Raise your hand if you used to love ordering vegetable fried rice for takeout. Or how about grabbing a plate the mall food court? If you’re wanting “all the feels” of that classic past time, enjoy this easy tofu fried rice that takes only 20 minutes to make! Complete with vegan scrambled tofu “egg” so you get that authentic fried rice feel.
I love simple dinners, don’t you? Then be sure to try these easy Thai drunken noodles, delicious veggie ramen noodle bowls, healthy mushroom Mongolian “beef” recipe, and this yummy broccoli and garlic sauce with rice.
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Why this recipe works
There’s something super special about dining out at Asian restaurants. Maybe it’s the delicious smell of soy sauce and salt. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, the Chinese menus, and the soft Asian music playing delicately in the background while the waitress fills up your water glass. Or maybe it’s the free chopsticks and fortune cookies.
Regardless, I always loved dining out at Asian restaurants. And I always loved fried rice growing up. But once you go plant based, you have to say goodbye to that classic fried rice with vegetables…or do you?
Luckily, it’s not complicated to give this classic Asian dish a vegan upgrade. The result is a delicious dinner that can be served all on its own, or with a side of vegetable spring rolls or won tons.
Easy vegan fried rice in 20 minutes
I love this fried rice recipe because it’s:
- Easy to pull together
- Healthy
- Quick, taking only 20 minutes to make!
- A great way to use leftover rice
Of course, if you don’t have leftover rice, you can still make this meal without the fuss of cooking rice on the stove. Check out this post for cooking rice in your Instant Pot.
What’s the best substitution for eggs in vegetable fried rice?
When making vegan fried rice, you may be asking yourself: what can I substitute for eggs though?
In my opinion, the best substitute for eggs is extra-firm tofu. It gives you the texture and feeling of scrambled eggs, while also maintaining that visual appeal. All you have to do is spice it correctly to get a similar “egg-y” taste, and you can still enjoy fried rice.
Recipe Ingredients
What you need (see the recipe box below for exact measurements):
- Extra firm tofu
- Nutritional yeast
- Ground turmeric
- Onion powder
- Ground ginger
- Frozen mixed vegetables
- Leftover (or cooled) jasmine rice (see this post for making rice in your pressure cooker!)
- Soy sauce (or tamari sauce for gluten-free)
- Sriracha sauce, optional
How to make it
1. First, drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Using your hands, crumble the tofu into pieces and transfer to a non-stick or well-oiled skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tofu begins to brown. During this time, I like to break up the tofu as much as possible with a spatula, to get that “scrambled eggs” look and feel.
2. Add spices and stir. Add frozen vegetables and stir. Turn the heat down to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are heated through.
3. Transfer tofu/vegetable mixture to a bowl and set aside.
4. Next, grease your pan with oil (if needed). Add leftover/cooled rice to skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes, adding in soy sauce until you reach your desired taste and rice has browned from frying.
5. Stir tofu/vegetable mixture in with rice. Turn off heat. Serve with Sriracha, if desired.
Allergy-Information and Notes
- This fried rice is 100% vegan, meaning it is meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free. It is also naturally nut-free.
- Make it gluten-free by using tamari sauce instead of soy sauce.
- This is a great way to use leftover rice. However, if you don’t have leftover rice, simply cook 1 ½ cups of dry jasmine rice (either according to package directions or in an Instant Pot) earlier in the day/evening and allow to cool completely before using.
- Up your vegetables by adding extras like cooked broccoli, asparagus, leeks, or celery at the end.
More easy dinners:
Easy Tofu Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu (14 oz)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 12 oz frozen mixed vegetables
- 4 cups leftover (or cooked and cooled) jasmine rice (This is 1 ½ cups dried jasmine rice, cooked. See notes.)
- ¼ cup soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
- Sriracha sauce, for serving
- extra oil, if needed to grease pan, optional
Instructions
- First, drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Using your hands, crumble the tofu into pieces and transfer to a non-stick or well-oiled skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tofu begins to brown. During this time, I like to break up the tofu as much as possible with a spatula, to get that “scrambled eggs” look and feel.
- Add nutritional yeast, turmeric, ginger, and onion powder, and stir. Add frozen vegetables and stir. Turn the heat down to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are heated through.
- Transfer tofu/vegetable mixture to a bowl and set aside.
- Next, grease your pan with oil (if needed). Add leftover/cooled rice to skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes, adding in soy sauce one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired taste and rice has browned from frying. I do not recommend exceeding ¼ cup of soy sauce, since it will become too salty.
- Stir tofu/vegetable mixture in with rice. Turn off heat. Serve with Sriracha, if desired.
Notes
- Make this fried rice gluten-free by using tamari sauce instead of soy sauce.
- This is a great way to use leftover rice. However, if you don’t have leftover rice, simply cook 1 ½ cups of dry jasmine rice (either according to package directions or in an Instant Pot on rice setting) earlier in the day/evening and allow to cool completely before using.
- Up your vegetables by adding extras like cooked broccoli, asparagus, leeks, or celery at the end.
Nutrition Information
Randy
This is really good vegan fried rice. It’s easy, quick and delicious!
Randi Tisdall
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoy it!!
Heidi C.
This is dinner tomorrow night! I think this is something I can pull off without making too many mistakes! Thank you. 🙂