Scrambled tofu is probably one of the most mundane vegan recipes there is. Go ahead and roll your eyes when you open a cookbook and see the obligatory entry, I know I do, even at my own. But for a new vegan it’s one of the most important dishes to learn. And for me, even though my inaugural tofu was scrambled 20 years ago, it’s still a staple.
It’s one of those things that changes with you, kind of like a culinary mood ring. My scramble used to feel incomplete without mushrooms, but lately I prefer a simpler texture, even onions aren’t a necessity anymore. I went through a broccoli era, and used to take a hardline anti-red pepper stance, but lately the cruciferous is out and nightshades are in.
But you don’t have to stop at breakfast, or limit yourself to a plate of scramble and hashbrowns. Look at scrambled tofu with fresh eyes! Here’s a few ways to spruce up your scramble, or use up your leftovers.
Serve in a squash bowl: Serve in half a baked squash (acorn or carnival would work perfectly.) Caramelized onions would be nice, too.
Breakfast burritos: Wrap up with potatoes, fresh salsa and guacamole.
Add to mac and cheese: Use up leftover scramble (or make some scramble just for the occasion!) by adding it to your favorite vegan mac and cheese recipe.
Lettuce wraps: Tuck scramble into lettuce, serve with fresh tomatoes and drizzle with vinaigrette
Make a sandwich: Not the most ingenious idea, but one of my favorites! A scramble sandwich with avocado, red onion and sprouts.
Make a knish: Make potato knishes and add a layer of scramble
Stuff peppers: Mix with a can of black beans and some salsa. Stuff into red peppers, bake and top with a little vegan cheese at the end.
Crepe filling: Serve in a crepe, with a vegan hollandaise sauce.
And in case you don’t have enough scrambled tofu recipes in your repertoire, here’s another for good measure (from Vegan Brunch.)
Basic Scrambled Tofu
Serves 4
For me, a basic scramble should have nice big pieces in it. It’s crumbled, yes, but not completely in crumbles. Just kind of torn apart and then broken up a bit when cooking in the pan. The flavor should be lip smacking and just a bit salty, but not overly so. Garlic, some cumin, a little thyme – that is the base. From there you can do countless variations using whatever is in your fridge that morning.
So this is my basic recipe. When you want a trustworthy and easy to modify standard scramble, this makes a great go-to.
Spice blend:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with your fingers
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, to taste)
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Fresh black pepper to taste
First stir the spice blend together in a small cup. Add water and mix. Set aside.
Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Saute the garlic in olive oil for about a minute. Break the tofu apart into bite sized pieces and saute for about 10 minutes, using a spatula to stir often. Get under the tofu when you are stirring, scrape the bottom and don’t let it stick to the pan, that is where the good, crispy stuff is. Use a thin metal spatula to get the job done, a wooden or plastic one won’t really cut it. The tofu should get browned on at least one side, but you don’t need to be too precise about it. The water should cook out of it and not collect too much at the bottom of the ban. If that is happening, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate.
Add the spice blend and mix to incorporate. Add the nutritional yeast and fresh black pepper. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve warm.
You can include these additions to your scramble by themselves or in combination with one another.
Broccoli – Cut about one cup into small florettes, thinly slice the stems. Add along with the tofu.
Onion – Finely chop one small onion. Add along with the garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Proceed with recipe.
Red Peppers – Remove stem and seed, finely chop one red pepper. Add along with the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Proceed with recipe.
Mushrooms – Thinly slice about a cup of mushrooms. Add along with the tofu.
Olives – Chop about 1/3 a cup of sliced olives. Add towards the end of cooking, after mixing in the nutritional yeast.
Spinach – Add about 1 cup of chopped spinach towards the end of cooking, after mixing in the nutritional yeast. Cook until completely wilted.
Carrots – Grate half of an average sized carrot into the scramble towards the end of cooking. This is a great way to add color to the scramble.
Avocado – I almost always have avocado with my scramble. Just peel and slice it and serve on top.
Finally I’ve found a tofu scramble I love, thank you! By far the best one ever, this will now be a regular dish at our house. I added carrots and avocado today, so yummy.
I’ve discovered that because all tofu dishes seem to taste much better if you give them time to meld with the flavors of the spices, tofu scramble tastes better if I mix it up the night before and let it sit in the fridge. I don’t even bother cooking it in a pan– I can simply microwave it to heat it up, and it tastes fantastic. This is super simple to make in advance and keep on hand for quick reheats.
My first tofu scramble! I added onion, garlic and a leftover of mixed veggies from the freezer…hmm,does really tastegood
I just have to tell everyone how utterly delicious this recipe turned out! I haven’t made a tofu scramble in years, because I do soy only in moderation, so tofu scramble seems too blah, but with some fresh extra firm tofu, some of my favorite fresh veggies, and some leftover soy sauce based marinade on hand in my fridge, and no time to make an elaborate asian dish, I googled and this recipe popped up. I used your basic proportions and technique, omitting the salt because I had soy sauce, and sunflower oil because I had it, and then embellished with your spices plus lemon pepper, chile flakes, a pinch of curry and chopped fresh spinach, turmeric, snow peas, cilantro, grated carrots and avocado. Yum! Kind of an asian, mexican, hippie fusion – I could seriously open a cafe, lol! I Was thrilled to have us enjoying a quick dinner as good as an everything omelette minus the meat, cheese and eggs. 🙂 Thanks!
I really love the instructions about when to add in the different vegetables. It is a great list to extrapolate from, too!
I had my first tofu scramble for breakfast at a small diner a few weeks ago. This recipe is deelish! I made mine with onions, spinach and red peppers. Served with salsa and sriracha sauce.
I’m fairly new to vegan. Was vegetarian for years until I realized how bad milk and eggs really are and decided why haven’t I just gone all the way to vegan? So now I am.
I thought it would be fun to make a scramble with potatoes, toast, and half a grapefruit. Then I realized I don’t have cumin, tumeric, or yeast and it looks like those are important ingredients lol. So I’m just making my typical breakfast smoothie for now and after I get a chance to run to the store I’ll make this and have breakfast for lunch…. why not 🙂
Your scrambled tofu looks amazing. What tofu do you use? Mine always crumbles and doesn’t tear!
Sarah I don’t know if you live in the US and have access to Trader Joe’s but I use their organic extra firm sprouted tofu, & it works perfectly. I’ve made this recipe a lot since it’s a favorite & the key for me is to just gently break up the tofu into bite sizes as shown in pic. If you stir gently they should stay mostly like that. If not next time you can just make bigger chunks. I don’t think silken tofu, the ones in tetrapaks, would work even if it says firm. Happy cooking.
This was delicious! Thank you! 🙂
How long would you bake the stuffed peppers?