This Vegan Mapo Tofu is the easiest one-pan weeknight meal. Hearty Beyond Meat and soft tofu cubes simmer in a thick, spicy sauce, served with fluffy jasmine rice. One bite, and you’ll be licking your bowl clean everytime.
👩🏻💻 Reader Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Juli says, “Thank you for this delicious recipe!! I tripled it to use the 3 blocks of tofu I had and so glad I did!! My new favorite!! Really really tasty!”
What is Mapo Tofu?
Mapo Tofu is a well-loved dish from Sichuan province in China, famous for its spicy cuisine. Usually made with ground pork, I’m using Beyond Meat to make it vegan.
The main ingredient, chili bean paste (doubanjiang or toban djan), made from chilli peppers and fermented beans, gives the dish its bold, spicy flavour.
⭐️ This Recipe Will Make You Love Tofu
Using medium-firm or soft tofu in this recipe is key to achieving a smooth, custard-like texture. Meanwhile, each tofu cube simmers in this mouth-watering spicy sauce. Consider this your warning: This mapo tofu sauce is highly addictive! 😍
Spicy mapo tofu is a fantastic vegan and vegetarian-friendly dish, ideal for serving over rice. A staple in my household, it’s also a perfect addition to potlucks or Lunar New Year celebrations.
There’s nothing cozier than a bowl of mapo tofu, a meal that instantly warms you up. While it’s a popular dish to order at Chinese restaurants, you can now enjoy it at home with this easy 20-minute recipe. While not authentic, this recipe is inspired by my passion for creating quick, flavourful meals.
Looking for more tasty tofu ideas? Check out my teriyaki tofu bowls, tofu egg salad, or tofu crunch sushi rolls. 😋
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Easy Mapo Tofu Recipe
Doubanjiang – Is a chili bean sauce that also goes by the name Toban Djan. The brand I use for this recipe is the Lee Kim Kee Chili Bean Sauce (Toban Djan). You can find this at your Asian grocery store.
Tofu – Use medium firm or soft tofu for that smooth silky texture.
Cooking Oil – I like to use a neutral flavoured vegetable oil (olive oil, canola oil).
Beyond Meat (thawed) – Use one 113g burger patty as a ground pork replacement. Note that other meat alternatives may change the flavour, as Beyond Meat’s unique taste is key to this recipe.
Garlic – Fresh finely chopped/minced garlic is best, adds lots of aromatic flavour.
Red Pepper Flakes – This is my easy hack to add spicy flavour to this recipe. Authentic mapo tofu consists of Sichuan peppercorns but I don’t regularly cook with them.
Vegan Beef Broth – This helps create a rich sauce that will coat the tofu perfectly. If you can’t access vegan beef broth, you can substitute mushroom broth.
Soy Sauce – I use regular soy sauce.
Granulated Sugar – Adds the perfect balance of sweetness to make this dish irresistible.
Cornstarch Slurry – To thicken and make the sauce glossy. I’m using 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water to make the slurry.
Sesame Oil – Added at the end to finish the dish with extra flavour.
Green Onions – For garnish.
🌟 Veggie Boost Tip 🥕
Feel like adding some veggies? While not pictured, I often toss in a handful of baby spinach or frozen peas and carrots towards the end of cooking. It’s a quick way to amp up the vegetables in your meal, and it tastes delicious!
How To Make Vegan Mapo Tofu
- Drain and cube tofu; set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan; add Beyond Meat and brown, breaking it into smaller pieces.
- Stir in the doubanjiang, garlic and red pepper flakes cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the beef broth, soy sauce, and sugar, and simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in cornstarch slurry; stir until thickened.
- Gently add tofu to coat in sauce.
- Add sesame oil; simmer 2 minutes.
- Top with green onions; serve with rice.
👩🏻🍳 Jazz’s Tips
- Use medium firm or soft tofu. I prefer medium firm, as it still has that smooth, silky texture while offering more stability. Traditionally soft or silken tofu is often used in this dish, but keep in mind that it tends to break apart easily.
