These egg-free Chinese-style omelets are made with a savory batter with tofu, chickpea flour, and a secret ingredient for eggy flavor. Served over rice with gravy, this vegan egg foo young is way better than takeout!
This recipe goes all the way back to spring of 2015. I think that's a record for me! Anyway, I wasn't a fan of the first set of photos, so I put it on the back burner with the intent to remake and rephotograph the dish...sometime soon. Looks like "sometime soon" means three years and change. Oh well!
I got a little nudge recently when a reader responded to my vegan omelet recipe on Facebook by asking if it could be turned into a vegan egg foo young. And I was able to confirm with certainty that it could, because I'd actually tried it! And then I decided it was time to get moving and snap some new pics so I could unleash my vegan egg foo young on the world already.
Have you had regular old egg foo young? I was surprised that my egg loving husband had never heard of it before. Basically it's a Chinese-style omelet with a bunch of fillings and savory sauce. So yeah, my husband really dug this one.
And I guess I already spilled the beans: I basically just took my old omelet recipe and added veggies and gravy. Oh, and I went with the suggestion in the notes of that post to add some tofu to the omelet base. It makes things more eggy! Whip everything up in the blender until smooth.
I like to make the gravy first, so it's ready to go when the omelets are done. It's a super simple mix of some veggie broth, sriracha (if you like a little kick), sesame oil, and soy sauce. Simmer for a few minutes, then add a slurry of cornstarch and cold water to thicken the mixture up.
You can use just about any kind of veggies in egg foo young, but I had button mushrooms and celery on hand, so I went with them. It worked great because the mushrooms add savory flavor while the celery adds crunch. The old ugly photograph version was made with julieened carrots and shiitake mushrooms, so I can confirm that they work well too!
Cook the mushrooms first in some oil. Resist the temptation to stir-fry them! Just let them sit in the skillet in a nice even layer. This is how you get them to brown.
Out with the mushrooms and in with ginger and garlic. Then in with the celery for a quick stir-fry.
Transfer your veggies to a bowl and mix them with your omelet base.
Next, heat up an oiled skillet and drop a bit of the batter onto it. Let it cook for a few minutes, until you see bubbles in the center and they very gently flip the whole thing! Cook a few minutes more until it's browned on both sides.
Drizzle with gravy and serve with rice.
Tips for Making Delicious Vegan Egg Foo Young
- You can substitute your favorite veggies for the mushrooms and celery if you like. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and snap peas are great choices and can all be stir-fried using the same method as the celery.
- Make sure to chop your veggies finely so the omelet holds together nicely.
- On that note, I should mention that these omelets are more delicate than their egg-based counterparts. Be very careful when flipping, and be patient when cooking: if you find yours are breaking, try turning down the heat and letting them cook a bit longer.Â
- When cleaning your mushrooms, don't douse them in water! They'll suck it up and never brown. Instead, wipe them down with a damp paper towel.
- This recipe calls for black salt (also known as kala namak). It's the secret to making the omelets taste eggy, so don't skip it! You can buy it at Indian supermarkets or online.
- Traditional egg foo young is usually topped with bean sprouts, and they do make a nice addition. Lately, I can't find them anywhere, so that's why I skipped them. But feel free to sprinkle some on yours if you can get ahold of them!
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Vegan Egg Foo Young
These egg-free Chinese-style omelets are made with a savory batter with tofu, chickpea flour, and a secret ingredient for eggy flavor. Served over rice with gravy, this vegan egg foo young is way better than takeout!
Ingredients
For the Gravy
- 1 â…“ cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
For the Omelets
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- ¼ pound firm tofu
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kala namak (or to taste)
- About 4 tablespoons canola oil (or high heat oil of choice), divided
- 2 cups button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (dice them if they're large)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 scallions, white and green parts separated and chopped
- 1 cup diced celery
For Serving
- Cooked rice
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
To Make the Gravy
-
Place the broth, soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil into a small saucepan and set it over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil.
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Lower the heat so the mixture is just at a simmer.
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Stir the cornstarch and cold water together in a small cup or bowl, until the cornstarch is fully dissolved.
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Stir the cornstarch mixture into the simmering broth mixture. Allow it to simmer for about 2 minutes more, until it thickens up a bit.
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Remove the pot from the heat. Give it a taste test and adjust any seasonings to your liking.
To Make the Omelets
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Place the chickpea flour, water, tofu, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, baking powder, and kala namak, if using, into a blender and blend until smooth.
