Asian Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry
Jan 23, 2020, Updated May 23, 2023
Vegan and gluten-free Asian style Tofu Broccoli Stir-fry is an easy meal for busy days which gets done in 30 minutes or less!
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Asian style Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry with Cashews!
This vegan and gluten-free dish gets done in less than 30 minutes.
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If you guys have been following me for a while, you would know that I love Asian inspired recipes.
Other than Indian, these recipes are what I share most on the blog.
I love them not only their flavors but also for the ease of making them.
Whether it’s Honey Cashew Tofu, Kung Pao Tofu or Chickpeas or this Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry.
They are quick, flavorful and make a hearty meal.
I often pair them with brown rice or quinoa. They are great for lunch-boxes or meal-prep too.
Today’s recipe of Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry is yet another favorite of mine!
Well, anything with broccoli in it has to be my favorite, though Sarvesh will beg to differ!
This Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry
✓ gets done in less than 30 minutes
✓ is vegan and gluten-free
✓ great way to include broccoli in your diet
✓ pairs well with rice, noodles or quinoa
I always use extra-firm tofu for such Asian recipes.
It absorbs the flavors so much better plus I like the texture of extra-firm tofu in stir-fry anyway.
Start with pressing the tofu for 15 to 20 minutes. This helps in getting rid of excess moisture and the tofu absorbs the flavor better.
While the tofu is being pressed, stir all the ingredients for the sauce together and chop the garlic, ginger and broccoli.
It only takes 15 to 20 minutes to put it all together once the tofu is ready to go. Talk about easy dinner, right?
This tofu broccoli stir-fry recipe is vegan and gluten-free. I have used tamari in place of soy sauce to keep it gluten-free.
But of course, you may use soy sauce in place.
The sauce for the stir-fry is pretty simple – it’s just tamari, rice vinegar, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil and cornstarch (to thicken it up).
If you want to add some spice, you can add a teaspoon of hot sauce to it.
I like to garnish the dish with green onion, roasted cashews and white sesame seeds.
The cashews add a nice crunch to the dish however they are optional and you may skip if you like.
Serving Suggestions
I love this stir-fry with brown rice.
It also pairs well with white jasmine rice or quinoa or noodles.
If you want to keep it low carb, even cauliflower rice is a good option.
Method
Press tofu with a heavy object for 15 to 20 minutes, then cut into cubes. Toss tofu cubes with 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon each of white pepper powder and salt. Set aside.
1- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the cornstarch tossed tofu cubes to the skillet in single layer.
2- Cook until each side is golden-brown, around 5 to 6 minutes each side. Remove tofu from the skillet into a plate.
3- Meanwhile, in a measuring jar or bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce- tamari, rice vinegar, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.
4- To the same skillet in which the tofu was pan-fried, now add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add in the chopped garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute until the garlic and ginger start changing color.
5- Then add in the broccoli florets along with 4 tablespoons of water.
6- Stir and cover the skillet with a lid. Steam the broccoli for 2 minutes on medium heat.
7- Remove the lid and stir in the prepared sauce. It will start to thicken immediately.
8- Stir in the pan-fried tofu and turn off the heat. Mix until all the tofu and broccoli is well coated with the sauce. Add in the roasted cashews and green onion.
Garnish the tofu broccoli stir-fry with sesame seeds and serve warm with rice!
If you’ve tried this Asian Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Asian Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 8 oz extra-firm tofu cut into cubes
- 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1.5 tablespoon oil divided, I used avocado oil
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 4-5 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 cup broccoli florets small to medium size florets
- 4 tablespoons water 60 ml
- 2-3 tablespoons cashews roasted, optional
- green onions chopped, to garnish
- white sesame seeds to garnish
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tamari 45 ml, or use soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 15 ml
- 1.5 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 5 ml
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water 30 ml
Instructions
- Press tofu with a heavy object for 15 to 20 minutes, then cut into cubes. Toss tofu cubes with 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon each of white pepper powder and salt. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the cornstarch tossed tofu cubes to the skillet in single layer.Cook until each side is golden-brown, around 5 to 6 minutes each side. Remove tofu from the skillet into a plate.
