Covered in a spicy peanut sauce, these tofu meal prep bowls are full of flavor and easy to make. Whip them up on a Sunday and you’ll have healthy, high-protein, vegetarian meals for the week!
If you’ve never made meal prep tofu, I highly suggest you give these bowls a try. Not only is tofu easy to meal prep but the combination of crispy tofu bites, sticky rice, and salty and spicy peanut sauce creates a flavor-packed bowl that can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner and is sure to hit the spot.
What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy tofu meal prep recipe with peanut sauce, veggies, and rice:
- Tofu: The primary vegetarian protein source in these bowls. Be sure to use firm or extra-firm tofu for the best texture.
- Rice: To bulk up the bowls and add a source of complex carbohydrates. I used white rice, but you can use brown rice if you prefer.
- Vegetables: To add some color and fiber. I used broccoli and red bell pepper, but you can use any vegetables you like.
- Peanut Butter: To make the peanut sauce. I recommend using natural peanut butter, as the maple syrup adds some sweetness to the sauce. Feel free to use smooth or crunchy peanut butter.
- Soy Sauce: To season the sauce. Swap it for tamari or coconut aminos if you need to make it gluten-free.
- Rice Vinegar: To balance the flavors. Use lime juice if you don’t have rice vinegar.
- Sriracha: To add a bit of spice to the peanut sauce, feel free to add more or use any hot sauce you like.
- Maple Syrup: To add a hint of sweetness and balance the salty flavors. You could also use brown sugar.
- Garlic and Ginger: To add some fragrance and flavor. Although fresh ginger root and garlic cloves work best, you can use garlic powder and ginger powder if needed.
- Cornstarch: To add some texture and crispiness to the tofu.
In addition to the above, you’ll also need some olive oil, salt, and pepper. You can toppings in the form of green onion, cilantro, lime wedges, peanuts, and sesame seeds if you like.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make it Gluten-Free: Swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.
To Make it Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed, the recipe is dairy-free.
To Make it Vegan: No adaptations are needed, the recipe is vegan.
To Make it Peanut-Free: Swap the peanut butter for almond butter and peanuts for almonds.
To Make it Low-Sodium: Use low-sodium soy sauce and salt-free peanut butter.
How to Meal Prep Tofu
Here’s how you’ll meal prep the tofu:
- Press the tofu. Begin by pressing and draining the tofu to remove as much excess water as possible.
- Cut the tofu. Once pressed, slice the tofu into even bite-size cubes.
- Prep the tofu. Drizzle the cubed tofu with cornstarch, salt, and oil.
- Bake the tofu. Place the prepared tofu on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crispy.
- Cook the rice. While the tofu is cooking, cook the rice.
- Cook the veggies. Add the veggies to the baking sheet with the tofu halfway through and allow them to bake until tender and slightly crispy.
- Make the sauce. Add all the peanut sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Combine the bowls. Once the tofu, rice, veggies, and sauce are ready, portion everything into meal prep containers and then allow them to cool completely before storing them in the fridge.
Although I opted to use spicy peanut sauce on these tofu meal prep bowls, once you get the concept down you can add any sauce you like to the tofu. For example, a teriyaki sauce, honey garlic sauce, or sesame sauce, like the one used in these sesame tofu bowls, would all work very nicely.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
Tofu is a source of vegetarian protein that keeps well in the fridge once cooked and, therefore, works well for meal prep. While there are many ways to cook tofu, and many will argue about what is the healthiest way to cook tofu, steaming, grilling, baking, and roasting tofu are all equally nutritious and delicious ways to cook tofu.
Tofu Meal Prep FAQs
Can you cook tofu ahead of time?
Yes. Cooked tofu keeps really well in the fridge, so it works well as a meal prep idea. Simply store the tofu on its own or in meal prep containers in the fridge for up 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can you prep tofu for the week?
Tofu is a great meal prep option because it keeps well in the fridge. While it may not last an entire 7-day week, it will last several days, so you can use it for several meals during the week.
Is it ok to eat cold cooked tofu?
Yup! Cooked tofu can be eaten hold or cold. So, if you don’t have access to a microwave, you can easily enjoy these meal prep tofu bowls cold.
Storage + Reheating
To Store: Allow the bowls to cool completely and then store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To Freeze: Once cooled, the bowls can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: The bowls can be reheated in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. If using frozen bowls, ensure that they are completely thawed before reheating.
More Meal Prep Tofu Bowls:
Print
Tofu Meal Prep Bowls
Filled with crispy tofu, veggies, and white rice, and covered in a spicy peanut sauce, these tofu meal prep bowls are easy to make, healthy, and full of flavor.
-
Prep Time: 20 minutes -
Cook Time: 30 minutes
-
Total Time: 50 minutes
-
Yield: 4 bowls 1x
-
Category: Meal Prep
-
Method: Baked
-
Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Ingredients
Tofu:
- 1 block (14-ounce) extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 teaspoons sriracha, add more if you like it spicy
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1-inch ginger root, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon water
Bowls:
- 1 cup white rice, dry
- 4 cups broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper, cubed
- 1 green onion, sliced, to serve (optional)
- 2 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Begin by pressing and draining the tofu. Remove the tofu from the packaging and place it between two pieces of paper towel or wrap it in a tea towel and place it on a cutting board. Set something heavy on top, like a cast-iron skillet, and allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes to remove excess moisture. Once pressed, unwrap the tofu from the towel or paper towel, place it on a cutting board, and cut it into even bite-size cubes.
- In a pot, combine the rice with 2 cups of water and a pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook covered for 15 minutes, or as per package directions, until it can be fluffed with a fork.
- Once the tofu has been pressed and cubed, add it tofu to a large bowl, sprinkle with cornstarch, and toss until well coated. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and toss again until well coated. Then place the tofu on a baking sheet (using only 3/4 of the surface area), evenly spread it out, and then transfer it to the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
- While the tofu is cooking, chop the broccoli and bell pepper, then add them to the bowl used to coat the tofu, toss in the remaining oil, and set aside. Then make the sauce.
- In a medium bowl, add the sauce ingredients; peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger, garlic, and water, and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed to your liking. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more water.
- Once the tofu has cooked for 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven, and use a spatula to flip the tofu. Then add the broccoli and bell pepper to the empty 1/4 of the baking sheet and return to the oven to bake for a final 10 minutes.
- Once the rice has cooked, the tofu and vegetables have baked, and the sauce is ready, assemble the bowls. Divide the rice evenly across 4 meal prep containers or bowls, layer with 1/4 of the baked tofu and vegetables, drizzle with spicy peanut sauce and sprinkle with green onion, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
- Once assembled, allow the bowls to cool completely, cover them with a lid, and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 554 calories
- Sugar: 13 grams
- Fat: 25 grams
- Carbohydrates: 64 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Protein: 22 grams
Keywords: easy tofu meal prep, tofu meal prep bowls
Leave a Review