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Lightly coat the bottom of a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil and place it over medium heat.
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Add the mushrooms in an even layer and cook for about 5 minutes, flip and cook 5 minutes more, until browned and tender. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
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Add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of scallions to the skillet. Sauté them for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Raise the heat to high and add the celery to the skillet. Stir-fry it for about 2 minutes, until tender-crisp.
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Transfer the celery to the plate with the mushrooms, then Lower the heat beneath the skillet to medium.
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Pour the chickpea flour mixture into a bowl, and stir in the mushrooms and celery mixture.
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Coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
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When the oil is hot, ladle a heaping ½ cup of the batter and veggie mixture into the skillet. You can ladle a few more omelets into the skillet, but make sure not to crowd them.
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Allow the batter to cook for about 4 minutes, until bubbles start to pop up in the middle. Test it with a spatula and flip the omelet if it feels ready.
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Cook the omelet for about 4 minutes on the other side.
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Repeat until all of the batter is used, adding oil to the skillet between batches as needed. You should get about 6 omelets.
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Serve the omelets over rice and top with gravy, green parts of scallions, and sesame seeds. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include rice or sesame seeds.
I can't wait to try this. I used to like this dish a lot so I'm excited to bring it back into my recipe rotation.
I hope you enjoy it as much as your old favorite!!
Being Asian, egg omlete and rice was a staple in our house. In Thailand we add fish sauce to the egg when whipping it up. Being vegan for over a year now, that simple dish is what I miss the most!
Coming across this recipe made my dreams come true!! I'm nervous to try it as I haven't tried tofu based "egg", but will let you know how it goes!!! Thank you for creating this!!
Happy veganing!
Oh wow - I hope you enjoy it as much as the stuff you grew up eating! I'm always nervous with egg dishes but my husband is always a good gauge since he misses eggs so much. I'd love to hear what you think if you try it!
so excited for this one!!!!!
I hope you enjoy it!!
do you have a recipe for okonomiyaki?
I don't, but I'm adding it to the list now. Thanks for the idea!
I can’t wait to try this.....and that black salt is the truth.... who would of thought it can give you that egg taste.....
It really is amazing stuff! I hope you enjoy!!
My complaint with comments on recipes is that most say how exciting they anticipate the recipe to be. When evaluating a recipe to prepare that "it sure looks good" tells me nothing. What I need are comments from people who have actually prepared the recipes. Their evaluations, suggestions afterward have much more value to this reader.
Well, you know the old saying about not being part of the solution... ;)
This was good. Fun to have egg foo young again. Made it with bean sprouts and mushrooms, as well as the celery and scallions. Definitely liked the taste. I thought the omelet part was just a little mealy----my husband cooked it and I think it needed to go just a little longer, so that's his fault, not yours!
Oh yeah, it will be a bit gritty if undercooked! I'm glad you enjoyed it though! Thanks Ellen!!
Made the recipe as written and we LOVED it! Tasted even better than a restaurant meal, thank you so much! Your recipes are amazing!
Woo hoo!! So happy to hear that! Thanks Erin!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was WONDERFUL!! I've bookmarked several of your recipes. Thank you!
Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
I don't often come back to comment on recipes-- but this was delicious!!
Yay!! I'm glad to hear that!
Would these cope being frozen and reheated, they look like a tasty OAMC recipe.
I haven't tried, but I think they should freeze and reheat just fine. :)
Any thoughts on how to adapt this to be soy- free? I'm wondering about mashed potato or mashed garbanzos? Garbanzos get really creamy if soaked in baking soda water before cooking. Do you think either of these ideas might work?
Hi Holly! Try leaving the tofu out and just adding a bit more chickpea flour if needed - only if the batter seems too thin to hold together! The tofu helps give the omelet an eggy texture, but I'll sometimes skip it when I'm in a hurry and the omelet is still delicious. :)
Hi, Alissa! Making this tonight - down with the beginnings of what appears to be a nasty chest cold (yay) so I'm needing comfort food, and Chinese has always been my go-to. Found a WONDERFUL vegan Chinese restaurant here, but sadly, no "egg" foo young. Then I remembered YOUR recipe!
No scallions, so I thought I'd use julienned shallots instead. No mushrooms either, unfortunately (my last three went all soft and yucky - need to do some shopping). Thought I'd toss in some broccoli and cauliflower florets, maybe tempura battered and fried beforehand? Oh, and definitely some asparagus.
