This delicious cashew tofu stir-fry is the perfect way to incorporate more plant-based protein into your week! It’s cooked in a sweet stir-fry sauce and filled with crispy tofu, stir-fry veggies and crunchy roasted cashews.
I’m always trying to come up with new ways to eat tofu since its such an affordable protein to keep around, and this meal was definitely a winner.
It’s so flavorful and filled with tons of feel good ingredients like fiber, omega-3 fats and plant-based protein. It’s a great way to clean out the fridge from any vegetables, and totally hits the spot for something comforting.
Stir-fry Tofu & Veggies
This meal comes together in just a few simple steps. Cooking the tofu on the stove takes a little bit more effort and patience than with baking it, but you’ll have one less dish to clean!
Prep the tofu
The first step to this dish is preparing the tofu. I always use extra firm or high-protein tofu when cooking it on a pan. It has less water content, and crisps up much better than firm or soft tofu. I toss the tofu in tapioca flour to help get it crispy, and pan-fry it in olive oil until its brown on all sides
Cook the veggies
Once the tofu is brown, add your veggies into the pan and let them cook for about 15 minutes. I like to cover the pan for 5 minutes to let the veggies steam, then remove the lid for the last 10 minutes
Add in your sauce
The stir-fry sauce gets added with the cashews once the tofu and veggies are cooked. The sauce gets cooked down to form a thick glaze, and the tofu and veggies absorb all of the delicious flavors
How to make a simple stir-fry sauce
This homemade sauce is so easy to whip up, you’ll never need to buy a store-bought sauce again! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Coconut aminos- coconut aminos adds a delicious sweetness to the sauce. Trader joe’s sells it at a very affordable price!
- Pure maple syrup
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha
- Tapioca flour- I use this to thicken the sauce. You can substitute arrowroot flour, cornstarch or regular flour if you don’t need the recipe to be gluten-free
- Salt & pepper
This meal is best served over rice, and can be meal prepped ahead of time for quick and easy lunches for the week.
If you wanted to cook this with a different protein, like chicken or tempeh, you can follow the same cooking methods and swap the tofu for your choice of protein!
This dish was seriously delicious, I can’t wait for you guys to try it!
More tofu recipes you may like:
Spicy Almond Butter Noodles with Sheet-pan Tofu
Crumbled Tofu Tacos with Kale Slaw
Spicy Tofu Lettuce Cups with Peanut Sauce
Cashew Tofu Stir-fry
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour, or sub arrowroot, cornstarch or regular flour
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 large zucchini, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cups roasted cashews, salted
- Salt & pepper
Stir-fry Sauce
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos, or low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 1 tsp sriracha, optional
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (use less if using soy sauce)
Directions
- Pat the tofu dry and cut into cubes. Toss the tofu in a bowl together with the tapioca flour
- Heat a large pan on medium/low heat, then add in 2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Add your tofu into the pan, and cook for 12 minutes. Let it sit without flipping, then after 10 minutes flip the tofu and cook for an additional 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- After about 25 minutes, set the tofu aside in a bowl and add another tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Add in your chopped veggies and season with salt & pepper. Let the veggies cook for 15 minutes, tossing every few minutes until the veggies begin to soften. You can cover the pan to let them steam for 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, add your tofu back into the pan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your sauce ingredients. Once the veggies soften, pour your sauce into the pan with the cashews and let the tofu and veggies cook in the sauce on low for about 5-7 minutes. You can raise the heat to medium to let the sauce thicken.
- Serve fresh over rice or your choice of grain. Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days!
This is incredible! Really easy to put together. I subbed broccoli for the onion because that’s what I had but it turned out perfectly. Can’t wait to eat leftovers this week!
Sounds so good! 🙂
This recipe was DELICIOUS! I don’t like peppers so I left those out but included the rest. Such a great staple.
YAY that makes me so happy!
This is such a great go-to dinner recipe.
Your recipes are always reliable.
Thank you!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one 🙂