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This vegan chicken mole torta stuffs juicy golden soy curls into a toasted roll with homemade chocolate mole sauce that's rich and complex without being hella fussy. Pile on pickled jalapeños, a lime cabbage slaw you wish you were drowning in, and you've got a torta that'll make your otherwise sad desk lunches quiver with jealousy over your drop-dead gorgeous new sandwich girlfriend.
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A torta is a classic Mexican food sandwich built on cloud-like fluffy but still crusty rolls like bolillo or telera, usually stuffed with messy, ideally over-the-top fillings and unapologetically intense-tasting sauces. If it's neat, someone did it wrong and should be banished to the sandwich oubliette, or bog of eternal stench.
The mole up in this recipe is what takes this one straight into baddie territory. Mole poblano brings deep chile flavor, warm spices, and that famous touch of chocolate that brings a gaggle of complexity to this veganized Mexican cuisine sandwich.
Add corn tortilla chips with salsa verde, serve it next to obligatory vegan Mexican rice, and lime-kissed vegan refried beans. Now you're one step closer to fully embracing Mexican culture.
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🥰 Why you'll adore this vegan torta recipe
🙅♀️🌾 Easily Made GF: If you hate gluten with all of your heart and soul, you'll be psyched that the only thing you need to do to make this gluten-free is to put it on wheat-free bread or wrap!
✊ Vegan AF: No animal products in all my vegan Mexican recipes. It's proof you don't need chicken to make a chicken torta taste legit.
😅 Weeknight-Doable: This looks like something you'd order out and overpay for. Good news, it's not labor intensive and comes together fast. You're hydrating, sautéing, mixing, and stacking the main ingredients, not entering a cooking competition.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: My vegan recipes survive tests in over 1,000 real kitchens, before I publish them. I'm not even exaggerating.
💣 Learn the bomb vegan Mexican recipes
This guide to my most popular vegan Mexican recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🥪 Vegan Chicken Mole Torta Ingredients
Soy curls
Soy curls are the meat of this sando, and since you'll likely have some left over after making this, they also crush it in vegan mi quang, vegan pot pie, vegan pancit canton, and vegan tokwa't baboy. If you want to make this fully from scratch, my seitan recipe is a good swap and totes worth the effort.
Mole poblano
This sandwich lives and dies by the mole, which is why I use my own mole poblano recipe for it and not store-bought mole sauces from a local grocery store.
Vegan sour cream
I'm using my vegan sour cream recipe here because it hits the right balance of creamy and tangy and it's easy AF to make. If you're not making it from scratch, Kite Hill and Tofutti are my go-to store options. Unsweetened vegan yogurt is also the best way to replace the sour cream if you just can't get your hands on sour cream.
Bolillo or telera rolls
Bolillo or telera rolls are built for messy fillings and heavy vegan mole sauce, which is exactly what you want here. But quick reality check, some bolillos use lard, which is a rude surprise if you're not checking labels. If not, grab a hoagie roll or any crusty bun that looks trustworthy, honest, dependable, and handsome, with a high paying job with a 401k.
Vegan mayo
I'm using my vegan kewpie recipe here because it has more umami and flavor than your average mayo. Store-bought wise, Vegenaise by Follow Your Heart is the one I love most. You can also swap in mashed avocado if you want to keep it more simple.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Variations
Vegan torta de carnitas
My vegan torta de carnitas is dripping with lime cream and stacked to the gosh darned roof with vegan carne asada and all the fixings.
Vegan torta de milanesa
Think of this as a vegan Mexican fried chicken sandwich. This vegan torta de milanesa is dripping with chipotle crema and pickled jalapeños.
Vegan torta de chorizo
My vegan torta de chorizo is smeared with lime-kissed refried beans and has a healthy spoonful of tofu chorizo crumbles on it to boot.
Vegan torta adobada
Super-juicy pulled jackfruit, simmered in homemade adobo sauce. Think of this vegan torta adobada as a vegan Mexican pulled pork sammy.
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
📖 How to make vegan mole tortas
No shame in jumping straight to the recipe card if you're short on time. If you want the full rundown with reallyyy helpful notes, keep scrolling and I'll walk you through it m'love.
Step One
The Curl Next Door:
Add the soy curls to a heatproof bowl. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer over medium heat, pour it over the soy curls, press gently so they're submerged, cover, and let soak for 10 minutes until fully hydrated.
