This Speedy Black Pepper Tofu recipe is made in less than 30 minutes, requires minimal pantry ingredients, and is always a crowd-pleaser. It's the perfect dish to make when you're short on time but want something flavorful and easy to make. I love serving it with jasmine rice and chives.
Inspired by Ottolenghi's black pepper tofu recipe I had months ago, I developed my own recipe for black pepper tofu and I have to say it's absolutely delicious!!! We fry whole black peppercorns as well as add in ground black peppercorns and the combination of both whole and ground makes for the best flavor!! I think you're going to love it.
If you're a fan of tofu, check out my claypot tofu recipe, the viral mapo tofu udon, or one my favorites; 20 minute tofu meal prep!
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
Speedy: this weeknight tofu recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make!
Make it vegan: my recipe calls for honey, but honestly you can use brown sugar or agave to make this black pepper tofu fully vegan.
Made by someone you can trust: for those of you who are new here, my name's Emily and I'm an ex-chef, turned food content creator/recipe developer. I adore testing and creating new recipes and sharing them with you. I don't use AI, I take inspiration from magazines, travel, restaurants, books, friends, and turn my thoughts into dishes that I think you'll love and want to make over and over again. So, I hope you love this dish, if so, then check out more of my recipes to make in the future!
Ingredients and substitutions
Tofu: I'm using extra firm tofu. Don't use silken or soft tofu as we want the tofu to keep its structure and remain firm.
Cornstarch: this acts as our tofu coating when frying. You can alternatively use tapioca starch or potato starch.
Shallots: we dice these really fine. You can alternatively use white onion.
Ginger: fresh ginger is essential. Simply grate using a microplane.
Garlic: once again, we want fresh garlic cloves.
Chili: fresh chili is best. I go for a mild red chili pepper. Feel free to omit if you're not a fan of spice.
Black peppercorns: make sure you've got whole black peppercorns and the ability to grind them too (pepper grinder).
Soy sauce: we're going to need light soy sauce and dark soy sauce; for flavor and color.
Rice wine vinegar: this helps balance out the flavors. If you don't have rice wine vinegar, feel free to use half the suggest amount of balsamic or red wine vinegar.
Honey: for sweetness and a slight caramelisation, honey is perfect. Alternatively, you could use brown sugar or agave.
For the full ingredients list with measurements and instructions, scroll down this blog to the recipe card.
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: Add your cubed extra firm tofu to a large bowl and toss in the cornflour until fully coated.
Step 2: Place a large non-stick pan on medium heat and drizzle with vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the tofu cubes. Fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 3: In the same pan, add another drizzle of vegetable oil. Add in the diced shallots, chili, grated garlic, grated ginger, and whole black peppercorns. Season with salt. Stir fry on medium-low heat for 5 minutes until softened and aromatic.
Step 4: Once softened, add in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey and 40 grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
Step 5: Transfer your cooked tofu back into the pan and stir to combine and coat the tofu in all the sauce. Taste and season accordingly.
Step 6: Divide your rice between 4 bowls, then divide the tofu between the 4 bowls. Top with finely sliced chives and sesame seeds. Enjoy, my friend!
FAQs
Black pepper tofu is a quick, Chinese-inspired stir-fry of crispy pan-fried tofu tossed in a savory, peppery soy sauce. Think of it as a vegetarian riff on the takeout favorite black pepper chicken. My version comes together in under 30 minutes with pantry staples, and I love it served over jasmine rice.
My black pepper sauce is built on light and dark soy sauce, a little honey to balance everything, and a generous hit of black pepper; both whole peppercorns and around 40 grinds. Shallots, garlic, ginger, and fresh chili round it out into something deeply savory and aromatic.
The trick is extra-firm tofu tossed in cornstarch, then fried in a hot, well-oiled nonstick pan. I give each side a full 3 minutes and resist the urge to move it, that patience is what builds a golden, crisp crust. Patting the tofu dry first helps too.
It has a warm, peppery kick rather than a fiery chili heat. Most of it comes from the black pepper (a tablespoon of whole peppercorns plus about 40 grinds) with a little extra from the fresh chili. Want it milder? Scale back the grinds and leave out the chili.
Easy! My recipe is already plant-based apart from the honey. Just swap the honey for an equal amount of agave a teaspoon of sugar, and double-check your soy sauces are vegan (most are). Everything else stays exactly as written.
You can, though you'll lose a little depth. Light soy brings the salty, savory backbone, while dark soy adds color and a richer, slightly sweet note. If you only have light soy, the dish will still taste wonderful, it'll just come out a touch lighter in color.
I almost always serve mine over steaming jasmine rice with finely sliced chives and sesame seeds on top. It's also lovely with garlic fried rice, plain noodles, or a side of quick stir-fried greens like bok choy or broccoli to round the meal out.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The tofu softens as it sits, so I reheat mine in a hot skillet rather than the microwave to bring back some of that crispy edge.
More Vegetarian Recipes
If you tried this Speedy Black Pepper Tofu or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Speedy Black Pepper Tofu
Ingredients
- 500 g extra firm tofu sliced into ½ inch cubes
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 shallots finely diced
- 15 g ginger grated
- 4 garlic cloves grated
- 1 chili finely diced
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 40 grinds black pepper (40 pepper grinder twists)
To serve
- 4 cooked portions jasmine rice
- 10 g chives sliced
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add your cubed extra firm tofu to a large bowl and toss in the cornflour until fully coated.
- Place a large non-stick pan on medium heat and drizzle with vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the tofu cubes. Fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside (see photos further up the blog for reference).
- In the same pan, add another drizzle of vegetable oil. Add in the diced shallots, chili, grated garlic, grated ginger, and whole black peppercorns. Season with salt. Stir fry on medium-low heat for 5 minutes until softened and aromatic.
- Once softened, add in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey and 40 grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Transfer your cooked tofu back into the pan and stir to combine and coat the tofu in all the sauce. Taste and season accordingly.
- Divide your rice between 4 bowls, then divide the tofu between the 4 bowls. Top with finely sliced chives and sesame seeds. Enjoy, my friend!
Leave a Reply