My favorite vegan & gluten-free recipe for Black Pepper Tofu & Green Beans is officially here! This recipe is adapted from Dishing out the Health Black Pepper Tofu recipe but is less spicy & contains more veggie goodness! Plus, this vegan tofu stir fry recipe contains only 10 ingredients that can easily be found at most grocery stores. I can solidly say this easy 4-ingredient black pepper sauce makes this tofu stir fry recipe the most delicious vegan weeknight dinner!
The Easiest Black Pepper Tofu Recipe
Can I just say that I NEVER thought making an Asian tofu stir fry sauce at home could be this easy and taste this good? Black Pepper Tofu is one of my favorite recipes to eat as takeout, but I always believed it was too complicated to make at home.
Previously, I’ve tried other recipes for homemade black pepper tofu that were delicious, but contained way too many complicated grocery items. In contrast, this black pepper tofu recipe contains 9 ingredients that can ALL be easily found at your average grocery store! I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just want a really delicious and uncomplicated dinner that can be ready in under 40 minutes. When I want that- I choose this easy tofu stir fry recipe with the most delicious black pepper sauce!
Ingredients Needed for Black Pepper Tofu Stir Fry
First and foremost, here’s a breakdown of the 9 ingredients needed to make a delicious vegan black pepper tofu stir fry:
- 1 14 oz block of FIRM TOFU (make sure firm, not soft or silken)
- Cornstarch (the secret ingredient for crispy tofu!)
- 2 shallots (minced for the best texture!)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped green beans
- Soy sauce (Make sure to use Tamari if you want gluten-free soy sauce!)
- Peppercorn (1 Tbsp- freshly ground)
- Ground Ginger
- Organic sugar (3 Tbsp- make sure it’s organic to be vegan!)
- Sesame Oil (for stir frying the tofu and veggies)
- Optional 10th ingredient- Thai Basil as a topping!
How to Make Black Pepper Tofu & Green Beans
Step 1: Making Crispy Tofu
Now that you have your ingredients on hand, the first step to making this black pepper tofu recipe is cooking the tofu to crispy perfection. In particular, these tips & tricks are sure to give you crispy tofu every time!
One: Make sure the Tofu is Extra Firm & DRY: To do this, slice the tofu in half and press it between two towels or paper towels. Then, let the tofu sit like this for about 10 minutes.
Two: Use the right oil to stir fry. For this recipe, I used sesame oil. It has a higher smoke point meaning it can withstand being cooked at high heat without burning. Besides the desirable smoke point, sesame oil also adds great flavor to this stir fry. In case you can’t find sesame oil, other oils that could work for the recipe include canola, grapeseed, soybean, avocado, or peanut oil.
Three: Use a Wok to Stir Fry. My wok is truly my most BELOVED kitchen appliance. In fact, I use it to cook many other dishes on SGTO like my favorite Vegan Eggplant Lentil Curry . Using a wok helps to distribute heat more evenly while cooking and allows me to use less oil. Win, win!
Four: Cornstarch for Crispiness! Did you know cornstarch makes the best coating to make tofu crispy and browned? For this recipe, I don’t recommend replacing the cornstarch with alternatives like tapioca starch or arrowroot as the tofu won’t get as crispy.
To sum it up, once the tofu is coated with the cornstarch, add 1 Tbsp sesame oil to a wok. Once the oil is hot, add in the tofu and stir fry for 10-15 minutes until brown and crisp. Then, set the tofu aside for later.
Step 2: Make an Easy Homemade Black Pepper Sauce
This easy black pepper sauce can be made in one bowl & contains only 4 ingredients. All you need to do is whisk together the tamari (or soy sauce), sugar, ground ginger, and black pepper together in a small bowl. After that, your sauce is ready to be added to the wok!
