When I went vegan, I was initially worried about giving up eggs and cheese since these were my go-to foods. Especially when we’re talkin’ breakfast, the most important meal of the day! I’m big on omelettes, benedicts, and of course, scrambled eggs!
I was beyond excited to realize what a holy grail tofu is while crafting vegan breakfasts. Yes, you read that right! The various types of tofu you can buy make fantastic egg substitutes, like in this tofu scramble recipe.
But I’m not talking bland, tasteless meals. Although tofu is pretty boring on its own, it has huge potential if you use the right spices and cooking techniques! This tofu scramble recipe uses a brick of firm tofu, that when crumbled, has a nice fluffy texture similar to scrambled eggs. With the help of yellow tumeric and a few other ingredients, you’ll be shocked at how similar this recipe is to the OG.
Mind you, I’ve had my fair share of terrible tofu scrambles at many restaurants throughout my travels. I would always opt for making my own breakfast or brunch at home and I hope you use this recipe to expand your own brekky dreams! Add some veggies for extra nutrients, color, and crunch, or sprinkle on some non-dairy cheese. Or just eat this tofu scramble the way it is! Whatever your preference, you’ll be laughing that you ever needed eggs once upon a time.
the perfect tofu scramble
A tofu scramble seems like a no brainer, but nobody got it right until now! Let’s brunch!
Ingredients
- 1 x 14 oz brick firm tofu
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 C nondairy milk
- 1 to 2 tbsp chopped green onion (optional)
- ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Rinse and drain the water from the package of tofu. Pat the brick of tofu with a paper towel to absorb any excess water.
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Add coconut oil to a nonstick pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and fry shallot for about 1 minute, until soft.
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Crumble the tofu by hand into small pieces into the frying pan. Heat and fry together for another 2 to 3 minutes, then start adding in the spices, sea salt, and nutritional yeast. Cook for another 4 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed and you’re starting to see some browning on the tofu.
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Add nondairy milk and cook for another 2 minutes. During these last couple of minutes add ground pepper and green onion if you like.
Recipe Notes
hot tip: for a more layered tofu scramble you can add any veggies you like to the mix. Try finely chopped kale, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes or zucchini. It’s a great way to use up left overs as well! If you’re adding mushrooms or zucchini cook them in the pan with the shallots because they take longer, and leave kale and tomatoes closer to the end.
No breakfast is complete without home fries! Here’s my recipe for awesome garlic rosemary breakfast potatoes. You can make it a perfect trio by whipping up a quick smoothie, too!
garlic rosemary breakfast potatoes
You gotta have crispy potatoes at breakfast, or it just isn’t complete!
Ingredients
- 3 C cubed yellow or red russet potatoes (skin on)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Bring a pot of cold water with the cubed potatoes to a boil. Cook until just half cooked or parboiled. Drain the potatoes from the water and set aside.
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Add vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat and fry minced garlic for 1 minute until fragrant and soft.
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Add the potatoes to the pan with sea salt and cook for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, tossing them every so often to get all the sides browned.
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Add chopped rosemary and ground pepper and fry for another 5 to 6 minutes. Cooking time may vary slightly but you’re trying to achieve a crisp brown outside and soft cooked inside. You might need to add another teaspoon of oil during the last 5 to 6 minutes of frying if the potatoes are starting to stick to the pan.
Recipe Notes
hot tip: for parmesan crusted garlic rosemary potatoes I like to add 1 teaspoon of a vegan parmesan topping to the pan during the last minute of cooking time. It’s extra tasty!
33 thoughts on “the perfect tofu scramble”
Hello Lauren! I was a huge fan of your after degrassi and am a new fan of this awesome blog! I was wondering what the salad was that you have in the picture. I’ve been looking for a great salad for a while now and that one looks great! if you can post a recipe or send me a link to one that you be awesome! Thank you so much!
Rachel
** that would be awesome… Sorry didn’t proof read this :/
Hey Rachel. Thanks so much for supporting this new venture of mine 🙂 That salad was just thrown together with kale, tomatoes and left over dressing…this one here: https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/recipes/2014/3/19/creamy-herb-dressing
There are other salads on this blog, mostly kale ones. Just search SALAD from the home page in the search bar and they should all come up!
Your tofu scramble looks amazing! I’ve bookmarked it for next weekends brunch…. but I may need to just make breakfast for dinner one day this week. Thanks for the extra behind the scene shot, I love seeing how food bloggers work their staging magic!
Definitely go with breakfast for dinner! That’s one of our faves 🙂 Glad you found us and thanks for the nice comment!
I’ve only had a tofu scramble once before and that was at Fresh in Toronto, but I’ve wanted to make my own ever since because I don’t live in Ontario. This recipe hit the spot and will definitely become a staple in my house.
that’s so great! It’s an awesome go-to meal
You guys are ADORABLE!!!!! Just found your youtube channel a day ago and I’ve been on a rampage through your videos and recipes on the blog.
thank you!!! <3
Just made this with soft tofu (all I had on hand) and even though it looks like tofu mush, the taste is TOTALLY there! Gonna have to make sure I have firm tofu on hand at all times now.
Thumbs up!
Perfect for easter brunch.
Keep up the good work guys!
Happy (egg free) easyer
THANK YOU!
I like this recipe but I’d definitely add a little Himalayan black salt too, for that extra egg smell/flavour –
https://peverilblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/vegan-scrambled-eggs-or-not
Became a vegan 2 weeks ago after having watched Hot For Food, Lauren, and the Edgy Veg online – this is one of my favourite vegan recipes so far! And it’s so easy! Thanks Hot For Food! 🙂
Just made this and im still eating it and it is DA BOMB
Super tasty! So happy I found this recipe – I used to love scrumbled eggs and now I can enjoy "them" again 🙂 YUM!
This recipe is delicious!! I love the flavors 🙂 I am transitioning away from all animal products and your recipes have been very helpful. Thank you!
This recipe is great. I was hesitant about switching to tofu, but this recipe made things sooo easy and versatile. I like to add green beans and mushrooms…mmmm. Thank You!
Wow…..this recipe makes THE best tofu scramble I’ve ever had…..added a bit of Chao cheese to melt, with a side of vegan breakfast links. Thanks. Looking forward to trying some more of your recipes
If you can, try adding Kala Namak salt (aka black salt) instead of sea salt. It will give the dish a really strong egg-taste.
I made this for my non vegan parents. They loved it and said it was delicious. My dad has no idea it’s tofu and I don’t plan on telling him, because then he wouldn’t eat it again.
Made this this morning, added cumin and garlic powder for a little extra flavor, then put it in a tortilla from Trader Joe’s with some leftover tater tots, tomatoes, and green onion. Best breakfast tacos I’ve ever made, vegan or otherwise 🙂
TOTS!
My non vegan friend and I made breakfast together the other day. she made made fried egg and I made this. When she tasted me mine she automatically said ‘OMG I’m so jealous yours tastes better, I wanna have yours’ :’)
OMG delicious!!!
This was fantastic! I used a red onion (didn’t have a shallot) and a little more nutritional yeast. Thanks for sharing this!
AWESOME! So glad you liked it 😀
Just made this and it was perfect! I knew a similar recipe with black salt (with the sulfur-egg-taste), but actually liked this one better. My omnivore sister complimented it, too. In the past when I ordered tofu scramble in a restaurant it would always be too dry and now I know how much incompetence that shows haha
5 stars! Best scrambled tofu ever! Love love this so much! Thank u 🙏🏻