Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (2024)

Published: by Laura Arteaga

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Our Tofu served with a Spicy Peanut Sauce is creamy, rich, nutty, vegan, and gluten-free, the perfect weeknight dinner to serve with rice, noodles, or even to enjoy on its own.

Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (1)

If you already know us, you may have noticed our love for peanut butter. Two of the most popular recipes on the blog are made with peanut butter: Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce and this delicious Thai Peanut Curry.

At home, you can always find a big jar of peanut butter. We like choosing brands that only use one ingredient for their peanut butter, peanuts!

Normally, we make dipping sauces for our dishes but this time, we decided to make a rich and spicy peanut butter and coconut milk sauce to coat our tofu with. We recommend serving the tofu with some jasmine rice or noodles. We got inspired by Healthy Nibbles and her amazing Spicy Tofu with Coconut Sauce.

All you need to make this yummy tofu bowl recipe are 8 simple ingredients, a saucepan for the peanut sauce, a pan to pan-fry the tofu, and 20 minutes of your time.

Our Spicy Peanut Tofu is:

  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free (using tamari instead of soy sauce)
  • Spicy
  • Asian-flavored
  • Packed with protein
  • Creamy
  • Rich
  • Easy to make
  • Quick to prepare
Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (2)

What is the best way to cook your Tofu

Tofu is by far our favorite protein. So versatile, we create many dishes using this plant-based ingredient. If you have a look at our blog, you will find a lot of recipes using tofu, mainly Asian-style.

People keep asking us how can tofu taste so nice at home and so bland when they cook it themselves. One simple and quick answer: tofu needs a deep-in-flavor marinade or a sauce and some love when cooking it.

We have tried cooking this protein in different ways and our favorite way is still frying the tofu in a pan with a little bit of vegetable or sesame oil. Pan-frying the tofu at a medium-low temperature while you keep turning the tofu pieces to cook each side is a perfect way, in our opinion, to cook it.

It gets golden and crispy on the outside and moist and fluffy on the inside. It may take a bit longer than baking or deep frying it, but it's definitely worth it.

What type of tofu should you choose?

For this recipe, where the tofu is the centerpiece and gets cooked and coated with a rich sauce, you will need firm or extra firm tofu.

If you are getting tofu fresh from an Asian supermarket, you may need to get the extra firm type. They tend to be softer than the tofu you can buy at your regular supermarket.

When making this dish, we choose to cut our tofu into square pieces, it makes it easier to handle when cooking it.

Last tip: Get good quality tofu and you will notice the difference.

Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (3)

How to make Our Spicy Peanut Sauce

Our sauce is briefly cooked using a saucepan and whisked to get a perfectly smooth consistency. Once you have the ingredients ready, your sauce will be made in 5 minutes.

Ingredients

Peanut Butter. We use toasted peanut butter as it has a deeper flavor. Choose a smooth peanut butter that uses just one ingredient: Peanuts.

Coconut Milk. To get the perfect creaminess of the sauce, we add coconut milk to the mixture. You can as well use cashew cream or another vegetable milk or cream.

Sambal Oelek. We use Sambal Oelek for the spicy touch but if you prefer a milder sauce, you can skip this ingredient or add ½ teaspoon of chili flakes instead. You can substitute this ingredient for sriracha or another chili paste or sauce. If you are making this dish for young kids or toddlers, skip this!

Shallot. Shallots or yellow onion give the sauce the perfect sweetness.

Ginger. Use fresh or dried ginger.

Soy Sauce or Tamari. To balance the sweetness from the sauce, we like adding some soy sauce or tamari for a gluten-free option.

Lime juice. Last and really important ingredient, lime juice to add some tanginess.

Step by Step Method

  1. Prepare your ingredients by finely slicing the shallot and grating or finely chopping the ginger if using fresh.
  2. Heat some coconut or vegetable oil in a saucepan and add the shallot and ginger.
  3. Stirfry for 2-3 minutes and add the coconut milk.
  4. Add the peanut butter and mix well.
  5. Add the sambal, lime juice and soy sauce.
  6. Whisk all the ingredients to make sure they are totally incorporated.

All you need to do now is to add your perfectly pan-fried tofu and serve your delicious Spicy Peanut Tofu.

Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (4)

Serving Suggestions

Our Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce is an easy recipe that can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish.

When we serve it as an appetizer, we place the tofu bowl in the middle for people to serve themselves. If you have a clay dish, use it to serve the tofu as it will hold the heat for longer. Adding some cilantro or fresh chillis on the top gives the dish the perfect touch for a nice presentation.

