Enjoy a crunchy and flavorful bowl of tofu veggie stir fry as an easy midweek meal! The pungent Thai flavors in this dish, together with the assortment of veggies and crispy tofu fried in a thick sauce, is mouth-watering!
This easy recipe is vegetarian, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free! Serve it over freshly steamed white rice or cauliflower rice for the whole family to enjoy.
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One of the most favorite ways (and fastest!) to make dinner in our house would definitely be stir fry's and all sorts of rice dishes. You can't miss these and try them out next: Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry, Soba Noodles Stir Fry, Low Carn Inside Out Egg Roll.
Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Tofu - Use Extra-Firm tofu to achieve a firm and crispy exterior with a ‘meaty’ inside. Silken or firm tofu holds too much moisture for the crispy exterior desired for this recipe.
- Stir fry vegetables- This vegetarian stir fry is made with a mixture of snow peas, shimeji mushrooms, broccoli, onion, bell peppers, garlic, and spices. It can be served with scallions, sesame seeds, and lime wedges.
- Sauce - This is a gluten-free sweet and salty stir fry sauce consisting of gluten-free soy sauce, maple syrup, white rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch. I love making the sauce from scratch, but you could use a store-bought stir fry sauce for convenience instead! Leave some extra sesame oil aside for drizzling over each serving for added flavor!
Instructions
Make my Tofu recipe with or without sauce or use pan fry fresh tofu.
Combine all the stir fry sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.
In a medium cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat add olive oil.
Once the oil is hot saute onion for 1-2 minutes and add garlic and shimeji mushrooms. Saute 3 minutes.
Add the rest of the veggies, with a pinch of salt and black pepper for 3-4 minutes until just slightly softened but still crisp.
Mix in cooked tofu along with the stir fry sauce. Saute until sauce has thickened.
Drizzle freshly squeezed lime juice for serving.
Top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve with rice (white or brown rice) or noodles right away.
Tips
- The vegetables in this recipe need to be cooked wok style. In other words, they should still be crispy and fresh by the time the entire stir fry is ready to be served. Feel free to add your favorite veggies and/or use other mushrooms instead of shimeji.
- Enjoy this vegetarian tofu stir fry over freshly steamed white rice or gluten-free noodles.
- It’s important to press out as much liquid in the tofu as possible since less liquid means a crispier piece of tofu. Stack paper towels or a clean kitchen towel on a plate with a block of tofu on top and wrap the tofu in the paper towels. Next, add a second plate on top of the tofu block and add some weight (canned food helps). Let the pressed tofu sit for about 5-10 minutes while you continue recipe prep.
- Adding small amounts of the sauce into the pan while the ingredients cook is a great way to build flavor.
- Save a little sesame oil for drizzling over each serving of stir fry at the end. This helps to preserve its flavor.
- You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil when making stir fries in a hot pan.
- Leftover stir fry can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a frying pan with a little soy sauce or hoisin sauce if needed.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
Once the tofu is mixed with the sauce it will not remain crisp after reheating, but still tastes good, to be honest!
FAQ
Extra-Firm tofu is the best type of tofu to use in stir fry since it contains the least moisture. Extra firm tofu will crisp beautifully on the outside of each piece while retaining that soft interior.
Don’t make the mistake of using silken or firm tofu - they don’t compare!
This depends on the type of tofu you choose for this stir fry recipe. I highly recommend using Extra-firm tofu as it contains the least moisture, but if you use silken tofu or firm tofu, then it’s absolutely necessary to press the tofu first before cooking so that the pieces of tofu can crisp.
Apart from crisping, if you don’t press the tofu in this stir fry, it will release moisture while it cooks, diluting the flavors of the other stir fry ingredients and seasonings.
Tofu typically takes 2-4 minutes to fry in an oiled pan over medium-high heat. If in doubt, fry the tofu until it turns a crunchy golden brown on the edges.
The size of your tofu cubes will also determine the frying time. Small cubes will take about 2 minutes to fry, while larger cubes will take about 4 minutes.
It’s good to rinse tofu after removing it from its packaging. Place it under running water before blotting it dry and pressing.
It is possible to overcook tofu in the sense that you won’t get the desired texture if you cook it for too long.
In this stir fry recipe, it’s best to add the tofu in the last few minutes to maintain its shape while getting crispy and golden brown. Overcooking the tofu can soften it, which isn’t ideal for this tofu veggie stir fry.
Gluten Free Asian Recipes
ALL Dinner recipes.
I hope you'll enjoy this tofu veggie stir fry recipe, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations!
Thank you for reading,
Love,
Julia
Tofu Veggie Stir Fry
INGREDIENTS
Tofu Veggie Stir Fry
- 1 recipe crispy pan fried tofu
- ½ cup snow peas (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup broccoli florets
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ of a medium brown onion (cubed)
- 2 medium to large garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ of a bell pepper (tricolor or red and yellow mix)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 8 oz Shimeji mushrooms
- Black pepper to taste
- Scallions for serving
- Sesame seeds for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 tablespoon room temp water
- 3 tablespoon low sodium gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon white rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil (toasted)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make my Tofu recipe with or without sauce.
- Combine all the stir fry sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.
- In a medium cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat add olive oil. Once the oil is hot saute the veggies with a pinch of salt and black pepper for 3-4 minutes until just lightly softened.
- Mix in cooked tofu along with the stir fry sauce. Saute until sauce has thickened.
- Drizzle freshly squeezed lime juice for serving.
- Top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve with rice (white or brown rice) or noodles right away.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
The most delicious way to enjoy tofu in a meal!