This tofu scramble with nutritional yeast recipe is a game-changer in terms of taste and convenience. It’s quick and easy to make, highly customizable and can easily be prepared ahead of time for a week of great breakfasts.
Nutritional yeast is essential to making a vegan breakfast scramble that looks and tastes more like eggs. Along with other spices like turmeric and smoked paprika, nutritional yeast helps replicate an eggy and cheesy flavor that’ll leave your taste buds amazed that this is vegan! Pair the scramble with a source of carbohydrates (toast, potatoes, etc.) to make it a more well-rounded meal.
Skill: Easy | Time: 30 min | Servings: 3
Sign up for the Veg Out newsletter to get vegan recipes and nutrition content from a Registered Dietitian!
This post contains affiliate links (including Amazon Associates) and I earn from qualifying purchases.
Is Tofu Scramble Vegan?
Most tofu scramble recipes are vegan without the need to adjust any of the ingredients. All that you need is a little creativity to spice the tofu and ensure the final scramble is as delicious as possible.
I like to start with a block of extra firm tofu since it has little water content. Less water means it cooks faster and has a texture similar to scrambled eggs. From there, we’ll look to spice the tofu (adding color and flavor) while adding vegetables for more nutrition and varied texture.
For spices, I love using nutritional yeast, garlic and onion, turmeric, and smoked paprika. These are all staples of my vegan tofu scramble and close to the way I used to season eggs.
For vegetables, I can’t get enough mushroom, onion and bell pepper. This simple 3-veggie blend always hits the spot and brings so much color and flavor to the recipe. You can use whichever veggies you like or what you have available.
Ingredients to Make Vegan Tofu Scramble with Veggies
There are so many ways to make a delicious and nutritious tofu scramble recipe! Feel free to customize your scramble or use my preferred ingredients.
Tofu Scramble Ingredients
- Tofu: Providing the bulk of the recipe, extra firm tofu effectively replaces eggs for a high-protein breakfast scramble. You could also use silken, medium or firm tofu if that’s what you typically buy, but the scramble will have a softer texture and needs to be cooked for longer.
- Nutritional yeast: A staple in any vegan kitchen, nutritional yeast offers a slightly cheesy flavor to the tofu and brings a yellow color which helps tofu look more like eggs. As its name implies, it’s also packed with nutrition, including B vitamins which can be harder to get in a vegan diet.
- Garlic and onion powder: For an extra boost of flavor, garlic and onion powder are the perfect combination. You can use fresh garlic and onion if you prefer.
- Turmeric: For even more yellow color that helps tofu resemble eggs, turmeric is a great addition. It’s a delicious antioxidant that enhances flavor, even in small amounts.
- Paprika: Any paprika will work, but I love smoked paprika. The red color may darken the yellow color of the scramble but if looks aren’t a concern, this adds such a great flavor!
- Salt and black pepper: Adding these to taste, a little salt and pepper helps enhance other flavors.
- Plant-based milk: An unsweetened plant-based milk (I like soy) helps to evenly coat the tofu with all your included spices. It’s technically optional and will cook off so you won’t have a watery scramble.
My Go-to Scramble Veggies
- Vegan margarine or oil: Adding a source of fats helps make this recipe more filling and satisfying. I like the flavor of vegan margarine/ butter but avocado oil (or any type of oil) also works. I like to cook my veggies in the melted butter before adding the crumbled tofu.
- Onion: Any variety of onion will add lots of flavor to the scrambled tofu. I like using red onion in the cooked vegetable mix, with some green onion for garnish if I have both available.
- Bell pepper: Any color bell pepper works well so use what you have around!
- Mushrooms: If you’re a mushroom fan, you’ll love adding them to this breakfast scramble. I typically choose cremini mushrooms because they don’t release quite as much water, but other types work too (although you might have to cook them for longer).
How to Make Scrambled Tofu for Breakfast: Instructions and Video Tutorial
Let’s get cracking (not eggs though!). Want to watch me make vegan tofu scramble before tackling the recipe yourself? Just play the video below to see my step-by-step walkthrough. If you want to go ahead and make it now, just follow the following written steps.
Step 1: Crumble Tofu and Coat in Spices
If you’re using extra firm tofu, you can get going right away. If using a different type of tofu, it’s best to begin by pressing the excess water out of the tofu.
In a large mixing bowl crumble your block of tofu into pieces. These pieces can be somewhat larger than what you’d want to eat since you’ll break it up further in the cooking process.
Next, measure your spices and add them to the tofu along with the plant-based milk. Stir until all the tofu pieces are evenly coated in spices.
