Black Bean Tofu Bowl - this vegan dinner recipe features crispy tofu, umami black beans, citrusy cabbage, avocado and cilantro. A great weeknight meal that comes together in 45 minutes.
I love bowl meals. Throw a bunch of different ingredients together, making sure you have protein, complex carbohydrate, veggies and healthy fat and you’ve got yourself a well-balanced meal. I often use up the scraps from the fridge - have a little cabbage leftover from Roasted Cauliflower Tacos? Perfect. Use the rest of the avocado in your Avocado Rice Cake? No problem, we can use it all in our delicious Black Bean Tofu Bowls.
These Black Bean Tofu Bowls are quick and perfect for your next plant-based weeknight meal. Built with umami black beans, crispy tofu, citrusy cabbage and all the toppings you’d like 🙂
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Ready to make these delicious Black Bean Tofu Bowls? Let’s do it!
1 - Press out the tofu. Getting more liquid out makes for crispier tofu. I like to put my tofu blocks between two towels and set a cutting board with my cast iron (or other heavy objects) on top and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Once the tofu is pressed, cut into about ½ inch cubes.
2 - Marinate the tofu. In a large bowl, combine the stock, coconut aminos (or soy sauce/soy sauce alternative), hot sauce and marinade spices. Add the tofu cubes and let marinate for at least 15 minutes. Save the marinade for later.
3 - While the tofu marinates, prep the veggies. Mince the garlic, and dice the onion. Also cut up the cabbage and combine it with lemon zest, juice and spices (cumin, paprika, salt and pepper) in a medium bowl.
4 - Cook the tofu. Add olive oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. Add tofu cubes and cook until they are crispy and golden brown, about 25 minutes, flipping about half way through. Make sure not to crowd the tofu - sometimes I’ll use two pans just to make sure I give the tofu enough room.
5 - Cook the beans. Add olive oil a second pan over medium. Add garlic and onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add the beans and the remaining tofu marinade to the pan and let it simmer until the liquid reduces. The beans should be creamy and super soft.
6 - Assemble the bowls. Combine beans, tofu, cabbage and toppings - I like to top this bowl with avocado, sunflower and sesame seeds, microgreens, cilantro, lime juice and a splash of coconut aminos - in a bowl. Enjoy!
Black Bean Tofu Bowls: Tips, Tricks and Tools
This meal gets easier with a few kitchen tool basics. A chef’s knife, wood cutting board, and a cast iron skillet (my favorite).
Tofu 101: Check out our post all about tofu as well as how to perfect crispy tofu.
Change it up! The beauty of a meal in a bowl, is how easily you can vary the recipe based on what you have in the fridge! Have shredded carrots instead of cabbage, no problem. Want to use tempeh instead of tofu? Still delicious. Change it up depending on your preferences and what you have available. We always aim to use up that old produce.
We hope you love this simple Black Bean Tofu Bowl!
- A simple dinner packed with fiber and plant-based protein
- Perfect for a quick weeknight meal
Love this simple plant-based recipe? Check out our other delicious vegan recipes like this One-Skillet Lemon Mediterranean Orzo, Spicy Cashew Zucchini Noodles or our Honey Sesame Tofu with Roasted Asian Vegetables.
Did you enjoy this Black Bean Tofu Bowl as much as we do?
Comment below! And rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out. Not cooking today? Save this Black Bean Tofu Bowl for later by pinning it to your Vegan Dinner Recipes Board and make sure to tag us at The Crooked Carrot Instagram to show us your Black Bean Tofu Bowl creations!
"And a step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction." - Kurt Vonnegut
Black Bean Tofu Bowl
Ingredients
Tofu Marinade
- 1 (14 ounce) package organic extra firm tofu cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup stock chicken or vegetable stock
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or tamari / low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Black Bean Bowl
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans same as 2 cups
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion medium, diced
- 2 cups purple cabbage shredded
- 1 lime juice + zest
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt + pepper to taste
Toppings
- avocado
- sunflower seeds
- sesame seeds
- cilantro
- microgreens or sprouts
- coconut aminos
- lime wedge
Instructions
- Prep tofu: Wrap tofu cubes in a tea towel, place a cutting board or baking sheet on top of the tofu and place something heavy (dutch oven, cans, etc.) on top to press the liquid out. Let it rest this way for at least 10 minutes.
- Marinate Tofu: Make sure you’ve pressed the liquid out of the tofu first! Then, combine stock, coconut aminos, hot sauce and marinade spices in a large bowl. Add tofu cubes and let marinate at least 15 minutes. Don’t discard the marinade!
- While the tofu marinates, prep veggies: Mince garlic and dice the onion. Cut up cabbage and combine with lime zest, juice and spices (cumin, paprika, salt and pepper) in a medium bowl.
- Get crispy: Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add tofu cubes (make sure not to crowd them too much) and cook/rotate until crispy and brown on all sides, about 25 minutes.
- Cook beans: Heat a second pan over medium heat, add one tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and onion and saute about 5 minutes. Combine the beans and the tofu marinade into the pan and let simmer until the liquid reduces. As the liquid reduces, the beans will become magically delicious.
- Assemble: Combine beans, tofu, cabbage and your desired toppings (I like to use them all – avocado sunflower and sesame seeds, microgreens, cilantro, even a splash of coconut aminos and some lime juice) in a bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Morgan says
This recipe turned out fabulous. I did end up roasting the tofu while I was preparing the rest of the ingredients which eliminated one of the pans and a tablespoon of oil and still turned out great! I put it over a bed of brown rice and topped with avocado and broccoli microgreens
Libby Bloom says
Hi Morgan! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe - your adjustments sound delicious! I hope you have a great week 😀
- Libby
Trixie says
Super tasty. The flavor combinations were so good. I reduced the chili powder, paprika and cayenne pepper by half since spicy things bother me. There was still plenty of flavor in this power packed bowl.
Libby Bloom says
So glad you enjoyed it!💚
Kristy says
The flavors in this recipe are unapologetically strong and fabulous. I've made black beans from scratch for years and the note I wrote on my copy of this recipe is, "Don't ever make black beans any other way!" I haven't tried making this recipe from dried beans, like I normally would, because the called-for canned beans are so good.
Libby Bloom says
I'm so glad you enjoyed these beans so much! This is also my favorite way to make them 😊