Tofu Scramble
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Healthy Tofu Scramble – Made with protein rich tofu, tender crisp sautéed bell peppers, and nutritious fresh spinach. It’s a tasty alternative to scrambled eggs yet I’d dare say equally as delicious!
An Easy Tofu Scramble Recipe
I never used to be a fan of tofu but that was likely because it was under-seasoned or just not cooked right. Tofu tastes incredibly plain and mild on it’s own as is but when seasoned right and sautéed it can transform into something that’s actually super tasty.
Tofu is very absorbent to flavors so it makes it highly adaptable which is great for these “scrambled eggs” using tofu. They’re flavorfully seasoned with southwestern spices that soak right in, and it’s cooked in a hot skillet until golden brown to take on more flavor. And I think you’ll enjoy that the texture is very similar to scrambled eggs.
It’s a quick to make vegan breakfast and it pairs beautifully with whole grain toast and sliced avocado. This has been a go-to breakfast for me lately and it actually re-heats really well so I can get a few breakfast meals out of it.
Feel free to add in other vegetables (things like mushrooms, zucchini, or tomatoes) and you could even splurge a little and add some cheese (vegan or regular) at the end.
Tofu Scramble Recipe Ingredients
- Firm tofu: Depending on the texture you prefer you could even use soft or very firm tofu.
- Olive oil: This is used for sauteing. Another oil like avocado oil would work well too.
- Red bell pepper: Use another color bell pepper if that’s what you have (green, orange or yellow). Red bell peppers are just the ripest and sweetest.
- Green onions: I like these here because of their milder flavor and they aren’t as crisp as other types of onions.
- Turmeric: This spice offers that yellow color to the tofu scramble, which mimics the color of traditional scrambled eggs.
- Chili powder: Regular chili powder is what I use but other types would be fine.
- Smoked paprika: If you don’t have smoked paprika you could just use regular sweet paprika in it’s place.
- Garlic powder: These are fairly garlicky if you’d like you can cut back to 1/4 tsp.
- Salt and black pepper: Season to taste with each of these.
- Baby spinach: If you only have full grown spinach that will be okay, just chop it up a bit before adding.
- Nutritional yeast: This really gives them a nice flavor boost. Something else I tried was a hint of lemon if you don’t have this ingredient, or use both.
How to Make Tofu Scramble
- Drain tofu: Wrap tofu in several layers of paper towel and let rest about 5 to 10 minutes while chopping and preparing ingredients. Then break tofu into small pieces.
- Saute veggies: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and saute, tossing just occasionally, until about halfway tender and darkened in spots, about 4 minutes. Scoot bell pepper to the side.
- Add broken tofu and spices: Drizzle in remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, add tofu and green onions. Sprinkle over turmeric, chili powder, smoked paprika and garlic powder, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook and toss entire mixture occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Finish with spinach: Add in spinach and nutritional yeast, toss and cook 1 minute more.
Possible Variations
- Peppers: Other colors of bell pepper can be used or try it with a poblano pepper or Anaheim pepper.
- Vegetables: Other veggies that are good here include mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes. Or use red onion in place of green onions.
- Greens: Baby kale is a great alternative to spinach here or even beet greens.
- Vegan meat: For more protein you could even consider adding in cooked vegan sausage.
- Cheese: For richness finish it off with vegan cheese or regular cows milk cheese such as cheddar.
Storage and Reheating
- Tofu scramble can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave uncovered on a microwave safe dish until warmed through.
- Or reheat in a skillet with a little olive oil.
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Try
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Tofu Scramble
Ingredients
- 14 to 16 oz. block firm tofu, drained
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
- 3/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 cups slightly packed (3 oz) baby spinach
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast*
Instructions
- Wrap tofu in several layers of paper towel and let rest about 5 to 10 minutes while chopping and preparing ingredients. Then break tofu into small pieces.
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and saute, tossing just occasionally, until about halfway tender and darkened in spots, about 4 minutes. Scoot bell pepper to the side.
- Drizzle in remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, add tofu and green onions. Sprinkle over turmeric, chili powder, smoked paprika and garlic powder, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook and toss entire mixture occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Add in spinach and nutritional yeast, toss and cook 1 minute more.