Served as a main dish, we enjoy cooking some jasmine rice or noodles with it. Adding some vegetables will make a perfectly balanced meal.

You can use this spicy tofu for your Poke Bowls, Buddha Bowls, Tofu Bowls, Burritos, Salads, and many other dishes.

If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (6)

Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Our Tofu served with a Spicy Peanut Sauce is creamy, rich, nutty, vegan, and gluten-free, the perfect weeknight dinner or appetizer.

4.50 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: asian

Keyword: Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 283kcal

Ingredients

  • 400 g firm tofu
  • 1 Shallot
  • 1 thumb-sized piece ginger
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 200 ml coconut milk
  • ½ tablespoon Sambal Oelek
  • ½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • Juice of ½ lime

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Remove any excess of water from the tofu with a paper towel, gently pressing the block. Cut into medium size square pieces.

  • Heat some sesame oil or vegetable oil in a pan and add the tofu cubes. Pan fry each side of the tofu for a few minutes or until golden. Leave aside.

  • Prepare your ingredients for the sauce by finely slicing the shallot and grating or finely chopping the ginger if using fresh ginger.

  • Heat some coconut or vegetable oil in a saucepan and add the shallot and ginger. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes and add the coconut milk.

  • Add the peanut butter and mix well. Straight after, add the sambal, lime juice and soy sauce.

  • Whisk all the ingredients to make sure they are totally incorporated.

  • Add the tofu, mix until all the pieces are perfectly coated and serve.

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Nutrition

Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 3mg

If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram. We are always happy to see your creations!

IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE YOU SHOULD TRY:

  • Tofu Stir fry with Cashews
  • Teriyaki Tofu
  • Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce
  • 15 Chinese Tofu Recipes
Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (7)

About Laura Arteaga

I'm Laura, originally from Mallorca, Spain. My culinary journey began at 21, and despite my background in Economics, cooking stole my heart. I am now a full time writer and food blogger. My food philosophy is simple: "Eat more real food." Through my writing and recipes, I want to inspire people to transition to a plant-based life style, to eat more vegetarian food, or simply to try new recipes in the comfort of their homes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robin says

    Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (8)
    One of the tastiest tofu recipes I’ve ever tried!! It literally left me craving tofu!!!!

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Thank you Robin! Glad you liked it!

      Reply

  2. Cillian says

    Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (9)
    This is such a good, simple recipe when you want something tasty but don't want to be cooking for ages! Just made it tonight for dinner - I ended up throwing in a chopped red bell pepper and some brown mushrooms when sauteeing the shallot and ginger and let them simmer in the sauce along with the tofu. Served it over jasmine rice with baby spinach wilted with garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Thank you Cillian, we are glad you liked it!

      Reply

  3. Astrid says

    Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (10)
    Soooo Yummy. I made this for dinner a few nights ago and will be making this again soon. I added some green beans and served it over rice noodles. This sauce will work great with any vegetable in addition to the tofu or even without it. I've been searching for an easy, yet super flavorful peanut sauce and I think I finally found it. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Thank you Astrid, so glad you liked our recipe. We make it really often at home, so simple and good!

      Reply

  4. Nina says

    I want to add udon noodles, mushrooms and red pepper, maybe one more veg. If I want to double the sauce so there’s enough for all the additions, should I double everything, even the shallot and ginger?

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Hi Nina, you can add more shallot and ginger if you like the taste that these ingredients add to the food as you will be making more sauce 🙂

      Reply

  5. Linda says

    Can I use Silk unsweetened coconut milk?

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Hi Linda, we've never tried using silk unsweetened coconut milk before but I think it will work just fine!

      Reply

  6. Sarom says

    Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (11)
    this was perfect! exactlly the flavor I was searching for and tried so many different recipes! Thank you so much 🙂

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Thank you Sarom, really glad you enjoyed our recipe!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to do with spicy tofu? ›

Serving Suggestions for Spicy Gochujang Tofu

Our favorite way to enjoy this Korean-inspired dish is to make rice bowls. All you have to do is whip up a batch of white or brown rice and some fresh vegetables! We usually serve this with steamed broccoli, but other good side veggies we like are green beans or zucchini.

What is sate tofu? ›

Satay or Sate is a dish you'll find throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia that involves marinated meat or poultry, threaded onto skewers and charred over a hot grill. This recipe departs from typical satay in that it features tofu rather than meat as the star ingredient.