Serve up with some steamed jasmine rice and smother the entire thing in that savory gravy - just the thing to chase the blahs away! I'll be sure to do a follow-up post so people like Jim are satisfied. ;-)
Broccoli and cauliflower would be delicious, and tempura battered should make it taste AMAZING! That definitely sounds like a delicious meal! I hope you enjoyed it and are feeling better!
Forgot to come back and now, here it is, nearly two years later??? The nerve of me!!! 😊
It was fantastic. Didn't do the tempura batter then, just sautéed the veggies before adding; however, tonight? I'm going all out! Tempura battered mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots, and mixed together with sautéed peppers and bean sprouts! I am going to be SO stuffed!!!
so it's looking like i'm gonna have to buy this special salt online because i can't find it at any specialty stores in my area but i saw it offered as course granulated or as a fine ground and i was wondering which would work better?
I'd go with fine - it'll dissolve and blend in quicker.
I made these for dinner last night, but I had to do without the kala namak. A few stuck to the pan a little, but other than that, the recipe worked perfectly. I thought they were just okay, but my husband and son really, really liked them (my husband hated traditional egg foo young, so I was surprised). But when I warmed one up with white rice and leftover sauce for lunch today, I liked it so much more than I did last night! I'm definitely going to make them again. We had your Smoky Tofu Dumplings on the side, which was awesome. I've made a lot of your recipes, and I can't think of any I haven't liked--thank you so much!
That sounds like a delicious meal! I'm so glad these were a hit and so glad you're enjoying the recipes! Thanks so much Melanie!
I've been vegan for years and this is one of the best vegan meals I've ever made. The flavor of the omelette is much better than that of the vegan restaurant I frequent that serves a similar dish. I really liked the gravy for this recipe, but I thought it overpowered the delicate flavor and texture of the omelette. Next time I won't smother the omelette in gravy, although my husband liked it that way. I added a chopped carrot to the celery for color, and that worked fine. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
That's so great to hear!! I'm glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Thank you so much Colleen!
Made these and scarfing them down as I type. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Never thought I would ever get to taste Egg Foo Young since becoming vegan! BLESS YOU!
Yay!! I'm so glad you're enjoying them!! Thank you so much!
This was so good. My family LOVED it!!! Even my picky 14 year old who refuses to eat anything, loved it. I followed it exactly as written. Thank you!
Awesome!! I'm so glad it was a hit!
Made the sauce and substituted bean curd parcels for the egg (lazy!). Loved it; sauce was a teensy bit salty but I will try again and use a different veggie broth or soy sauce to see how that goes. Thanks so much for this!
I'm glad you like it! Thanks Angela!
I just made the 'egg' part of this dish without the gravy. The flavor itself was amazing. I was actually shocked at how good it was because in the past my vegan 'egg' experiments just tasted like salt and not much else. This was savory and delicious. The texture, however, did not really remind me of egg, more like the outer part of an egg roll. I think it would be pretty easy to get more of an 'eggy' texture by substituting some of the chickpea flour with more firm tofu, or even silken tofu. Thank you for this awesome recipe, I cannot wait to try it out again with the gravy :)
Glad you thought it was tasty! You can certainly add more tofu to make it more eggy. I think the gravy will help too - it adds moisture which makes the texture seem more eggy. :)
I make this A LOT!
Its fantastic---easy to change up and use whatever veggies I have in the fridge too.
Do what the author says and let them take their time cooking...although this is SO HARD especially
when they taste so wonderful!
Is there any way to make this oil-free?
Maybe! You could try sauteing the mushrooms and aromatics in some water, then cooking the omelet without oil as long as you have a really good nonstick surface and are really diligent about letting it preheat and giving the omelet plenty of time to cook. You can also leave the sesame oil out of the gravy - it adds flavor but should still be good without it.
Bake it in the oven....
Is there an alternative flour Alissa?
Thank you...
You could make your own red lentil flour by blending dried red lentils in a food processor. Aside from that I'm not sure. Bean flours work best for replicating eggs and while you could probably get the recipe to work with something like wheat or oat flour, the result would taste more like a pancake than an omelet.
This recipe was amazingly delicious. I have a friend who loves egg foo young but I have been eating vegan so talked them into trying a vegan version. We all loved it, hardly could tell it was vegan. Will definitely be making again.
My mom has made this recipe a couple of times and shared it with me. It's soooo good and super simple. We enjoyed it with a (vegan) Mongolian Beef but it could stand on its own if you want to keep it simple. I don't use oil in cooking and didn't have any issues. Do yourself a favor and make it ASAP!