Cashew Tofu is our spin on the takeout classic cashew chicken, but better. It’s simple to make, only 30 minutes, and make made in one dish!
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This cashew tofu is an instant hit. One bite and you’re like this absolutely must go in the meal rotation. It has the perfect balance of flavors to make you remember that you can have amazing food and still be vegan.
It’s also made in 30 minutes and one pot for a win every time!
One of the best things about it is the balance of textures. There’s crispiness from the tofu, crunchiness from the cashes and sugar snow pea, and softness that comes from the inner parts of the tofu, peppers, and broccoli florets.
This dish pairs perfectly with a simple white or brown rice or try our vegan garlic turmeric rice.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Dish
- Easy Clean up – This is made in one pot so it’s super easy to clean up the recipe when finished making.
- Quick – This dish is ready in just about 30 minutes which is faster than you could even order takeout and have it delivered. Most of the recipe is just cooking, so there’s not even a lot of prep.
- Simple Ingredients – most of these ingredients are things people keep in the pantry or on hand if they make most Asian dishes, so you can make it quickly without having to run to the store
🥘Recipe Ingredients
Gather your ingredients!
- Cashews – You want to use roasted but unsalted cashews for the best results in the dish.
- Tofu – to make this dish go faster and the tofu hold up best to the home cook, we recommend a super firm tofu for this dish. It doesn’t need to be pressed out like others.
- Veggies – we are using broccoli and sugar snap peas for this dish for greens, and a balance of textures.
- Cornstarch – this is to make the tofu crispy on the edge on the first part of cooking the tofu.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Cashews – If you use salted cashews, we recommend reducing the sodium elsewhere in the dish. If you only have raw cashews, roast them in the oven first. If you cannot have cashews, swap with another nut like almonds or pine nuts or just omit.
- Tofu– If you don’t have super firm tofu, use an extra firm tofu that has been drained and pressed. You could also sub out the tofu for chickpeas, mushrooms, or just more veggies.
- Veggies – Feel free to do fresh green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus, or even add in some leafy green like
- Cornstarch – you could swap this with arrowroot powder, potato starch, or even all-purpose flour. Just make sure you do the listed amount of you will just feel like you are biting into flour.
Step by Step Instructions for cashew tofu:
Step 1. Make stir fry sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in one bowl and the cornstarch and water in a separate bowl.
Step 2. Then, whisk the two bowls together to create the stir fry sauce.
Step 3. Add oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cornstarch coated tofu and fry, flipping occasionally, until golden brown and crispy (about 6-8 minutes). Remove to a towel lined plate.
Note: It’s best to lightly coat the tofu in the directed amount of cornstarch. Adding too much will make the tofu taste like dry powder.
Step 4. Add another tablespoon of oil if needed before continuing. Add in your broccoli and sugar snap peas.
Stir to combine, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let veggies cook undisturbed for about 1-2 minutes until slightly charred.
Add 3-4 tablespoons of water then cover to steam the veggies for 3-4 minutes.
Step 5. Add peppers and stir, then garlic and ginger and stir, letting cook until fragrant.
Step 6. Next, add roasted cashews, whisk the sauce mixture a stir, and pour over the veggies in the skillet. Stir around to coat and after a few minutes the mixture will begin to thicken.
Step 7. Add in the tofu and mix to combine. Serve warm topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
Recipe FAQs:
Swap the tofu with mushrooms, chickpeas, or just more veggies and then the soy sauce and hoisin for soy free versions. The cashews could be subbed for another nut or just omit or replace with a crunchy veggie.
Yes. Once cooled completely, you can store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The tofu will not be as crispy as eating it right away but still delicious.
Yes. Use a large skillet to cook this recipe. The biggest thing is not overcrowding the tofu when cooking it the first time
We do not recommend freezing this dish.
Other Vegan Rice Recipes to Consider:
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Cashew Tofu (Vegan Cashew Chicken)
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ½ cup water, more as needed to thin
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For tofu and veggies
- 14 oz block extra firm tofu
- 1-2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 head broccoli florets
- 8 oz sugar snap peas
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3-4 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup roasted and unsalted cashews
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- green onions, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Add water and cornstarch into a bowl and whisk together. Add remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together again.
- In a medium bowl, add tofu cubes, cornstarch and stir a few times to combine throughly then set aside. Next, add in 2 tablespoon oil into a large skillet* over medium heat. Add the tofu and fry, flipping occasionally, until golden brown and crispy (about 6-8 minutes). Remove to a towel lined plate.
- In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil if needed. When hot, add in broccoli and sugar snap peas. Stir to combine, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Let veggies cook undisturbed for about 1-2 minutes until slightly charred. Add 3-4 tablespoons of water then cover to steam the veggies for 3-4 minutes. Add peppers and stir, then garlic and ginger and stir, letting cook until fragrant.
- Next, add roasted cashews, whisk the sauce mixture a stir, and pour over the veggies in the skillet. Stir around to coat and after a few minutes the mixture will begin to thicken. Add in the tofu and mix to combine. Serve warm topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
I have made this recipe so many times and it is delicious every time. This website is now my go to for any recipe I want to try!
Thank you so much for sharing this! We love hearing that the Cashew Tofu has been a repeat recipe for you and that it turns out delicious every time. Knowing our site has become your go-to for trying new recipes truly means a lot to us!
This was as good as any restaurant. It is definitely going to be in the rotation
Awww thank you so much!
Fabulous! Definitely adding this to the regular rotation. Made the tofu in air fryer while cooking veggies on stove. All of your recipes I’ve tried are fabulous!
Thank you so much! We are so happy to hear that you have been enjoying this recipe as well as others!
This recipe was fabulous! And finally, a recipe that makes enough sauce to make my sauce-loving husband happy! Definitely adding this to our rotation. Every recipe of yours we’ve tried is excellent.
So happy to hear that! I’m a sauce lover too!
This was amazing and freezes well if you portion for work. Will definitely make again.
Thanks for sharing!
Every recipe that they have is spot on. This was delicious!
Aww thank you!
What size dutch oven would you recommend for this recipe? I’d like to purchase one but don’t know what size to choose. Thank you in advance for your recommendation. Love your recipes and I’m new (as of today) to your site. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Welcome! We’re so glad that you are here! We would recommend a 7.5 to 8 qt dutch oven, like this one (affiliate link) : https://amzn.to/44RjTiJ