These vegan poke bowls are bursting with flavor! Made with pan-fried tofu, juicy mango chunks and macadamia nuts with a gingery dressing, they’re both delicious and refreshing — the perfect meal for warm summer days. The best part: these babies are super easy to meal prep!
They say you should never go to the supermarket hungry, but I beg to differ. Sometimes it works out well, like when it’s sample day and the sample lady is offering snack cups full of something that you’d never considered trying before, like vegan poke bowl, and you discover that it’s the best thing ever.
That’s what happened to me a few weeks ago. All I really knew about poke bowl at that point was that it was Hawaiian and usually involved raw fish. So whatever, I thought.
I didn’t think poke bowl, even in vegan form, was something I really needed in my life, especially since I already had my sushi bowls.
It turns out I LOVE poke bowls. They’re delicious and refreshing and I can’t think of a more summery dinner that’s perfect for a hot day.
What’s in a Poke Bowl
My understanding is that there’s no hard and fast rule as to what goes in a poke bowl. There’s generally a bed of rice. And while traditional poke bowls involve raw fish, a vegan poke bowl that uses tofu or veggies instead is totally legit.
You’ll also find an array of produce, often a mix of fruit and vegetables, and some flavorful dressing.
These particular poke bowls are made with brown rice topped with pan-fried tofu, mango chunks, avocado slices, radishes, edamame, macadamia nuts, and sesame ginger dressing.
How to Make a Vegan Poke Bowl
The nice thing about these bowls is that there’s not a lot of cooking involved. Just the rice and the tofu. Assuming you already know how to cook your rice, let’s talk about that tofu.
First, whip up your dressing. You’ll be mixing up some soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger. This is what’ll be drizzled over your bowl before serving, but it’s also the sauce we’ll use to flavor the tofu.
Press and dice your tofu up. Heat up a little bit of oil in a skillet and add your tofu. Pan-fry it until it’s golden and crispy, and then drizzle about a third of your dressing over the tofu — save the rest. Let the tofu cook for another minute or two until most of the liquid dries up.
From there, it’s just a matter of chopping everything up and arranging it in a bowl. Rice on the bottom, everything else on top, with a sprinkling of scallions and a drizzle of that dressing.
Meal Prep Poke Bowls
These bowls are really easy to meal prep, which is another reason I love them for summer (the season that I least enjoy being in the kitchen). Just whip up the dressing and cook your rice and tofu ahead of time. You can also prep all of your produce in advance, with the one possible exception of the avocado, which might turn brown during storage.
Store everything in separate containers, and then heat up your rice and tofu before serving (or don’t, if it’s a really hot day), and assemble your bowls.
FAQ & Vegan Poke Bowl Tips
- To save time when making these bowls, prep your fruits and veggies while the rice cooks.
- This recipe makes two very generous servings. If your appetite isn’t too big, you could get three bowls out of the recipe.
- Is there a substitute for macadamia nuts? I totally get that macadamias are expensive and can be hard to find. Roasted cashews or sesame seeds would be great alternatives.
- On that note, feel free to switch things up and make these bowls your own. Prefer tempeh to tofu? Use it instead! Got some pineapple on hand? Substitute it for the mango. Not into edamame? Swap them out with your favorite green veggie — steamed or raw.
- Can these poke bowls be made gluten-free? Yup! Just substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce.
- For some tips on how to pan-fry your tofu perfectly for this recipe, check out this post.
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Vegan Poke Bowls with Sesame Ginger Tofu
These vegan poke bowls are bursting with flavor! Made with pan-fried tofu, juicy mango chunks and macadamia nuts with a gingery dressing, they're both delicious and refreshing — the perfect meal for warm summer days. The best part: these babies are super easy to meal prep!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 7 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 1 cup diced fresh mango (about 1 medium mango)
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 pepper)
- 2 small radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted macadamia nuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Place the rice and water into a small saucepan and set it over medium heat.
Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and cover the pan.
Allow the rice to cook until tender and the water is absorbed, about 40 minutes, or according to the package instructions.
While the rice cooks, stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, and ginger together in a small bowl.
Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with the canola oil and place it over medium heat.
Give the oil a minute to heat up, and then add the tofu. Arrange it in an even layer.
Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping once or twice, until browned and crispy on multiple sides.
Pour about a third of the soy sauce mixture over the tofu.
Continue cooking the tofu for about 1 minute more, until most of the liquid has cooked off.
When the rice has finished cooking, remove it from the heat and let it sit with the lid on for about 5 minutes.
Uncover the rice and divide it into bowls. Arrange the tofu, edamame, mango, bell pepper, radishes, and avocado over the rice. Sprinkle with macadamia nuts, scallions and cilantro, then drizzle with the remaining soy sauce mixture.
Serve.
I just love your recipes. Almost every time I receive an email email from you I say, I want to make this recipe.
I try to cook with little to no oil for heart health and to continue dropping weight. Therefore I simply leave out the oil; or maybe I wipe the pan with some sesame oil to slightly brown the tofu. Otherwise, for me, your recipes are perfection and simplicity.
Thank you for inspiring my journey (1 1/2 years into it) into plant based cooking.
Thanks so much Ken! This is wonderful to hear! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Congrats on your weight loss and making it to this point in your plant-based journey!
I had to drop by to say thanks for this one. I had a poke bowl for the first time last year so was excited to give this a try at home. Edamame are tough to find locally and I didn’t make it to the Asian store so decided to go with frozen fava beans instead. I thought I didn’t like them but realized either I was wrong or my tastebuds have evolved. ; D It was a great summer dinner!
Awesome! Fava beans sounds like a great substitution. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I LOVE your food images and am sure they are delicious, but there is SO MUCH OIL. We follow a WFPB way of eating, so no oil for us. Thank you,
Mary
Thanks Mary! My recipes are vegan and not necessarily WFPB. Feel free to modify them as needed to suit your needs. :)