- Doubanjiang is a chili bean sauce that is also known as Toban Djan. The brand I recommend for this recipe is the Lee Kim Kee Chili Bean Sauce (Toban Djan). You can find this at your Asian grocery store/online asian stores.
- Make sure to gently stir/push the tofu around the pan or else you might break up the tofu into smaller pieces.
Serving Suggestions
Top with freshly chopped green onions or chives and serve alongside a generous bowl of jasmine rice to soak up the flavourful mapo tofu sauce.
For an extra touch, pair it with my refreshing sunomono cucumber salad. Or, if you’re in the mood for something different, try serving mapo tofu over noodles like udon, ramen, or rice noodles.
How To Store
Store leftover vegan mapo tofu in an airtight container in the fridge, which will stay fresh for up to 5 days. The next day, it often tastes even more flavorful as the flavours meld together, resulting in a richer taste when reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
No I haven’t found a good substitute for doubanjiang, this is an important ingredient in this mapo tofu recipe and it wouldn’t be the same without it. You can find doubanjiang at your Asian grocery store.
I created this recipe using Beyond Meat. When tested with other meat alternatives the flavours weren’t the same due to Beyond Meat having a unique meaty, salty flavour that mimics ground pork. I’ve tested this recipe with 1 cup of finely diced mushrooms and it turned out good, but you might need to add a bit more soy sauce or salt to taste since mushrooms aren’t as salty as Beyond Meat.
This mapo tofu recipe is not gluten free due to the Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Sauce (Toban Djan) which contains wheat flour.
🌟 MORE RECIPES WITH TOFU I LOVE:
- Sticky Sesame Tofu
- Tofu Crunch Sushi Rolls
- Vegan California Roll w/shredded tofu
- The BEST Teriyaki Tofu Bowls
- Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich
- Tofu Lettuce Wraps w/crispy noods
- Onigirazu Sushi Sandwiches
- Vegan Curry Udon w/tofu
- Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
Vegan Mapo Tofu
Ingredients
- (454g) block medium firm tofu
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 (113g) Beyond Meat patty (thawed)
- 2 tbsp doubanjiang (chili bean sauce)
- 1/2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup vegan beef broth or mushroom broth
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with 1 tbsp water to make a slurry)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- green onion for garnish
- Cooked jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
- Drain and cut tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside.
- Heat a large non stick pan over medium high heat with cooking oil. When the oil is hot add the beyond meat patty and cook until the beyond meat is lightly browned, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces.
- Stir in the doubanjiang, garlic and red pepper flakes cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the beef broth, soy sauce, and sugar, stir to combine and bring to a simmer cooking for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened. Reduce the heat if mixture is thickening too quickly.
- Gently stir in the cubed tofu until coated in the sauce.
- Finish with sesame oil and let simmer for 2 minutes or until tofu is warmed through.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and serve with steamed rice.
Video
Notes
- Use medium firm or soft tofu to achieve that smooth silky texture. This variety of tofu will also absorb all that flavourful spicy sauce. I prefer to use medium firm in this recipe because it holds up a lot better than the soft tofu (falls apart more easily).
- Doubanjiang is a chili bean sauce that is also known as Toban Djan. The brand I recommend for this recipe is the Lee Kim Kee Chili Bean Sauce (Toban Djan). You can find this at your Asian grocery store/online Asian stores.
- Make sure to gently stir/push the tofu around the pan or else you might break up the tofu into smaller pieces.
Thank you for this delicious recipe!! I tripled it to use the 3 blocks of tofu I had and so glad I did!! My new favorite!! Really really tasty!
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. So happy you enjoyed the recipe Juli! Tripling the recipe is a great idea, this recipe is one of my favourites and makes awesome leftovers.
THE BESTTT!!! This is super flavourful and the perfect amount of spicy. I’ve never tried tofu x beyond meat before but it’s a new favourite combo. The Doubanjiang sauce in this is so amazing too. 11/10