Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Mushrooms
Are you ready for a flavourful and straightforward tofu scramble with spinach and mushrooms? Then you’re in the right place!
But first, let’s give you some context because there are many tofu scramble recipes on the internet, and you need to know why this one is different —in a good way.
Brief backstory
Scrambled tofu is one of the first meals I ever experienced eating out as a new vegan over five years ago.
When I ordered it on the menu, it was served with toast and avocado, just like scrambled eggs. I fell in love!
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Being huge egg eaters before becoming vegan, this recipe was a big deal. Maša and I knew we had to find a way to make our own version at home so we could eat it whenever we liked.
And so our tofu scramble quest began.
I found a great recipe online (sorry, I can’t remember where I found it) a while back and wanted to give it a go.
However, like most recipes, we didn’t have all of the ingredients at home, so I improvised.
The constraint of limited ingredients turned out to be a blessing in disguise. What I ended up putting together was delicious, full of flavour, and super easy to make.
But after making this recipe soooo many times over the years, I got bored. I started tinkering around with ingredients.
The ongoing development and testing of this tofu scramble recipe
I love spice, so I added cayenne pepper and garlic powder. I wanted to make it more creamy, so I added coconut milk.
I’ve tried it with and without nutritional yeast. I’ve made it without turmeric because I didn’t have any on hand. And I’ve rotated vegetables through the mix, from kale to broccoli.
I used to marinate it overnight, but then I got lazy.
I’ve dried it out accidentally. I added too much turmeric one time.
Pretty much every combination you can think of, I’ve tried it.
So the version of the tofu scramble I present to you in this recipe is the current iteration I’ve found to work best. Not only that, it’s the quickest approach without compromising the flavour.
What I love about this tofu scramble is the simplicity. It’s a matter of mixing ingredients in a bowl and then frying them until it’s ready.
Note: despite the term “scramble” used in this recipe, I don’t claim that this is a direct swap for scrambled eggs. I consider tofu scramble to be a unique meal in its own right. And that’s how I position this recipe with non-vegans. This brings me to the next point…
The carnivore child test
Before becoming vegan, I didn’t like the sound or the look of tofu. It scared me. It felt wrong on so many levels.
But that’s because the way it was served to me wasn’t appealing. In other words, plain, without any flavour.
My eight-year-old nephew is even more skeptical than I was, and he approves of this scramble, especially served with some rice.
Also, I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that tofu is curdled soybean. In its natural form, it looks like its bean and legume relatives. Yet, because we see it in a different form and texture, it sometimes gets a bad wrap.
Using different vegetables in your scramble
In this particular recipe, we use red onions, baby spinach, and mushrooms as the primary vegetables. I like the added texture and “meatiness” the mushrooms bring to the table. And baby spinach adds colour, texture, and different nutrients.
But if you’re not a fan of those vegetables or don’t have them on hand, alternatively, you could use:
- Diced tomatoes
- Kale
- Spring onions
- Grated carrot
- Thinly sliced peppers (capsicums)
Or, if you prefer, you could make the scramble without vegetables. I’ve done this on many occasions.
What can you eat with tofu scramble?
There are many ways to serve scrambled tofu. Here’s a list of my favourites:
- On some toast. Not much else to say here. It’s best with sourdough—toasted or not, it’s your call.
- With cooked grains. My favourite combination is to eat tofu scramble with white rice. But you could easily serve it with brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc.
- Salad on the side. If you want a healthier version of this recipe, you could serve it next to a leafy green or cucumber salad.
- In a wrap, sandwich, taco, or tortilla.
- In a buddha bowl.
How long does tofu scramble last in the fridge?
You can store the scramble in the fridge for up to 3 days, nothing longer. But I’d be surprised if it lasted that long in any household.
When ready to reheat, add the mix back to the pan on medium heat. You can also use a microwave at work if that’s all you have access to.
No black salt
It’s prevalent for recipe creators to add black salt to their scrambles to recreate an eggy aroma and taste.
If that’s what you’re going for, you can totally use black salt in this recipe. Having said that, it’s not necessary.
Features of this tofu scramble recipe
Here are four reasons why I think you’ll love this recipe:
- It only takes 30 minutes to make. The only time-consuming part is crumbling the tofu.
- Work the bowl. The heart of this scramble starts in the bowl. The bowl is where the tofu absorbs the flavour from other ingredients. The aroma at this point is incredible. You can see it pictured above.
- You’ll be using 10 ingredients max. And when I say max, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have vegetables on hand, or if you use alternative milk to coconut milk. Use what you have, but as long as you keep the core ingredients together and work the bowl, the results will remain fairly consistent.
