Sticky peanut butter tofu stir-fry is delicious and easy to make. Baked tofu is covered in a tasty Thai-inspired peanut sauce served with broccoli and cashew nuts.
Folks, todays sticky peanut butter tofu stir-fry recipe is another amazing dish my other half and I came across whilst on holiday in Hong Kong earlier this year.
I've never before tasted such a perfectly sweet tasting peanut sauce which was used as a marinade for the tofu.
One mouthful of the sweet crispy soft tofu complimented with tender broccoli florets and crunchy cashew nuts and I was already planning it in my head to share back home.
There's some recipes that are just too good not to be enjoyed and shared; this is one of them!
I've made this peanut butter tofu recipe as easy as possible and with minimum ingredients.
There were a lot more veggies and spices included in the version we had in Hong Kong.
Certainly you can adapt this recipe once you've got the hang of it. You could add some spices and your own choice of vegetables.
For me I always try to get the maximum amount of flavour and use minimum ingredients when I'm recreating recipes.
After all, that original sticky peanut butter tofu stir fry was eaten in a restaurant in Asia. There they have an abundant supply of all kinds of ingredients and the manpower to make whatever they want in the timeframe they want.
Here if I don't think you folks would want to spend all day stirring and chopping just to get a meal on the table. Especially after a whole day at work!
What we want is good food fast. Great flavours with minimum fuss and effort.
This baked peanut butter tofu stir fry fits that bill perfectly.
I'll also happily admit to you folks that tofu isn't something I cook with regularly.
My last recipe (and first) tofu recipe here was an Asian Tofu Salad, 3 years ago!
So this recipe had to be easy too in case you haven't cooked with tofu much either.
That's why I chose to bake the tofu instead of fry it. It's easier to start cooking with tofu and get used to it cooked that way (in my humble opinion) before you advance to more elaborate ways of cooking with tofu!
Here I've broked down the steps further to go with the recipe card to give my hints and tips on how to cook and get the best from this delicious sweet peanut tofu stir fry.
How To Make Peanut Butter Tofu
- Drain the tofu - it's essential to do this to remove the excess moisture so that the tofu will take on a crispy texture.
- Cut the tofu - use a very sharp knife to slice the tofu and then cut ¾ inch cubes from the slices.
- Bake in the oven until the tofu is crispy. Gently turn the tofu pieces over about halfway through the cooking to ensure an even bake. Then remove and allow to cool.
- The sauce can be prepared whilst the tofu is baking. Whisk it and taste it to ensure it has the right slightly thickenned and sticky consistency. Add a little more peanut butter if not thick enough and / or honey if not sweet enough.
- Only add the tofu to the sticky peanut butter marinade once the tofu has cooled so it can absorb the flavours.
- Whilst the tofu is marinating dry fry the cashew nuts until they are golden brown. Stirring frequently to prevent them from burning.
- Stir fry the broccoli in a little olive oil until al dente then add the garlic and stir fry that in for a couple of minutes more. Then remove the broccoli and garlic with a slotten spoon.
- Spoon the tofu with all the sauce into the hot wok and stir fry it gently just to heat it up and get the sauce simmering.
- Add back the broccoli and garlic with the golden cashew nuts and just stir through until heated through.
- Divide and serve the sticky peanut butter tofu stir fry between two plates with some basmati rice or other rice (e.g. caufliflower rice) of your choice.
Subscribe to Neil's Healthy Meals
Don't miss future updates and new recipes. Make sure you’re subscribed to Neil’s Healthy Meals.
Subscribe here to add your email to the subscription list.
And you can follow me too via your favourite social channels :-
Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin & YouTube.
*I do not use your email for anything else other than adding you to my blog subscription list which you can opt out of at any time.
Other Popular Stir Fry Recipes You Might Also Like
- Stir fry turkey with sugar snap peas is a recipe you’ll just love. It’s healthy, low carb and quick and easy to prepare too. A perfect weeknight dinner!
- Chilli beef stir fry. Thin strips of steak, pepper and green beans cooked in a tasty sauce make up this sensational easy, healthy stir fry. Wok to table in just over 30 minutes!
- Healthy spring stir-fry vegetables is a delicious and easy dinner recipe. Ready in just 20 minutes. Why not choose your own selection of healthy veggies?
Sticky Peanut Butter Tofu Stir-Fry Recipe
This sticky peanut butter tofu stir-fry is vegetarian. To make it vegan simply substitute the honey with maple syprup.
I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂
Sticky Peanut Butter Tofu Stir-Fry Recipe
The following links and any links in the recipe card below are affiliate links.
This means that if you click on it and then buy that product I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).
If you do click through then thanks for being a part of Neil’s Healthy Meals!
