Do you like breakfast for dinner? Me too! Let’s be friends. Simple Tofu Scramble is on the menu!
This is tofu for people who think they don’t like tofu. It really looks like a veggie scramble that you’d get at any good diner. And while it doesn’t taste exactly like eggs, it’s so tasty you won’t even care. Heck, you might even think it’s better! The first time I made a tofu scramble, Michael said, “who needs eggs?”. When I made this specific dish, and I asked my trademark “do you like it?” question 3 bites in, he said, “I just wish I had more.”
So there you have it – husband stamp of approval. In fairness, it didn’t hurt that I served it with roasted potatoes and homemade non-dairy sour cream.
There are a bajillion tofu scramble recipes out there – I swear it’s like a vegan rite of passage to make it. But for many, it’s still a foreign concept, so I wanted to share my favorite simple recipe. Even with the roasted potato side, it comes together in less than an hour from cutting board to plate. It’s all about the order of operations (I sound like a math teacher).
Let’s start with the basics.
From left, clockwise: Extra firm tofu, broccoli, mushrooms, tomato, and seasonings – nutritional yeast, cumin, salt, turmeric, and smoked paprika. Pretend there is half an onion in the photo. Hey, did you notice that something is missing? Oil. Yep. No oil of any kind is used in this recipe and you will. not. miss. it. You doubt? Read on.
Now, let’s talk potatoes. Yukon Golds are where it’s at. They roast up beautifully without a drop of oil and the interiors are creamy, smooth, and buttery. You need them in your life. Sometimes I roast them just with salt and pepper, but this time I added a no-salt seasoning blend from Costco as well. It’s good stuff.
On the left, we have raw potatoes with no oil whatsoever. On the right, those same potatoes after their time-out in the hot box. Again, no oil. Don’t they look crispy and delicious? That’s because THEY ARE.
Ok, ok, potatoes are all well and good, but what about the mushrooms? Don’t you need oil to cook MUSHROOMS?
Nope.
The mushrooms and onions pictured above were cooked in a nonstick skillet with absolutely no oil or fat of any kind. That right there is natural caramelization. Pretty darn amazing, right?
So here’s my skinny jeans tip: If you don’t need oil to cook something, don’t use any oil. I know. It’s mind-blowing, right? You’re welcome.
So at this point you’ll have your potatoes roasting away in the oven, and your mushrooms and onions all beautifully caramelized in the pan. While the mushrooms were cooking, you chopped up the broccoli and tomatoes, or whatever veggies you decided to use. Using a heat-safe spatula, remove the mushroom and onion mixture to a small bowl. Add a 1/4 cup of water to the pan and use the spatula to deglaze the pan and get the yummy flavor morsels left over from the mushrooms and onions into the water. Add the broccoli and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until just crisp-tender. Remove the broccoli from the pan and add it to the mushroom/onions. I don’t have a picture of the broccoli (hangs head in shame).
(imagine picture of cooked broccoli here)
Now, the tofu! Woo hoo! Ah, versatile, capable tofu. On it’s own, it is pretty darn bland. So that’s why we’re going to flavor it up with a wet marinade and cook it so it soaks that marinade in and flavors every bite.
You’ll want to use extra-firm or firm tofu for this recipe. Choose a variety from the refrigerated section that’s packed in water. You don’t want it if it says “silken” on the box – the texture will be more like a custard, not great for this application. I used extra-firm sprouted tofu from Trader Joe’s, but you should be able to find what you need at any decently stocked grocery store.
Mix up the seasonings with 1/2 cup of water in a small bowl. Drain the tofu and crumble it up into small pieces. You can use your hands, a fork, a potato masher, whatever you have. I used this, because it’s my favorite multi-tasker tool in the kitchen right now. My sweet sister-in-law bought it for me when we went on a shopping spree to stock up her kitchen equipment, so it has special meaning too. I think of you every time I use it, Lisa, which is often! 🙂
Over medium-high heat, cook the tofu with the marinade for 5 minutes or so, stirring often until the marinade is absorbed and there is very little liquid left in the pan. If the tofu appears to be too dry, add a tablespoon of water to moisten it. Add in the cooked veggies and stir to combine and heat through, about 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Plate it up with the potatoes and top the scramble with chopped fresh tomato and some scallions.
