guys! Kudos!
Hey sorry for the delay on this! Tofu should work to replace the soy curls, just make sure it’s fully pressed and then resoaked with the vegan chicken broth! You can also leave out both and just add a bunch of veggies instead 🙂
Has anyone tried making this without oil? Do you think it would turn out okay? I miss adobo sooo much but try not to add oils to my food..
It will work without the oil but it may not brown as much 🙂
May i request to your good website to send me tokea recipes thanks
Hi! Can’t wait to try this recipe out! How long will this last in the fridge?
Hey Erica,
It will probably last in the fridge for between 5-7 days! Hope you love it 🙂
Nice twist! Never tried an adobo recipe with carrots. Looks so colorful and yummy!
★★★★★
[…] Of course, no list of Filipino food would be complete without adobo. With this veganized version of the crowd favorite, you may want to try to bring this new dish to your next family potluck. The recipe can be found here. […]
My husband is Filipino and enjoyed this vegan adobo very much! I put the soy curls in the air fryer at the end to crisp it up and it turned out delicious! I highly recommend using the airfryer for the soy curls.
★★★★★
This recipe made me do the happy dance. It is very good and simple to pull together. Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Words can’t explain just how good this dish was.
This dish was easy to make and the flavors were amazing.
You will not be disappointed in any way.
★★★★★
Delicious and my Filipino family was so impressed by how it turned out– they couldn’t believe it was vegan! Thank you so much for this recipe <3
★★★★★
This is my go to when I have to cook! I was even able to make it while living in the dorms when I was in college. Great recipe and easy to follow instructions! I feel closer to my Filipino side when I make this.
★★★★★
I grew up with my mom making chicken adobo for me. I am half Filipino and I went vegan 2 years ago, and I have really missed being able to eat some of the Filipino food my mom used to make me. Well this recipe brought me back to my beloved childhood meal!!! It tasted so close to the one my mom used to make! I love how simple this recipe is. I can’t wait to try more of your Filipino recipes!
★★★★★
Just made this for my Filipino nephew who is not a vegan but loved this dish! He said that he only knew it was vegan because he knew I wouldn’t cook anything with animal products. This is a total success! Thank you for veganizing traditional dishes. Please continue to expand the Filipino/Asian offerings.
★★★★★
This is simmering on my stove now and I was reading the other reviews I now see mine will basically be soup because your instructions on step four clearly state “mix in the soy curls (with the broth)” Grrrr why didn’t you instead say drain the soy curls and add to the pan?!?!
The broth will cook off! The idea is to infuse as much flavor into the soy curls as possible.
It was delicious and a hit for my church’s Filipino theme potluck! Reminded me of before I became a vegan and ate this all the time with my Nanay. ❤️
★★★★★
Hi, will it be okey to make this vegan adobo using the gardein chick n’ strips?
Thanks for your reply.
Hey! Yes, that should work fine 🙂 Hope you love it!