Home » By Diet » Vegan » Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
Crispy pan-fried Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry! This easy recipe starts with a homemade sesame ginger sauce that coats the crispy tofu and perfectly al-dente carrots and green beans. This easy stir fry recipe can be served with rice, quinoa, noodles, cauliflower rice, or on it’s own!
This has been my favorite tofu stir fry recipe for the better part of the last decade!
It’s truly remarkable with that crispy texture on that pan-fried tofu and those tender vegetables coated in a sesame ginger sauce that’s so good you’ll want to toss it with all the things. Friends who eat chicken – this recipe would be delicious with chicken too!
I don’t know what I love more about this tofu recipe.
Is it the little crispy bites of firm tofu that‘s coated in cornstarch and then pan-fried until it’s all crunchy and crispy around the edges? Yes. Is it the soy sesame ginger glaze that clings to the veggies and caramelizes when it hits the hot pan and sizzles? Yes. Could it be that it’s wildly adaptable to the produce you‘ve got stashed in your refrigerator? Have broccoli, red bell pepper, snow peas, and onions? Can you use those? Absolutely.
You don’t have to take my word for it! Just look at all the reviews from people that have made and loved this one! ❤️
Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry Video:
Ingredients for Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry:
- Tofu:I like to use extra firm tofu for this recipe as it contains a lower water content and allows the tofu pieces to crisp up better in the pan. You can also use firm tofu if you prefer. Silken or soft tofu wouldn’t be a good choice here. First, press the tofu to remove as much moisture as you can. Thisdeviceis my favorite and definitely worth investing in if you make tofu stir fry’s often. Once pressed, cut the tofu into small cubes. The more pieces you make, the quicker the tofu will cook and the more surface area it will have. More surface area means more crispy edges and less of the center softness!
- Seasonings:You’ll need kosher salt, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes for this recipe. The tofu pieces are tossed in a combination of kosher sal and cornstarch to help crisp them up in the wok or frying pan later.
- Veggies:I use green beans and baby carrots that I cut in half lengthwise for this recipe. You could usewhatever veggies you like. Feel free to swap for green beans for broccoli, or add in some thinly sliced onions.
- Sauces:You’ll need a variety of sauces for this recipe, such as rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I prefer and suggest using toasted sesame oil for this recipe so that it gives the stir fry sauce a deep toasted flavor.
- Brown sugar:The few tablespoons of sugar that we add to the recipe helps balances the acidic and salty ingredients in the recipe. Brown sugar works best for this recipe as it enhances the deep toasted sesame flavor, however, you can also use honey or maple syrup if you prefer. Keep in mind that if you want to keep this recipe vegan friendly, You’ll want to use something other than honey.
- Aromatics:Freshly grated ginger and minced garlic are the heart and soul of any good stir fry recipe! You can use minced ginger from a jar or a tube if you’d like. Over the years, I have tested this recipe in every which way and it works just fine! It also eliminates the whole blending the sauce in the blender step, making for easier clean up!
- For serving:I like to serve this stir fry recipe with brown rice. I love the way that nutty brown rice tastes with the soy ginger sesame glaze. Feel free to serve this with noodles, cauliflower rice, or any other grain that you like!
How to make Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry:
- Treat that tofu right.Start by folding a few tea towels or paper towels in the shape of your tofu. Remove the tofu from the packaging and place it on a plate with the paper towel. Plate another folded sheet on top and press down with a heavy cast iron skillet or simply remove the tofu from packaging and place it in thetofu press.Allow the tofu to rest for 15-20 minutes letting most of the moisture drip out of the protein. You’ll want to use this time to slice the vegetables and keep them ready in a bowl and to prepare the stir fry sauce. Once it’s dry, cut the tofu into ¾-1 inch pieces. You can also cut them smaller if you want! The tofu will cook faster and crisp up more that way. Add a tablespoon of cornstarch and some salt to a ziptop bag. Toss the tofu pieces in the bag. Zip and toss to combine.
- Make the sauce.While the tofu is pressing, combine the sesame oil, grated ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, cornstarch and a couple tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth and set aside for later.
