These Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls are a meal prep / weeknight dinner life-saver! Crispy tofu, roasted veggies, fluffy rice, and a spicy sweet peanut sauce all over top.
Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls
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Love this recipe! So easy and delicious. I make it nearly every week and change up the veggies. Great leftovers for lunch too! Thank you!
donna
Video To Make These Tofu Bowls
These Tofu Bowls Are A Fan-Favorite.
If you asked me what I eat when I’m just being regular me in my regular life, like, not trying to make anything impressive for a blog or a brand partner or a cool Instagram picture, I would say PEANUT TOFU BOWLS.
This has been my real-life meal prep lifesaver over the last few months.
And it is complex in salty-sweet flavor and sticky-crunchy texture, and loaded with nutritious good stuff, but also quite simple.
There are just a few steps to move through – whisk (or blend) up a peanut sauce, bake the tofu and veggies, get some rice going in the rice cooker, and then assemble it all together in bowls.
My whole family loves this (the peanut sauce can do not wrong) and it makes for a really easy weeknight meal. Also: the leftovers are really delicious if you want to do some meal prep!
So easy, so low-key, SO VERY DELICIOUS! My favorite way to roll.
Hope you love this tofu bowl as much as I do!
How To Make Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls
Step 1: Make a sheet pan of tofu (don’t wanna bake? other methods here).
Step 2: Make a sheet pan of veggies.
Step 3: Whip up a peanut sauce. If you love yourself, make a double batch so you can freeze some for later.
Step 4: Make rice. Assemble. And serve. Or pack away for lunches!
Swaps and Substitutions
Could you:
- use chicken instead? yes.
- try mushrooms or green beans or carrots instead? yes.
- air fry your tofu? yes.
- use cauliflower rice or quinoa? yes.
- use almond butter instead of peanut butter? yes.
- use a different sauce altogether, like any one of these sauces? yes.
Really, this is a recipe, but this is also a lifestyle. And I say that with only 5% facetiousness.
How To Make Tofu Crispy
If I’m going to make tofu, I need crispiness. I need CRUNCH. Here are some tips to make this happen.
- Press your tofu. Use paper towels and something heavy, or get a tofu press. (affiliate link) The less water, the more crispy it will be.
- Store tofu in the freezer. Thaw the day before in the fridge, drain, and press water out as usual. You’ll be able to get more water out that way, and you’ll be left with tofu that has a slightly drier, chewier texture.
- Use cornstarch. This recipe calls for cornstarch on the tofu, and it’s what helps it get a nice crispy crust on it. Highly recommend the extra step/ingredient!
- Use an air fryer. If you have an air fryer, this is a great way to use it! Follow the steps in this recipe (skip nutritional yeast and spice blend) to make the tofu.
- OR Turn on convection bake. If you have a convection setting on your oven, try it out! Just lower the temperature by about 25 degrees to ensure you don’t burn it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could I use a different protein like chicken?
Yes! I’d follow the chicken treatment in these peanut chicken noodle bowls to replace the tofu.
Can I use other veggies?
Yes! Mushrooms, green beans, and carrots also work beautifully.
Is the peanut sauce spicy?
Not too spicy! I’d rate it as mild. If you’re spicy-averse, just dial back the sambal / chili paste.
Can I air fry the tofu?
Yep! I would follow this recipe, but omit the nutritional yeast and spice mix.
I’m allergic to peanuts. Can I use something else?
You could use almond butter or cashew butter instead. It won’t taste quite the same, but it would be the best alternative to peanut butter!
Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
These Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls are a meal prep / weeknight dinner life-saver! Crispy tofu, roasted veggies, fluffy rice, and a spicy sweet peanut sauce all over top. YES.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Bowls:
- 2 blocks of extra firm tofu
- 1–2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 small (or 1 large) head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
Peanut Sauce:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil (toasted or dark)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sambal oelek or chili paste (this is where the “spicy” comes in, so add to taste)
- 2 tablespoons sugar, honey, or agave
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Press liquid out of the tofu. Cube tofu and toss (gently) with the cornstarch until coated. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Arrange broccoli and peppers on another baking sheet. Drizzle all with olive oil and salt. Roast both pans at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until tofu is slightly crisped and broccoli is roasty and delicious.
- While the tofu and broccoli are roasting, cook the rice.
- Also, make the sauce by blending everything in a blender or food processor.
- Serve tofu and broccoli with rice and a good drizzle of peanut sauce. YUM!
Notes
For an exceptionally dry and chewy tofu, keep your tofu in the freezer! Thaw the day before in the fridge, drain, and press water out as usual. You’ll be able to get more water out that way, and you’ll be left with tofu that has a slightly drier, chewier texture that many people (myself included) find very very delicious.
To get your tofu a little browned, put it on the top rack of the oven, just a few inches from the heat source.
Keeps amazingly well as leftovers – I keep mine for a full 5 days!
I topped my bowls with black sesame seeds to make it extra pretty.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Keywords: tofu recipe, peanut tofu, tofu bowl, vegan meal prep, vegetarian meal prep
Three More Seriously Good Tofu Bowls
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of favorite peanut butter recipes. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Bowls Dairy-Free Dinner Fall Gluten-Free Healthy Main Dishes Meal Prep Peanut Butter Quick and Easy Recipes Rice Tofu Vegan Vegetarian
November 18, 2019
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I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Looks delish! In instruction no. 1 where you say “drizzle with olive oil and salt” After you drizzle do you toss the tofu with the olive oil to get it coated evenly on all the pieces? Or do you just drizzle and leave it?