In order to keep this recipe gluten-free, I choose Tamari over traditional soy sauce which tends to have wheat added in. Also, I recommend usually a high quality black pepper and grinding it fresh for this recipe. Specifically, I used a Rainbow Peppercorn Blend and love the flavor this black pepper mix bring to this tofu sir fry. If you are trying to stay away from refined sugar, coconut sugar can be used as a 1:1 substitution for organic sugar in this recipe. Also, while I choose ground dried ginger for this recipe, grating in fresh ginger would give this stir fry even more flavor.
P.S- this black pepper sauce can easily be made ahead of time to save some prep time. To do this, make the sauce 2-3 days in advance and keep in the fridge up to 2 days before using. However, if you make the sauce ahead of time, it will need to be whisked again before being added to the stir fry.
Step 3: Stir Fry the Green Beans & Shallots
After you have stir fried the tofu and made the sauce, add more sesame oil to the hot wok. Once the oil is hot, add in the vegetables and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Then, pour in the sauce! Stir fry for another 2 minutes or so to evenly coat the vegetables.
The vegetables I used in this dish are shallots and of course…beloved green beans! For the best texture, I like to cut the ends off my green beans (the stringy part) and then chop each green bean into thirds. When cutting the shallots, I like to finely dice them so they blend into the sauce. Also, a few people have tested this recipe with sliced mushrooms and recommended that as well!
Step 4: Putting It All Together!
As a final step, add the crispy tofu to the wok with the stir fried veggies and black pepper sauce and mix together. The cornstarch from the tofu will help to thicken the sauce a bit, but you’ll also have plenty of sauce leftover to pour on top of rice.
Lastly, top off the vegan black pepper tofu & green bean bowls with fresh Thai basil!
An Easy Vegan Black Pepper & Green Bean Tofu Stir Fry
This Black Pepper Tofu & Green Beans recipe is simple, quick to whip up as a weeknight dinner, and absolutely delicious. Personally, I love that it is a healthy dish AND comfort food at the same time. Pair it with a big bowl of white rice and dig in for the best vegan tofu recipe you’ve ever had!
Looking for more Tofu Recipes? Check out these SGTO Favorites?!
(tofu is the secret ingredient!)
Print
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
A spicy & crispy Black Pepper Tofu recipe with crispy tofu, green beans, shallots, and the most delicious black pepper sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz block of firm tofu (must be firm, not soft)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 1/2 cup chopped green beans
- 2 shallots (about 1/2 cup finely chopped)
- 10 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2.5 Tbsp organic sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh Thai Basil (optional, as garnish)
Instructions
- To begin, slice the block of tofu in half and press it between two towels or two paper towels. Let the tofu sit for 10 minutes to soak up any excess moisture.
- While the tofu is being pressed, chop up the green beans and shallots and make the black pepper sauce. To make the black pepper sauce, simply whisk together the soy sauce/tamari, sugar, ground ginger, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Once the ingredients are prepped, cut the pressed tofu into 1 inch cubes and add to a large bowl. Add the cornstarch to the bowl and use your hands to evenly coat the tofu in cornstarch.
- Next, add 1 Tbsp of sesame oil to the work and turn on the heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the tofu and stir fry for 10-15 minutes until the tofu is browned and crispy on the outside. Remove the tofu from the wok and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of sesame oil to the wok followed by the chopped shallots and green beans. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the shallots are translucent. Then, add in the black pepper sauce and tofu. Cook all the ingredients for an additional 3-5 minutes to help thicken the sauce.
- Remove the wok from the heat and serve the black pepper tofu and green beans on top of white rice. Garnish with the Thai basil if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
*Stir fry can be stored in a closed container and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Keywords: black pepper tofu, black pepper tofu and green beans, easy tofu stir fry, Chinese tofu stir fry, asian green bean stir fry, black pepper sauce recipe, tofu stir fry, tofu cornstarch, crispy tofu stir fry
I’ve now made this recipe about 5 times since I came across it 2 months ago. We love it! The only adjustment I made was to reduce the freshly ground pepper to 1/2 tbsp. It’s definitely a keeper! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you Christine for making my day! So glad to hear you’re liking it and thanks for sharing your adjustment!