Set aside the mixing bowl and proceed to preparing the tofu scramble veggies.
Step 2: Chop Vegetables and Fry in Pan
Dice all your chosen vegetables. Keep in mind the ratio of tofu to veggies you’ll want in your scramble to guide you.
In a frying pan, melt margarine or heat oil over medium heat, then add the diced vegetables. Allow these to cook down in the pan, releasing water content and combining flavors.
After about 5-7 minutes the vegetables will be soft and no water will remain in the pan, signalling that you’re done cooking them.
Step 3: Cook Crumbled Tofu with Veggies
With veggies prepared, it’s time to add the crumbled tofu to the pan. Mix thoroughly, breaking up larger clumps of tofu while allowing the tofu to brown.
Cook for about 5 minutes, until there’s no liquid in the bottom of the pan. You can cook a bit longer if you want the tofu to brown, adding some flavor.
Turn off the stove and get ready to serve!
Step 4: Serve
There are so many ways to serve this epic vegan scramble! On its own, scoop some onto a plate and top with ketchup, hot sauce or whatever else you’d typically put on eggs. Sometimes I’ll also make a batch of vegan bacon bits made from tofu and sprinkle those on top!
To make this more of a balanced meal, you may want to add more carbohydrates. For a quick and simple breakfast pair with toast or a bagel. Or, take things up a notch by making a vegan breakfast burrito!
Tofu Breakfast Scramble Tips, Substitutions and Variations
When crumbling tofu for the first time (or one of your first times), you may wonder how small to make each piece. Crumbling tofu can take some time, and the smaller you choose to crumble it, the longer it takes. Remember that you can always break it apart smaller when cooking, so don’t feel like you need to make the crumbles too small at first.
You may find that you enjoy certain spices or vegetables better than others in your breakfast scramble, so experiment with those flavors you like best! This recipe is my go-to, although depending on the mood I’m in and what’s in my fridge, I often change what goes into it. That’s all part of the fun!
Additionally, how you serve the tofu scramble plays a big role in achieving variety. With your scramble as the base of a meal, feel free to serve it in a burrito/ wrap, with toast or alongside a bagel!
You can also serve alongside some plant-based sausage or vegan ham. Avocado and/ or fresh tomato slices on the side is also delicious!
How to Store Scrambled Tofu: Refrigerating and Freezing this Recipe
Great for weekly meal prep, this tofu scramble recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in your refrigerator for up to one week. Just keep it in an airtight container and you’ll have it on those mornings where you want something quick and yummy!
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe but have some reservations about how it might thaw once you’re ready to use it. The water content from tofu and veggies may lead to extra moisture that makes your scramble mixture wet. If you freeze then thaw to use later, I recommend putting the scramble back into a frying pan and cooking this moisture out prior to serving.
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 Scramble with Nutritional Yeast + Vegetables
Ingredients
Tofu scramble:
- 1 350 g block extra firm tofu
- 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- black pepper , to taste
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk , unsweetened (optional)
Vegetables:
- 2 tablespoon vegan margarine or butter , or oil of your choice
- ½ medium onion
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 11-12 cremini mushrooms , can use button mushrooms
Instructions
- If you typically press your tofu, start by doing that (the brand of tofu I buy doesn't require pressing).
- Rinse your block of tofu then crumble it into a large bowl. You can keep it in larger chunks or crumble into small pieces, depending on your preferred texture.
- Toss the tofu with 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, black pepper to taste, and ¼ C non-dairy milk. Set aside. The milk is optional: I find it helps the spices evenly coat the tofu crumbles.
- Finely dice ½ medium onion, 1 medium green bell pepper and 11-12 cremini mushrooms.
- Melt margarine or heat oil in a large pan, then add your diced vegetables.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are soft and there’s no liquid left in the pan (the vegetables release liquid; it may be helpful to drain this away).
- Add your crumbled tofu mixture and toss with the vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve topped with ketchup, hot sauce, green onion, and a side of buttery toast (or however you like!).
Kim
I have always pressed my XF tofu before cooking but I followed the directions for this recipe and did not. I even added the milk, as was in the recipe.
Unfortunately I was left with soggy tofu scramble, even after 15 minutes of cooking with the veggies!!
Press tofu no matter what!!! I should have followed my instincts on this one.
Nicole Stevens
Sorry things didn't work out for you. Whether tofu needs to be pressed or not seems to vary by brand; the kind I buy truly doesn't need pressing. I'll update the recipe directions to include pressing tofu if needed so thank you for the feedback.