Can I make tofu at home? ›

Use the soaked beans to make homemade soy milk. Cook the raw soy milk, then strain out the soybean pulp. Bring the soy milk back up to temperature, then add a coagulant to curdle the soymilk. Transfer the soybean curds into a tofu mold and apply pressure to form your block of tofu.

How to cook tofu block? ›

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu to the pan in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan. Allow tofu to cook, undisturbed for about 4-5 minutes or until the underside is golden brown and crispy.

What not to mix with tofu? ›

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

How do you cook tofu and make it taste good? ›

Press tofu and cube it. Coat it in garlic, black pepper, salt (plus more of your favourite seasonings), liquid aminos and some olive oil. Then mix it into some cornstarch and toss it all together, then bake for about 20 minutes. Cornstarch also helps to draw out excess moisture so it really gets the tofu crispy.

What do Japanese eat tofu with? ›

Popular tofu dishes

Pour a little bit of soy sauce over the tofu if it did not come already seasoned. Yudofu are tofu pieces boiled in a clear, mild soup and dipped into soy sauce or ponzu (lemon-flavored soy sauce) before being eaten. Yudofu is a Kyoto specialty and commonly served during the colder seasons.

What is the difference between Japanese tofu and tofu? ›

Firm tofu, the most common, has the same consistency as feta, while the texture of super-firm can be compared to that of meat. You should be able to guess the textures in between. Silken tofu, also known as Japanese-style tofu, is silky, creamy and has the highest water content.

What is tofu on a Chinese menu? ›

Tofu is also known as bean curd in English. It is a traditional component of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines that has also been consumed in China for over 2,000 years. In modern Western cooking, it is most often treated as a meat substitute.

Is tofu good or bad for you? ›

Soybeans and soy products like tofu are rich in isoflavones. These flavonoids (plant-based chemicals) help lower your blood pressure and offer other heart-protective benefits. A 2020 study found that people who ate a serving of tofu each week had an 18% lower risk of heart disease than those who didn't.

Why is tofu not frying? ›

You're not pressing out excess moisture.

Before frying, tofu should be pressed to eliminate any excess water. Sometimes, in a hurry to get dinner done, I skip this step. But I always regret it. The still-sort-of-wet tofu never gets as golden brown or as crisp.

Is homemade tofu worth it? ›

So if you can find it so easily for purchase, why try making it yourself at home? Because there's something special about homemade tofu—just like baking an apple pie or your own loaf of bread, tofu made from scratch, by your own hands, is at the peak of freshness.

What happens if you don't drain tofu before cooking? ›

Here's the thing: even though tofu might be labeled firm or extra-firm, it contains a lot of water. This excess water can cause the tofu to crumble when you cook it, and it will also have a hard time crisping up. But when you press tofu, you remove the excess moisture.

What is the healthiest way to eat tofu? ›

Healthier - For starters, broiling tofu is a healthier method of cooking than frying, and it requires less oil to create crispier cubes.

What to eat with tofu? ›

Tofu can be fried or baked and can be eaten by:
  • tossing it with some noodles. Make a stir-fry.
  • Making a tofu burger.
  • tossing it into a salad. ...
  • Scramble it for breakfast.
Jan 10, 2019

How do you eat spiced tofu? ›

After thinly slicing the pressed tofu into small strips or cutting into small cubes, you can eat it raw, seasoned with a simple dressing of sesame oil, white pepper, and soy sauce, or add it to other cold salads and appetizer dishes. You can also stir-fry it, as it is in our Spiced Tofu with Shredded Pork recipe.

What is the point of spicy tofu in slime rancher? ›

Spicy Tofu is a unique food item that all corralable slimes are able to eat. It does not affect a slime's hunger, so multiple blocks of tofu can be eaten by the same Slime and will still produce plorts. They are obtained from Ogden's Retreat at his personal Range Exchange for 3 Kookadoba fruit.

Are you supposed to eat tofu hot or cold? ›

Tofu can be eaten hot or cold, by itself or in recipes. * When using tofu in a stir-fry, maintain its shape and texture by adding it at the last minute. Overcooking softens tofu. * When using tofu in a chilled dessert or a dip, allow the dish to sit at least one hour for the flavor to develop.

How do you eat Trader Joe's tofu? ›

Place baking sheet on center rack of oven and bake 30 minutes, flipping tofu halfway through cooking. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Add to salads, curries, soups, or anywhere you'd like the taste of tofu!

References

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