Tofu stir fry, a quick and easy recipe, made in about 20 minutes. It’s so flavorful, high in protein, and much healthier than Chinese takeout.
Tofu stir fry, a super healthy and amazingly good Chinese recipe. It’s so good, tasty, and savory, as well as very nutritious and ready in 20 minutes.
This takeout recipe is healthier than the ones you can get at the restaurant because you know exactly what ingredients it’s made of. You can also add more or less oil, depending on how you like it, and use any spices you have on hand.
Tofu stir fry is one of the simplest recipes you can make and is incredibly delicious. Besides, you can customize it with your favorite veggies and add, change, or replace any ingredient you want to.
I like to serve it with some white or brown rice, but noodles are also a great option for this recipe. If you’re looking for a low-carb recipe, cauliflower rice is the way to go. Hope you enjoy it!
How to make tofu stir fry – Step by step
- Cook the tofu cubes in a skillet with a little bit of oil over medium-high heat until all the sides are golden brown (photo 1). Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the veggies and sautée them over high heat with a little bit of oil for 2-3 minutes (photo 2).
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl until well combined (photo 3), and set aside.
- Add the tofu and the sauce to the skillet, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes (photo 4).
Pro tips
- If you want to reduce the amount of sodium in the recipe, add less tamari or soy sauce and use water instead of vegetable stock. You could also make your own vegetable stock with no salt or buy a low-sodium one.
- Use a wok frying pan if you have one, it’s the best tool to make a stir fry. I don’t have one, so I use a cast-iron skillet instead (any type of skillet or frying pan will do though).
- I used extra virgin olive oil to make my tofu stir fry, but you don’t need to. Cook the tofu with no oil and add some vegetable stock or water to cook the veggies if needed.
- Feel free to use the veggies you have on hand.
- You can use any kind of sweetener or starch, as well as any type of oil.
- If you don’t like spicy food, omit the cayenne.
- Firm tofu works best for this recipe. If you don’t eat soy, you could replace the tofu with seitan or any other legume instead, and the tamari or soy sauce with coconut aminos.
How long will this tofu stir fry last?
It’s important to keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge and it will last for 5-7 days.
Can I freeze tofu stir fry?
Yes, you could freeze it, although the veggies might get a little soft when thaw.
However, if you want to freeze it, I’d recommend you wait until it’s cool and then freeze it in individual portions so it’s easier to thaw. To defrost, transfer it into the fridge overnight.
How to serve tofu stir fry
Tofu stir fry tastes amazing served over some white or brown rice or even some noodles. It would also be wonderful with some cauliflower rice.
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Did you make this tofu stir fry recipe?
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Tofu Stir Fry
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Total: 20 mins
- 2–4 1x
- Main dish
- Asian
- Vegan
Servings 2–4 1x
Tofu stir fry, a quick and easy recipe, made in about 20 minutes. It’s so flavorful, high in protein, and much healthier than Chinese takeout.
Ingredients
For the tofu stir fry:
- 14 oz firm tofu (400 g), drained and cubed
- 1 cup of broccoli (100 g), chopped
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1/2 red onion, julienned
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger root (about 2.5 cm)
For the sauce:
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock or water (190 ml)
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce (4 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp cane, brown or coconut sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp cayenne flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the tofu cubes in a skillet with a little bit of oil (optional), over medium-high heat until all the sides are golden brown. Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the veggies and sautée them over high heat with a little bit of oil (optional) for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. If you don’t eat oil, just use a little bit of vegetable stock or water.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl until well combined, and set aside.
- Add the tofu and the sauce to the skillet, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Try the stir fry and add some salt if needed.
- Serve immediately (I added some sesame seeds on top) over noodles, white or brown rice, or even cauliflower rice for a low-carb recipe.
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Notes
- If you want to reduce the amount of sodium in the recipe, add less tamari or soy sauce and use water instead of vegetable stock. You could also make your own vegetable stock with no salt or buy a low-sodium one.
- Use a wok frying pan if you have one, it’s the best tool to make a stir fry. I don’t have one, so I use a cast-iron skillet instead (any type of skillet or frying pan will do though).