- Tofu, like any legume, is packed with protein and other nutritional benefits. In this recipe alone, the firm tofu represents 13.4 g (0.47 ounces) of protein per serve.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Eggplant and Mushroom Quinoa Risotto
- Homemade Vegan Falafel
- Vegan Red Rice Salad With Tahini Dressing
- Mushroom Fajitas
- High Protein Vegan Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Satay Tofu
- Lemongrass Tofu
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Mushrooms
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Epic tofu scramble with spinach, mushrooms, and spices. This recipe has been tried and tested over many years. Requires only 30 mins, 1 bowl, and 10 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1.1 pounds / 500g firm tofu (preferably organic)
- 1 medium red onion, cut into half moons
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (from a can)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups (tightly packed) / 60g / 2 ounces baby spinach
- 200g / 7 ounces mushrooms (about 8 mushrooms)
- ¼ cup olive oil*
- ¼ cup tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1½ teaspoons turmeric powder
For Serving: (optional)
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Nigella seeds
- Sourdough bread
Instructions
- Crumb the tofu into small chunks with a fork or your hands, and place it into a large mixing bowl.**
- Add all ingredients to the crumbled tofu and mix well.***
- Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat and wait for it to warm up.
- Add the mixture to the pan and fry until the tofu starts lightly browning on the outside. Make sure to keep stirring the scramble as it fries. This normally takes around 15 minutes. Don’t worry, the moisture from the mix will help it from sticking to the pan. If it starts to dry up too much, just add a tablespoon of coconut milk or water. Alternatively, put a lid on it.
- Once cooked, serve with bread, rice, salad, or a wrap. You can also have it on its own.
Notes
Olive oil: You could use stock or water instead of the oil for an oil-free option.
**I’ve found it’s much easier to mash/crumble the tofu if you slice it into thin slices first. Also, there’s no need to pat down and dry the firm tofu from the packet.
***When mixing, I found it’s easiest to use your hands, but you can also use a large spoon. By the time you chop, wash and mix the ingredients, it should take about 15 minutes.
- Diet: Vegan
I usually hate it when people change recipes before they try original howeer
er l didn’t have any coconut milk so I omitted that and added 3 scrambled eggs after cooking scramble for about 15 min and although not vegan it was soo good .! Will def try again w the coconut milk but this was awesome .
Thanks for sharing your alterations, Noelle. Happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this tofu scramble for a small family gathering and everyone loved it. I doubled the recipe and since it wouldn’t all fit into my big frying pan, I put everything except the spinach and mushrooms in there. I sautéed the mushrooms separately and added them along with the raw spinach after the tofu-onion mixture cooked down a bit, just long enough to wilt the spinach and warm up the mushrooms. Great flavor and perfect texture – not too liquid-y at all! Thank you for the recipe!
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing and for your review, Karen 🙂 Happy to hear it was a hit!
This tasted pretty good, but as a previous reviewer mentioned, I would not call this frying, but more like boiling or simmering. The addition of the cup of coconut milk, even thick full-fat coconut milk from the can made this every liquid and it took some time for the liquid to be absorbed, evaporate and get to a consistency for tofu scramble as I have had it before. I had a nice flavor. I added sliced carrots to mine. I also added some sliced bake potato to absorb some of the flavorful liquid.
I made this tofu scramble yesterday and it was really flavourful! My whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing this.
Just made this – cut the recipe in half for two servings. It was delicious and I will definitely be making it regularly. I had oyster mushrooms so used those and it was perfect in every way. Served it with warm rosemary focaccia.
We’re so glad this recipe made your rotation. Love the addition of oyster mushrooms and rosemary focaccia. Yum!
Very delicious and tasty recipe, easy to make an endless variations 🙂
I love scrambled tofu. Hadn’t thought to try it with coconut milk though. Must try this. I always like been able to add greens into the mix too!
Yeah, the coconut milk makes it super creamy! For sure, we often add greens, or whatever veg we have in our fridge. If you do try this version, come back and let us know what you think 🙂
Update: since I can’t edit my last comment
I cooked this forever and actually removed half perhaps my frying pan wasn’t big enough and then much of the liquid did absorb or evaporate. Still didn’t ’fry’ as I was expecting (some crunchy or crispy). Definitely has good flavor. I like spicy foods but this was a bit too much pepper for me. Next time I would add the pepper a little at a time. But ultimately this is a recipe well done. Thanks
Hi Gail, I’m so glad the scramble eventually worked out for you. You’ve made a good point regarding the frying pan size. I’ll be sure to update the instructions to make that part clearer. Quite often, I use a large non-stick pot to make tofu scramble (like a curry) as I’m usually cooking it for lots of people. Cheers, Michael.
Way too much liquid. Are used a cup of coconut milk quarter cup oil and a quarter cup soy sauce even if I was over by a tiny bit this is not frying this is boiling
Sure, see my response below 🙂
Finally made it! Absolutely delicious. I loved the coconut flavour 🙂
So glad you enjoyed this version of tofu scramble, Mel! If you have a quick moment, would you mind leaving a star review? Thank you for your feedback 🙂
Love this recipe!
I’ve had this now a few times and I absolutely love it! Thank you!!
Love tofu scramble, looking forward to trying your recipe! I’ve never added plant milk to it before.
Also, I’m not sure if you can control this because maybe it’s my browser cookies, but on this page I get an ad for the organic milk co. butter :/ maybe they’re targeting vegan websites somehow.
Can’t wait to see what you think of this version with plant milk.
Hmm, that is unusual. I’ll have a look at our ad settings. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!