Mapo Tofu

This easy vegan mapo tofu recipe takes just 25 minutes to make from start to finish! It’s spicy, saucy, and loaded with plant-based protein.

Course 30 Minute Meals, Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 242

1 tablespoon oil a neutral, high smoke point oil like sunflower, grapeseed, safflower, avocado oil or even olive oil
2 crumbled Beyond Meat burgers or vegan meat replacement of choice or 2 cups diced mushrooms
½ cup diced mushrooms if you're using mushrooms only above you can leave this out or honestly just use it up if you have a bit more
2 knobs fresh ginger for 1 tablespoon minced ginger
5 cloves garlic for 1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup diced scallion whites
1 tablespoon douban sauce chili bean paste
1 tablespoon chili oil I usually just drain some off from the jar like Fly by Jing's jar
1 teaspoon ground Szechuan pepper seasoning I love nom nom paleo's own
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar more or less to taste
1 cup vegetable broth or mix 1 cup of water + 1 teaspoon of stock liquid (such as Yondu) or stock cube, add more water if you want yours saucier
cornstarch slurry 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 pound firm silken tofu excess water drained, sliced in half length wise, then into cubes
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil to add near the end for flavour
1/4 cup diced scallion greens for topping

Heat the oil in a wok or pan over medium to medium high heat.
Add in your vegan meat (or mushroom substitute) and mushrooms. Sauté over medium high heat until vegan meat is completely cooked and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
In a separate pot, start boiling the water. Salt the pot well.
To the vegan meat and mushrooms, add in aromatics - ginger, garlic and scallion whites. Stir to combine and cook for about 3 minutes until fragrant.
Then add in douban sauce, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn seasoning, soy sauce, and sugar to the vegan meat mixture. Stir to combine, about 1-2 minutes.
Finish the mapo tofu sauce by adding in the vegetable broth/seasoned water and the cornstarch slurry. Mix thoroughly to combine and thicken.
When the sauce is nearly finished, boil the cubed tofu in the salted water for about 1-2 minutes. Scoop it out, shake off excess water, and add to the mix, stirring gently to combine with the sauce.
Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired. Top with toasted sesame oil and diced scallion greens. Serve over white rice and enjoy!

Refrigerator: Store leftover mapo tofu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: You can also freeze mapo tofu for up to 3 months, either in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Warm leftovers in a pan set over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through.