Looking for an easy vegan dinner recipe idea? Try this tasty crispy tofu stir-fry bowl recipe tonight! All you need is tofu, veggies of your choice, and a flavorful stir-fry sauce to get started. Prep a little extra and you’ll have a filling plant-based lunch for work tomorrow!
This tasty meal is perfect for busy weeknights – it’s ready in under 30 minutes (minus the optional tofu marinading process) – with minimal effort.
Not only does it provide the nutrition of fresh vegetables, but the crunchy, savory flavor of the fried tofu makes it a huge hit with everyone!
So what are you waiting for?
Let’s get cooking!
Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry Bowl Ingredients
- 4 cups (400g) ramen noodles of choice (brown rice ramen noodles)
- 1 bell pepper (yellow, red or orange)
- 2 large carrots
- 2 large bok choy of choice, chopped
- 10 white mushrooms
- 2 cups (650g) cauliflower, chopped
- 1 small onion
- ½ tsp. sesame oil
- ½ tsp. avocado oil
- ½ tsp. chili flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp. coconut-based soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
Overnight Tofu Marinade
The marinading process will help bring out the flavors of the tofu.
- 12 oz. (350g) extra firm tofu
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. chili flakes
- ½ tsp. sesame oil
- 4 tbsp. coconut-based soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry Bowl Instructions
This is a recipe that works best if you prep for it a day in advance – though if you are short on time there’s a quick option.
You’ll need to press the tofu, cut it into 1-inch cubes, then mix the marinating ingredients together, put the tofu in an airtight container, and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
We don’t always have the time for that, so if you marinade it for at least 20 minutes you can still get a great result.
Whichever option you choose, once you have your tofu prepped here are the following instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place the cornstarch into the tofu mixture and stir well to combine.
- Place tofu onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, making sure the tofu is spaced well apart and not touching.
- Bake the tofu in the oven for 17 minutes or until the edges are crispy.
- Chop the red bell peppers, mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, and cauliflower. Mince the garlic and finely grate the ginger. Set aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, place noodles into the boiling water, and cook as per the manufacturer’s instructions, reducing cooking time by minute as the noodles will then be stir-fried later.
- Heat a wok or a large frying pan with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Add in ginger and garlic and stir for 20 seconds. Then add in all the vegetables, chili flakes and 4 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- Sauté the vegetables for 5-8 minutes, stirring often, the vegetables should retain a little crunch.
- Add the cooked noodles into the stir fry and sauté for a further minute.
- Can add more soy sauce to taste if needed.
- Serve hot.
RELATED: 7 Tasty Soy Curls Recipes That You Won’t Believe Are Vegan
Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry Bowl Nutrition Info
Here is the nutrition info breakdown of this tasty bowl!
- Serves: 4
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Marinate: 24 hrs
- 673 kcal
- 21g Fats
- 96g Carbs
- 33g Protein
RELATED: 17 Easy Ways to Eat More Veggies (Even If You Don’t Like Them)
Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry Bowl Tips
I wanted to give you a few tips for variations on this bowl (things don’t always have to be the exact same every time.)
1- Shirataki noodles
First and foremost, for weight loss you definitely want to reduce calories as much as possible. I LOVE shirataki noodles for this.
They are 20 calories per pack. So if you substitute regular noodles for shirataki, your dish instantly goes from 673 calories to less than 250!
And it’s literally just as filling. Shirataki noodles are one of my secrets to losing so much weight and staying full 🙂
2- Batch prep tofu in advance
Tofu is such a main staple in our diet that hubby and I press and either store or prepare lots of tofu on one day each week so that we just have it around.
It saves so much time and energy to do things this way!
3- Omit oil
Last but not least – you don’t need to use oil!
It does help bring out some of the flavor but if you have a non-stick pan (I love T-fal pans), you can literally use water or soy sauce and it works just the same.
(This also removes many calories, which is what we need if we want to lose weight!)
Final thoughts
I hope you enjoy this recipe! I eat something like this several times a week.
Once you get used to prepping your tofu in advance, having tons of chopped veggies on deck, and using shirataki noodles – you’ll see weight FLY off… and your life (and waistline) will never be the same.
Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry Bowl
Looking for an easy vegan dinner recipe idea? Try this tasty crispy tofu stir-fry bowl recipe tonight! All you need is tofu, veggies of your choice, and a flavorful stir-fry sauce to get started. Prep a little extra and you'll have a filling plant-based lunch for work tomorrow!
Ingredients
- 400g noodles of choice (brown rice ramen noodles)
- 1 bell pepper (yellow, red or orange)
- 2 large carrots
- 2 large bok choy of choice, chopped
- 10 white mushrooms
- 2 cups (650g) cauliflower, chopped
- 1 small onion
- ½ tsp. sesame oil
- ½ tsp. avocado oil
- ½ tsp. chili flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp. coconut-based soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
- 12 oz. (350g) extra firm tofu
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. chili flakes
- ½ tsp. sesame oil
- 4 tbsp. coconut-based soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
Instructions
Overnight Tofu Marinade:
- Press the tofu, removing as much water as possible
- Cut it into 1-inch cubes, then mix the marinating ingredients together
- Put the tofu in an airtight container, and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry Bowl:
- Press your tofu until most water is drained.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place the cornstarch into the tofu mixture and stir well to combine.
- Place tofu onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, making sure the tofu is spaced well apart and not touching.
- Bake the tofu in the oven for 17 minutes or until the edges are crispy.
- Chop the red bell peppers, mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, and cauliflower. Mince the garlic and finely grate the ginger. Set aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, place noodles into the boiling water, and cook as per the manufacturer’s instructions, reducing cooking time by a minute as the noodles will then be stir-fried later.
- Heat a wok or a large frying pan with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Add in ginger and garlic and stir for 20 seconds. Then add in all the vegetables, chili flakes, and 4 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- Sauté the vegetables for 5-8 minutes, stirring often, the vegetables should retain a little crunch.
- Add the cooked noodles to the stir fry and sauté for a further minute.
- Can add more soy sauce to taste if needed.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- For a nearly zero-calorie noodle, consider using shirataki noodles.
- Batch prep tofu in advance so you'll always have some ready.
- Omit oil to further reduce calories and fat - sautee with water!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 673Total Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 33g