- Meanwhile, in a measuring jar or bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce- tamari, rice vinegar, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.
- To the same skillet in which the tofu was pan-fried, now add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add in the chopped garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute until the garlic and ginger start changing color.
- Then add in the broccoli florets along with 4 tablespoons of water. Stir and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook/steam the broccoli for 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Remove the lid and stir in the prepared sauce. It will start to thicken immediately.
- Stir in the pan-fried tofu and turn off the heat. Mix until all the tofu and broccoli is well coated with the sauce. Add in the roasted cashews and green onion.
- Garnish the tofu broccoli stir-fry with sesame seeds and serve warm with rice!
Notes
- You may use soy sauce in place of tamari. This dish just don't be gluten-free then.
- If you don't have cashews, you can even add peanuts here.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had dinner on the table in about 20 minutes and the stir fry turned out beautifully. I love that the tofu and broccoli are done in the same pan (easier cleanup!). I didn’t have time to make rice so I quickly cooked up some brown rice noodles as a base. I added slices of red bell pepper towards the end and topped with black sesame seeds and red chilli flakes – beautiful!
Hello,
We’ve loved many of your recipes. Usually, I just bake my tofu because when I saute it I make a greasy mess. I’m curious, what type of saute pan do you use?
Hi Jamie, I used a cast iron pan, it works well for frying tofu
I Love this Recipe !! It’s exactly the taste I was looking for. The only things I did differently was I added sliced mushrooms with the broccoli and didn’t add any Nuts.
Will definitely make this again and again !!
I’m always on the look out for Gluten Free and Asian Tofu Recipes😊
I used my Tea Kettle filled w/water to press my Tofu which was wrapped in paper towels, it worked great.
Excellent, quick and healthy! Great directions, thanks
so glad you enjoyed it Laura!
The recipe and the pics looks great but I couldn’t get it remotely close to what you showed. The cornstarch didn’t stick nicely to the tofu so the pan fried results weren’t good.
Then the sauce somehow was sticky and didn’t quite seep in to give the flavor. Bottomline I enjoyed it for a few days as my boys didn’t want it 🙂
hmm not sure what went wrong, it’s a pretty straight forward recipe and I make it often 🙂 Please make sure to firmly press the tofu for 20 to 30 minutes before using in the recipe. Thanks for trying!
Hi Manali! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will be trying this very soon! However, do you have a video or can you make one, for how to correctly pressing a tofu? Whenever, I do, somehow the moisture still remains this making it difficult for me to pan fry the tofu. Also, when I pan fry my tofu with super firm tofu, it still tends to break easily? Is that due to the moisture that is still in the tofu?
if you have a tofu press it works well. else place a can of beans and let it sit for 20-30 mins (wrap tofu in paper towel first/cheesecloth first) it should be fine.
Ms. Manali – you are some kind of genius. I consider myself a capable chef, but decent stir-fry’s in my home without a proper rip-roaring flame and carbon steel wok have eluded me. Your approach here is quite different than most recipes, and the sauce is very well-proportioned and balanced. You’ve armed me with a new framework to make my wife happy about chinese-american takeout-style “stir fry”. I can’t wait to try different vinegars like the authentic Pearl River Bridge Red Vinegar I picked up the other day. I’ve purchased your cookbook now, so consider me a fan!
thanks so much! I am so glad to know that you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Love this recipe!
glad to know
I tried this recipe. Liked how it turned out. It was simple to make and quick. Thank you.
Last week was my week to make stir fry. I had lots of veggies and so I made 2 from other blogs before I tried yours. It wasn’t even close, yours was the best. The sauce is great, not overwhelming as most are and just the right amount. Also very low oil. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Welcome Debbie 🙂 so glad to hear that!