Easy Weeknight Tofu Noodles Stir Fry Recipe

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Cooking With Anadi

12K subscribers · crispy tofu, peppers and peanuts in a tangy-sweet sauce

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You know those nights where you’ve had a long day and you really need food fast? The phone is tempting to order something, but you know that you’ve got some fresh produce in your fridge to use! That’s where this tofu noodles stir fry recipe can come into play. Trust me, it will take just as long to make this as it would for the delivery to come, and you’ll feel much better by making this easy tofu stir fry recipe versus having a greasy takeout!

I don’t know about you but quite literally until I made this recipe, tofu had been a pesky protein for me! I will admit that I was a naysayer and didn’t think it could be delicious, but making this tofu stir fry recipe proved me wrong! If you’re struggling with making tasty and crispy tofu as part of a mouthwatering meal, then I recommend you prepare this easy tofu noodles stir fry recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started for free today by signing up to my email newsletter, plus you’ll receive all of my latest recipes directly to your inbox so there’s always a new fresh inspiration to try!

Be sure to follow along with the step by step video recipe for this vegetarian tofu noodles stir fry! I’d also appreciate it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and make sure you hit the bell button so you receive the notifications when the recipe videos go live! Let’s get cooking!

Why You’ll Love This Tofu Noodles Stir Fry!

• Easy and fast to make: You can get this stir fried tofu ready in just about 30 minutes without many steps! The majority of the effort actually comes from the prep work, and then you just need to get cooking!
• Great use of veggies: You can use the veggies that are hanging out in your fridge to prepare this healthy tofu noodle recipe! As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, using what you have in your fridge is an excellent source of inspiration! If you’ve got additional veggies or different veggies from what I’m using, then feel free to use them. I’ve got some other recommendations for veggies that will go well in this stir fry later on in this post!
• Delicious: Of course this is always the most important reason why you’d make anything! The veggies and the sauce and toasted tofu all taste so amazing, and you’ll definitely want to have seconds!

Dietary Considerations for This Tofu Noodles Stir Fry

This tofu stir fry recipe is…

• High in protein: From the tofu.
• Vegetarian and vegan-friendly. More details later on in this post how to make this recipe vegan!
• Can be gluten-free: See below on how to make this recipe gluten-free!

Tips for a Better Than Takeout Tofu Noodles Stir Fry

• Prepare all of the ingredients for the dish before you begin cooking.
• Use extra firm tofu and press it down briefly to ensure even and quick browning and crispy texture.
• Avoid overcrowding the pan while crisping the tofu. Cook in a single layer to get that perfect golden crust.
• Lightly dry-roasting the peanuts before adding them enhances their nutty flavor and adds crunch.
• Cook noodles (if using) just until al dente, rinse with cold water, and toss with a touch of sesame oil to prevent sticking.
• Toss the sauce in at the end once everything is cooked. This lets it coat the ingredients without burning or over-thickening.

Questions You May Have About This Tofu Noodle Stir Fry Recipe!

Tools Needed to Make Healthy Stir Fried Noodles with Tofu

• Mixing bowl
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Whisk
• Olive oil dispenser
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cup
• Serving spoon
• Ramekins
• Wooden spoon
• Non-stick pan
• Garlic press

Ingredients for This Tofu Stir Fry Noodles Recipe

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card, with all ingredients and their quantities. You can save this recipe for later and the recipe card will also allow you to scale the entire recipe based on how many portions you want to make. All the ingredient quantities will be automatically adjusted, so you don’t have to figure this out!

For the Stir Fry

• Olive oil: To sauté all the ingredients together. You can use whatever cooking oil you’d like.
• Tofu: I used one block of firm tofu.
• Peppers: A mix of red, green and yellow peppers, thinly sliced.
• Green onions: Slice them and separate the whites and green parts.
• Peanuts: You can use either salted or unsalted peanuts. If you’re using unsalted peanuts, simply add more salt to the dish.
• Garlic and ginger: Aromatics that enhance the dish overall.
• Egg noodles: I used large egg noodles.
• Salt: Always add to taste.

For the Sauce

• Soy sauce: Use low sodium soy sauce if salt is a concern to you.
• Rice vinegar: I’m using seasoned rice vinegar. If you’re using plain rice vinegar, you can add salt and additional honey to the sauce.
• Honey: Some honey for sweetness. Alternatively, you can use maple syrup or brown sugar.
• Red pepper flakes: You can omit these if you’re sensitive to heat.
• Sesame oil: A little bit for some extra flavor.

