This vegan (baked, air fried, OR) pan-fried tofu with peanut sauce is hearty, wholesome, and super versatile! Serve over a bed of spinach and grains, transform into a stir-fry, peanut tofu noodles, and more! All you need is a few simple ingredients and 10 minutes of cooking time (pan-fried) for this frugal but delicious gluten-free, dairy-free lunch/ dinner recipe with tofu!
Whether you’re looking for a low-effort vegan lunch/dinner recipe with tofu or a restaurant-quality meal at a fraction of the price – this fried tofu with peanut sauce has it all! It's creamy, rich, and satisfying while packed with plant-based protein, iron, calcium, etc. Even better, this peanut tofu recipe is impressively versatile!
In fact, we've included methods for pan-fried, air-fried, or baked tofu with peanut sauce. There are also tons of ways to adapt this recipe. Serve it as a simple appetizer (perfect for potlucks!), main alongside the grain of your choice, or adapt it to a peanut tofu stir-fry or peanut tofu noodles – the options are plentiful. Even better, this dish makes for a great 'clear out the fridge/pantry' meal, perfect for using up leftover veggies, grains, etc to avoid waste.
Here at plant-based on a budget, we love adding flavorful tofu to all our meals. And with tons of options, like buttery lemon tofu, sweet and salty tofu bites, lemon-basil tofu, we’re not going to get bored any time soon! This time we’re taking inspiration from Thailand/Malaysia for a creamy, spicy, nutty peanut butter tofu.
Peanut butter sauces are incredibly popular in Asian cuisine, but unfortunately, supermarket sauce options in the US are usually pricey, chemical-laden, and provide lackluster results. With just a few pantry staples, though, you can pull together a far superior spicy peanut butter sauce from home. Pair that with crispy tofu, spinach (and/or extra veggies), and a grain of your choice, for a simple but impressive crowd-pleasing meal!
Estimated cost per serving: $1.25!
Looking for more flavor-packed ways to enjoy tofu? You might also enjoy this garlic-ginger tofu, sweet and spicy glazed tofu, or pineapple glazed tofu! You might also enjoy our beginners guide to tofu!
For this particular recipe, we used the below to serve alongside the fried tofu with peanut sauce. However, keep reading for recipe add-ins and variations!
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions.
For Air Fried Tofu: You can follow this process for air fried tofu then combine it with the remaining elements to serve.
For Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce: After pressing the tofu, coat it with the oil and soy sauce. Then toss with around 1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch for a light dusting (remove any excess- this will help produce crispier baked tofu) and the salt and pepper. Then bake in the oven at 400F/205C for 25-30 minutes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, flipping once halfway. You can then serve the baked tofu with peanut sauce OR transfer both to a pan and sauté until the sauce is warm and the tofu thoroughly coated.
You could optionally half-bake the tofu before adding the sauce and continuing to bake. However, the tofu won't become as crispy this way, and the sauce can burn to the pan where it touches and cause wastage.
If you’re interested in more simple tofu stir-fry recipes, you might also enjoy this spicy sesame tofu stir-fry, shiitake asparagus tofu stir-fry, sweet coconut Thai tofu stir-fry, or lime tofu with green beans!
This fried tofu with peanut sauce is very meal-prep friendly. Firstly, you can prepare the peanut sauce 5-7 days in advance and store it in the fridge (a slight separation is normal with natural peanut butter). Alternatively, you can freeze it (in portions) for between 2-3 months.
You can also pre-cook the tofu and/or veggies store them in the fridge for 3-5 days before assembling with the sauce. Then, when you want to enjoy the peanut butter tofu, reheat the tofu using your method of choice (pan, air fryer, or oven) until it crisps up again.
Once prepared, store the leftover coated tofu in peanut sauce in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Then, reheat the peanut sauce tofu either on the stovetop or in the microwave (the tofu won't be as crispy when reheating).
If you’re still struggling for more ideas of what to make with tofu, here are some of our favorite tofu recipes:
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
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