Tofu Garlic Stir-Fry is a quick, savory weeknight meal with bold flavor and crispy texture, ready in under 20 minutes!
Stir Fry is a quick and easy Chinese dinner option on any weeknight. Try some of my favorites recipes like Easy Pad Thai, and Egg Foo Young.
Sabrina’s Tofu Stir-Fry Recipe
Tofu Garlic Stir-Fry is the PERFECT weeknight dinner because it’s full of flavor and only takes a few minutes to make. This meal is my go-to when I have vegetarian friends visiting!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 pound extra firm tofu , cubed into 1/2" chunks
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup baby corn , cut into 1/2" chunks
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 carrot , thinly sliced
- 1 zucchini , cut in half and sliced
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms , halved
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 4 tablespoons fermented black beans rinsed
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Press the water out of the tofu with paper towels or clean kitchen towels then add to a large skillet on medium high heat with the vegetable oil.
- Cook on all sides until seared golden brown then add in the garlic, baby corn, snow peas, carrots, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms and broccoli and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mix together the sesame oil, black beans, soy sauce, rice wine, red pepper flakes and rice vinegar before adding it to the pan and stirring to combine then letting the sauce reduce as it cooks for 3-4 minutes.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About This Recipe
In this recipe, I use a lot of vegetables like mushrooms, baby corn, snow peas, broccoli, and more, stirred into a savory Asian sauce. You can also stir in some fresh green onions or a spoonful of sesame seeds at the end.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- You can make this stir-fry in a wok or in a skillet. The wok distributes heat differently, and the oil on the bottom of the pan will fry the tofu slightly, so you’ll get some different flavors from using a wok.
- I recommend stirring this very gently, because it’s easy to break up the tofu if you’re not careful.
- To save time, I sometimes use a store-bought bag of fresh mixed vegetables from the produce section, because there’s no chopping required!
- If you want the tofu to be extra crispy, you can deep fry it before adding it. Personally, I don’t like to fry it first because it takes longer, but instead, we are going to pan-fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides.
- Only cook the vegetables until they are tender-crisp, stirring them occasionally, which will add a nice contrasting texture to the tofu.
- I like to use low-sodium soy sauce, but you can also use tamari or low-sodium tamari instead of soy sauce in this dish.
- You can add other veggies like bell peppers or spinach if you have them. You can also make this same recipe, but instead of stirring in Peanut Sauce, like the one I use in my chicken satay.
- Make sure you use extra-firm tofu. Other types, like medium or silken tofu, will be too soft and break apart when you stir them.
Thick Sauce
If your sauce is turning out too thin, it’s most likely because the tofu was not pressed enough. It can also happen if you use frozen vegetables, which release some water. You can thicken the sauce by taking a small amount of cold broth and stirring in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, then pouring it into the stir-fry. Stir everything gently together. As it heats, the cornstarch should thicken the sauce.
What to Pair With
Stir-fries go great with Chinese Steamed Rice or my Fried Rice, and are topped with fresh chopped scallions. You can also serve this with some non-vegetarian appetizers like my Crab Rangoon, Egg Rolls, or Potstickers with Sweet and Sour Sauce.
How to Store
- Store: This will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Save some extra sauce in a container on the side, just in case the tofu dries out at all when reheating.
- Reheat: Defrost in the refrigerator the day before you want to serve it, then reheat in a pan oven on medium heat, stirring in any extra sauce as needed. Keep in mind that the tofu may be softer than when it was just pan-fried.
- Freeze: You can freeze this dish in an airtight container for about 3 months. Keep an extra bag of sauce in the freezer, just in case the tofu dries out when you reheat it.
Variations
- Noodles: In a separate pot, cook egg noodles according to directions. Stir in about 1 cup of egg noodles just before it’s done, leaving it in long enough to warm up before serving.
- Rice: You can do the same thing with rice or brown rice if you want to make this an all-in-one dinner.
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So flavorful and delicious! Perfect weeknight meal!
Thanks, Jamielyn!
Great choice for meatless Monday! Hopefully I can sneak this in without my husband noticing no meat 😉
It just might work!
I didn’t know I liked tofu until this recipe!
Sometimes you just have to give something a chance. So glad you decided to try it.
Such a great way to try tofu! Super tasty!
Thanks, Suzy!
This stir fry recipe is fantastic and super flavorful!
So glad you enjoyed it!