This easy vegan tofu scramble is the perfect scrambled eggs substitute! Pair with a side of breakfast hash and vegan bacon for a complete meal.
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A lot of times, eggs are what holds people up from going entirely vegan. They have some health benefits, are easy to make, and usually inexpensive. This easy vegan tofu scramble is the perfect substitute for your favorite scrambled eggs.
Scrambled eggs are supposed to be soft and easy to make which is why tofu is the perfect substitution. It holds up perfect and also crumbles just the way you remember scrambled eggs being. It’s crazy really
The only thing that’s now missing is what you are going to pair it with. Depending on where you live it may be some toast and vegan bacon or maybe you love pairing with tomatoes, vegan sausage links, and baked beans.
No matter what you prefer, this vegan scrambled eggs substitute will be a new breakfast favorite.
What you’ll need for this Vegan Breakfast Scramble:
Tofu
You want to use extra firm tofu for this recipe. We recommend pressing the tofu out first using a tofu press or wrap your tofu in a towel and then place on a plate and put a heavy bottomed skillet or pot on top to press out excess water.
Substitute: You can make this recipe with firm tofu, chickpea tofu, or pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu)
Onions and Peppers
We are using onions and bell peppers not only for flavor, but also to give more of a scrambled vibe.
Substitute: Feel free to omit if needed, or you can add in any of your favorite scramble add-ins!
Non-Dairy Milk
You want to make sure that you are using unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk.
Vegan Butter
The butter is helping us get a richness and buttery flavor into our vegan eggs.
Substitute: This can just be omitted.
Nutritional Yeast
Not only does this have health benefits, but nutritional yeast gives a cheesy taste without dairy.
Substitute: You can use vegan cheese shreds instead if you prefer.
Spices
We’re using turmeric (for color), paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onions powder, and black salt (also known as kala namak). Kala Namak is the most important ingredient if you want to take your vegan eggs for ok to WOW!
WHAT IS KALA NAMAK / BLACK SALT POWDER?
Kala Namak, also known as black salt powder, is found in South Asia. It is mostly sodium chloride but has sulfur content which lends to a smell that is similar to what most people think eggs smell like.
We recommend adding black salt powder to all the the vegan egg substitutes except the Follow Your Heart VeganEgg as it is already added to their powder.
You just need a sprinkle, so a small amount would last you a long time. You can purchase Kala Namak on Amazon.
How to make Vegan Tofu Scramble
Step 1: Drain tofu well.
To drain tofu: Use a tofu press or wrap the tofu block in a kitchen towel, place on a place and then rest a heavy bottom pot or cast iron skillet on top to remove excess water.
Step 2: In a bowl or on a plate, mash tofu with a fork to crumble. To another bowl, add non-dairy milk, melted butter (if using), nutritional yeast, turmeric, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Set aside.
Step 3: Add oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and peppers and cook 3-5 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. Add in the crumbled tofu and stir around. Let cook for another 1-2 minutes, careful. not to burn.
Step 4: Pour in the seasoned milk mixture and mix well until all the tofu has been coated.
Cook for 3-5 minutes or util the liquid has been soaked up well. Remove from heat, sprinkle on the black salt and serve.
Can I prep this vegan tofu scramble ahead of time?
Yes! Once cooked and cooled completely, it can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Just warm up as needed.
Easy Tofu Scramble Recipe variations
People love their eggs all types of ways and however you preferred your eggs before, you can make your vegan scrambled eggs the same way. Here’s a few ideas that we’ve done:
- kimchi
- vegan cheese for cheese eggs (find the best vegan shredded cheese)
- spinach
- chopped vegan ham slices
- vegan breakfast sausage
- mushrooms
- tomatoes
- chives
- green onions
- salsa
Can I double the recipe?
Absolutely. If you like to prep in advance and know that you will need more than 1 recipe for the week or you just have a big family, you can certainly just double or even triple the recipe.
Can I make this recipe Top 8 Allergen Free?
Tofu is soy based, so this recipe is not for anyone that has a soy allergy, however, it is free of the other Top 8 Allergens.
You can replace tofu with chickpea flour to make Top 8 Allergen free. We are working on the best amounts to use to make this comparable, so stay tuned for that.