Ingredients
- 350 g tofu
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 50 g smooth peanut butter
- 60 g cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 g broccoli cut up into small florets
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180C Fan
- Prepare the tofu by gently squeezing out excess moisture by wrapping it in paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
- Cut the tofu into ¾-inch cubes then place the cubes onto a greaseproof paper covered baking tray.
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes until the tofu is crispy. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Whilst tofu is baking prepare the sauce by whisking together the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey and peanut butter in a glass bowl.
- Once the tofu has cooled add it to the sauce, stir to coat well and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat a wok or frying pan over a low heat and dry stir fry the cashew nuts, being sure not to burn them. Once golden brown remove them from the wok and place them aside.
- Add the olive oil to the wok and over a medium heat stir-fry the broccoli florets for 2-3 minutes and once starting to soften add the garlic and stir fry for a further 2 minutes. Remove broccoli and garlic from the wok using a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Spoon the tofu with all the sauce into the wok. Stir fry, stirring frequently for a few minutes until the sauce is simmering.
- Then add back the broccoli, garlic and cashew nuts and stir everything together until warmed through.
- Divide the stir fry mixture between 2 plates and serve with rice.
Mimi
This sounds wonderful. I actually have always loved tofu, but just don’t cook with it often because my husband won’t eat it. Hmm how many times have I said that?!! Anyway, I love the flavors in this dish, and one could always substitute beef or chicken if necessary.
Neil
That's a shame that your husband doesn't eat tofu Mimi. But yes this dish most definitely could use chicken or beef instead of tofu. Glad you like it. Thank you. 🙂
David @ Spiced
It might be grey and gloomy in Glasgow right now, but I'd gladly take a trip over there! Sounds like a good day to walk around the Necrepolis, right? Anyhoo, I love recreating recipes from our travels, and I see that you do, too. The memories tied up in there are half the fun! This recipe sounds quite delicious, and I'm a huge fan of all the textures going on in there. I must admit that tofu isn't high on my list, but I might be willing to give it a try as this looks amazing! Either that, or just use steak tips instead. Haha! 🙂
Neil
The Necropolis is always somewhere fascinating to walk around David. I take it you've been there? I used to live in the new flats behind the Necropolis. So I walked past it every day too. Yes if you don't like to cook with tofu I think that chicken would be an excellent substitute! 😀
David @ Spiced
I have indeed walked around the Necropolis! It was our last day in Scotland on our trip, gosh, 6-7 years ago?? We had one afternoon left and wandered over to the Necropolis. It was awesome! And I even found a gravestone for a MacPherson - our relatives on my mother's side. Kinda cool!
Neil
I'm not surprised that you found a gravestone of a relative David. That place has so much history and so many descendants!
Kankana Saxena
Such a lovely light meal and with almost any fuss. Peanut butter with tofu is an amazing combination
Neil
Thanks Kankana! I could quite happily eat this every night!
Matt - Total Feasts
This is my kind of stir fry, great looking veg, some nuts, some protein, and sauce! All I need now is a some chili and I'll devour the whole thing!
Neil
Feel free to spice it up with a little chilli powder Matt, that sounds like a great idea. Add a little bit of heat. I like it!
Katerina
I am always excited to come across new tofu recipes, I must say, and this one looks particularly enticing! I love that it's baked and not fried and the flavours sound amazing. I loved all our food in Hong Kong too. Isn't it wonderful to combine your love for travel with a bit of culinary research?
Neil
Absolutely Katerina. I get a lot of my ideas for my recipes by recreating those ones I've had and enjoyed on holiday. In this case, the sticky peanut butter tofu stir-fry was just too good not to share! 🙂
Easyfoodsmith
Neil, I absolutely love your no fuss delicious meals. It is the kind of cooking I love to do 🙂
Neil
That's such a nice thing to say. Thank you so much. I'm blushing here. 😉
Laura
I love anything with peanut sauce, Neil! And when that peanut sauce is “sticky” - all the better. We are not the biggest tofu fans here, but with this sauce, I imagine it’s downright delicious. Perfect for Meatless Monday!
Neil
Thanks Laura. I'm only a bigger fan of tofu now because I've had it properly cooked for me, in Hong Kong. And of course it was covered in that delicious sticky peanut butter sauce. Yum! 😀
Marissa
You had me a 'sticky peanut butter,' Neil! We don't eat a lot of tofu, but this stir fry looks like a must try!
Neil
Yeah we're the same Marissa. Tofu every now and then. But I'll definitely be using this sticky peanut butter sauce in other recipes that don't involve Tofu!
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
I'm probably not a huge fan of Thai (and Thai-inspired) cuisine, but I do love those recipes with veggies, tofu, and cashews. This dish looks and sounds fantastic, and this honey peanut sauce is a beautiful idea. Also, I would have never thought of baking tofu - I've got to check this way, too!
Neil
Thanks Ben. It's honestly so much easier to bake with Tofu (I find) but I guess you just need to find the best way to suit yourself.