Tofu scramble with the works! This savory vegan breakfast is packed with flavor and loaded with crispy potatoes, juicy red bell peppers and hearty kale.
I was never into eggs. A lot of people think that this means I'm also not a "breakfast person." So not true! Breakfast is my favorite! And tofu scramble is my absolute favorite savory, protein rich, vegan breakfast. It's so good that you will want to eat it for lunch and dinner too (I often do!).
I've made many versions of this dish over the years, but this one has been refined and perfected, and it's my absolute favorite tofu scramble recipe. I find most scrambles lacking a bit in the flavor and texture department. I solved that by loading this one up with spices, seasonings, and veggies.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Canola oil. Feel free to substitute any high-heat oil. Avocado oil, coconut oil, and vegetable oil are all totally fine!
- Potato. I like this recipe best with a russet potato, because the starchy texture goes so well with scrambled tofu. Feel free to substitute another type of potato such as a red potato, yellow potato, or even a sweet potato.
- Onion.
- Bell pepper. Use your favorite color of bell pepper. I'm a big fan of red in this recipe for it's smoky sweetness.
- Garlic.
- Tofu. Firm or extra-firm tofu will give your scramble the best texture.
- Kale. Spinach, chard, or another leafy green can be substituted if that's your preference.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Nutritional yeast flakes. These will add a cheesy, savory flavor to your scramble. Look for nutritional yeast in the natural foods section of your store. You can also buy it online.
- Ground cumin.
- Ground turmeric. This is what gives our scramble a beautiful yellow color.
- Hot sauce. Leave this out for a heat-free tofu scramble. I'm a big fan of Cholula in this particular recipe.
- Black pepper.
- Kala namak. Also known as black salt, this ingredient is optional, but it's the magic ingredient for adding eggy flavor to vegan recipes like this one. It's a type of salt with a high sulfur content. You can find it in Indian supermarkets, or online. Regular table salt or sea salt can be substituted if needed.
- Accompaniments. Use whatever you like here! Salsa, sliced avocado, and chopped scallions all make great toppings. Toast, English muffins, or tortillas are all excellent vessels for serving tofu scramble.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by prepping all of your ingredients in advance so they're ready to go in when you need them.
- Heat up your oil in a nonstick skillet and add diced potato. Cook the potato until the pieces are soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside, making sure to give them a flip every once in a while.
- Tip: The potatoes will lose some of their crispness when you add the remaining ingredients. I don't mind this, but you're welcome to remove them from the skillet and add them back later so they stay crispy.
- Add diced onion to the skillet and cook it for a few minutes until it starts to soften, then add chopped bell pepper.
- After a few minutes the pepper should start softening. Now push everything to the side of the skillet and add minced garlic. Sauté it briefly.
- Crumble the tofu it into your skillet — I like to keep the chunks relatively large at this stage and break them up as they cook.
- Cook the tofu, flipping it from time to time, until it starts to dry out and crisp up in spots.
- Begin adding kale to the skillet. Raw kale takes up lots of space, so you can add it a handful at a time if you'd like, letting each one wilt a bit before adding the next.
- Your seasonings go in last: soy sauce, hot sauce, nutritional yeast, and spices. Cook everything briefly after you've added them.
- Take the skillet off of the burner and season your tofu scramble with kala namak and some black pepper.
- Serve and enjoy!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftovers of this recipe will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
Nope! Most of the water will cook off quickly when you crumble it up and cook it.
You don't, but you're totally welcome to do so if you're not a fan of potato peel.
It's awesome stuffed in a tortilla, piled on toast or vegan English muffin halves, or all by itself on a plate. Accompaniments are key! I love mine with some avocado, scallions and ketchup. Also try salsa, extra hot sauce, vegan cheese or cashew cream.
More Savory Vegan Breakfast Recipes
- Vegan Potato Leek Quiche
- Vegan Huevos Rancheros
- Vegan Omelette
- Savory Vegan French Toast
- Vegan Frittata
- Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches
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📖 Recipe
Loaded Tofu Scramble
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 1 small (8 ounce/227 gram) russet potato, diced into about ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper (any color), roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (14 ounce/400 gram) package extra firm tofu, drained and patted dry
- 2 cups roughly chopped kale leaves
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce1
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Cholula) or to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Kala namak, to taste (optional - for eggy flavor)
- Toppings or accompaniments of choice
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat.
- Give the oil a minute to heat up, and when it begins to shimmer add the potato.
- Cook the potato, flipping occasionally, until the pieces are just fork tender and crisp on the outside, about 8 minutes2.