- Stir fry it up.Add a drizzle of any high heat oil to a large skillet, wok, or pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the tofu pieces and cook them for 3-7 minutes flipping them frequently until crispy and golden on all sides. Add 2 tablespoons of sauce during the last little bit and toss and cook until the sauce clings to the tofu. Remove the tofu to a plate and keep warm. Add another drizzle or oil to the same pan and toss and cook the carrots and green beans until they’re cooked to your liking. Add the tofu back to the pan. Stir the sauce if the cornstarch has settled to the bottom and pour it in over all the other ingredients. Toss and stir to coat until the sauce thickens. Top with sesame seeds if desired or you could also top with thinly sliced green onion (I don’t) and serve warm over fluffy rice.
FAQs about this recipe?
Is this recipe gluten-free?
As written, this recipe is not gluten-free, however it can be made GF friendly with one swap. You’ll need to swap the soy sauce for gluten-free tamari.
Is this recipe vegan-friendly?
As written, this recipe is vegan/ vegetarian-friendly, so you don’t have to sub anything at all!
How do you suggest storing leftovers?
Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This recipe does taste best when consumed in one sitting as the tofu does lose that crispness, however, it’s still delicious. Leftovers keep for 4 days, just reheat in a microwave when you’re ready to eat.
How do you get in more veggies with this?
I love serving this stir fry with a side of sauteed baby bok choy. I usually just add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil to a pan and panfrybok choy halves it it for 2 minutes or so on high heat until crispy around the edges. A pinch of salt and red pepper flakes really makes this a delicious side dish.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Crispy Black Pepper Tofu Stir Fry
- Crispy Honey Garlic Tofu
- Spicy Curry Ramen with Tofu and Veggies
- Peanut Tofu Stir Fry
- Thai Basil Fried Rice
Original recipe shared Aug 2015, updated with new images, post, and minor recipe edits July 2022.
Yield: serves 3-4
Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Crispy pan-fried sesame ginger tofu and veggie stir fry! This easy recipe starts with a homemade sesame ginger sauce that coats the crispy tofu and perfectly al-dente carrots and green beans. This easy stir fryrecipe can be served with rice, quinoa, noodles, cauliflower rice, or on it’s own!
Ingredients
stir fry:
- 1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons high heat oil (such as avocado)
- 2 ½ cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup baby carrots, cut lengthwise
sauce:
- 1 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or GF tamari)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- TOFU: Drain tofu from packaging. Place tofu on a plate with a folded tea towel. Place another tea towel on top (in the shape of the tofu) followed by another plate and a heavy cast iron skillet or metal cans. Or simply use a tofu press. Let tofu dry for 15-20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Then, cut into ¾-1 inch cubes and toss in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and the ½ teaspoon of salt in a zip-top bag until coated.
- BLEND:While the tofu is drying, prepare the sauce. Combine sauce ingredients in a blender until completely smooth (see notes) Set aside.
- CRISPY TOFU:In a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add tofu and let fry for 3-7 minutes. Flip tofu as needed to brown on all sides. Add 2 tablespoons of prepared sauce and allow to cook until the sauce coats the tofu; about 2-3 minutes. When the tofu is caramelized, remove to a plate.
- STIR FRY:Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan, if needed. Toss in veggies and cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing as needed to desired doneness. Add tofu back to the skillet. Stir the sauce to combine and pour it in. Stir to coat. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the tofu soaks up the sauce.
- SERVE:Serve warm with rice, quinoa, noodles, cauliflower rice, or on its own. The tofu will lose it's crispness as it sits. Best when eaten fresh.
Notes
- Update 4/22: after making this recipe countless times since publishing, I’ve found if you use garlic paste and ginger paste, you can skip the step of blending the sauce. Simply combine in a bowl with a whisk or a mason jar with a lid.
Recommended Products
This site contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase through them, we receive a small commission.
30 Minute Meals Dinner Gluten-Free Under 500 calories Vegan Vegetarianasian brown rice crispy tofu quinoa rice sesame ginger spicy stir fry takeout tofu vegan vegetarian veggie
published on Jul 11, 2022
130 comments Leave a comment »
« Previous PostThai Sweet Chili Salmon Bowls
Next Post »Greek Chicken Souvlaki Skewers
Leave a Reply
130 comments on “Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry”
Leave a comment »
-
Matt Robinson (@realfoodbydad) — Reply
I could eat this every night of the week and be perfectly happy
-
Marzia — Reply
I’m totally with you on that! Thanks Matt!
-
gretchenkwood — Reply
Tonight I’ll be making this for the 2nd time! It was so delicious last time – the sauce is perfection! And of course, because it seems I can never quite follow the rules, I added some extra (yellow squash, red peppers, mushrooms, water chestnuts) and it really was super flavorful. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
-
Amy — Reply
This dish is absolutely amazing, and that sauce is to die for. The second time I made it I used tempeh instead, added a red bell pepper and served on top of brown rice. Delish! Thank you!