Oh, and by the way, I’m experimenting with a soy-free option that’s packed with plant protein! Here’s a sneak peek at the surprise ingredient I’m testing out.
Hand modeling by Vida. Isn’t she a natural? 🙂
Stay tuned for updates on the soy-free version! But to wrap up, here’s the simple tofu scramble in all its glory.
Simple Tofu Scramble – enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! It’s really good. I hope you try it! If you do, please oh please tag it with hashtag #eatwithinyourmeans on Instagram! You would make me super duper happy. Thanks and bon appetit!
Simple Tofu Scramble with Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 12-14 ounces Extra-firm or firm tofu (drained and crumbled)
- 2-3 pounds yukon gold potatoes (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 1/2 small yellow onion (diced)
- 1 small head of broccoli (chopped into small florets (save stalk for another use))
- 8 ounces crimini or button mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 to mato (seeded and chopped)
- 2 scallions (thinly sliced)
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Scrub potatoes and cut into 1 inch chunks and lay out on a rimmed cookie sheet in a single layer.
- Season potatoes with salt and pepper and any additional desired seasoning (I used a no-salt blend)
- Place on the middle or top rack of the oven for 25 minutes.
For the Tofu Scramble
- Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Dice the onion and add to the skillet, cook for 2-3 minutes until just starting to brown.
- With a damp paper towel, wipe off any dirt from the mushrooms and slice them thinly.
- Add to the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes, until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, chop up the broccoli and tomatoes.
- When the mushrooms and onions are browned, remove from the pan, set aside.
- Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, using a heat-safe spatula to scrape up any of the leftover bits of onion. Add the chopped broccoli to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain off any water that hasn't evaporated and add the broccoli to the mushrooms/onions.
- Crumble the tofu and add it to the pan.
- Mix 1/2 cup of water with the seasonings and pour over the tofu.
- Cook the tofu until the seasoning mixture has been absorbed and there is very little liquid left in the pan, 3-5 minutes. If the tofu appears dry, add a tablespoon of water.
- Add in the veggies and stir to combine. Cook until heated through and any excess liquid has evaporated, 2-3 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.
- Top with chopped tomato and scallion and serve alongside the roasted potatoes.
Nutrition
Serves 4.
I have yet to make a tofu scramble, even though (as you said) there are so many recipes for it. I love that yours has roasted potatoes! Everything is better with roasted potatoes, especially when you have breakfast for dinner. 😉
I think it’s like seitan – on the never-ending “to make” list. As for potatoes, it’s not breakfast without them, at least for me. 🙂
Great photos, Beth! Definitely trying this recipe out. Cheers!
Thanks, Dana! I thought you might be interested in this one, as I know you had been wanting to venture into tofu scramble territory. Next I want to make your omelette! 🙂
I have wanted to try tofu scramble for awhile; it just sounds so intriguing! When I do have it, I will definitely try your version first!
Thanks for the tip about the oil! I have suspected for awhile that many of veggies and things could be roasted, “sautéed”, etc. and be just as delicious (if not more so) minus the oil, but I felt kind of like some sort of heretical, health-freak, fat-paranoid cook to even suggest it. I am SO glad that your testing and experienced taste buds support my hunch! 🙂
I love Vida’s foray into the world of food photography…she *is* a natural!! 😉 Hugs!
This seems perfect for me! I’m one of those people who aren’t big fans of tofu, so your shout out in the beginning totally called to me haha! A good scramble for breakfast sounds too perfect right now. I need to pick up the ingredients for this the next time I’m at the store!
Hi Christine! Let me know if you try it! 🙂
We made this the other night and it was amazing.
Only made a few changes/additions:
Omitted green onion. Added orange bell pepper, a cup of leftover shredded carrots, and garlic powder. And since we’re not vegans and love cheese, we added extra sharp cheddar on top. We also mixed the potatoes in at the end. Extremely delicious.
The flavors were great and we’ll be making it again this weekend.
Heads up to people who are using a small nonstick pan, the cooking time might be longer than a half hour since it’ll take longer for liquid to evaporate/be adsorbed.
I think this is my favorite recipe so far Beth.
Thanks again!
Thanks for making this, and for such a great review! I’m so glad you all enjoyed. You’re becoming one of my chief recipe testers, absolutely love it!