- Add the onion to the skillet and cook it with the potato until it just begins to soften, about 3 minutes, continuing to flip everything occasionally.
- Add the bell pepper. Cook everything for about another two minutes, until the pepper begins to soften up.
- Push everything to the sides of the skillet and add the garlic to the middle. Cook the garlic for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Break tofu into bite-sized chunks and add it to skillet. Flip everything a few times with a spatula to mix the ingredients.
- Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally and breaking up chunks of tofu as needed, until the tofu begins to dry up and crisp in spots.
- Add the kale, in batches if needed, letting each batch wilt slightly before adding the next.
- Stir in the soy sauce, nutritional yeast, cumin, and turmeric. Flip everything again to incorporate the ingredients. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until most of the soy sauce dries up and the kale has fully wilted.
- Remove the skillet from heat and season the scramble with hot sauce, kala namak (or table salt), and black pepper to taste.
- Serve with toppings and accompaniments of choice.
Notes
- Use gluten-free tamari instead if needed.
- You have the option of removing the potatoes from the skillet at this point, which will keep them extra crispy. I prefer to leave them in, just to make life easy. If you do take them out, be sure to add an extra dash of oil to the skillet before adding the onion. Return the potatoes to the skillet around just after you add the spices.
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One thing I love about Alissa's recipes is that they are so leftover-friendly. I will be making breakfast burritos out of this all week.
I just made my first tofu scramble, and it certainly won't be my last! Such a delicious recipe.
Awesome
Definitely a keeper
Thank you
Joell
I thought this was very good, but way too much cumin. Next time I will use 1 tsp instead of 1 tbs. I actually checked the recipe 3 times because 1 tbs sounded like a lot for cumin. Other than that, super yummy!!
We just had this for breakfast, and it was DELICIOUS!
Will definitely make again.
Absolutley delicious! I've just made this for my husband to eat after a long run. He loved it. Will roll it out for the whole family tomorrow!
Delicious and hearty! I left out the black salt - not a fan - and added a bit of Field Roast sausage. Thanks for another great recipe!
Yummy, didn't have kala namak or hot sauce, so added a bit of chili powder and smoked paprika. Would definitely make this again.
First time making - turned out delicious!
Really tasty version of tofu scramble
Will definitely be making again and I need to hunt down this salt still which is not available to me in NZ during lockdown
Stay Safe
Eat Healthy ❤️
This was incredible!! My favorite tofu scramble by far— and we’ve tried many! Great recipe! ❤️
This recipe looks very tasty for breakfast. It's an scramble egg replacement
Wow, another winner! So yummy! Thank you!
Yay! I'm glad you like it! Thanks Judy!
This makes the best breakfast ever, or any meal for that matter. I've made this 3 or 4 times already. I like to add the kala namak salt along with the other seasonings. It's power stuff and I like it blended in well. I also like to cube up the tofu on the cutting board into half inch cubes (just my preference) I use a little Tabasco sauce as well.
I'm so glad you're enjoying it! This is one of our favorite breakfasts in my house too! :)
I'm so glad I tried this recipe. It was my best tofu scramble yet, in my two years as a vegan. The Kala Namok salt is a must in my opinion. It imparts a slight eggy sulfur aroma.
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks so much Glenn!!
Tasty recipe Alissa! I added some lime juice. Would use Field Roast Apple Sage Sausages. And would crisp potatoes and put them aside until very end. Sautée onions, garlic, tofu, spices, pepper. Stir in kale and crisp potatoes at the very end otherwise potatoes are soggy and kale overcooked. BBQ sauce, chili garlic sauce, ketchup and other condiments on the side.
Thanks Olga! Field Roast Apple Sage sausages have actually become a favorite of mine since posting this, and I think they'd be delicious in here. :)
Hi Alissa, great recipe! I made this last night with yellow peppers, leftover veggie group round, and tossed it all in about 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce...this will be a new go-to meal for sure, thank you very much for posting it :)
Oh nice! Awesome idea! I love barbecue sauce on just about everything, so I have to give that a try too. :)
I totally agree! I eat tofu scrambles, but I never loved eggs as an omni unless they had lots of veggies and cheese to cover up the after taste.
I think it's the sulfury taste. My husband, who loves eggs, puts kala namak all over his scrambles for that flavor, but I'm not into it at all.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was a hit with my hubby and 2-year old. Thanks for a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe. I love how the turmeric makes it look so much like eggs!
Glad you enjoyed it! I just made a batch over the weekend myself and it's still a favorite. Thank you so much for sharing your results!!
Hi! Thanks for posting this recipe. It was awesome.
You're welcome! This is one of my favorites - so glad you enjoyed it too!!