This Vegan Tofu Stir Fry is a perfect one-pot dinner! It is a quick and healthy vegetable stir fry that gets ready in less than 30 minutes. Be sure to watch the video!
What is stir-frying?
Stir-Frying is a Chinese technique of cooking food quickly in a wok with hot oil.
In China, it began appearing in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) but has only gained worldwide popularity in the last century, spreading west and well beyond Chinese communities.
Today we see stir-frying everywhere – at home, as kits in supermarkets, restaurants, and take-out.
Why is stir-frying so good?
Your vegetables retain their nutrients! We know that as you cook vegetables, their nutritional value decreases. In a stir fry, you don’t need to cook the veggies very long. Less cooking + optimal flavour = healthy win!
You can clean out your fridge! In this stir-fry recipe, I use green beans, broccoli, red and yellow bell peppers, and zucchini, but stir-fries are a great way to use leftover vegetables in the fridge.
It’s healthy, gluten-free, and vegan! Stir-fries are primarily vegetables with herbs, spices, and a little soy sauce. There isn’t much oil or flour used, keeping the calories low for a considerable volume of food.
It’s quick & easy! Prep = 15 minutes, cooking = 15 minutes. The trickiest part is draining the tofu (which isn’t hard at all!).
Ingredients Required
The main ingredients for making tofu stir fry are firm tofu, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, onion, and celery.
For the sauce, you will need garlic ginger paste, rice vinegar, light soy sauce, vegetable stock, brown sugar, chilli powder, Chinese Five Spice Mix, salt, and pepper.
Equipment: You will need a towel to squeeze out the extra moisture from the tofu, a mixing bowl to season the tofu, a Wok or non-stick pan to cook in, a heat-safe spatula to flip the tofu, and stir the ingredients, a chopping board & knife.
How to prepare the Tofu
(follow step-by-step instructions as shown in the image below)
First of all, press the tofu firmly with a towel. You can use a cloth or paper towel (image 1).
Then, cut the tofu into cubes.
In a bowl, season the tofu cubes with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Mix well, making sure the tofu is evenly coated.
Heat 2 of the 4 tablespoon of sesame oil in a non-stick pan, and cook the tofu until it’s crispy on all sides, using the heatproof spatula to flip (image 4).
Tofu Stir Fry Recipe Variations
Can I use other vegetables? Yes! Other vegetables that work well in tofu stir fry are:
- yellow summer squash
- carrots
- sugar snap peas
- bean sprouts
- water chestnuts
- bok choy
- baby corn
- Brussels sprouts.
Feel free to suggest more options in the comments below!
Meal Prep Tips
This Vegan Tofu Stir fry is great to make in bulk and store for lunch or dinner for the week!
Here are a few ideas for making this work for you:
Double the recipe! This recipe serves 4 people; doubling it would make 8 servings. I would freeze half and use it a few weeks later for an easy weeknight meal.
Take this dish to work for lunch! After you’ve finished cooking, separate the Vegan Tofu Stir Fry (plus a side of rice or noodles if desired) into 4 microwave-safe containers and, when cool, put their lids on and pop them in the fridge.
When you’re going to work, if the container is in a warm environment for more than 2 hours, pack an ice pack with the container to keep it fresh.
To reheat, simply warm tofu stir fry in a microwave until it’s piping hot.
How do I store this stir fry?
Fridge: After the tofu stir fry has completely cooled, store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing: After completely cooling the stir fry, store it in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. The veggies may become relatively soft after freezing, but the flavour will still be amazing!
Serving Suggestion
The best way to enjoy this tofu stir fry is with aromatic jasmine rice. You can serve it with any other variety of rice as well.
For a vegan dinner, I serve it with fried chili oil noodles, or pineapple fried rice.
Store the leftover stir fry in the refrigerator. It remains fresh and suitable for consumption for 2 – 3 days. Reheat in a stir-frying pan or microwave.
Watch Tofu Stir Fry Video
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Vegan Tofu Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 gram fresh tofu, cut into cubes
- ½ Cup roughly chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped celery stalk
- 5 – 6 green beans, cut into half lengthwise
- ½ Cup broccoli florets
- ½ Cup red bell pepper diced
- ½ Cup zucchini cut into cubes
- ½ Cup yellow bell pepper cut into cubes
- 4 tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Ingredients For Sauce
- ½ Cup vegetable stock or broth (get recipe)
- ⅛ Cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (get recipe)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Mix
Ingredients For Garnish:
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon spring onion greens
Instructions
Prepare Tofu:
- Firmly press the tofu with a paper towel to drain all the moisture/water. Make sure tofu is completely dry. Then cut into cubes.
- Combine salt, black pepper, half a tablespoon soy sauce, and tofu in a bowl. Mix nicely.
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the tofu cubes till crisp from both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with an oil absorbing paper. Set it aside.
- Combine vegetable stock, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger garlic paste, brown sugar, Chinese five spice mix, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Keep it aside.
- In a Chinese wok heat remaining oil and swirl to coat the wok with oil.
- Add ginger, garlic, red chili, celery stalk, and red onion. Stir fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release the aroma of herbs.
- Then add veggies one by one and stir-fry on high heat. Cook for 5 -7 minutes, stirring the skillet. When the vegetables have a shining layer and have softened a bit, add the sauce prepared earlier. Stir to combine.
- Add the crispy tofu cubes. Mix. Cook the stir-fry for 3 – 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Add spring onion greens and sesame seeds for garnishing.
- Tofu Veggie Stir Fry tastes best with steamed jasmine rice or chilli garlic noodles.
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure the tofu is completely dry before frying. Else, it might not turn crispy and stick to the pan.
- Do not cook the vegetables for too long. They will lose the colour and crunch.
- To thicken the sauce, you can use corn starch, potato starch, rice flour, or any other gluten-free thickening agent as well.
- Instead of tofu you can use paneer (cottage cheese), shrimp, boneless chicken, or fish.
Beulah Arun says
Lovely dish!
Pritish Soundararajan says
Lovely recipe. Since I’ve been eating healthy for over a month now, this recipe is apt. Thanks.
Hina Gujral says
I am so thrilled that you liked it. Stay tuned with us for more such recipes.
Tara Nair says
Lots of love to this healthy recipe. Thanks Hina 😀
Hina Gujral says
Happy me 🙂
Shruthi says
This looks so simple and delicious. Definitely trying it this weekend!
Hina Gujral says
Great! It’s healthy and wholesome too.
Shamla says
Hi Hina thank you for your super collection of vegan food they turn out delicious
Hina Gujral says
I am so thrilled to hear your sweet feedback. More vegan recipes coming your way!
Roberto says
Really a solid recipe, and a super alternative to mapo dofu without the pork. We’re not vegans, but this’ll be on our go-to menu list. Our only modification was increasing the veg broth and adding corn starch to thicken the sauce. Thanks!
Hina Gujral says
Thank you for your feedback. You can always customize the recipe as per personal preference.
Judy Hillhouse says
What’s the serving size how many cups or oz
Hina Gujral says
It will give you 4 Cups of 100 grams each.
Diana says
Would a regular pan work in the absence of a Chinese wok?
Hina Gujral says
Yes, it will work. Just make sure not to overcrowd the pan otherwise, the veggies won’t get properly stir-fried. Each ingredient should get evenly distributed high heat for stir-frying. Hence, pick your pan accordingly.