This is the best Tofu Meal Prep that is so quick and delicious. Optionally, you can make the tofu and just meal prep that on its own, and then serve with rice, noodles, or whatever you fancy. Or, you can make it with the rice noodles and extra veggies I suggest in this recipe. This meal prep tofu only takes 20 minutes to make, is totally vegan, and such a crowd-pleaser.
Not only is this meal prep tofu vegan, but it's a great source of protein. You can make these tofu noodle jars in advance, store them in the fridge, and then eat them whenever you fancy. I've made a gochujang sauce for this recipe, but I've also provided some variations further down the blog including a teriyaki sauce and a soy sauce peanut butter option.
What I love about this tofu meal prep recipe is that the tofu remains slightly crispy, but soaks up all the flavours from the gochujang, making it taste even better as the days go by. I've stored mine in mason jars, but any meal prep container works great!
Although I've fried this tofu, you can bake it or air fry the tofu for a healthier alternative. It's one of my favourite tofu recipes and is so fantastic for when you've had a long day and want something quick and easy to heat up.
If you're looking for more tofu meal prep recipes, then you should check out my Vegan Sushi Bake, Tofu Tomato Soup, or my Lemongrass and Tofu Coconut Curry.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Great for Meal Prep: This tofu recipe is great for meal prepping. Prepare it in advance, store it in jars or a container, and then serve up whenever you're ready to eat.
Quick: This meal prep tofu idea only takes 20 minutes to make, which then saves you so much time throughout the week.
Minimal Ingredients: You only need 7 ingredients for the sauce, most of which are store cupboard essentials like sugar, garlic and ginger, to name a few.
A few other quick and easy recipes I love to make are my One Pan Vermicelli Noodles and my Claypot Tofu. Both take around 20 minutes to make and are totally plant-based.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Tofu: You'll need extra firm tofu for this recipe. This is because it holds its shape better when frying, and also absorbs the flavours of the sauce really well.
For the sauce:
Gochujang: Gochujang is a fermented Korean chili paste made from red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. The sauce is a staple ingredient in Korean cuisine, known for its spicy, sweet, and savory flavour profile. Gochujang is used in various dishes such as bibimbap, tteokbokki, and bulgogi marinade, adding depth and complexity to the flavour. It's widely available in Korean grocery stores and increasingly found in many mainstream supermarkets worldwide due to the popularity of Korean cuisine. It's a great addition to any tofu dish, making it sweet, spicy, and slightly addictive. If you don't have gochujang you could use sriracha (the flavour isn't the same but you'd still get that spicy element).
Light soy sauce: You'll want to use light soy sauce here, not dark soy sauce (this has a higher sodium content). If you have neither, you could use pre-made teriyaki sauce.
Sesame oil: This balances out the flavours and adds a nuttiness to the sauce. You could also use a different nut-based oil.
Rice wine vinegar: Once again, to balance out the flavours, we're using an acidic element. You could also use a little bit of white wine vinegar if you don't have rice wine, or some lime juice.
Sugar: To add sweetness to our sauce. You could also use honey or agave.
Garlic & ginger: Fresh garlic and ginger are definitely best for this recipe. However, if you only have granules, then add in ½ teaspoon at a time of each and taste to see if you need more.
For the rest of the meal prep jar ingredients:
Rice noodles: I've used wide rice noodles for this dish, but any noodles will work. Like soba noodles, egg noodles, or buckwheat noodles.
Edamame beans: For a bit of greenery, I love adding edamame beans to this tofu meal prep recipe. If you don't have them, you can either leave them out or substitute them with some chopped cucumber.
Baby corn: I adore baby corn and it's a great crunchy addition to this jarred meal prep dish.
Carrots: For a bit of colour and crunch, we're adding in some finely sliced carrots.
Shiitake mushrooms: You can use any mushrooms but I love to use shiitake mushrooms.
Pak choi: Just slice the pak choi into bitesize pieces and they're a great crunchy vegetable addition. You could also add fried or boiled broccoli.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients.
Recipe Variations
Teriyaki Tofu Meal Prep: To make the sauce, you can combine 3 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 garlic cloves (minced), and 1 inch ginger (minced). It's such a delicious sauce that you then pour all over your fried tofu. Add in 50ml water to add more liquid and fry it for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens, and then enjoy!
Baked Tofu: A really simple way to meal-prep tofu is to batch prepare it and then cook it in the oven or air fryer. Slice the tofu into cubes, place on a baking tray, and then drizzle over with oil. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, then bake for 30 minutes.