How to store leftover Simple Tofu Scramble
Once your scramble cools, you’ll want to place in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, place it back in a skillet over medium heat until heated through or microwave for 1-2 minutes or until desired temperature.
Can I freeze this recipe?
Yup! Once cooked and cooled completely, it can be stored in a freezer safe air tight container or bag for up to 3 months. We recommend thawing out the night before and then heating it up in a skillet when ready.
Vegan Breakfast Scramble FAQs
We have found that our preferred method of pressing tofu to get all the water out is using a tofu press. We use this tofu press ourselves. It’s been a great investment since going vegan.
However, if you don’t have a tofu press (which we didn’t for awhile), then there’s still other ways.
Our go to method before having a tofu press was to wrap the block of tofu in a kitchen towel and placing on a plate. Then, placing two cast iron skillets on top.
If you don’t have cast iron skillets, you can use a heavy bottomed pot as well, like a dutch oven, something with weight.
Using this method, we usually had to switch out the towel depending on how much water the tofu had inside.
Pressing out the water from tofu is our preferred method; however, if you need this to go faster squeeze as much liquid out with your hands as possible, but don’t worry about using the pressing method.
You will need to cook the tofu scramble a bit longer because there’s more water in there, but otherwise cook as directed.
Tami best, RD, says that tofu scramble is a healthy egg alternative thanks to it being a complete protein, great for heart health with zero cholesterol, and almost no saturated fat.
The truth is tofu scramble has more protein, fiber, and some minerals. Especially when you follow our recipe to add the nutritional yeast which contains B12, it’s a no brainer!
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Easy Tofu Scramble Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ⅔ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter, melted (optional)
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon oil (or use more vegan butter)
- ½ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
Instructions
- Drain tofu well. This usually takes about an hour, can do overnight so ready in the morning.To drain tofu: Use a tofu press or wrap the tofu block in a kitchen towel, place on a place and then rest a heavy bottom pot or cast iron skillet on top to remove excess water.
- In a bowl or on a plate, mash tofu with a fork to crumble. To another bowl, add non-dairy milk, melted butter (if using), nutritional yeast, turmeric, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Set aside.
- Add oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and peppers and cook 3-5 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. Add in the crumbled tofu and stir around. Let cook for another 1-2 minutes, careful. not to burn.
- Pour in the seasoned milk mixture and mix well until all the tofu has been coated. Cook for 3-5 minutes or util the liquid has been soaked up well.
- Remove from heat, sprinkle on the black salt and serve.
Excellent recipe! Easy to put together and tastes great. I’ll definitely make this again and again. Thank you!
That’s awesome! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
I’ve made many a tofu scramble in my day, and this is absolutely the best recipe! It is creamy and so flavorful! Thank you for this and for all of your creative and inspirational recipes and videos! I did want to note that I think that instructions, step 2, should include adding the nutritional yeast to the spice blend. Amazing recipe! Thanks!!!
So happy you enjoyed it, thanks for the catch!
I have recently started to do a more plant based diet due to A1C levels. I ate bacon tonight and almost got sick bc of it lol. I have made your black bean pancakes twice with a little variation of my own and my middle daughter LOVED IT. She asked me to make it again. Love your website and YouTube channel. Thanks for your help in becoming more plant based.
So happy you are enjoying the recipes and videos! You got this!
I approached this recipe with some trepidation because I’m a newbie vegan baby at 63 years old who pretty much has been forced into veganism due to digestive problems over the last 7 years. Going vegan, this is the best I’ve felt in all of those 7 years, so I’m determined to be pretty much vegan going forward. BUT…I love eggs, and I somewhat don’t like the taste or the texture of tofu. However, all that being said, your other recipes that I tried were wonderful, so I went ahead on trust/faith in you and gave it a go. I’m really glad I did, because I really liked it! The first bite was kind of not okay (mental block against tofu), but I took another bite, and it was fine. I ate all my breakfast, and–AND–my Goldie, Jack, even licked the bowl, wagging his tail the whole time. It’s Jack approved!
I added mushrooms, and the milk I used was Silk pea protein/cashew/almond milk.
Thank you for giving me an acceptable alternative to scrambled eggs 🙂
HI Elle! We are so glad that you are not only enjoying our other recipes, but that you gave this one a try too! So happy you enjoyed it