My favorite vegan & gluten-free recipe for Black Pepper Tofu & Green Beans is officially here! This green bean tofu stir fry recipe contains only 9 ingredients that can easily be found at most grocery stores. I can solidly say this easy 5-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 veggie broth for a less salty sauce.
- Peppercorn: Freshly ground is a MUST for this recipe.
- Not pictured: Water or vegetable broth which we are using in the black pepper sauce.
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 tablespoon 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 5 ingredients.
All you need to do is whisk together the tamari (or soy sauce), water (or vegetable broth for more flavor), 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. You can also replace some of the soy sauce with additional vegetable broth or water 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 them 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 with 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:
If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star review on the recipe card. I always appreciate your feedback and support! You can also follow along on my Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest, or sign up for our newsletter!
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
- 6 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons water or vegetable broth Can sub with extra tamari for a saltier dish.
- 2 ½ Tablespoons organic sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper reduce to ½ Tablespoon for a less spicy dish
- 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, water/vegetable broth, 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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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.
- The original sauce recipe called for 10 Tablespoons of tamari but has now been changed to 6 Tablespoons tamari and 3 Tablespoons of water or vegetable broth based on feedback and retesting. If you prefer the original recipe, please adjustb= back to 10 Tablesoons tamari. Thank you for your feedback so I could make this recipe even better!
- For an even less salty sauce, use low-sodium soy sauce or replace an additional 2 tablespoon of the tamari with vegetable broth or water.
- If you would like a less spicy dish, simply reduce the black pepper to ½ tablespoon (3 grams). It still will taste delicious!
- This recipe is adapted from Dishing out the Health Black Pepper Tofu recipe but is less spicy & contains more veggie goodness!
Megan Horowitch says
So happy to hear that!! And totally agree- broccoli//green onions also taste amazing in this recipe 🙂
Bailey W. says
I've probably made this 10 times now since I came across the recipe a few months ago. It's easy and delicious! I've subbed in broccoli for the beans, and green onions for the basil depending on what i have on hand. It also keeps so well for lunches the next day! This is a staple in our house for sure!!
Megan Horowitch says
Thank you! It's def a fave over here too 🙂
camila says
This recipe is amazing!! Off the charts incredible!!
Super tasty!
I'll be making it again
Diana says
Great recipe. I added broccoli and mushrooms and regular onion to the green beans. I cut the pepper down to 1 TBSP and still my hubby said it was spicy. I loved it!
Megan Horowitch says
Hi Diana thank you so much for the feedback and love the additions of more veggies! If you have time to leave a star rating as well that would be amazing 🙂
Amber says
I used cornstarch and sesame seed oil, however when I put the tofu in the pan it stuck straight to it. I don't have a wok and we don't use non-stick pans (due to the chemicals), so I was a little disappointed when all the nice golden brown bits were sticking to the bottom of the pan, leaving the tofu not crispy at all. I scrapped the bits off the pan as I added the rest of the ingredients though, so we still got a bit of crunch. Because of coronavirus and limiting grocery trips, I ended up using soy sauce and fresh ginger, rather than tamari and ground ginger. If you are using soy sauce I'd recommend cutting it down by quite a lot- it turned out VERY salty. Will have to try again another time with all the right ingredients (and maybe cut down on the tamari, which still is pretty salty)!
Megan Horowitch says
Hi Amber, I'm so sorry to hear this recipe didn't go as planned. A few suggestions to help you for next time: 1) I have a recipe for Peanut Tofu that uses baked tofu that, if you follow that method, should give you crispy tofu without needing a non-stick pan or a wok: https://shortgirltallorder.com/baked-tofu-with-spicy-peanut-sauce. 2) If you want, you can replace some of the tamari with water or use a low sodium soy sauce. I like saltier food, but I know it's not for everyone so that should help :). Hope it goes better next time and feel free to message me with questions!
Erin says
Simple. Quick. Delicious. Vegan. I couldn’t ask for more. The sauce was amazing. Loved the spice. Highly recommend! Plus, almost no dishes to clean up. Great recipe Megan <3
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thank you so much Erin I'm so glad you liked it!
Ibs says
This was delicious! Even my 6 and 4 year olds loved it and they’re normally pretty hard to please!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
I love hearing that so glad you all loved it!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thank you Grace! I've made it with broccoli too and can attest that's also delicious 🙂
Grace says
This recipe is DELICIOUS! It is going to become one of my ‘go to’ meals. I reckon it would work well with broccoli too 👍
ShortGirlTallOrder says
So glad you liked it Jen, thanks for the feedback!
Jen says
My first time making tofu at home and it was great! I love how simple the sauce is and the whole recipe. I doubled the veggies with half broccoli and will definitely make this again soon.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thanks Emily so so glad you liked it!
Emily says
Just made this and it is SO tasty. I will definitely be making it again!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thank you for the feedback- so happy this is helping you bring yummy meatless food into your life more often :).
Josabeth conlee says
Loved making this recipe! So easy and delicious. I’m not vegan, and my husband is a meat for every meal kind of guy, and he still loved this! I love that we can start eating less meat every week, thanks to meals like this.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thanks for the feedback Patty! So glad you loved it :).
Patty says
I made this for my 10-year-old son and me and we both loved it! I'll be adding this to our Weeknight dinner rotation.
Beth says
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it! Silly question - you me too Ed loving your wok.. I’m looking to get a new one so ii was hoping you could share which one you use? I’m overwhelmed by the options out there 🙂 Thanks so much!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Hi Beth! I love my BergHOFF Cast Iron Wok and absolutely love it! It's definitely not the least expensive option but I literally cook everything in it- pasta sauce, stir fry, you name it! Hope that helps 🙂 https://amzn.to/2DUC23Z
Christine F. says
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!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thank you Christine for making my day! So glad to hear you're liking it and thanks for sharing your adjustment!
Megan says
Made this for dinner tonight! So yummy! The cornstarch was a great tip! I’ve always pressed the tofu but the cornstarch was a great add for extra crispy-ness!
Megan Horowitch says
Yes it's definitely my go-to for crispiness! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