• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Living Lou

Simple, fresh and flavorful recipes.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Work with me
    • Press & Media
    • Send me a Message
  • About

Home » Dinner » Tofu Bell Pepper Stir Fry

Tofu Bell Pepper Stir Fry

Published: May 16, 2020 · Modified: Sep 20, 2020 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Jump to Recipe
40 minutes 12 Comments

A delicious vegetarian weeknight dinner, this tofu bell pepper stir fry is ready in under 45 minutes and simple to make! Join me for an Instagram Live cooking class as I cook this stir fry on Monday, May 18th at 6pm EST.

Tofu bell pepper stir fry in a wok.

This year I’ve been inspired more than ever to develop more vegetarian and vegan recipes. I eat a very balanced diet, but I’ve been trying to cook at least one vegetarian or vegan dinner and lunch each week.

It means that I’ve started to use more lentils and beans, but I’ve also been discovering ways to use tofu. The best way to learn how to cook specific ingredients? Read. Cook. Taste.

During my research, I was inspired by this stir fry recipe from Martha Rose Shulman in the New York Times.

I loved the combination of tofu and bell peppers and knew I could put a Living Lou twist on it and share it with you.

Two servings of tofu bell pepper stir fry with rice in a black bowl.

How do you make tofu delicious?

There are a few different tricks to making tofu delicious. First it’s important to press the tofu to remove the water. Because tofu comes packed in water, this process removes the liquid and will help avoid soggy tofu.

Start by draining the water, then wrap the tofu in paper towels, and weigh it down with something heavy (I use a cast iron skillet), and let sit for 15-30 minutes.

Tofu marinating in a glass bowl.

The other key to delicious tofu is to marinate it, to help it absorb flavour.

How long should you marinate tofu?

With tofu, any time is better than none! For this recipe I’ve found that 15 minutes is enough to add flavour and make this recipe quick enough for a weeknight. If you find yourself with ample time in the evening, you could marinate for 30 minutes.

If you don’t have time for a long marinate, try making tofu stir fry with zucchini and asparagus which uses tofu tossed in sriracha for a quick flavour boost.

Closeup of tofu stir fry in a black bowl.
Tofu bell pepper stir fry in a wok.

Tofu Bell Pepper Stir Fry

Author: Louisa Clements
4.06 from 38 votes
A delicious vegetarian weeknight dinner, this tofu bell pepper stir fry is ready in under 45 minutes and simple to make!
Pin Print
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
servings icon
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb firm tofu
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp canola oil, divided
  • 1 onion, cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • ¼ tsp chili flakes
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Drain tofu and wrap in paper towel. Place something heavy on top (I use a cast iron skillet), and let sit for about 15 minutes. Once pressed, cut into 1" cubes.
  • Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk soy sauce with hoisin, sugar and sesame oil. Toss with pressed and cubed tofu, and allow to marinate for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally to coat tofu. Remove tofu from marinate (reserve remaining marinade for the vegetables).
  • Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a wok or a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and cook, stirring frequently until tofu starts to caramelize and turn a deep brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Add remaining canola oil, onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring constantly, until onion starts to brown and bell peppers have a few char marks on them. About 3 minutes. Vegetables should be a vibrant red and still have some crunch.
  • Add garlic, ginger and chili flakes, continue cooking, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add remaining marinade and tofu back to pan. Toss to coat. Serve over rice with sesame seeds.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner, Dinner Recipes, easy, quick recipes, vegan, vegetarian
Nutrition Facts
Tofu Bell Pepper Stir Fry
Amount Per Serving
Calories 233 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 578mg25%
Potassium 183mg5%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 1079IU22%
Vitamin C 65mg79%
Calcium 160mg16%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Gin

    October 17, 2022 at 1:45 am

    Pretty sure this was my first time cooking tofu, and it turned out great! I also can't believe how inexpensive this dish was! It helps that I got the peppers on clearance for next to nothing, but even if I hadn't this still would've been a quick and cheap four meals. In the future I think I'm going to double the marinade and save half to use as a sauce, because my one critique of this dish is that I found it quite mild and I really wanted more flavor. But the marinade is so delicious, easy, and cheap to make that it won't be any hardship at all to double it for extra flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe, giving me something to do with my clearance peppers, and giving me an excuse to finally learn a tofu dish!

    5 stars

    Reply
  2. Erica

    April 09, 2021 at 4:06 pm

    Can we sub with vegetable or olive oil instead of canola oil?
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      April 11, 2021 at 11:48 am

      Hi Erica, I would recommend using vegetable oil as it has a higher smoke point than olive oil for this stir fry! I hope you enjoy.
      Reply
  3. Shirley Clements

    January 31, 2021 at 8:20 pm

    This stir fry looks sooo delicious! Must make it!
    Reply
  4. Kim Truesdell

    September 20, 2020 at 9:03 pm

    Excellent and easy recipe! Thank you for it.

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      September 24, 2020 at 2:01 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, Kim!
      Reply
  5. Alisanne

    June 06, 2020 at 3:08 pm

    This meal is fun to make, nutritious and delicious. As an Orthodox Christian, we fast - that is eat essentially like a vegan - at least twice a week. Sometime we fast for weeks. If it wasn't for the oil, this would be perfect for that. One think I would reiterate from the recipe is to make sure everything's coated well before serving. We left quite a bit of yummy minced ginger and garlic in the pan. We'll make sure the mix better next time. Thank you so much for great recipes!

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      June 16, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      Thank you Alisanne, so glad that you enjoy that! And yes the sauce leftover in the pan is so delicious.
      Reply
  6. Fiori

    May 31, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    I’ll have to give this a try. I saw you making it on Instagram LIVE. ?

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      July 15, 2020 at 3:12 pm

      So glad you were able to join me on IG live!I. hope you enjoy this recipe!
      Reply
  7. MindyC

    May 19, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    I made the stir fry exactly as written and it came out fantastic! I served it on a bed of rice. I think toasted cashews would be a nice addition next time! Thanks for the great and easy recipe!

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      May 19, 2020 at 8:18 pm

      Thank you Mindy! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to let me know. :)
      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Lou!

Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 12 years.
Learn More

Let’s connect

Living Lou

Copyright © 2023 Living Lou | Privacy

  • Home
  • All Recipes
  • Contact
  • About

Footer