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If you want a tasty plant-based dinner, you’ll love these vegan Tofu Poke Bowls that replace tuna poke with tofu.
Tofu Poke Bowl
I keep getting requests for more plant based recipe. I LOVED these Tofu Poke Bowls! High in protein, easy to make and cheaper than using sushi grade fish. Traditional poke bowls are served with sushi-grade tuna, shrimp, or other raw or cooked fish and served over rice or greens with fresh vegetables and a savory or spicy sauce. While I love a classic ahi poke bowl, I wanted to develop a vegan option so vegetarians or those trying to incorporate more plant-based proteins could enjoy them too. This easy version, made with fresh garlicky-soy marinated tofu, works so well—I am sure you will love it! More tofu recipes you may enjoy are these Spicy Gochujang Tofu Bowls and Sriracha Tofu Rice Bowls.
If you’ve never tried tofu before, it’s basically a blank slate soaking up any flavors you marinate it with. This is a great beginner tofu recipe to try!
Tofu Poke Bowl Ingredients
- Tofu: Drain one package of extra firm tofu.
- Soy Sauce: Use reduced-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari.
- Garlic: Crush or finely mince four garlic cloves.
- Scallions: Chop the scallions and separate the whites from the greens.
- Cornstarch: Toss a half tablespoon over the tofu.
- Sesame Oil for cooking the tofu in
- Greens: I used mixed greens, but spinach or arugula would also be good.
- Rice: Microwave frozen brown rice to save time.
- Vegetables: Cucumber, avocado, shelled edamame
- Sesame Seeds for garnish
- Poke Bowl Sauce: Top your bowl with sriracha mayo or sriracha for an extra kick. Be sure to use egg-free mayo if you want to make this vegan.
How to prepare tofu before cooking
- Dry out Tofu: It’s essential to squeeze out all the water from tofu before cooking it to get it crispy. To do so, transfer the tofu to a plate lined with paper towels or a tea towel. Then cover it with another towel, and place a heavy pan on it to press out the liquid.
- Cut Tofu: Place the tofu on its side on a cutting board, and slice it in half lengthwise. Flip it back over so it’s lying flat, and cut it into 32 equal cubes. Put the cubes in an even layer in a shallow container.
- Marinate Tofu: Combine the soy sauce and garlic to make the marinade, and pour half of it over the tofu, making sure all sides are covered. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
How to Make Tofu Poke Bowls
- Cucumber and Scallions: Peel and dice the cucumber and chop the scallions. Put the cucumber and scallion whites in a small bowl and toss with two tablespoons of the marinade.
- Tofu: Coat the marinated tofu with the cornstarch. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat, cook the tofu for a couple of minutes until it’s browned, and then flip. Continue flipping and cooking until all sides are browned. Toss the tofu with the remaining marinade.
- Assemble the Bowls: Layer two bowls with greens, rice, edamame, avocado, tofu, and the cucumber/scallion mixture. Garnish with scallion greens, sesame seeds, and sriracha mayo if you want a spicy tofu poke bowl.
Meal Prep
Cooked tofu will last up to four days refrigerated in an airtight container. To pack the leftovers for lunch, store the tofu and rice in one container, the cucumbers, scallions, and edamame in another, and the greens in another. Wait to slice the avocado until right before eating.
Variations
- Protein: If you want a more traditional poke bowl with fish, swap the tofu for tuna.
- Poke Salad or Poke Bowl: I usually order my poke bowls with half brown rice and half greens, so that’s how I created this bowl. If you prefer, you can do all greens or all rice.
- Rice: Sub white rice or quinoa for brown rice.
- Cucumber: A regular or English cucumber will work.
- Vegetables: Add shredded carrots or cabbage.
- Fruit: For a little sweetness, toss in some diced mango or pineapple.
- Spice: Top with fresh sliced jalapeños.
- Sauce: If you don’t want a spicy sauce, drizzle your bowl with lime wedges or extra soy sauce.
