This vegan frittata recipe is made from tofu and loaded with delicious, nutritious and colorful veggies! It’s simple to make and doesn’t require you to pre-cook any of the vegetables. Simply blend the tofu with loads of tasty ingredients, pour into a baking dish with chopped vegetables and bake!
While the texture of this frittata is soft, it’s not mushy and holds together great when slicing and serving. Allow the frittata to cool before serving to firm even more!
Skill: Intermediate | Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6
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Is Tofu Frittata Vegan? Veganizing this Classic Recipe
The base ingredient for a classic frittata is eggs, so it’s not vegan. Frittata is traditionally an egg-based dish, like quiche but made without crust. It often contains vegetables, meats and/or cheeses.
Since vegans avoid using eggs, the main ingredient in a traditional frittata, other ingredients are used to substitute them. Chickpea flour and tofu are commonly used as vegan egg replacements, and together make a delicious plant-based egg.
While I don’t enjoy the texture of a purely chickpea flour-based frittata (I find it “powdery”), I love the smooth, firm texture of tofu! However, to blend the tofu then set properly into a soft-yet-firm frittata, you’ll need some chickpea flour.
Ingredients to Make a Deliciously Dairy-Free Tofu Frittata Recipe
The ingredient list for tofu frittata may seem long, but every ingredient has an important purpose, either for flavor or texture. You’ll need:
- Tofu: This main ingredient creates the bulk of the frittata. I use extra firm tofu because it has little water content and bakes perfectly into a firm, yet still soft, frittata.
- Plant-based milk: Plant milk helps everything blend nicely and isn’t specifically for flavor but is important for the correct texture in this vegan frittata. Use an unflavored, unsweetened plant milk (I use soy).
- Vegan mayonnaise: Eggs are the main ingredient in a classic frittata and contain higher levels of fat. To replace that fat content and create a deliciously satisfying vegan frittata, some mayonnaise works perfectly. Remember, fat adds flavor, texture and an important satisfaction factor when eating!
- Nutritional yeast: This really helps boost the flavor (and nutrition!) along with adding some yellow color. Egg dishes are often made with dairy/ cheese and nutritional yeast helps provide that needed depth of flavor.
- Chickpea flour: This ingredient contributes to texture. It helps the frittata firm while baking (absorbing plant-based milk that’s used to blend all the ingredients together).
- Garlic and onion powder: To me, garlic and onion are essential flavors in pretty much anything. They certainly help make this a delectable, unforgettable vegan frittata! There’s less onion powder than garlic because I always add fresh onion to the frittata.
- Seasoning salt: Before I was vegan, I would always make eggs with seasoning salt. To replace this flavor in my frittata, I use a brand called Old Bay which is my favorite. You can use any brand of seasoning salt you enjoy!
- Turmeric: This is optional and used to get a lovely yellow, “eggy” color. It also adds flavor but can be skipped if you don’t have any on hand or don’t like the taste.
- Salt and pepper: Some salt and pepper add even more flavor.
- Corn starch: For texture, corn starch helps the frittata set up nicely to create a final product that easily slices and holds together when serving.
- Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar: Some zingy kick from delicious Dijon mustard and a tang from the vinegar are the perfect additions for creating a well-rounded flavor in the frittata.
- Vegetables: I use zucchini, red bell pepper and red onion for this recipe but you can use other vegetables. Just chop a total of 1 ½ C. I like to cut the veggies into smaller pieces to get some of everything in each bite. Avoid more watery vegetables like mushrooms.
How to Make Vegan Frittata with Tofu: Instructions and Video Tutorial
This vegan frittata recipe is quite easy to make. I only list it as “intermediate” skill level because it can seem intimidating to get right. Don’t worry, I've tested it thoroughly and turns out amazing every time!
Step 1: Prep Vegetables
Chop a total of 1 ½ C veggies. I use ½ C of zucchini, red bell pepper and red onion for a beautiful variety of colors but you can use whatever veggies you like.
You can also add in some vegan meat/ cheese alternatives, just keep the total amount of additions to 1 ½ C otherwise the frittata won’t set properly. See below for a huge list of delicious ingredients you can use to make an endless variety of vegan frittatas!
Step 2: Prepare Tofu Base
To prepare the tofu base, simply add everything but the chopped veggies into a blender.
Blend until smooth. This may take some time to blend through so be patient. Scrape down the edges as you go and use a tamper attachment if your blender has one.
Step 3: Assemble Frittata and Bake
Once you’ve chopped the veggies and blended the tofu base until smooth, it’s time to assemble and bake.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, then grease a 9-inch baking dish with oil spray (or vegan butter/ margarine).
Carefully scrape all the tofu mixture from the blender into the baking dish. Spread out this mixture into an even layer in the baking dish.
Sprinkle the chopped vegetables evenly over the top of the blended tofu. Use the back of a spoon or fork to lightly press your veggies into the tofu mixture. Some will be covered completely, while other pieces will stay on top.
Bake for 45 minutes, until the center of the frittata is set/ firm. You can check by very lightly pressing on the center; if it springs back up, it’s done. If not, bake in 5-minute intervals until the center is set (you can also use a toothpick or fork poke the center).
Keep in mind the frittata will be quite soft straight out of the oven. It’ll firm more as it cools (and will firm most after refrigerating for a couple hours). You can serve right away but it’ll be softer and may have bits that fall apart. After cooling thoroughly, it’ll be quite firm and set (even when reheated).
Step 4: Serve!
Slice and serve! This recipe is high in protein and contains a good amount of fats and veggies which makes it quite a filling meal on its own.
However, adding delicious carbohydrates to this frittata creates an even more balanced meal! A side of toast/ bagel or potatoes (hash browns, home fried potatoes, etc.) is a great pairing.
This is also great with a side salad, extra avocado on top, hot sauce, ketchup, mustard – whatever you would serve an “egg” dish with is delicious alongside this vegan frittata!
Vegan Breakfast Frittata Tips, Substitutions and Variations
This frittata recipe makes a delicious breakfast meal but you can eat it any time of the day, for any meal! I like to serve this with some toast or a bagel for some tasty carbohydrates. If eating it for lunch or dinner, a side of spinach salad is delicious!
One tip I have for making this recipe is to be patient when blending. Since the mixture is so thick it can take longer than you think it should.
Also, avoid using vegetables with a really high water content (mushrooms and spinach come to mind). As these veggies cook, they release water which impacts the frittata texture and may mean it won’t set properly. If you want to use high water veggies, consider cooking them down before adding to the frittata, or serve them on the side!
There are endless variations for what vegetables to use in this recipe. You could also use vegan meat and/ or cheese alternatives for lots of tasty flavor! Other delicious filling ingredients to try in this tofu frittata include:
- Potatoes/ sweet potatoes
- Broccoli/ broccolini
- Vegan feta cheese (great crumbled in or served on top after baking)
- Roasted red pepper (drain excess liquid with paper towel)
- Asparagus
- Fresh or dry herbs (get creative!)
- Cherry tomatoes (best to leave on top of the frittata so the water can evaporate off in the oven)
- Shredded vegan cheese
- Vegan bacon bits
- Chili flakes, for a spicy kick!
- Roasted garlic
- Green onions/ chives
- Smoked paprika
- Vegan ham
- Peas
- Chopped vegan sausage (if needed, cook before baking)
- Kale (less water content compared to spinach)
- Leeks
How to Store Vegan Tofu Frittata: Refrigerating and Freezing this Recipe
Tofu frittata is an ideal recipe to meal prep ahead of time for super quick breakfast (or lunch or dinner) meals through the week! After baking, allow to cool for about an hour before transferring to the fridge. I typically cover the baking dish (with a lid if it has one or tin foil).
Frittata should last for up to a week in the fridge. You can be double this recipe (and cook in a 9x13 baking dish) so there's lots of delicious meals ready for the week ahead.
I’ve been perfecting this recipe for quite some time and am so happy to finally share it! I was ecstatic when I finally got the recipe right because I knew it was perfect and I can’t wait to make it again.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please rate and comment below so others benefit from your experience.
More Tasty Vegan Breakfast Recipes
Vegan Tofu Frittata with Vegetables
Equipment
- 9-inch baking dish (square or round)
Ingredients
- 350 grams extra firm tofu (one block)
- 1 cup plant-based milk (I use unsweetened soy milk)
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or other seasoning salt)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cup chopped vegetables (I use ½ C each of zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onion)
Instructions
Prep Vegetables
- Wash and chop 1 ½ C of mixed vegetables. Set aside.1 ½ cup chopped vegetables
Prepare Tofu Base
- Place the remaining ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.350 grams extra firm tofu, 1 cup plant-based milk, ½ cup vegan mayonnaise, ⅓ cup chickpea flour, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- This is a very thick mixture so you may need to scrape down the edges of the blender as you go.
Assemble Frittata and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Grease a 9-inch (square or round) baking dish (use oil spray or grease with vegan butter/ margarine).
- Pour the tofu frittata mixture into the baking dish. Use a spatula to carefully scrape everything out of the blender!
- Spread the tofu mixture into an even layer in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the chopped vegetables across the top of the frittata. With the back of a spoon or fork, lightly press the vegetables down into the frittata. Some veggies will get covered in the frittata mixture and some will rest on top.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until the center is fully set (it should spring back when lightly pressed – you can also use a toothpick or fork to check the center isn’t liquid).
Serve
- Once out of the oven you can serve immediately, but will be quite soft (and still hot).
- As it cools it will firm more. Letting it cool for 15 minutes or longer makes cutting and serving easier.
Brianna Cook
Hi Nicole - awesome!!! We are going to try the potato crust tonight - I’ll let you know how it goes!
Brianna
Hi there - this looks unreal and I can’t wait to try it!!! I’m wondering what your thoughts are on pre-cooking a thinly sliced potato crust, then cooking the frittata inside of that?
Nicole Stevens
Hi Brianna - that sounds absolutely amazing, my husband's face lit right up when I told him and I'm now going to have to give it a try myself! I'm not sure if the potatoes would need to be pre-cooked if they are sliced thin enough, they should have enough time to cook through - if the slices are a bit thicker, maybe give them a 15-20 minute head start?! Let me know how it goes!
Nicole Stevens
So I gave this a try last night! The thinly sliced and slightly overlapping potatoes cooked just fine without any pre-cooking although they weren't crispy on the bottom like I was hoping - it was still really delicious! Maybe cooking the frittata on a lower rack in the oven would help crisp the potatoes but I'll have to try that next time.