Cashew Tofu Stir Fry

A delicious quick and easy weeknight dinner. Baked crispy tofu and crunchy cashews tossed in a sticky ginger garlic sauce. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli for a healthy, balanced meal.

this Recipe

What do I love most about this cashew tofu stir fry? Is it the sticky, kinda sweet, kinda savory sauce that covers every morsel of tofu and cashews? Could it be the sticky white rice that perfectly cools down the lightly spiced sauce? Or is it because this is a dish that showcases tofu in the best possible way; meaty, rich and toothy?

The correct answer is D! All of the above.

I’ve said this before, but I sometimes feel like my job is to help you love tofu. If you don’t already, that is. It’s one of the reasons I created my free 7 Day Plant-Protein Course and my motivation between the dozens and dozens of tofu recipes on this site.

This tofu stir fry is another one to add to that list. Torn extra-firm tofu pieces and crunchy cashews covered with a sticky garlic-ginger-hoisin sauce. Serve with steamed white rice and broccoli for a balanced, delicious weeknight dinner.

Ingredients for Cashew Tofu Stir Fry

• Extra-firm tofu
• Cornstarch
• Neutral oil
• Hoisin sauce
• Rice wine vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Chili garlic sauce (like sambal oelek)
• Sesame oil 
• Garlic, minced
• Ginger, grated
• Cashews
• Scallions

Notes and Substitutions:

I find that olive oil competes with the other flavors here, and prefer to use a neutral oil like a canola oil or even avocado oil. Toasted sesame oil is also my preferred

Sriracha can be substituted for thee sambal oelek, if desired.

How to prepare tofu for stir fry

As with all tofu recipes, you’ll need to drain and press the tofu first before cooking. You can press the tofu using a tofu press, or halving it, wrapping it in a kitchen towel and pressing it with a heavy object. This removes excess water and prevents soggy tofu.

To get the tofu as meaty as possible, you’ll want to do the same trick that I use in my harvest tofu salad recipe– tear it! Tearing it creates a craggy texture that is similar to how chicken or pork would be in a stir fry recipe.

I tried this one both cubes and torn, and really preferred the torn version.

The next trick is to coat the tofu in cornstarch before baking. This is kinda like frying the tofu in a pan; the cornstarch makes the tofu nice and crunchy without the mess of pan frying.

Serving Suggestions

Cashews add in additional protein and yummy fats and I love them combined with this tofu. If you have a cashew allergy, you can sub in another nut or leave it out together.

Highly recommend serving this one with sticky white sushi rice, or Jasmine rice. I know that I’m a Registered Dietitian and supposed to only suggest brown rice, but I find that the subtle flavor of white rice pairs so perfectly with the spiced sauce. It’s both light and cooling. I use a rice maker for easy cooking, but regular rice on the stove works too.

And since I am a dietitian, I’m serving this one with a side of steamed broccoli though any green vegetable would work here. My kids oddly love plain steamed broccoli without anything on it, so it’s a go-to side dish for us many nights.

Hope you love this one as much as we do! It’s a fantastic weeknight dinner and if you like spice like I do, feel free to add in more red pepper flakes.

More Vegan Tofu Recipes:

• Tofu Rice Bowls with Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Copycat Chipotle Tofu Sofritas
• Buffalo Tofu Chicken Salad
• Tofu Chicken Salad Sandwich
• Sesame Ginger Tofu Stir Fry

Tofu Cooking Tutorials

• How to Make Crispy Baked Tofu
• The Best Air Fryer Tofu
• How to Cook with Tofu
• Tofu Feta

If you try this recipe, make sure to come back and leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.