Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
This Peanut Ginger Stir Fry tosses crispy golden tofu pieces, a medley of sautéed vegetables, and peanuts in a crave-worthy peanut ginger sauce. An easy weeknight dinner that’s ready in just 30 minutes! Vegan; Gluten-Free and Oil-Free Options.
Craving something quick but delicious for dinner tonight? This Peanut Ginger Stir Fry with Tofu is an easy, 30-minute flavor bomb! Featuring crispy tofu, stir fried veggies, and peanuts tossed in a mouthwatering peanut ginger sauce, I know it will become one of your new weeknight favorites.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
I’m on a mission to cut my grocery bill in half and actually use all of the ingredients in my pantry before they expire. And one night I was craving stir fry and saw an old-ish container of peanuts in my cupboard, so I came up with this Peanut Ginger Stir Fry with Tofu! It’s an easy 30-minute dinner made exclusively with affordable, pantry-staple ingredients.
- Eat The Rainbow (On a Budget): You can forget about the grocery store and make this with the vegetables you already have in your fridge or freezer. It’s so easy to mix and match here!
- Tofu Cooked How You Like It: Want fewer dishes to clean up? Pan fry the tofu. Need to get this on the table ASAP? Air fry the tofu. No matter the method you pick, you’ll still end up with crispy and golden bites of perfectly cooked tofu.
- A Drinkable Peanut Sauce: I drenched this meal in a velvety peanut ginger sauce. It’s ultra-creamy thanks to the peanut butter but perfectly balanced with a splash of rice vinegar and fresh ginger, so it never feels heavy.
Love making vegan stir fries on the reg? Then you’ll definitely want to try this Tofu Mushroom Stir Fry next. It’s just as easy to make and is loaded with cooked mushrooms and tofu.
What You Need For This Tofu Stir Fry
This recipe turns a handful of stir fry essentials into an indulgent yet wholesome meal. There is lots of room for customizations as well, so feel free to mix and match some of the ingredients! Here are the basics you need:
- Tofu: preferably vacuum-packed super-firm tofu. It doesn’t need to be pressed ahead of time, just drained! Extra-firm tofu is the next best option, but I’d recommend pressing it for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
- Stir Fry Vegetables: a mix of red bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli (both the stems and florets) is a great place to start, but you can change up the vegetables as much as you’d like. Even frozen veggies are a great option.
- Peanuts: you’d be surprised at just how much crunch and butteriness the peanuts bring to this meal. Try not to skip them!
- Peanut Ginger Sauce: this sauce is similar to my classic Easy Peanut Sauce and just as craveable, too. It’s easy to make with soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha, water, and cornstarch.
How to Make This Peanut Ginger Stir Fry
- Whisk the peanut sauce ingredients together in a glass measuring cup.
- Pan-fry or air fry the tofu until the pieces are crispy. Season the pieces with a pinch of salt.
- Sauté the ginger, garlic, and white portions of the green onion in a skillet until fragrant.
- Add the bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli stems to the skillet. Once tender, add the broccoli florets and sauté until bright green.
- Add the cooked tofu to the pan with the veggies. Pour the peanut ginger sauce over the tofu and stir to coat.
- Serve the warm stir fry in serving bowls with cooked rice or noodles. Garnish with the reserved green onion and chopped peanuts. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Time-saving hacks: Cut all of your veggies with a mandoline to reduce the prep time and air fry the tofu while you’re prepping the sauce and vegetables. And to save even more time, you can buy pre-fried tofu, then just slice it up and warm it in the pan with the veggies and sauce (step 6 of the recipe instructions).
- Make this in a wok or large sauté pan: I always cook my stir fries in my giant stainless steel wok because it’s made for high-heat cooking, it’s the GOAT at distributing heat, and it always tenderizes my veggies and crisps my tofu evenly. Get your hands on one if you can!
Serving Suggestions
This peanut stir fry is honestly so delicious and satisfying on its own, but I always prefer to serve it with cooked rice, quinoa, or rice noodles to stretch the meal even further.
Serving this for a family dinner? I’d suggest having a bowl of this Vegan Miso Soup, these Crispy Kimchi Rice Paper Dumplings, or this Smashed Cucumber Salad with Edamame on the side.
If you’re looking for more easy vegan stir fry recipes, you’ll also love this Black Pepper Tofu Stir Fry, this 20-Minute Ramen Noodle Stir Fry, and this Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu!
