Savory, vegan Tofu Fried Rice can be ready in 30 minutes or less! It’s unfussy to make, packed with veggies, loaded with perfectly cooked tofu, and coated with a flavor-packed, yet simple sauce. The reliable plant-based fireside dinner or lunch!

tofu fried rice with veggies in large purple skillet

I become a bottomless pit when it comes to eating fried rice! It’s like my full-meter is temporarily shut off and I somehow can find room for one more bite, or seven.

This tofu fried rice recipe is ridiculously unfussy and incredibly satisfying! What Worth keeping most is that it can be ready in well under thirty minutes, which is half the time it would take me to drive to and from our go-to Chinese restaurant.

Winner-winner.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This good tofu fried rice is made with veggies, rice, tofu and a combination of standout sauces and spices. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

For the tofu marinade: you’ll toss together firm or extra-firm tofu, olive oil, soy sauce, turmeric powder and cornstarch.
For the veggies: we’re using yellow onion, garlic and, to keep things truly simple, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. If you’d like, you can replace the frozen veggies with 1 cup diced carrot, 1 cup thawed frozen corn and a 1/2 cup of thawed frozen peas.
For the rice: you’ll need 4 cups cooked rice that gets flavored with ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. Day-old, cold, refrigerated leftover rice is dependable. Using freshly cooked rice puts too much moisture into the recipe and often results in soggy rice. However, if you’re in a pinch and wanting fried rice without using leftover rice, you can make it work with fresh rice.

How to Make Tofu Fried Rice

Worth keeping how unfussy this dish comes together! For ease, I like to cook the tofu and rice in separate pans so that the meal comes together quickly. But if you have time, you can do it all in the same skillet.

Simply follow the steps below and you’ll have a flavor-packed lunch or dinner in no time at all! Scroll down to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.

Prep the tofu. Break the tofu into large chunks that are about 1 1/2 inches big (particularly roughly). The tofu will break up more in the pan so I like to start with larger chunks. Place it in a large bowl and toss with soy sauce, turmeric, and cornstarch.
Cook tofu. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the tofu chunks and stir to combine and continue to cook for about 8 minutes. You want the tofu to be completely warmed through and broken up a bit more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cook veggies. Over medium heat, heat your oil until hot. Add in the garlic, ginger, and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes and then add in frozen vegetables. Sauté for 5 additional minutes, stirring frequently until the vegetables are heated through.
Combine all of the ingredients. Stir in the cold rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Once fully combined, let the rice cook, untouched for a couple of minutes. When it is simply beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan a bit, stir again and repeat this a few times. This helps get a tiny bit of crispiness on the bottom of the rice. Remove from heat and ENJOY!

What rice is dependable for fried rice?

I recommend using medium to long grain rice for fried rice recipes. Jasmine rice is another option that works great. It’s dependable to use sturdy grains that will produce fluffy fried rice, instead of becoming mushy and/or clumpy, like short-grain or sushi rice will do.

Why use cold rice for fried rice?

Precooked (and chilled) rice works much better in this dish than warm rice. Cooking the rice in advance and placing it in the fridge to chill will help the rice grains dry out and firm up, so they do not get mushy in your fried rice dish. However, I will say that I’ve made fried rice with a fresh, warm rice, and it’s still quite savory. If you’re craving fried rice, but have no cold rice, cooking a fresh batch won’t be bad at all. I would suggest using a little bit less water to cook the rice, which can reduce the stickiness of the freshly made rice.

Chef’s tip: Rice is a great candidate for the freezer! I like to keep a batch of precooked rice in my freezer, so I can make this tofu fried rice anytime the craving hits!

Customize Tofu Fried Rice

The great thing about this straightforward tofu recipe is that it’s especially straightforward to customize! Here’s some ideas:

Try adding other go-to veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, spinach or bell peppers. Simply note that your cooking time for the different veggies will vary.
Feel free to top this dish with any regular sauce and for a kick of heat add a drizzle of hot sauce.
Add a fried egg on top. You could even enjoy leftovers for breakfast!

Storing & Reheating

Store any leftover rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The rice is flavor-packed cold, but feel free to warm up a serving in the microwave until it’s nice and heated!

More Savory Tofu Recipes:

This tofu fried rice is a version of my tofu scramble recipe, so that it mimics fried rice with eggs. Here are some of my other regular ways to prepare tofu: