4 Easy Vegetarian Tofu Recipes

Updated on April 10th, 2026

To follow up on my 4 Ways to Serve Gnocchi post, I wanted to try 4 vegetarian tofu recipes. As a vegetarian, I have had my fair share of tofu, from tofu in salads to homemade sushi and spring rolls. I wanted to expand the dishes I can make with tofu, and in this post, I will be trying 4 easy tofu recipes for beginners.

What is Tofu?

Tofu is made from soybeans by curdling fresh soy milk and pressing the curds into solid blocks. The blocks of tofu can be purchased in various softnesses depending on the dish you are making. For desserts, silken tofu is often used, and for hardier dishes like those in this post and other easy healthy dinner recipes etc., firm or extra-firm tofu is used as it is easier to cut. The tofu is also less likely to break while cooking. Tofu is high in protein, which makes it a great alternative to meat in dishes.

#1 Sweet and Sour Tofu

This recipe is based on a recipe in the Vegan Food and Living magazine, and it is tofu made with a sweet and sour sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 block of firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup
• 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons of apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of orange juice
• Ginger powder
• Garlic powder
• Sesame seeds
• Cooking oil of your choice

Directions

1. In a small pot, add the ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, apple sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, and 2 tablespoons of water, and heat on low heat for around 5 minutes
2. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces and add to a pan with cooking oil
3. Season the tofu with ginger powder and garlic powder, and fry on medium-high heat for around 10 minutes
4. Add the sauce mixture to the tofu and cook until the sauce starts turning syrupy
5. Add the orange juice and stir for 30 seconds
6. Top the tofu with sesame seeds and serve it by itself, or enjoy it with rice

My Thoughts

I was unsure what the sauce would taste like as there are quite a few different flavors, but it was a good mix of sweetness from the maple syrup, brown sugar, and apple sauce with saltiness/sourness from the soy sauce, ketchup, and rice wine vinegar. The recipe suggests serving the tofu with rice, which I did, but I feel like it is missing some freshness. The recipe is just for tofu and a sauce, so there are no fresh herbs or even vegetables paired with it.

I would recommend pairing the tofu with at least an onion and a bell pepper and topping it with spring onions to kick it up a notch. I have also seen other recipes add pineapple, carrots, and Japanese cucumber, which I think would be good additions as well. After I tried this recipe, I found another in Vegan Food and Living for a spicy, sweet and sour tofu stir fry, and it adds broccoli and red onion to the stir fry and chili garlic sauce to the sweet and sour sauce, which would be interesting to try.

Rating: 7/10

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#2 Banh Mi Sandwich

The Bahn Mi Sandwich is a Vietnamese sandwich made with a baguette and filling. The recipe is based on one from Vegan Food and Living.

Ingredients

• 1 block of firm tofu
• A baguette
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 of a cucumber
• Sriracha mayo
• 1 tablespoon of oil + oil for frying the tofu
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1. Slice the cucumber into thin slices
2. Add the cucumbers, white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a bowl and set aside for it to pickle
3. Mix together the oil, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar in a bowl to make the tofu marinade
4. Slice the tofu into rectangular pieces and then diagonally into triangular pieces
5. Add the tofu to the marinade
6. Add cooking oil to a pan and heat on medium-high heat
7. Fry the tofu for about 4 minutes on each side in a pan
8. Cut the carrot into long, thin pieces
9. Slice the baguette in half and put the sriracha mayo on the bread
10. Add the tofu, pickled cucumbers, and carrot to the baguette and enjoy

My Thoughts

The tofu tasted good, and I did like it combined with the sriracha mayo, carrots, and homemade pickles. However, I feel like the sandwich could use more vegetables or herbs like lettuce, cilantro, and chilies. The picture for the Bahn Mi Sandwich in the Vegan Food and Living magazine shows these ingredients, but they are not mentioned in the recipe. I have also seen other recipes use onions, red onions, and red pepper, or they pickle the carrots and have fresh cucumber slices, which I think would be nice to try. The Bahn Mi sandwich was not necessarily bad, but it could use more filling.

