Veggie Tofu Scramble

This delicious veggie tofu scramble recipe is made with extra firm tofu, bell peppers, and onions, and seasoned just right. Serve with a side of air fryer roasted sweet potatoes and fruit, or add to your breakfast burrito for a satisfying high protein vegan breakfast dish.

Being a big breakfast fan, it wasn’t the easiest thing to transition to plant-based eating for that yummy first meal of the day. Because frankly, once you’ve made all the oats and smoothies, you find you’ve run out of vegan breakfast ideas sooner rather than later…

Luckily for me (and my family who is more than grateful), I discovered JUST egg and created some pretty fabulous vegan versions of breakfast recipes including a vegan scrambled eggs recipe, tater tot casserole, and a classic breakfast casserole – all with egg replacers. But I had never made a tofu scramble recipe I loved enough to put my name on and publish on my blog. Until now!

Tofu is an amazingly versitile vegan food ingredient to use! Season it just right and you can turn a block of bland tofu into almost any type of recipe from main courses, to dressing and sauces, and even dessert! 

Why you will love this tofu scrambled eggs recipe

• The add-ins like bell peppers, onions, and seasonings make it extra tasty.
• No tofu pressing is required – just a gentle squeeze.
• Perfect as the main course for your plant-based breakfast.
• Works great as a filler for breakfast burritos.
• Delicious served with my air frier sweet potatoes or Breakfast Potato Hash.

Ingredients needed to make tofu scrambled eggs

• avocado oil or other light-tasting oil
• sweet bell pepper chopped – I used orange bell pepper but you could also use red bell pepper
• red onion chopped – You can use a different type of onion, I also like shallots
• 14 ounces of extra-firm tofu
• low sodium soy sauce
•  nutritional yeast
• ground cumin
• turmeric – For yellow coloring
• Kala Namak (black salt) is optional, but tasty for an authentic eggy taste
• optional hot sauce for topping – one of my creamy vegan sauces (see below)
• top with optional green onions, parsley, or chives
• salt and pepper to taste after cooking

How to make vegan tofu scramble

Follow these few simple steps and you will have tofu vegan scrambled eggs in no time! Don’t forget to plan for your breakfast side dishes and sauces/dressings (see below)

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

You should not press the extra firm tofu for this recipe. I always used to press the tofu when making vegan eggs but then found them to be too dry. Instead, just drain the tofu and give it a gentle little squeeze to remove the excess moisture.

I use extra firm tofu in this recipe. Extra-firm tofu gives the best texture and is a little more similar to well-done vegan scrambled eggs made with JUST Egg mixture. I have used firm tofu as well and it turned out fine. I don’t recommend soft tofu or silken tofu though.

Go ahead and hand-crumble the drained tofu into a medium-sized/large bowl. I hand crumble the tofu for a more authentic look and texture.

Chop the onion and bell pepper. Today I used red onion and orange bell pepper. You will need a generous one-half cup of chopped onions. Onions come in different sizes so watch how much you are measuring and save the rest for another time. Extra chopped onion can be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for a few months to take and use when needed.

Use and enjoy the variety of onion and bell pepper you have on hand. I have used red bell pepper and various types and colors of onions. I love shallots for almost every recipe but they can be challenging to peel. When I’m in a hurry I opt for red or yellow onion.

Step 2: add the ingredients to the crumbled tofu

Add the seasonings to the crumbled tofu mixture. I use lite-sodium soy sauce. You can also use tamari sauce or even liquid aminos if you prefer. We add these for an umami flavor.

Add the nutritional yeast, cumin, and turmeric. The turmeric is added mainly for color. Even after cooking in oil, the tofu will only be a whitish-tan color. Turmeric gives a more authentic yellow scrambled egg color.

Toss well to make sure all seasonings and flavors are well incorporated.

An optional ingredient I like to add is Kala Namik – or black salt. It has a sulfur smell and flavor that lends a real eggy taste to this vegan scrambled egg recipe. Not all plant-based eaters want or need that authentic taste though which is why I’ve made it optional. If you didn’t like eggs before going vegan, then you won’t miss the egg-like flavor.

You can get Kala Namak (black salt) in Indian markets. I buy my black salt on Amazon. And by the way, it’s not actually black but more pinkish/gray in color.

Step 3: saute

Add the oil to a medium-sized skillet and heat it on medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the chopped onions and bell peppers. Saute for five minutes or until softened.

Next, add the seasoned tofu mixture to the hot skillet along with the sauteed onions and peppers. Continue to cook and stir for about 8-10 minutes or until the tofu begins to dry and get a little crispy on the outside.

Serving suggestions

You can customize your vegan scrambled eggs any way you’d like. Make sure to serve with some interesting toppings and vegan breakfast side dishes. When I’m cooking for my family, I like to make the tofu scramble and then set it in the middle of the table along with various toppings and sides and let people choose what makes them happy.

These vegan scrambled eggs are best eaten right away. If you do have leftovers, you can save them in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. I like to reuse them along with beans and veggies in vegan breakfast burritos the next day.

For more vegan breakfast recipes that don’t use tofu, try:

• Vegan Scramble with JUST Egg
• Tator Tot Breakfast Casserole
• Sauteed Kale with Mushrooms and Shallots
• Banana Nut Pancakes

The printable recipe card for Tofu Vegan Scrambled Eggs