Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry
on Jan 12, 2022, Updated Mar 31, 2025
This Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry recipe uses just one pan. A flavorful takeout style plant based dinner made with homemade garlic ginger stir fry sauce!
This broccoli tofu stir fry is made in just one big pan and tastes like takeout. If you have ever wondered how to cook tofu that tastes delicious, this is it!
⭐️ Review ⭐️
“I made this last night and my family loved it. I have never made any thing with tofu before….. I was scared but not as hard as I thought it would be. Thank you for this recipe. I will be cooking with Tofu again.”
I took one bite of the broccoli and realized it tasted just like the broccoli with garlic sauce that I order from a local Chinese restaurant.
If you are new to stir fries at home, this recipe is a great place to start!
Ingredients and notes
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this broccoli and tofu stir fry, why we use them, and a few helpful tips to ensure success.
- Cubed tofu: If you cannot find cubed tofu, you can buy a block of extra firm tofu and drain and press it, then dice it into cubes.
- Cornstarch: This helps add a crunchy texture to the tofu, as well as thicken the homemade stir fry sauce.
- Soy Sauce: This is used in our easy 3 ingredient homemade stir fry sauce and adds a salty rich flavor.
- Sesame Oil: This nutty and flavorful oil is perfect in Asian inspired recipes. You can use this in place of the olive oil in the recipe too, if you want to.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic: These are key for a sauce that tastes like your favorite takeout. Do not skip these!
- Green Onions: Another flavorful addition to this stir fry, this adds a fresh bright flavor.
- Broccoli Florets: Fresh broccoli florets are the star of the show alongside the tofu. Do not substitute frozen broccoli in this recipe.
- White Rice: For serving your stir fry. Feel free to substitute brown rice, ramen noodles, udon noodles, or whatever you like!
How To Make Broccoli tofu stir fry
First, you will drain the tofu, and pat it dry.
Recipe Tip
I love buying pre packaged diced tofu, like I use in this recipe. It is so convenient!
If you cannot find pre packaged tofu, just drain a block of tofu and press it well before cutting into cubes.
Once you drain your tofu and pat it dry, place the cubes in a bowl.
Toss the tofu with cornstarch and shake it around until all sides are coated.
The cornstarch is going to help the tofu get those crispier edges.
How to pan fry the tofu
Heat a large skillet with oil until hot.
Add in your tofu and start to pan fry it. Cook the tofu for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring often, until all sides are cooked and crispy.
Adding the rest of the ingredients
Next, add in your fresh garlic, ginger, green onion, broccoli and the homemade stir fry sauce.
These fresh ingredients give the dish so much flavor, so do not leave them out!
Keep stirring and cooking until broccoli is to your desired texture and stir fry sauce is thick and sticking to the broccoli and tofu.
I love my broccoli with a bit of crunch, so I cook it for just a few minutes (10 or 15) while still leaving a bit of a bite to it.
Joy’s Tip
The texture of the broccoli really adds so much to this stir fry, so be sure you do not overcook it as it will begin to get mushy.
Tips to get the best flavor
The secret to the flavorful sauce is in the fresh garlic and ginger, so do not skip these. Once you pair them with my 3 ingredient stir fry sauce, magic happens.
I have had people leave out the fresh garlic and ginger and did not like the recipe and that is why! The recipe, as written, yields the very best stir fry flavor.
My family used to eat Chinese every Sunday growing up, and it was a tradition I loved.
This recipe is also naturally vegan and gluten free, making it great for sharing with the ones you love!
Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 8 oz package of cubed tofu, drained and patted dry
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced
- 9 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 4 cups cooked unsalted white rice, see notes
For the stir fry sauce
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Drain the cubed tofu and pat it dry.
- Place the tofu cubes in a bowl.
- Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and toss the tofu gently to coat all sides.
- Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Pan fry the tofu for 10-15 minutes, until crispy on all sides.
- Make one batch of the 3 ingredient stir fry sauce recipe and shake it up to combine.
- Add the broccoli, ginger, garlic, green onions and the homemade stir fry sauce to the skillet and sauté for 10-15 minutes, or until the broccoli is your desired texture.
- Serve alone or over unsalted rice or stir fry noodles.
Where do you find the cubes tofu??
I have found it at my grocery store and walmart too. If you can’t find it, just press a block of extra firm tofu, then dice it up!
Very good!!! Makes a lot. I will have enough for about 8 meals.
I thought this was good. I felt it was missing a sweetness so I added a sweet chili sauce to it.
Your sauce is Da Bomb! I have made a ton of asian sauces but this is by far the easiest and one of THE best! The whole dish is really great so thank you for posting 🙂
By the way, we are vegetarians as well and it drives me crazy when I tell people that we don’t eat meat and most people will say “then what do you eat???” almost aghast! I always say “everything except” and this is a fine example of that. I wish more people would just try making some simple recipes like this!
Great family you seem to have, I have an awesome vegetarian family as well.
Good luck, thanks for this really nice site and God Bless. 🙂
I’m so glad you loved the recipe Thom! And thanks so much for the lovely comment, you made my day!
I don’t have ore cubed tofu, how do I press a block of extra firm tofu to make it fit the recipe?
Just press a block of extra firm tofu for around 30 minutes, or until you get a good amount of moisture out. Then dice into chunks!
I’ve tried the stir fry sauce and the broccoli with garlic sauce and I love it!! I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Question: Is the nutrition information correct? 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe) is 722 calories with 90g carbs? Or is that for the whole recipe?
Thank you.
Hey Laura!
Just going to answer your question again so others can see. It looks like the nutrition calculator was off, and when I calculated again it was more like under 500 calories/serving which I think is more accurate. As for the carbs, about 15 ish of those per servings are from the broccoli, with a good chunk also being from the rice. Carbs aren’t bad in this necessarily, but if you need it to be lower carb simply use cauliflower rice. Hope that helps!
It doesn’t seem like there would be 700 calories per serving. For four servings I calculated that it would be about 150 per serving. Thank you for the recipe though, I’m going to try it tonight!
The nutritional info is calculated automatically and sometimes is off. Thanks for your comment!
Just made this and can’t even tell you how much I liked it…I may never do Chinese takeout again! I did sprinkle some “everything bagel” sesame spice blend on top….oh so good!
Does the nutrition information include rice?
Yes, it does. However, nutritional information is calculated automatically and can vary based on brands and types of ingredients used.
oh my god i love this recipe so much! me and my mom cooked the broccoli tofu stir fry yesterday and loved it im definitely making this again