-
Margarita — Reply
May I ask how you sliced the temph? I’ve never used it and would love to try it in recipes. Thank you.
-
-
Pingback: 6 Meals That Sooth Post-Workout Pain - The Warm Up
-
Pingback: My Favorite Plant Based Lunches and Dinners – Well From Within
-
Pingback: 30 Healthy Stirfries for Fast Dinners
-
Laura — Reply
I’ve made this recipe about 5 times now and each time it’s been amazing. I follow it to the letter and wind up with great food every time. I used preminced ginger last night and it made prep time so much faster! Would recommend going with preminced if possible.
5
-
Pingback: 6 kid-friendly, non-meat source of protein & how to cook them.
-
vivian — Reply
This was really good. I’m a big tofu fan, so it didn’t take much to convince me to try this. The green beans at the market didn’t look very good, so I substituted zucchini. This recipe would be adaptable to whatever vegetables looked good, which makes it even better. I needed more cornstarch to lightly coat my tofu, but it makes a huge difference in terms of the crispness you can achieve. Thanks for a great recipe!
5
-
Pingback: 16 Amazing Meatless Recipes To Up Your Vegetarian Game - Pretty Mayhem
-
Nancy — Reply
Absoutely AMAZING! I used the veggies I had on hand and added a little Siracha to the sauce. I’m truly a “newby” at cooking vegan and this recipe was easy to follow.
5
-
Drina — Reply
Loved it! The caramelised tofu was enough to praise this dish, I could have ate them all straight out the wok!
I used a prepacked box of stir fry veg for 2 which had edamame beans, broccoli and carrots and added 2 jumbo mushrooms instead of the veg stated and it worked out great, got 3 servings. Will be making again soon5
-
Naimah Abdullah — Reply
Nice and fresh recipe. Great flavors without too many seasonings that over power the ingredients. Great Balance!
4
-
Judy — Reply
I’m always looking for different sauces to use instead of my old tried and true. This was really delicious. Great recipe.
4.5
-
Aileen — Reply
Hi, I made this recipe tonight. It was delicious! Definitely will be making it again. The tofu turned out nice a crispy on the outside & soft in the middle. The flavour of the sauce really makes the dish. Loved it!!
-
Lise — Reply
My husband who never wants to eat tofu pretending he hates it, had this recipe for dinner tonight and admitted (oh yé !) that it was very good and that he wanted it for his lunch tomorrow as well . Would you believe it ! I can’t believe it 🙂 I had some bean sprouts in the fridge so I added it and it add a little crunch to the already delicious meal. Thank you for this recipe.
5
-
Marzia — Reply
Your husband sounds just like mine! Glad to hear you both enjoyed it 🙂
-
-
Kathy — Reply
So good! I was really impressed by how good the crispy tofu was. I wish all the vegetarian dishes I tried turned out this yummy. And the whole family liked it!
5
-
Brigit — Reply
Missing the sesame seeds in the recipe and found that 1 tablespoon of cornflour was too much. I didn’t get the tofu that crispy either but other then that, it tasted delicious.
4
-
Tom — Reply
You must use cornstarch, not cornflour!!!
-
-
Sam — Reply
Delicious! Tasted like it came from a restaurant. The tofu had better texture than I’ve ever been able to achieve at home.
5
-
Kamala Modur — Reply
I tried a few different ways of cooking tofu & have not been successful.But your recipe even with just firm tofu,was so delicious!IThis sauce can be used for so many other veggie side dishes.Thank you.Will be checking your site often
5
-
Mark — Reply
Made this last night – I doubled the recipe so there would be left-overs for lunch today. Boy was I wrong – it all went. The sauce is AMAZING.
5
-
Maggie — Reply
I’d like to make this ahead of time (making sure not to over cook the veges) and re-heat. Will it really ruin the tofu?
-
Marzia — Reply
I wouldn’t say it would ruin it but as mentioned in the recipe, the tofu may lose some of its crispness as it sits.
-
-
michele — Reply
I have made this twice. I nuke my veggies a bit first so they cook faster and this time I didnt even have sesame oil and it was still good. I added sweet potato to mine.great!
5
-
Cicely Moore — Reply
This one is definitely a keeper! I can’t wait to make it again. The sauce is delicious. My husband loved it too.
4.5