Hi Andrea! Yep, you can just toss the tofu with the olive oil and salt and put it right on the baking sheet. Enjoy!
Isn’t it the vegetables that are drizzled with the oil? The instructions say the tofu is just tossed with the cornstarch.
Hi Nicole! You should drizzle both the vegetables and tofu with oil. Enjoy!
I’m so entranced by these prep videos😂
These peanut tofu bowls…absolutely speechless by how simple yet stunning they look! This is a sauce recipe I would make time and time again FOR SURE–who doesn’t love peanut sauce?
We agree! What’s not to love about peanut sauce?
Thank you for your information, it’s really very useful
Mouthwatering dish !! I will surely make this recipe. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe 😄
Enjoy, Sam!
Omg this is so yummy.. So simple yet delicious.
Glad you enjoyed these tofu bowls, Arpita!
I don’t usually rate recipes, but made these bowls tonight and couldn’t not. It was so good and easy.. It will definitely go into our rotations.
Love it! Thanks for sharing, Lorraine! 🙂
Lorraine,
Thanks for rating after you made and ate the meal! It’s comments like yours that REALLY help! 🙂
Loved this! This is the perfect kind of weeknight meal for my family. Versatile, healthy, and simple to prepare. I added a cubed chicken breast to the sheet pan to appease the carnivores and customized the veggies so everyone was happy. I will say my daughter and I did not prefer the texture of the roasted tofu over pan-friend, but I plan to try the freezing trick next time.
The perfect weeknight meal! Glad you enjoyed this, Molly!
This was absolutely delicious and very easy to make! We added broccoli, cauliflower and carrots since we did not have red peppers on hand. Had to add about a tb of water to loosen peanut sauce a bit since it was a little thick. Didn’t lose flavor at all! There was plenty of sauce left over to use with future meals.
Yum! Sounds delicious, Mel!
Oh dear, that’s my kind of food! Thank you so much. The dish seems delicious and full of taste. Thanks for sharing all the ingredients. It is so easy to make and also very healthier.
Enjoy!
thanks for your lovely recipes. and your photos are great. when I find a recipe that I especially want to make and want to save it on my computer, I use the “print friendly” feature. I find it a great tool. However, is there some way in formating that you could include all the nutritional information for the recipe? I am a diabetic and am very cautious regarding the carb and fiber count per serving. If I save the recipe and the counts are a bit high for me, I can adjust how I serve the finished product. But on your site, Print Friendly leaves out the nutrtional information. Help!
Looks delicious! Would you recommend storing everything all together, including the sauce?
We’d suggest storing the peanut sauce in a separate container so that the rest of the ingredients don’t get too soggy. Things will keep better that way. Enjoy! 🙂
I love that sauce so I’m making it tonight! Can you tell me what your favorite large metal mixing bowls and baking sheet pans are?
Sure thing, Cara! These are our favorite baking sheets and we like using these stainless steel mixing bowls (affiliate links).
I’ve done it this weekend, and it was really good. Thank You , I’ll definetly do it again and again…
How have I never baked tofu before?! So crispy, I love it! Peanut sauce is delicious. I have a low spice tolerance so I only used 1 tbsp of chili paste but definitely could have used 2. Highly recommend!
Glad you enjoyed these bowls, Jamie!
Looks great, the possibilities though!
So many possibilities, right? Enjoy, Delaney!
OMG this is SO GOOD and so easy. My boyfriend loves it too. Will be adding it to the rotation.
Yay! So glad to hear you two enjoyed this, Madison!
My family really enjoyed this recipe, including my 7 year old. I added chopped cashews, siracha and green onions as toppings.
Sounds delicious, Amy! Glad you enjoyed the bowls. 🙂
SO SO yummy, the sauce recipe is amazing!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed this, Olivia!
Awesome stuff. Please keep writing more things like this. I really like the fact you went so in depth on this and really explored the topic as much as you did. I read a lot of blogs but usually, it’s pretty shallow content. Thanks for upping the game here!
Hi! I don’t have a food processor to make the sauce!! Any good alternatives to mixing this up?
A blender could work well here instead. 🙂
I didn’t use a blender or food processor bc I didn’t want to wash them. I just used a whisk and minced the garlic and ginger fine. It was great. I wouldn’t use one in the future.
Just made this for dinner, and I’m such a fan already! Was easy to make, and that sauce is to.die.for. Will make this again and again!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed these bowls, Holly! 🙂
Love this recipe! So easy and delicious. I make it nearly every week and change up the veggies. Great leftovers for lunch too! Thank you!
The perfect lunch! Glad you’ve been enjoying these bowls, Donna!
Doubled the recipe and made this for a week’s worth of lunches for my boyfriend & I! It was a very delicious & filling high protein vegetarian meal. Boyfriend gave a rave review as well! Will definitely make again 🙂
Awesome to hear, Bryn!
I’ve made this for meal prep lunches twice since the new year as part of my sugar free January plan (using natural PB & honey in the sauce) and I am seriously addicted! This recipe not only inspired me to learn to cook tofu, but makes me crave it. Plus, all my coworkers are making the sauce now too. Thank you for a perfect EASY meal prep recipe! I’d give it 10 stars if I could.
Will the sauce freeze well if I want to make a double batch? If not, how long will the peanut sauce last in the fridge?
Yep! You can freeze the sauce, Abigail!