Step Two
Drainspotting:
The next step is to drain the soy curls thoroughly, pressing gently to squeeze out excess liquid.
Step Three
Sautéder Night Live:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. After 90 seconds, once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and drained soy curls and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are fragrant and the soy curls are lightly browned all over.
Step Four
Molebraham Lincoln:
Stir in the homemade mole poblano, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring regularly until the soy curls are evenly coated and heated through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Step Five
Slaw & Order:
In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, lime juice, lime zest, vegan sour cream, chopped cilantro, minced onion, and salt. Squeeze and massage the mixture until fully combined and the cabbage is tenderized.
Step Six
Toastbusters:
Slice the rolls lengthwise and toast cut-side down in a dry skillet over medium heat, or place on a baking sheet tray and warm in a 375°F (190°C) oven until lightly crisp inside and heated through.
Step Seven
Teenage Mutant Ninja Tortas:
Spread vegan mayo evenly on both cut sides of the rolls. Layer lettuce on the bottom halves, add the warm vegan chicken mole mixture, top with lime cabbage slaw and jalapeño slices, garnish with cilantro sprigs, close the sandwiches, and serve immediately.
💡Serving Suggestions
I love me a good soup to go with a torta. Sopa de lentejas, vegan pozole verde, or pozole rojo might be just the thingy you are dying to rock with this.
And if you need a good Mexican dessert to complete the meal, my personal fave are buñuelos.
👉 Top tips
- Press, Don't Pulverize Like a Freak: After draining, gently press out excess liquid instead of wringing them like a towel. Too much moisture dilutes the traditional mole, but going Hulk mode makes the soy curls break down, and it's the bigger pieces that make this meaty.
- Brown Before You Sauce: For the love of savory dishes, let the soy curls actually pick up some color in the pan before adding the traditional Mexican sauce a.k.a. your homemade mole sauce. That light browning adds texture and structure and keeps the filling from becoming the consistency of soggy cardboard from your uncle's damp basement.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Bolillo or telera rolls are traditional because they're sturdy with a soft interior, but any crusty sandwich roll with structure will work.
🧊 refrigerating
The quick way is to store the vegan chicken mole recipe filling and slaw in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep the rolls at room temperature in a sealed container or bag.
❄️ freezing
Freeze only the vegan chicken mole filling in a freezer-safe container for next time, up to two months. Do not freeze the slaw or assembled sandwiches as they will suck worse than hungry Dracula.
🌡️ thawing
Thaw the frozen filling overnight in the refrigerator or gently on the stovetop over low heat until fully loosened.
🔥 stovetop reheating
Reheat the filling over medium-low heat, stirring often until warmed through. Add a small splash of vegetable broth if it looks too thick.
✌️You'll also love these vegan torta recipes:
Master the art of vegan Mexican cooking in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Chicken Mole Torta Recipe
Ingredients
For the vegan chicken mole
- 1 ¼ cup soy curls
- 1 ½ cups unsalted vegetable stock
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 cup mole poblano
For the lime cabbage slaw
- 2 cups cabbage shredded
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ¼ cup vegan sour cream
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons onion minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Sandwiches:
- 4 bolillo or telera rolls 6-7 inches long
- ½ cup vegan mayo
- 8 leaves Romaine lettuce or iceberg
- 1 jalapeño thinly sliced
- Cilantro sprigs to garnish
Instructions
- Place the soy curls in a heatproof bowl. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer over medium heat, then pour it over the soy curls. Press gently to submerge, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes until fully hydrated.
- Drain the soy curls well, pressing gently to remove excess liquid.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the diced onion and drained soy curls and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are fragrant, and the soy curls are lightly browned all over.
- Add the mole poblano, reduce to medium-low heat, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the soy curls are evenly coated and heated through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- To make the optional cabbage slaw- in a mixing bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, lime juice, lime zest, vegan sour cream, chopped cilantro, minced onion, and salt. Squeeze and massage the contents of the bowl until thoroughly mixed and the cabbage feels tenderized.
- Split the rolls lengthwise. Toast cut-side down on a dry skillet set over medium heat, or place on a sheet tray and warm in a 375°F (190°C) oven until lightly crisp on the interior and warmed through.
- Spread the vegan mayo evenly on both cut sides. Layer lettuce leaves on the bottom halves, followed by the warm vegan chicken mole mixture. Top with lime cabbage slaw and a few jalapeño slices. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, then close the sandwiches and serve immediately.
Notes
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