My favorite vegan & gluten-free recipe for Black Pepper Tofu & Green Beans is officially here! This green bean 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 the most delicious vegan weeknight dinner!
*Recipe shared January 2020 and updated January 2022*
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 most grocery stores and can be whipped up in just 40 minutes!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Tofu: For this recipe you'll need to use firm or extra-firm tofu. Soft/silken tofu will not work as it will fall apart when stir frying.
- Cornstarch: This is the secret ingredient for crispy tofu! I don't recommend substituting it for anything, but you can stir-fry the tofu without it if necessary.
- Tamari: Tamari is essentially gluten-free soy sauce. You can substitute regular soy-sauce in this recipe or even replace half the tamari/soy-sauce with water for a less salty sauce.
- Peppercorn: Freshly ground is a MUST for this recipe.
How to make black pepper tofu
Make the crispy tofu
The first step to making this tofu green bean stir fry 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: Cornstarch for Crispiness! Did you know cornstarch makes the best coating to make tofu crispy and brown? 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.
Four: 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!
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.
P.S- If you'd like to make this tofu green bean stir fry oil-free you can also bake the tofu! Simply follow the instructions in my Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce to read how.
Make the black pepper sauce
This homemade 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. I like saltier food, but if you do not, you can also use a low-sodium soy sauce here or replace 2 Tbsp of the soy sauce with water or vegetable broth for a less salty sauce.
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 brings to this tofu stir fry.
If you are trying to stay away from refined sugar, coconut sugar can be used as a 1:1 substitution for brown sugar in this recipe.
Also, while I choose ground dried ginger for this black pepper tofu recipe, grating in fresh ginger would give this stir fry even more flavor.
Stir fry the green beans & shallots
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 halves or thirds. When cutting the shallots, I like to finely dice them so they blend into the sauce.
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.
Pro-Tip: A few people have tested this recipe with sliced mushrooms and sliced red peppers and recommended that as well! Whatever veggies you add, I bet they will taste great in this tofu green bean stir fry.
Mix together & serve over rice
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 the rice.
Lastly, top off the vegan black pepper tofu bowls with fresh Thai basil! I also love serving this recipe over white rice or pairing it alongside my FAVORITE Vegan Fried Rice.
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!
-TSG
More vegan tofu recipes you will love:
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Black Pepper Tofu & Green Beans
Ingredients
- 14 oz firm tofu must be firm or extra firm, not soft
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ cup chopped green beans
- 2 shallots about ½ cup finely chopped
- 10 Tablespoons tamari
- 2 ½ Tablespoons organic sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon 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 for up to 1 month.
- If you would like a less spicy dish, simply reduce the black pepper to ½ Tbsp (3 grams). It still will taste delicious!
- For a less salty sauce, use low-sodium soy sauce or replace 2-3 Tbsp of the tamari with vegetable broth or water.
- This recipe is adapted from Dishing out the Health Black Pepper Tofu recipe but is less spicy & contains more veggie goodness!
Carin says
This is super delicious and easy to make. My husband even likes it and we added it to our make it again recipes.
Megan says
Love hearing that thank you 🙂
Lori says
This is so delicious! I added baby Bella mushrooms, because love mushrooms. We served over steamed rice and both my husband and I had seconds! This is definitely a keeper!
Megan says
Adding mushrooms sounds perfect- so happy you both liked it! 🙂
Althea says
Megan,
We’re trying it tonight! I’m making batch A using the recipe you wrote; and batch B using chicken for my son. I’m intrigued by Krystal putting it in the crockpot (I’ll have to figure out how to do that) and I look forward to adding this to our dinner rotation!
Megan says
Amazing hope you enjoy it both ways!