Rating: 6/10

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#3 Char Siu Tofu

The Char Siu Tofu is another recipe based on VeganFood and Living, and Char Siu is a traditional Cantonese style of barbequed pork. In this recipe, tofu is used instead.

Ingredients

• 1 block of extra-firm tofu
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 5 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger grated
• 2 tablespoons of rice wine
• 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 teaspoons of sriracha
• Sesame seeds
• Spring onions

Directions

1. Press the tofu for 10 minutes to drain excess liquid (I pressed the tofu by putting paper towels on the top and bottom of the tofu block and then putting a cutting board on top with a cookbook)
2. Slice the tofu into rectangular pieces
3. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the tofu on medium-high heat for around 4 minutes on each side
4. Remove the tofu from the pan
5. Make the sauce by mixing together the hoisin sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, rice wine, Chinese five-spice powder, and sriracha in a bowl
6. Add the sauce to the same pan and heat on medium-high heat to bring the sauce to a boil
7. Add the tofu back to the pan with the sauce, and spoon the sauce on top of the tofu
8. Cook the tofu for 7-8 minutes until the tofu has absorbed some of the sauce
9. Increase the heat to high and cook the tofu for an additional 2 minutes
10. Remove the tofu from the pan and top with sesame seeds and spring onions, and enjoy with rice, blanched vegetables, or as a filling for buns

My Thoughts

The tofu has a lot of great spices, including spices I have not used before, like the Chinese five-spice powder. The tofu had a unique flavor, and I ate it with rice, which was delicious. It does take a bit of time to prep and cook the tofu, and cook the tofu with the sauce, so it would not be a dish I make all the time, but I would definitely make it again. I also like that the original recipe mentioned that it can be served with blanched vegetables, and I think that would taste good as well.

Rating: 9/10

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#4 Tofu Singapore Noodles

The last recipe I tried is also from Vegan Food and Living, and it is for tofu with a rice noodle dish.

Ingredients

• 1 block of firm tofu
• 1 package of vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 of a red pepper
• 1/2 of a yellow pepper
• 1 cup of sugar peas
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon of ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoons of curry powder
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• Oil

Directions

1. Cut the tofu into small bite-sized pieces
2. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat, and add the tofu and season with 1 tablespoon of curry powder
3. Fry the tofu for 10-15 minutes until the tofu becomes crispy
4. Remove the tofu from the pan
5. Boil water in a kettle and prepare the noodles according to the directions on the package (the rice noodles I bought said to cover them with hot water in a bowl and drain the water after 4 minutes)
6. Chop the peppers and onions, and mince the garlic
7. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the onion, garlic, and ginger powder, and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium heat
8. Add the peppers and sugar peas to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes before adding the tofu back into the pan
9. Put the cooked rice noodles into the pan
10. Add the turmeric powder, the remaining 1 tablespoon of curry powder, soy sauce, and juice of the lime into the pan and stir well
11. Cook for an additional 5 minutes before serving and enjoy

My Thoughts

The tofu tasted good with the noodles and vegetables, and the original recipe also said to serve the noodles with lime, salted peanuts, and red chili. I do not think the dish needed more lime juice, and I do not like peanuts, but I do think it would be good topped with red chili. Other recipes I saw also used char siu, and I think it would be interesting to try the Char Siu Tofu with the noodles.

The noodle dish would also be nice with more vegetables since the only vegetables are onions, peppers, and peas. I saw other recipes use carrots and mushrooms, and topped the noodles with spring onions, which I think would be good as well. Besides that, the Tofu Singapore Noodles is a good dish, and I would make it again.

Rating: 9/10

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Final Thoughts

Out of these recipes, my favorite dish is tied between the Char Siu Tofu and the Tofu Singapore Noodles, and I would like to try the Char Siu Tofu with the noodles. My least favorite recipe was the Bahn Mi Sandwich because there was not enough filling in the original recipe, but by adding more vegetables, it would be delicious. Also, the Sweet and Sour Tofu was good, but the original recipe did not mention adding any vegetables to the tofu and the sauce, but it would be better with some vegetables.

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Do you like tofu? Which tofu recipes would you like to try?