How to Store Leftover Stir Fry
The leftover tofu stir fry will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Wait for it to cool completely before packing it into an airtight glass container.
Planning on making this stir fry for meal prep? To keep the cooked vegetables tender even longer, keep the veggies and tofu in one container and store the peanut ginger sauce separately. Reheat them all together before serving.
To reheat, add the leftover stir fry and sauce to a lightly oiled wok or skillet and heat over medium heat until the tofu is warmed through and the sauce is creamy again. If the sauce looks a little dry, you can add a splash of vegetable broth or water to the pan.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: Make the sauce with tamari instead of soy sauce if you need this stir fry to be gluten-free.
- Oil-Free Option: Use the instructions in my Crispy Tofu Recipe for the best way to cook tofu without oil. The pieces are baked on a silicone baking mat or a nonstick baking sheet instead, but still have a fantastic crispy-on-the-outside, meaty-on-the-inside texture.
- Peanut Butter Substitute: Technically, you can use almond butter or another nut or seed butter as a substitute for the peanut butter here. The sauce will taste a bit different but will still be good.
- Mix and Match the Vegetables: One of the best things about stir fry recipes is that they’re always flexible. Swap the veggies in the recipe for whatever fresh vegetables you already have on hand, or use the bag of frozen mixed vegetables in your freezer (no need to thaw them ahead of time). If you need ideas, edamame, baby corn, cauliflower florets, green beans, and snap peas are all delicious in stir fries.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Peanut Ginger Stir Fry with Tofu (Easy + 30-min)
Ingredients
For the Tofu and Stir Fry:
- 1 16 ounce block super firm tofu*
- Cooking spray if air frying
- 1 tablespoons cooking oil plus 1 more if pan-frying
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger about 1”
- 3-5 cloves garlic minced
- 3-5 green onions sliced; white and green parts separated
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 2 carrots thinly sliced
- 2 small or 1 large head of broccoli; stem peeled and finely sliced and florets cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup salted peanuts chopped (for serving)
- Cooked rice or noodles for serving (optional)
For the Peanut Ginger Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or sub maple syrup
- 1-3 teaspoons sriracha adjust based on your spice preference
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Prep: Slice the tofu in half lengthwise, then quarter each “slab” and cut into triangles (you can also just cube the tofu, but I prefer triangles for pan-frying).
- Make the Sauce: Add the soy sauce to a large jar or glass measuring cup along with the peanut butter, rice vinegar, sugar, sriracha, water, and cornstarch. Give everything a good whisk, until the sugar dissolves into the liquid. Set aside.
- Cook the Tofu: Using one of the following methods
- Pan-Fry (less dishes): Warm a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil, or enough to lightly cover the base of the pan. Add the tofu and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until crispy. Remove from the pan, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside. Add 1 additional tablespoon of oil and proceed with step 2.
- Air Fry (faster prep): Line the basket of your air fryer with parchment paper and arrange the tofu so it does not touch. Lightly spray the tofu with cooking spray and a sprinkle of salt, then flip and repeat with the other side. Air Fry at 415F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tofu is golden. While the tofu cooks you can warm a work or large sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil, then proceed with step 2
- Aromatics: Add the ginger, garlic, and white portions of the green onion to the preheated pan and sauté for 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant.
- Stir Fry: Add the bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli stems and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the bell pepper is tender. Add the broccoli florets, and sauté for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until bright green.
- Make it Saucy: Add the cooked tofu to the pan with the veggies. Give the stir fry sauce one final whisk to re-incorporate the cornstarch, then pour it over the tofu. Mix well and sauté for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the tofu is cooked to your liking.
- Serve & Store: Serve the warm stir fry over cooked rice or noodles and top with the reserved green onion and chopped peanuts. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Tofu: I like to use the vacuum-packed super firm tofu for this recipe because it doesn’t require any pressing, only draining! You can also use extra firm tofu, but I’d recommend pressing it first, or at least firmly patting it dry with a towel. The extra firm tofu will need an additional 5 to 10 minutes to crisp up in the air fryer to account for the extra moisture.
- Time-Saving Hacks: Use a mandolin to cut all of your veggies to reduce the prep time, and air-fry the tofu while you are prepping the sauce and veggies to minimize total cook time! If you want to save even more time you can buy pre-fried tofu, then just slice it up and warm it in the pan with the other veggies and sauce in step 6.
