This crispy black pepper tofu is smothered in spicy sauce stir-fried with sweet bell peppers and crispy celery. Serve over rice for a flavor-packed meal that's totally doable on a weeknight.
This black pepper tofu is the spicy vegan dinner you probably didn't know you needed in your life! Black pepper is one of those ingredients so many of us spicy food lovers often overlook, but that needs to change.
Black pepper is cheap, readily available, and most of us have it hanging out in our pantries. But it packs a serious flavor punch, especially when used in heavy amounts like we're doing in this recipe. You'll find that the heat from black pepper hits differently from what you'd find in dishes that use hot pepper based sauces, like my Szechuan tofu or gochujang tofu.
In addition to being delicious, this recipe is quick and easy. Fry the tofu, stir-fry some veggies, add sauce, and voila: you've got a umami-packed meal ready to enjoy.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Soy sauce. If you're not a fan of super salty dishes or just want to reduce the sodium content of this dish, feel free to use reduced sodium soy sauce.
- Dark soy sauce. This is different from regular soy sauce, with a much saltier, more savory taste. I don't recommend leaving this out or substituting, as it adds a ton of flavor to the dish. It's definitely worth picking up a bottle at the Asian market (try it in my vegan pad see ew if you need another use for for it).
- Brown sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional brown sugar may be processed using animal bone char.
- Sambal oelek. This will add some more familiar heat to the dish. Feel free to leave it out if you'd like to just let the black pepper shine.
- Black pepper. Use freshly ground black pepper. You'll need to buy whole black peppercorns, which are available in the spice aisle of most supermarkets, and grind it yourself using a pepper mill or mortar and pestle.
- Cornstarch.
- Peanut oil. Feel free to substitute your favorite high-heat oil, such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil.
- Tofu. The recipe calls for super-firm tofu, which has a great texture and is easiest to work. Extra-firm tofu can be substituted, but it will need to be pressed before using.
- Red bell pepper. Prefer a green, orange, or yellow bell pepper? Use it!
- Celery.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
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 doing all of your prep work: chop the veggies and aromatics, dice the tofu, and mix the sauce ingredients, which include both soy sauces, brown sugar, sambal oelek, black pepper, and cornstarch.
Dredge the tofu cubes in cornstarch, then heat some oil in a wok or skillet. Add the tofu cubes to the hot oil and fry them for a few minutes on each side, until they're browned and crispy. Transfer the tofu to a plate. Cook the tofu in batches if it won't all fit in a nice even layer in your wok.
Tip: Frying the tofu means the dish will contain a fair amount of oil. If you'd like to cut back on that, try this method for pan-frying tofu instead.
If you've got a ton of oil in the wok, carefully wipe some out. Now turn up the heat and add diced bell pepper and sliced celery to the wok. Stir-fry the veggies briefly, just until they deepen in color.
Now add minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, and finely chopped scallions (but just the white parts) to the wok. Mix them up with the veggies and stir-fry everything for about 30 seconds.
Return the fried tofu to the wok and pour the sauce over the tofu and veggies. Be careful not to pour the sauce directly on the hot cooking surface or it will sputter.
Continue stir-frying everything for about a minute, until the sauce thickens a bit and coats the tofu and vegetables.
Remove the wok from heat and add the green parts of your scallions.
Your black pepper tofu is ready to enjoy! Pile it onto plates with rice and dig in right away — the tofu won't stay crispy for long.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover black pepper tofu will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days. The tofu will not keep it's crispness, but the flavor will still be great. I've found that the easiest way to reheat this dish is in the microwave.
More Tofu Stir-Fries
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Black Pepper Tofu
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus up to 1 additional tablespoon, to taste
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Stir-Fry
- ¼ cup cornstarch, plus more as needed
- â…“ cup peanut oil, or as needed
- 1 pound super-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced (½-inch)
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 scallions, white and green parts separated and chopped
For Serving
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or container.
- Place the cornstarch into a small bowl.
- Generously coat the bottom of a wok (or large nonstick skillet) with peanut oil, adding enough oil for a depth of about â…› inch. Place the wok over medium heat.
- Place the tofu cubes into the bowl of cornstarch, a few at a time. Lightly dredge the tofu cubes in cornstarch, then transfer them to the wok, placing them in a single layer (Note 2).
- Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping the pieces about halfway through, until the pieces are lightly browned and crispy. Transfer the pieces to a plate when they're done.
- If the wok still has a lot of oil in it at this point, carefully wipe most of it out, leaving a thin coating.
- Raise the heat to medium-high. Give the wok a minute to heat up, then add the bell pepper and celery. Stir-fry the vegetables for about 2 minutes, until they begin to deepen in color.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions to the wok. Continue stir-frying everything for about 30 seconds, until the aromatics become very fragrant.
- Return the cooked tofu to the wok, then carefully pour the sauce over the tofu and vegetables. Mix up the ingredients and continue stir-frying the mixture for about 1 minute, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the tofu and vegetables.
- Remove the wok from heat. Add the green parts of the scallions.
- Divide onto plates and serve with rice.
Notes
- Low sodium soy sauce can be substituted if you'd like a less salty dish or wish to reduce the sodium content.
- You can cook the tofu in batches if it won't all fit in one single layer.
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I started making this recipe in 2017. I think the recipe has been upgraded a little bit. Do you know what changes were made?
if i dont have rice vinegar, will regular white vinegar suffice? thanks!
That should work just fine! Enjoy!
Where can you buy dried chiles? Can you buy them at a regular grocery store? Thank you!
If you're grocery store has a well stocked international foods section I'd look there. Otherwise, you can definitely get them at an Asian market or online.
This recipe was a big success with me and my 13-year-old. I made a couple of changes:
Potato starch instead of cornstarch just because I did not want to go to the store;
1 TEASPOON pepper because my daughter does not like spicy food; and
Added a large dollop of Sambal Oelek (pepper sauce) to my serving post-cooking to make up for the required-by-teen blandness.
It was delicious!!! I will have to make it with the full amount of pepper this summer when the teen is away at camp.
Love your recipes.
I'm glad it was a hit! It is pretty spicy with the full amount of pepper - it was almost too much for my husband. I hope you enjoy it when you get to try it out yourself. :)