How to Serve Tofu Noodle Stir Fry

• Sides: You may like to have some Asian favorites, such as tempura or sushi cones.
• Garnish: You could add a drizzle of Sriracha for some extra heat. You can also garnish with toasted sesame seeds and/or different nuts, such as cashews or almonds.
• In spring roll wrappers: You could skip the noodles if you would like and use the veggie and tofu filling with the sauce as a filling in spring roll wrappers. This would absolutely be delicious!
• Rice: If you don’t want noodles, you can mix this stir fry with some Simple White Rice or even sushi rice!

How to Make Tofu Stir Fry Noodles

Prepare the sauce by whisking all the ingredients for it together in a bowl. Set aside for now.

Pat the block of tofu dry (or optionally also lightly press on the tofu to remove excess moisture) and then dice into 1 inch cubes.

Heat a pan on medium heat and then add peanuts. Dry roast for 2-3 minutes and then remove.

Add half the oil to the pan on medium heat and add the cubes of tofu. Toast 3-4 sides of the tofu cubes until golden brown and crispy. Remove the tofu and set aside.

Start boiling water for noodles (if using noodles). Add the rest of the oil and add peppers, ginger, garlic and white parts of the chopped green onions. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until the veggies are tender-crisp.

Add tofu, peanuts and mix well.

In the meanwhile add the noodles to the water and cook according to package instructions.

Add sauce to the pan, stir to coat and thicken.

Garnish with green onion greens and serve with noodles.

Variations of Tofu Stir Fry

• Vegan: The only non-vegan ingredient in this recipe is the egg noodles. If you need to make this recipe vegan, simply use another type of noodle, such as buckwheat soba noodles.
• Gluten-free: To make this recipe gluten-free, you can substitute the egg noodles with rice noodles. Also, ensure that you are using a certified gluten-free soy sauce, or substitute with tamari or coconut aminos.
• Veggies: Other delicious veggies that can go into this stir fry include sugar snap peas, snow peas, cabbage, bok choy, diced or sliced carrots, broccoli, peas, or even mushrooms.
• Spice: Add in some Sriracha or chili garlic sauce if you would like into the stir fry sauce.
• Noodles: Feel free to use your favorite kind of noodles!
• Protein: If you want additional protein, you could also add other plant-based protein sources, such as tempeh or seitan.

Storing Leftovers

It’s really easy to make your tofu stir fry in advance and to keep it for later! My recommendation would be to only cook the tofu and veggies and prepare the noodles when you’re ready to eat. If you really need to have the noodles ready in advance, then store the noodles and the tofu stir fry in separate containers. You can keep your tofu stir fry in the fridge for up to 4 days due to the garlic in here.

Reheating Tofu Stir Fry Noodles

I recommend reheating the tofu stir fry in the microwave for the most convenient option. Then, you can add in the noodles and mix well, and heat the noodles with the stir fry before serving. However, if you have a few extra minutes, then you can toss the stir fry mixture with the noodles in a large pan over the stove.

No Gochujang, No Hoisin: The Sauce Is Five Things in a Large Bowl

Scroll through stir fry recipes and the sauce usually runs to eight or nine bottles. This one is five ingredients, whisked together in a large bowl before you turn the heat on: 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey, a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. There is no gochujang, no hoisin, no chili paste, no oyster sauce and no cornstarch slurry to thicken it. The honey gives you the gloss, the vinegar stops it tasting flat, and the heat is a quarter teaspoon of flakes that you can move in either direction.

Some bottles are labeled rice wine vinegar rather than rice vinegar; they are the same thing and either will do. The card's swaps are worth knowing: tamari in place of the soy sauce, nearly identical in flavor, or coconut aminos which are sweeter and less salty. For the heat, cayenne at half the amount, or Aleppo pepper for something milder and fruitier. The sesame oil is untoasted here, so if yours is toasted use half as much or it will take over.

Pat It Dry, Do Not Press It for an Hour, and No Baking Sheet in Sight

The tofu is 1 block of firm tofu, about 1 lb or 430 g, and what happens to it is simpler than most recipes would have you believe. Pat the block dry with a paper towel, and press on it lightly if you want to drive off a little more excess water, but there is no half hour under a weighted plate, no draining in a colander and no baking sheet anywhere in this method. The tofu never goes near an oven. It gets diced into 1-inch cubes and toasted in half the oil over medium heat until 3 or 4 of its sides are golden and crisp, then comes straight back out of the pan while the vegetables go in.

Everything after that moves quickly, which is why the prep matters. Into the second half of the oil go 3 cloves garlic minced, 1 inch of fresh ginger minced, half a red bell pepper, half a yellow pepper and half a green pepper all cubed, and the white parts of 3 green onions, which you will see called scallions on plenty of other recipes. Three to five minutes is all they want, to tender-crisp rather than soft. Then the tofu and the dry-roasted peanuts go back in and the sauce goes over the top to coat and thicken.