10 Vegetarian and Vegan Tofu Stir-Fry Recipes

By
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett has written five books about plant-based cooking and has developed hundreds of vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/5/21
Vegan tofu and vegetable stir fry

The Spruce 

Tofu is an ideal ingredient to stir-fry—it doesn't need a lot of cooking time and marries beautifully with Asian flavors. Perfect for vegetarian, vegan, and all home cooks, tofu stir-fries provide plenty of protein and a good dose of vegetables. Many of these recipes are gluten free as well; just be sure to check the soy sauce label or use tamari instead.

  • 01 of 10

    Tofu Cashew 'Chicken' Stir-Fry

    Tofu Cashew Stir Fry

     Petrych/Getty Images

    Cashew chicken is a beloved Chinese-American stir-fry dish that mainly focuses on the chicken and nuts. This vegetarian version, however, replaces the chicken with tofu and adds plenty of vegetables. Tofu is stir-fried along with garlic and ginger, then bamboo shoots, mushrooms, celery, and bell pepper are added, and everything is cooked in vegetable broth and soy sauce. Cashews and green onions finish off the dish.

  • 02 of 10

    Simple Vegan Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry With Ginger

    Vegan tofu and vegetable stir fry

    The Spruce 

    This easy tofu stir-fry is a simple combination of tofu, a variety of vegetables, and a mixture of soy sauce, lemon juice, and ginger. After the tofu is pressed, it marinates in the sauce and then is stir-fried along with cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onion, bell pepper, snow peas, and mushrooms. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have—this is a great recipe for cleaning out the fridge.

  • 03 of 10

    Vegan Tofu Stir-Fry With Vegetables in Peanut Sauce

    Vegan Tofu Stir-Fry With Vegetables in Peanut Sauce

     The Spruce

    Peanut sauce is a typical Thai flavoring that adds a bit of sweetness and spice to a dish and works beautifully in this tofu and vegetable stir-fry. Tofu is cooked along with bell pepper, snow peas, and mushrooms and finished with a Sriracha-flavored peanut sauce. You can cut down the heat to make it more kid friendly.

  • 04 of 10

    Broccoli and Tofu in Garlic Sauce

    Vegan Broccoli and Tofu in Garlic Sauce

     The Spruce

    This Chinese-restaurant-style broccoli and tofu stir-fry features a generous amount of sauce, making it perfect for pairing with steamed white rice or another whole grain like quinoa. The simple combination of broccoli and tofu gets a boost of flavor from garlic, onion, ginger, cayenne, and soy sauce. 

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Swiss Chard and Tofu Stir-Fry

    Tofu and Swiss chard vegetable stir-fry on a plate

    The Spruce 

    This tofu and vegetable stir-fry is super simple, calling for nothing more than greens, garlic, mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil, and, of course, tofu. The tofu is stir-fried in garlic, then soy sauce, mushrooms, and Swiss chard are added and drizzled with a bit of sesame oil. The dish is cooked until the greens are slightly wilted and soft.

  • 06 of 10

    Chinese Kung Pao Tofu With Snow Peas

    Kung pao tofu with mushrooms, bok choy, and snow peas

    The Spruce / Jolinda Hackett 

    There's plenty of veggies in this Chinese-style kung pao tofu stir-fry, including mushrooms, bok choy, and snow peas. It goes above and beyond your basic tofu stir-fry with the recipe calling for the tofu to be marinated and baked before being stir-fried, giving it added heft and texture. 

  • 07 of 10

    Vegan Stir-Fry With Hoisin Sauce

    Vegan stir-fry with tofu, peppers, and mushrooms in hoisin sauce

    Getty Images

    A sauce of lime juice, hoisin, honey, ginger, red pepper flakes, and cilantro turn a typical tofu stir-fry into something sweet, spicy, and special. The tofu, bell peppers, mushrooms, and mung beans are stir-fried in the sauce and then served over homemade coconut rice, giving this dish a bit of tropical flavor.

  • 08 of 10

    Thai-Style Tofu Stir-Fry With Lemongrass

    Vegetable stir-fry with tofu in a bowl along with chopsticks
    cobraphoto / Getty Images

    Lemongrass adds fragrance and freshness to this vegetable and tofu stir-fry. The citrus-smelling green is added toward the end of cooking time along with the garlic, combining with the stir-fried tofu, green beans, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, and Thai chiles. A squeeze of lime juice finishes off the dish.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry With Tofu

    Thai vegetable stir-fry with fried tofu in a bowl along with chopsticks

    The Spruce / D.Schmidt

    The sauce is the star of this stir-fry, combining several flavorful ingredients like soy sauce, hoisin, sweet chile sauce, sherry, and brown sugar. It also means you can keep the rest of the ingredients pretty simple. This recipe calls for several vegetables along with the tofu but feel free to use what you have on hand.

  • 10 of 10

    Thai Vegetable Stir-Fry With Tofu

    Broccoli, carrot, mushroom stir-fry with tofu in a serving bowl
    Westend61 / Getty Images

    What makes this stir-fry special is the crispy pan-fried tofu, which is marinated in hoisin sauce and brown sugar, coated in flour, and then cooked until browned. It then tops a stir-fry of carrot, broccoli, mushrooms, bok choy, and red pepper, all cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce.