41 Tofu Recipes for Fast, Flavorful Plant-Based Dinners
Bon Appétit has published way more than 41 tofu recipes in its lifetime, but this list contains the best of our best tofu dishes. There are recipes for breakfast (a classic tofu scramble with a ginger-and-scallion twist), for appetizers (miso-infused dip with fresh, crunchy vegetables), for lunch or dinner (stews and stir-fries), and for dessert (hello, dairy-free vanilla ice cream). We love tofu, also known as bean curd, for its versatility—we could (and do) eat it in every season and in pretty much any kind of dish, including salads, soups, sandwiches, and pastas—and for its various textures: It can be silken, soft, firm, extra-firm or super-firm. Plus, it’s a relatively low-calorie and vegetarian-friendly source of protein. Sounds like a win-win to us. Enough talk; let’s get cooking.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Sean Dooley1/41Everyone’s Favorite Gado-Gado
This tofu recipe hails from Indonesia, where the salad of crisp-tender veggies, hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato or rice noodles, tofu, and peanut sauce can be found everywhere from food stalls to restaurants to family kitchens. PS. We also have a version of gado-gado in summer-roll form.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by JoJo Li2/41Char Siu Tofu Bao Sliders
For a lighter take on traditional pork belly bao sliders, fill yours with char siu tofu slices instead. (Honestly, the tofu is so good, you could skip the bun altogether and eat it with rice.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua5/41Yuba Salad With Hot Mustard and Honey Dressing
As we mentioned in the intro, there are many types of tofu, all of which are products of coagulated soy milk. Yuba is the delicate and almost sweet tofu skin that forms on top during the process—and it’s delicious.
Alex Lau6/41Vanilla Soy Vegan Ice Cream
Silken tofu is the key to making vegan ice cream, whether you’re a vanilla or a chocolate person. For an even easier sweet treat, here’s a three-ingredient Taiwanese pudding made with ginger, brown sugar, and silken tofu.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards. Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua7/41Spicy Tofu Scramble With Tomato and Ginger
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker8/41Sheet-Pan Orange Tofu and Broccoli
A take-out favorite meets sheet-pan dinner in this vegetarian riff on orange chicken, featuring extra-firm tofu and a zingy sauce made from fresh orange juice, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and sriracha.
Photograph by Jessica Pettway, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh9/41Caramelized Tofu With Soy-Braised Eggplant
This crispy tofu owes its caramelized exterior to one secret ingredient. (You have to cick to find out.) If you don’t want to follow a recipe, though, here’s one of our go-to methods for super-crispy tofu.
Photograph by Cody Guilfoyle, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie, Food Styling Thu Buser10/41Ultimate Vegan Ramen
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley11/41Bulgogi Tofu Burgers
You don’t need a tofu press to make this vegetarian version of the Korean BBQ favorite (though using a tofu press will cut down on your prep time); just wrap blocks of extra-firm tofu in a few layers of paper towels and place them on rimmed baking sheets, then weigh down each block with a heavy object, such as a cast-iron skillet.