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: Slice your extra firm tofu into 1cm slabs and then into quarters, then slice each quarter in half to make a triangle. Place a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Add in your tofu, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fry for 8 minutes until crispy and golden.
Step 2: Meanwhile, make your sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients.
Step 3: Pour your sauce into the pan followed by 50ml water. Leave to simmer and turn off the heat when the sauce has thickened (around 5 minutes)
Step 4: Meanwhile, in another frying pan, fry off your shiitake mushrooms, pak choi, and baby corn for a few minutes.
Step 5: Cook your noodles to packet instructions and leave them to steam in a colander with a towel over the top while you're waiting for your other ingredients to cook.
Step 6: Get your mason jars or meal prep containers and fill the base with your tofu and sauce (dividing all the ingredients between the jars). Top with your noodles, edamame beans, baby corn, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, and pak choi. Leave the jars to cool and then place on the lid and into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Top Tips!
- To avoid the noodles sticking together, add a drizzle of sesame oil into the noodles and give them a toss.
- When reheating the meal prep tofu, add a splash of water into the bowl, this will rehydrate the rice noodles so that they're soft and al dente.
- To speed up the process, fry all your veggies in the same pan instead of one at a time, and then just add them into the meal prep jar combined.
What To Do with Leftovers
Storage: This meal prep idea is perfect stored in a jar or a meal prep container. Leave the tofu to cool and then place it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: You can absolutely freeze the sticky gochujang tofu, but I wouldn't recommend freezing the whole package (noodles and veggies). Just cook up the tofu and divide into your airtight containers. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then leave to defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: When reheating your tofu meal prep with the noodles and veggies, you can either eat it cold, or pour it out into a bowl and add a splash of water (this rehydrates the noodles). Place in the microwave until piping hot, with a loosely fitted lid.
FAQs
Absolutely! Prepare the tofu in advance, leave it to cool, and then store it in a meal prep container for up to 4 days.
For sure! I've used mason jars for fun, but you can absolutely store them in general plastic containers.
For sure! I've used rice noodles, but soba noodles, udon noodles, egg noodles, or buckwheat noodles would be great. Just make sure to cook them to packet instructions before and then drizzle with a splash of sesame oil to stop them from sticking together.
For sure, you can sub out the tofu with chicken pieces and cook it in the same way.
I love using fresh coriander, sesame seeds, and/or chilli oil.
Absolutely! If you'd like to prep lots of tofu in advance, just increase the quantity measurements to scale!
Other recipes you might love!
If you tried this Meal Prep 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!
The Best Tofu Meal Prep (20 Minutes)
Equipment
- 2 meal prep containers
Ingredients
- 280g extra firm tofu sliced into small triangles. Feel free to double or triple the quantity for extra protein, and if so, do the same with the sauce quantitites.
- 150g rice noodles cooked to packet instructions
- 100g edamame beans
- 200g shiitake mushrooms sliced in half
- 2 pak choi roughly chopped
- ½ carrot julienned
- 100g baby corn roughly sliced
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 50ml water
For garnish
- Fresh coriander
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook your noodles to packet instructions and leave them to steam in a colander with a towel over the top while you're waiting for your other ingredients to cook. Drizzle with a splash of sesame oil and give them a toss to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
- Meanwhile, slice your extra firm tofu into 1cm slabs and then into quarters, then slice each quarter in half to make a triangle. Place a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Add in your tofu, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fry for 5-10 minutes until crispy and golden.
- Meanwhile, make your sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients except the water.
- Pour your sauce into the pan followed by 50ml water. Leave to simmer and turn off the heat when the sauce has thickened (around 5 minutes)
- Meanwhile, in another frying pan, fry off your shiitake mushrooms, pak choi, and baby corn for a few minutes (either separately or together to speed up the process).
- Get your mason jars or meal prep containers and fill the base with your tofu and sauce (dividing all the ingredients between the jars). Top with your noodles, edamame beans, baby corn, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, and pak choi. Leave the jars to cool and then place on the lid and into the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- To avoid the noodles sticking together, add a drizzle of sesame oil into the noodles once cooked and give them a toss.
- When reheating the meal prep tofu, add a splash of water into the bowl, this will rehydrate the rice noodles so that they're soft and al dente.
- To speed up the process, fry all your veggies in the same pan instead of one at a time, and then just add them into the meal prep jar combined.
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