Vegan Mongolian Tofu Recipe

This easy vegan Mongolian tofu recipe is a delicious dish often served at Chinese-American restaurants. It's quick, tasty, and a family favorite. 

My family loves a good tofu dish. Tofu gets a bad rap, but really it's quite versatile.

You can have a gross tofu recipe as you can have a gross chicken recipe. Not all recipes are delicious.

But this one is! This is a very simple dinner when you need something within a 30-minute time frame.

You can make this Mongolian tofu stir fry if you'd prefer and add things like;

• green beans
• spring onion
• red, green, or yellow bell pepper
• whatever you like in a Chinese style stirfry

Vegan Mongolian Tofu Recipe Q&A

Can I use a different sugar?

The brown sugar adds a nice flavor complexity, but if you would rather, you could use pure maple syrup.

Can I use fresh ginger?

Yes, you can use fresh if you prefer; it's just something I never have on hand.

Do I have to use tofu?

If tofu isn't really your thing, you could use a different meat substitute, whether it's vegan chicken nuggets or soy curls; use the same sauce to make this, and it will taste good as well.

What ingredients do I need for the Mongolian tofu recipe?

Tofu

• block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
• corn starch
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• black pepper
• olive oil or vegetable oil

Sauce

• cloves garlic minced
• ginger, powder
• sesame oil
• soy sauce
• water
• brown sugar
• red chili flakes
• corn starch plus 1 TB cold water

Rice

• Cooked rice of choice

Optional for garnish;

• small green onions
• sesame seeds

How do you make this vegan Mongolian tofu recipe?

Start by using a tofu press; if you don't have a tofu press, you can use the heavy books or a heavy object method.

To do this, wrap the tofu in layers of paper towels, place the tofu on a plate on a plate on top and put some heavy objects on it. This will help to remove the water from the tofu; let this sit for about 10 minutes while you prep your sauce.

Take a medium pyrex liquid measuring cup and add all your sauce ingredients but the cornstarch.

Whisk this until well mixed, then take a small cup and combine your 1 TB cornstarch and 1 TB cold water, mix with a fork or clean finger until dissolved, then add to the sauce and stir; set the sauce aside.

Take your pressed tofu and cut it into your choice of tofu cubes or tofu pieces, place them in a bowl or bag and toss carefully with the cornstarch until evenly coated.

Take a large skillet on medium heat, and add the oil. 

Then add the pieces of tofu, sprinkle the pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder onto the tofu, and stir. 

Let this cook, stirring as needed, until you get crispy tofu; this takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the tofu pieces.

Then add the soy sauce mixture; this thickens up quickly, so stir, only about 2-3 minutes while it's thickening, then remove from heat.

How do you serve this easy vegan dinner?

Place the tofu over a bed of rice and serve while warm. 

You could also double the sauce and serve this with brown rice noodles.

We like to serve ours with a side of roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

How do you store it?

This is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can reheat it in the microwave.

Can you freeze leftovers?

I've never frozen this, but I think it would work fine. 

I would let it come to room temperature before placing it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

To reheat it, I would do a drizzle of oil and reheat it on the stove for the best flavor.

Vegan Mongolian Tofu

This easy vegan Mongolian tofu is a family favorite. It's a quick, delicious meal for a busy night.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: All Recipes

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 -4 servings

Calories: 277kcal

Author: Courtney Hunter

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 block extra firm tofu drained and pressed
• ▢ 3 TB cornstarch
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 TB oil

Sauce

• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ginger powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ▢ Water up to the ½ cup line after pouring the soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ⅛-1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes ⅛ for less spice
• ▢ 1 TB cornstarch plus 1 TB cold water

Rice

• ▢ Cooked rice of choice

Instructions

• Start by using a tofu press or heavy books and paper towels to try and remove the water from the tofu; let this sit for about 10 minutes while you prep your sauce.
• Take a medium pyrex liquid measuring cup and add all your sauce ingredients but the cornstarch. Whisk this until well mixed, then take a small cup and combine your 1 TB cornstarch and 1 TB cold water, mix with a fork or clean finger until dissolved, then add to the sauce and stir; set the sauce aside.
• Take your pressed tofu and cut it into your choice of tofu cubes, place them in a bowl or bag and toss carefully with the cornstarch until evenly coated.
• Take a skillet on medium heat, add the oil, then the coated tofu, sprinkle the pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder onto the tofu, and stir. Let this cook covered for about 5 minutes, stir, heat covered another 5 minutes, stir, then cook covered, stirring every few minutes until it's as crispy as you want. Then add the sauce; this thickens up quickly, so stir, only about a minute or two while it's thickening.
• Serve over rice.

Notes

See blog post for recipe Q&A

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 1167mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g

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Want some other easy vegan recipes for dinner?

• Vegan Beef and broccoli
• Easy Vegan Fried Rice
• Vegan Peanut Noodles

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