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht12/41Crispy Tofu With Peanut Sauce
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Gerri Williams13/41Gochujang-Butter-Braised Tofu
This deeply savory main gets dinner on the table in less than the time it takes to make a side of rice. Speaking of which, here’s how to make a perfect pot of rice without a rice cooker.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophie Strangio14/41Saucy Tofu Noodles With Cucumbers and Chili Crisp
This saucy, spicy tofu recipe is loosely inspired by Sichuan dan dan noodles, one of our top 10 favorite ways to consume carbohydrates. Ultimately you’re looking for a ground-meat-like texture, so don’t worry about treating the tofu delicately: Squeeze out the moisture, tear it up, and sear it hard.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones15/41Sesame Tofu With Broccoli
Tahini adds richness to this tofu stir-fry, a plant-based riff on sesame chicken. You may have already guessed that it’s a vegan recipe, but note that it’s also gluten-free—as long as you use tamari, as many brands of soy sauce contain wheat.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca17/41Saucy Tofu With Garam Masala
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano18/41Creamy Sesame Noodles With Yuba
Ribbons of protein-packed yuba, or tofu skin, add a delightfully bouncy texture and nutty flavor to these quick, creamy noodles. If you’re new to yuba, consider this your gateway vegan recipe.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski19/41Easy Flatbread With Cauliflower and Tofu
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li20/41Silky Peanut Butter Dressing
Adding silken tofu to the base of this kid-approved snack both enriches the dip with a little added protein and lends it a satiny texture.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen21/41Miso Polenta With Spring Vegetables and Tofu
We used to think making polenta meant deciding between using butter and milk or taking a flavor hit and going with water, but we were wrong: Miso brings the umami and richness we crave without the dairy.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich22/41Fridge Clean-Out Nabe With Mushroom Dashi
Think of the donabe, a Japanese earthenware pot, as not only a beautiful serving piece, but also the simplest way to whip up beautiful, nourishing, riffable meals.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski23/41Sesame Noodles With Crispy Tofu
Five tablespoons may seem like a lot of rice vinegar, but you’re using it to dress the crunchy cucumber topping as well as for a marinade for the tofu that then cooks down into a sauce for the soba noodles.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by JoJo Li24/41Tofu and Green Pea Curry
Modeled after Indian matar paneer, this tofu curry is superb make-ahead fare, easy to reheat the next day. For a tofu curry with a creamier sauce, try these summer vegetables in coconut milk.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Amy Wilson25/41Curried Tofu Wraps
Most collard greens recipes involve cooking them, which makes sense: They’re pretty sturdy, and heat softens them. But we’re also into the crunch that the raw leaves bring to these wraps—plus, they won’t fall apart like some lettuce wraps do.
Photo by Alex Lau26/41Celery, Green Bean, and Tofu Salad With Chile Crisp
Make a batch of Chile Crisp to have at the ready, and suddenly the total time to make this summery, no-fuss pantry salad is reduced to just 5 minutes.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova27/41Vegan Creamed Spinach
In this modern take on classic steakhouse-style creamed spinach, puréed silken tofu lends such a smooth, velvety consistency, your dinner party guests just might be fooled into thinking there’s heavy cream.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li28/41Vegetarian Taco Bowls
Tofu gets the picadillo treatment thanks to this sauce of tomato paste, garlic, hot sauce, coriander, ancho powder, cumin, and ground fennel. Serve it on top of rice, garnished with cabbage, avocado, queso fresco, and cilantro—or stuff it into a vegan burrito.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio29/41Soy-Glazed Tofu and Mushrooms
While this dish is pictured with white rice, the flavors of maitake and oyster mushrooms also pair well with slightly earthy, nutty brown rice.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen30/41Crispy Tofu in Shiitake Broth
Marinate slabs of tofu in a simple mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar for rich flavor; then make your own dashi with shiitake mushrooms, kombu, ginger, and garlic. It might sound complicated, but it couldn’t be easier.
Alex Lau31/41Tofu Sloppy Joes
We did it: vegan sloppy Joes. This filling—made with onion, chile, garlic, mushrooms, tofu, chili powder, paprika, tomato purée, walnuts, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce—would also make a killer tofu taco.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen32/41Crispy Tofu With Maple-Soy Glaze
Alex Lau33/41Tofu and Kimchi Stew
Gochujang is a staple in Korean cooking and one of our favorite condiments. Not familiar with the sweet-hot pepper paste? This stew is a great way to learn all about it.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen34/41Roasted Broccoli and Tofu With Creamy Miso Dressing
Peden + Munk37/41Spicy Tofu Crumbles
Crumbled and tossed in a mixture of Fresno chile, soy sauce, mirin, sriracha, vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger, tofu here makes a zingy and versatile protein that you can tuck into dumplings or a burrito, serve atop rice noodles, or fold into sautéed greens.
Alex Lau40/41Grilled Tofu With Chimichurri
We love chimichurri—a fresh, herby, Argentinian-style sauce—on grilled tofu, but for those non-meatless nights, it’s also pretty fantastic on your favorite steak.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones41/41Ginger-Scallion Tofu Scramble With Spinach and Chili Oil