Sweet deal. I like testing your recipes 🙂 I took left overs of this and rolled them up in habanero tortillas from Trader Joe’s with some ketchup and siracha. It made for a really awesome breakfast.
Ooooooh, that sounds amazing!
This is officially my new go-to marinade for tofu scramble. I’ve never thought to use seasonings as a liquid and it works SO well! If you’re in super lazy mode (who me?) you can just skip everything but the tofu and it’s still delicious, lol. Though perhaps not quite as healthy. I hadn’t used frozen hash browns in awhile but like I said, I was in super lazy mode, and used those as a side. Trust me, don’t do it, they are mushy and horrible. Which is funny because I lived on them through college. I’m ruined by oven roasted potatoes and can never go back. Next time will make the effort. Give this a try, change it up how you want, it’s delicious.
Yay! So glad you liked it! I still have a special place in my heart for frozen hash browns. I ate them like crazy when I was pregnant with Vida, but I don’t seem to crave them anymore. They still call out to me when I’m out for breakfast and they’re on the menu. 🙂
My first ever time trying tofu scramble of any kind – I will never, ever want scrambled eggs again! Absolutely delicious.
I’m a bit behind on replies, but I wanted to thank you for sharing your feedback! I am tickled pink that you enjoyed the recipe so much. Thank you for letting me know!
This was awesome!! The only thing I changed was I swapped a red pepper for the tomato. I will definitely keep this recipe in rotation.
I tried this and it was excellent. My family insists that I do it again tomorrow. Easy, simple and deliciously healthy.
Hi Joy! Firstly, so sorry for the delayed response to your wonderful comment. Secondly, I’m thrilled that your family loved this recipe! Makes my heart happy. 🙂
Thank you. On a recent trip to Florida, I had the most delicious tofu scramble with roasted potatoes and I wanted to try an oil-free, less salty version at home. Your recipe made it so easy. I really like the way you laid it out so that I could chop as I went along instead of having to prep everything ahead of time. It’s delicious and it made enough for me to have it again tomorrow night. (I added small pieces of cooked sweet potatoes and some finely chopped purple cabbage since the version I had at the restaurant had those too.) Thank you very much. I’ll be making this regularly from now on.
This was SO very good! Love the flavors! Hubby is not a tofu lover but did not complain! I had previously purchased the salt-free spice mix from Costco and was unsure how to use it- hashbrowns are the perfect application for it!!
Oh, I’m so glad you loved it, Angela! Especially glad it went over well with your non-tofu-loving husband. 🙂 I have that salt-free mix from Costco too, I will try it on hashbrowns, yum!
Hands down the best tofu scramble I have eaten! Only had a 10oz container of grilled tofu in my refrigerator but it was enough and it all turned out delicious!!
Thank you for the drool worthy recipe!
I’ve not made your recipe yet. However, I have made tofu scrambles in the past and do like it. Your’s sounds good and I will be making it in the future. I know cooking without oil is the rage these days. I went through that many years ago. But, since then I’ve learned that we need healthy oils and fats to help our bodies absorb the fat soluble vitamins so I usually use olive oil or avocado oil on my roasted vegetables or stir fries. It also aids in smooth skin. Since I don’t use salt I’ll be using quite a few seasonings on the dish. Depending on my mood at the time. But the basic ingredients are good. So, I know I’ll like it. This is the first time I’ve been on your site. I don’t know how to use Instagram so can’t hastag you there. Sorry. Karey Spirit
i’d love to rate your recipe without going through all the hoops of comments etc, it is annoying …
Hey Sarah, I totally get that! I’m not familiar with an option to rate a recipe without leaving a comment, but if I find one I’ll certainly add it here! Thanks for the five stars anyway. 🙂
Hi Beth- I just found you and spent the weekend printing/saving recipes. I have a question on the instructions on this one. You mention that you use ‘this’ multitask tool from your sister in law to crumble the tofu, but for the life of me- I read back through twice and don’t see the tool pictured or mentioned. I’m dying to know what it is! 🙂
The texture of the tofu turned out amazing. I’ve made several versions of this from other recipes and none have recommended adding water to the spice mixture… this turned out to be key! It turns out so fluffy, moist and flavorful. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Thanks for this amazing recipe! I’d love to know how the experimenting went with the non-tofu version.