Tofu Scramble

Start your day with this protein-packed tofu scramble. With spices and nutritional yeast, it’s good for you and it tastes great.

Note: I updated this post to include nutritional yeast in the recipe.

As someone with an egg allergy, I enjoy this egg-free tofu scramble with weekend biscuits, mellow muffins, or toast. It’s also good for lunch nestled in pita bread or rolled up in a tortilla – either corn or flour. Tofu is a good source of protein, so eating it in the morning gets your day off to a good start.

Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this tofu scramble. The spices add some appetizing color and flavor to the tofu which, let’s face it, can look a little bland.

• Tofu – use firm or medium-firm.
• Nutritional Yeast – adds a cheesy, umami flavor to the scramble.
• Onion powder & Garlic powder – provides onion and garlic flavor in a convenient powder.
• Cumin – a savory spice that supports the umami flavors.
• Oregano – helps bring out the other flavors. I use Mexican oregano but regular oregano will work.
• Turmeric – a spice with a mildly sharp flavor that adds color to the scramble.
• Butter or oil – use one of these in the skillet to heat up the tofu and other ingredients.

I used Mexican oregano in this recipe. It’s actually a different plant than Italian oregano and the flavor is more intense. Mexican oregano isn’t ground as fine as other types of oregano so if you use this ingredient you’ll have to crumble it up with your hands or use a small mortar and pestle. Crumbling it before you add it to a recipe makes it more aromatic and flavorful. Because tofu can be bland, this spice goes a long way towards making this recipe savory and interesting.

Tofu Scramble Basics

The tofu used in this tofu scramble is medium or medium-hard. Selecting the correct tofu firmness is important. The most common firmness types are silken, soft, medium, medium-hard, hard and extra hard (These last two might be labeled firm and extra firm, depending on the brand). Silken tofu is best used in smoothies and is too soft for this recipe. The extra firm is too hard and isn’t a great choice either.

Alone, tofu is sort of flavorless, but it takes on the flavors that it is combined with. The spices in this recipe give the tofu scramble a slightly middle-eastern flavor. The turmeric adds color, but it can leave a bitter aftertaste, so use it sparingly if you are new to turmeric or if you know you don’t like it.

Making Tofu Scramble

Start by draining the tofu. Cut open the tofu package and plunk it into a colander. Drain the water that was in the package and rinse the tofu with filtered water. After it has drained some, transfer the tofu to a mixing bowl and use a pastry blender to cut it into small pieces. You can use a knife and fork if you don’t have a pastry blender.

After the tofu is cut up to the desired consistency, add the nutritional yeast, spices, salt, and onion and garlic powder.

Heat the oil or butter in a skillet and add the tofu mixture. I prefer butter because it adds some umami flavor, but extra virgin olive oil is a good choice too. Stir the tofu mixture for about 3-4 minutes until it’s piping hot. The heat brings out the color in the turmeric giving the scramble a nice yellow color.

Heap a big spoonful onto your plate and enjoy it. This tofu scramble recipe is a flavorful protein option for breakfast or lunch. If you have leftovers, they taste great heated up the next day.

Sautéed mushrooms and shredded cheese add a nice flavor. You can use any kind of mushroom that you like, but the ones used in these photos are baby portobellos, also known as crimini mushrooms. I like to add a topping of cheese, but if you omit the cheese, this dish is vegan.

For some good nutrition info on tofu, check out this link on The Spruce.

Commonly Asked Questions

Here are some answers to questions about tofu scramble. If you have any other questions, please add them in a comment and I’ll do my best to answer them.

• Does tofu scramble taste like eggs? Not really, but if you’re vegan or you avoid eggs for other reasons, it makes a good alternative to scrambled eggs.
• Is tofu scramble healthy? Tofu is a good source of plant-based protein and it also contains iron and calcium. So yeah, eat up!
• How long does it last? If you refrigerate it, you should consume it in 2-3 days. It keeps longer in the freezer, but the sooner you eat it, the better it will taste.
• Can you freeze tofu scramble? Yes, but the texture changes slightly.
• Can you re-heat tofu scramble? You bet! Zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and you’ve got breakfast.

Tofu Scrambler

Start your day with this protein-packed tofu scramble. Yeah, it’s good for you but it tastes good too. The spices add some appetizing color and flavor to the tofu.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Vegetarian Breakfast

Keyword: scrambled tofu, tofu scramble, tofu scramble nutritional yeast

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Julia

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 16 ounces medium or medium-hard tofu
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp turmeric optional
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 T oil or butter
• Optional 2-3 sliced mushrooms
• Optional Shredded cheese

Instructions

• Drain the tofu in a colander and rinse well with filtered water.
• Transfer the tofu to a mixing bowl.
• Use a pastry cutter or a knife and fork to cut the tofu into small pieces.
• Add the nutritional yeast and spices.
• Put the oil or butter in a skillet and set the heat to medium.
• Add the tofu mixture and stir until heated throughout.
• (Optional) If you like mushrooms, brown them in the oil (or butter) and set them aside. Then add the tofu mix to the skillet and cook as described above.
• (Optional) Top it with your choice of shredded cheese.

Notes

• If you can’t find Mexican oregano, you can use regular oregano.
• Nutrition values do not include cheese or mushrooms and are based on the use of a light oil instead of butter.