Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls with Quick Pickled Veggies

These Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls with Quick Pickled Veggies are a super delicious, flavor-packed plant based meal! The tofu is baked and tossed in a spicy peanut sauce, then served over rice with quick pickled vegetables, crispy shallots, chopped peanuts, scallions, and cilantro. So much flavor!

These bowls were inspired by one of my favorite meals I’ve ever had..literally. This little restaurant in Baltimore has some of the best food in the city, hands down. This is my version of those bowls, and they’re pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself!

I’m pretty sure they deep fry their tofu, which is freaking delicious, but I like to keep things on the lighter side when I’m cooking at home. This tofu is tossed in a delicious mixture of sesame oil, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder, and then baked! After it’s finished baking, it gets tossed in the most delicious peanut sauce. Soooooo good.

I don’t eat a ton of tofu, but I really enjoy it if it’s done well. It just ends up tasting like whatever you put on it, which in this case, is peanut sauce, so it’s really freaking delicious.

I don’t know if I could choose the very best part of this bowl. The crispy shallots and quick pickled veggies might be tied. Pretty much ALL of the toppings here make this bowl incredible.

There’s nothing like a whole bunch of toppings, right?

For me, that’s what makes bowl meals so fun. Putting allll the things on top. This is definitely my idea of the perfect bowl. A grain base (rice), a protein (the most delicious spicy peanut tofu), pickled/briny things (quick pickled red onions and cucumbers!), something crispy (flash fried shallots..um YES please), and some type of freshness/herbs (loads of cilantro!). Like, what more could you want in life?

Being the dramatic person I am (especially around food), I’m pretty sure I declared a moment of silence when I first tried the tofu brah bowl from Ekiben (which 100% inspired this dish). And now that I re-created my own version that I can make at home, I’m pretty much the happiest girl.

Also – spicy peanut sauce is always a good idea. It’s so good on just about anything. I use it as a dipping sauce for veggies, in cold salads with lots of crunchy veggies, or in soba noodle salads. Or, just by the spoonful. Not even kidding.

I know that these bowls seem like kind of a labor of love, and not gonna lie, they kind of are, just because of all of the components. Everything is really easy to make, just a little time consuming. BUT, if you prep things ahead of time, this meal comes together in no time.

If you want to make these for dinner during the week, but you don’t have a ton of time after work, you can cook a batch of rice on the weekend, make the peanut sauce on the weekend, chop up your veggies, and then during the week, you can just cook the tofu, and marinate the pickled veggies while it’s baking! And then, you’re minutes away from the best tofu bowl EVER. Leftovers keep really beautifully in the fridge too!

1000% my dream dinner.

5 from 2 votes

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Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls with Quick Pickled Veggies

These Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls with Quick Pickled Veggies are a super delicious, flavor-packed plant based meal! The tofu is baked and tossed in a spicy peanut sauce, then served over rice with quick pickled vegetables, crispy shallots, chopped peanuts, scallions, and cilantro. So much flavor!

Course Bowl, Dinner, Lunch, Main, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Gluten Free Friendly, Plant Based, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword baked tofu recipe, quick pickled veggies, spicy peanut sauce, spicy peanut tofu, tofu bowls, vegan tofu bowl

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 3 -4

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the tofu

• 1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu, cut into 1'' chunks*
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the quick pickled red onions

• 1/4 of a medium red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the quick pickled cucumbers

• 1/4 of a large seedless cucumber, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the peanut sauce

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (the natural, drippy kind)
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons sriracha
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• 1/3 cup hot water

For the crispy shallots

• canola or vegetable oil for frying
• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour*
• sea salt

For the bowls

• your favorite rice*
• roasted, salted chopped peanuts
• thinly sliced scallions
• chopped cilantro
• sesame seeds

Instructions

For the tofu

1. Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tofu cubes on the baking sheet and add the sesame oil, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and soy sauce until evenly coated. Sprinkle on the cornstarch and toss again to coat. Bake for 40-45 minutes, tossing halfway through baking, until golden and crispy on the edges. After baking, toss in 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce.

For the quick pickled red onions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the red onion, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt. Let sit for 20-30 minutes while tofu is baking. That's it!

For the quick pickled cucumbers

1. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt. Let sit for 20-30 minutes while tofu is baking. That's it!

For the peanut sauce

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sriracha, honey, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce until smooth. Add the hot water and whisk together until smooth and creamy. If you like a thinner sauce, add more hot water a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

For the crispy shallots

1. Heat about an inch of vegetable or canola oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. You will know when oil is ready when you stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil and tiny bubbles form around it. Fry the shallots in batches, for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Season with salt while they are hot. Let drain on paper towels. Do this in 2-3 batches to avoid overcrowding.
   

To serve

1. Place tofu over a bed of rice. Top with a generous drizzle of peanut sauce and a handful of pickled onions and cucumbers. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and a handful of crispy shallots. Devour!

Recipe Notes

*I recommend pressing your tofu with a tofu press like this one to get all of the water out, or you can wrap your tofu in paper towels and stack a heavy cast iron skillet on top with some cans in it for a good 20-30 minutes. This will ensure a crispier tofu!
*You can sub a gluten free flour if you need to! This is my favorite.
*I used white jasmine rice, but you can use brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice for a lower carb option!
*If you want to make these for dinner during the week, but you don’t have a ton of time after work, you can cook a batch of rice on the weekend, make the peanut sauce on the weekend, chop up your veggies, and then during the week, you can just cook the tofu, and marinate the pickled veggies while it’s baking!

There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!