- I used extra virgin olive oil to make my tofu stir fry, but you don’t need to. Cook the tofu with no oil and add some vegetable stock or water to cook the veggies if needed.
- Feel free to use the veggies you have on hand.
- You can use any kind of sweetener or starch, as well as any type of oil.
- If you don’t like spicy food, omit the cayenne.
- Firm tofu works best for this recipe. If you don’t eat soy, you could replace the tempeh with seitan or any other legume instead, and the tamari or soy sauce with coconut aminos.
- Nutritional info has been calculated by using 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 133
- Sugar: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 1144 mg
- Fat: 4.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 11.3 g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in January of 2019, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in May of 2020.
Very good easy and fast to make
★★★★★
Hi Trish! That’s amazing 🙂
First time playing with tofu. Couldn’t find firm, so I got medium firm…did the oil thing and the only thing it browned was the bottoms of my pan. I did everything else according to the directions, but I would like to think that the consistency of the tofu made the tofu part of the dish a flop.
★★★★
Hi Jenifer! You’re right, firm tofu works best for this recipe 🙂
any substitutes for cornstarch??
My thickener of choice is arrowroot. You can buy it in a jar in a regular grocery store or in bulk in a health food store. The amounts would be the same.
Thank you for the tip!!
Hi! Feel free to use any kind of starch 🙂
This was great! I made it for my mom and I tonight and it was really delicious. I’m Chinese and as I’m living overseas it definitely scratched the itch of grandma’s ‘Anything goes’ stir fry 😂. Only thing is that it was a little too salty for me, so I’ll probably use half the soy sauce next time, but eating this with a portion of plain rice definitely helps a lot too. I used zucchini instead of red onions because we didn’t have them, but it didn’t really affect anything and was still delicious. Would make this again! 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Meg! I’m so glad you both liked it 🙂
Made this tonight and while I liked it ok, my husband thought it very good. Therefore less than 5 star. My problem was a kind of blah sauce. But that is easily fixed. Next time I will add more chili pepper flakes, some sesame oil and maybe a dash of hoisin sauce. And maybe another garlic clove and more ginger. By the way, I assumed the ginger was julienned, right? Thank you for a nice base recipe to play with.
★★★★
Hi Jeanne! Thanks for your comment 🙂 You’re right, the ginger is julienned!
I made this last night and it was quick, easy, and delicious! Thank you!
Hi Carolien! So glad you liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Just made this, oh my it is lush!!! So rich and tasty. Will definitely be saving this recipe and making it again.
★★★★★
Hi Caroline! So glad you liked this recipe 🙂 Have a nice day!
I am picky about my stir fry recipes and this one is my new fave! Easy, scores high in nutrition and it is so delicious! Thank you so much!! It you’re the best!
Hi Mary!!! Thank you so much!!! we are glad you like it!!!:)
I forgot to mention that soy sauce, tamari or other any commercial sauces, Asian or
otherwise, are too loaded with salt for me to use.
Hi Heidi! I guess coconut aminos is the same… You could also make your own vegetable stock with no sodium… Hope it helps!
I am on a strict no salt diet for health reasons. I love stir fry but I need some suggestions to give it a flavor punch that salt usually provides. Do you have
any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Heidi! Use dried veggies like celery, onion or garlic powder or spices 🙂 You’re so welcome!
So simple and incredibly delicious.
★★★★★
Hi Renee! Thanks a lot 🙂
i am so glad i found this recipe! My wife decided she wanted tofu tonight, and i had no clue how to do it right but I’m always willing to try something new. We want to try the General Tso tofu next.
Hi Norris! I’m so happy you found us as well 🙂 Hope you enjoy the General Tso’s tofu!
I love stir fry. This looks delicious. Should you press the tofu first?
Hi Gail! Yes, I usually press the tofu first 🙂 Hope you like it!
That tofu looks yummy! I should give it a try !
Happy New Year!
★★★★★
Hi Felicia! Hope you enjoy it 🙂 Happy 2019!!!
If using ginger powder, instead of root how much would you use?
Thank you once again for all your fantastic recipes.
Hi Cazzie! I’ve never tried it myself, so I’m not sure, but I would add about 1/8-1/4 tsp 🙂