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This Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu is made using only 8 ingredients + just over 30 minutes! An Asian-inspired dish that’s crunchy, garlicky, and perfectly spicy!
It’s green bean season and my backyard garden is currently exploding with them. I decided to make this Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu one night after realizing I NEEDED to come up with some tasty ways to enjoy a whole lot of green beans!
As tempted as I was to throw them all into a green bean casserole, I wanted a dish that would highlight the delicious crunch of freshly sautéed green beans. This garlicky green bean stir fry is cooked just enough so that every bite is tender & juicy, but still has that perfect crunch! 🙂
INGREDIENTS + INSPIRATION
This quick and easy Asian-inspired recipe is made from simple ingredients that pack a BIG punch. Spicy garlic & ginger oil coats each green bean, leaving you with massive amounts of flavor! I’d say it’s most similar to a dry Chinese-style stir fry, but with my own personal twist.
The crispy tofu in this recipe is a quick & even easier version of my Crispy Tofu that’s already on the blog. I used super firm tofu and diced it a little finer for this recipe, so it would bake faster in the oven. The super firm tofu is already pre-pressed and ready to go, whereas extra firm tofu has a higher water content. You can definitely still get away with using extra firm tofu here, just be sure to press as much of the liquid out as you can.
HOW TO MAKE GARLIC GREEN BEAN STIR FRY WITH CRISPY TOFU
Making a stir fry is always so satisfying for two reasons: 1) it smells amazing, and 2) it never takes long to make! In fact, the secret to a great stir fry is to cook it quickly. First, you cook the aromatics (like the garlic and ginger), then quickly cook the stir fry veggies until just tender. And as the name suggests, you’ll want to stir it often to make sure everything gets cooked evenly. 🙂
- Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the tofu and soy sauce in a large bowl until evenly coated, then add the nutritional yeast and toss again until coated. Spread the tofu across the baking sheet and bake.
- In a sauté pan or wok, add the garlic and ginger to warm oil and sauté, then add the green beans and continue to sauté. Once the green beans are evenly cooked, turn off the heat and add soy sauce to the pan and stir well. Stir in optional chili oil or sesame seeds.
- Divide onto serving plates and enjoy!
This quick & easy Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu is the perfect weeknight meal to throw together in a hurry. Serve it on its own, or serve it alongside rice (my favorite) or even noodles! You can also add extra veggies if you’d like—bell pepper, onion, or maybe some mushrooms would be a delicious addition to the spicy ginger and garlicky flavors of this dish! This stir fry can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, so feel free to prep it ahead of time for easy weekday lunches or fuss-free dinners.
If you’re looking for more Asian-inspired stir fry recipes, you’ll also love this Garlic Ramen Noodle Stir Fry, this Black Pepper Tofu Stir Fry, and this Vegan “Beef” & Broccoli!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu
This Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu is made with only 8 ingredients + just over 30 minutes! An Asian-inspired dish that’s crunchy, garlicky, and perfectly spicy!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2 to 4 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the Crispy Tofu:
- 16 oz (450 g) super firm tofu*, cut into 1/2” cubes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
For the Green Beans:
- 1 tablespoon high-heat oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1” ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 16 ounces (450 g) green beans, ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- Chili oil, for garnish (optional)
- Cooked rice or noodles, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake the Tofu: add the tofu to a bowl and toss with the soy sauce; once absorbed, add in the nutritional yeast and mix until evenly coated. Spread the tofu across the baking sheet, then bake in the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
- Green Beans: warm the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 45 seconds. Add the green beans to the pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook them evenly. Finally, turn the heat off and add the soy sauce to the pan, stirring well until all of the beans are coated. Add any additional soy sauce to taste, if necessary. You can also stir in chili oil or sesame seeds at this point, if using.
- Serve: Divide the tofu and green beans on serving plates and serve warm. Serve over rice, or as desired. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Tofu: I recommend using super firm tofu, which is pre-pressed and gets crispy faster in the oven. You can also use extra firm tofu, but I recommend pre-pressing it first for a firmer texture.
Keywords: green bean stir fry, vegan stir fry, garlic green beans
I recently returned from a yoga retreat inspired to put more effort into avoiding animal-based products. It’s daunting to reconfigure your arsenal of recipes, so I’ve been compiling vegan or vegetarian recipes that look like I actually won’t have to chop for 45 minutes before I can even start cooking. This recipe is ideal. It doesn’t really require measuring anything, very simple and tastes great. The tofu was delicious. This will definitely be in my weeknight rotation. Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Cindy!
How about suggesting substitutes for nutritional yeast? Would be helpful.
Certainly! Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy and umami flavor to vegan dishes.
Vegan Parmesan:
A blend of ground nuts (like cashews or almonds) with nutritional yeast can create a parmesan-like topping that adds a cheesy flavor. Pulse the nuts and nutritional yeast in a food processor until you get a fine, crumbly texture.
Cashew Cream:
Soak cashews, blend them with a bit of water, and add a pinch of salt. This creamy mixture can add richness to your stir fry.
Sesame Seeds:
Toasted sesame seeds can bring a nutty flavor to the dish, enhancing its overall taste.
Soy Sauce or Tamari:
For an umami kick, you can add a splash of soy sauce or tamari to the stir fry. This won’t replace the cheesy flavor but will add depth.
Dried Mushroom Powder:
Grind dried mushrooms into a powder and use it as a seasoning. It can provide a savory, earthy taste.
Really good. I added some mushrooms (stir fried before the green beans then added in with the tofu and soy sauce and a couple tbsp of chili crisp and served over rice. Great meatless Monday meal
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it, Margaret!
Recipe, video and instructions – 10/10
This is so easy and quick fix dinner, has been on repeat since we saw the reel. My 7yr old also loves this combination, green beans never tasted this good. Thank you!
★★★★★
So happy you loved it!
This worked out perfectly for our family of 4. The tofu is well seasoned, and the green beans were flavorful and delicious.
★★★★★
We love that, Nicole!
Made this today using 8 oz of tofu for 2 servings.
Used frozen green beans, precooking them in the microwave for half the time on package directions.
Also 1 tbsp ground ginger.
Nice meal served over noodles.
★★★★
One of my absolute favourite go-to recipes for a quick weeknight meal! I absolutely love the flavours in this one and it comes together so quick and easy. This has also become mine and my husband’s favourite way to prepare tofu – you have opened our eyes to using nutritional yeast instead of cornstarch for more flavour! 10/10 all around
★★★★★
Thanks for the review, Jill!
Sooooo delicious i’m eating it right now, thank you so much for the recipe!!! Tofu is perfect crispiness.
★★★★★
So happy you like it, Lily!
One of our families favorite recipes! It’s absolutely delicious! Always my go to when I need to have food on the table quickly. We make it almost weekly.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Liina! So happy to hear your family loves the recipe! ♥
Yum. So simple. Love being able to make a whole meal while my little one naps. I did the tofu in the air fryer for 20 mins on 400 and it was perfect! The greenbeans – mmmm! I served it over wheat/ ramen noodles mixed with a little vegan butter and salt. 100% would reccomend.
★★★★★
Thank you for the recommendation, Allie!
I’m very interested in air fryers right now. This could go in there right? I’m so confused on conversion times for air fryers lol. From baking to the air fryer.
This could go in the air fryer but I haven’t tested this recipe using that so I can’t exactly convert the cooking times yet.
We absolutely loved this recipe! Simple and very tasty!
★★★★★
Thank you for the feedback!
This was such a delicious and amazing recipe! I picked up my beans from a local farmers market! I did also add some garlic powder, iodized salt, and smoked paprika to my tofu prior to cooking. I also can’t seem to get tofu to crisp up well when baking (I do press it). I ended up frying it in some oil instead and it worked great! I loved the ginger and garlic combo on the beans. Will definitely be making this again! Thank you for sending this recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the feedback, Colleen! Glad you loved it and I like that you thought of frying the tofu to crisp up. 🙂