- Poke Bowl Toppings: Sprinkle the poke with furikake or crumbled seaweed.
More Tofu Recipes You’ll Love
- Kung Pao Tofu
- Tofu Stir Fry with Vegetables in Soy-Sesame Sauce
- Tofu Tacos with Potatoes and Jalapeños
- Shrimp Pad Thai
- Spicy Gochujang Tofu Bowls
Tofu Poke Bowl
If you want a tasty plant-based dinner, you'll love these vegan Tofu Poke Bowls that replace tuna poke with tofu.
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 bowl
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu, drained
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce or gluten free tamari, plus optional more for drizzling
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed through a garlic press or finely minced
- ½ medium cucumber, 3/4 cups
- 2 scallions
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- ½ cup shelled edamame
- 2 ounces avocado, sliced, from 1 small
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Sriracha mayo* or sriracha, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Place tofu on a paper towel or tea towel lined plate. Cover with another towel and place a heavy pan on top to press out excess water from tofu.
- Transfer to cutting board, flip on its side and slice in half lengthwise. Flip it back over to lay flat on the cutting board and cut into 32 equal cubes. Place in a medium size shallow container so the cubes are in 1 even layer.
- In a small measuring cup or bowl, add the soy sauce and crushed garlic.
- Pour ½ the marinade (about 2 tablespoons) over the tofu, gently flipping to make sure all sides are covered. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and dice the cucumber and chop the scallions, separating whites from greens. Transfer the scallion whites and cucumbers to a small bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons of the remaining marinade. Set aside.
- Sprinkle marinated tofu with the cornstarch, tossing gently to coat.
- In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil over high heat. Add the tofu and cook for 2- 3 minutes, until the first side is browned.
- Flip cubes with a spatula, cooking each side for a couple minutes until evenly browned on all sides. Toss with remaining marinade.
Assemble the bowls:
- In 2 shallow bowls, layer each with 1 cup greens, ½ cup rice, half the edamame and cucumber/scallion mixture, 1 ounce avocado and ½ the cooked tofu.
- Garnish with scallion greens, sesame seeds and sriracha mayo, if using.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
* if vegan, use vegan mayo mixed with sriracha.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 bowl, Calories: 520 kcal, Carbohydrates: 47 g, Protein: 29 g, Fat: 24 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Sodium: 956 mg, Fiber: 12 g, Sugar: 5 g
What a pleasure this dish was for a change of pace. Full of nutrition crunchy textures and full of flavor. Part of our weekly rotation now. I will try some of your other tofu recipes
Trying to eat a more plant based diet so I can lower my cholesterol but get the protein I need at my age. This was so yummy! I never thought tofu could be so yummy.
I never thought I’d say, I love tofu, and I’ve been cooking Asian for decades. Thanks Gina!
Delicious!! It was less effort than I anticipated!
SO easy!
My husband told me to rate this 5/5 🥰. It’s really good! Another great job Gina!
Thank you!
Absolutely loved this bowl!! Was so glad the recipe makes two because I had one for lunch and one for dinner. Definitely will be in my regular rotation.
Made this tonight, exactly as written and it’s a 10/10 for me. My picky husband had no complaints! Super quick and easy to prepare.
Thanks Jess!
So delicious! I froze the tofu first and thawed it which I find is easier for removing more moisture than pressing. It was so fresh and tasty! I’ll definitely be making this again!
Delish! I did use potato starch instead of corn since that’s what I had but it was all super tasty. Added mango for sweetness. Even my non-tofu loving husband enjoyed it!
I didn’t mind it, my husband put a ton of sriracha so it was more flavorful for him, and my preteen didn’t like it at all. So overall it wasn’t our favorite. Maybe if I marinaded the tofu longer but otherwise it seemed pretty bland without the use of extra soy and sriracha. Next time I’ll make it for myself for lunch.
Tofu and edamame are a no go in my home. Would would be good replacements?
Here are some ideas- https://www.skinnytaste.com/ahi-poke-bowl/ https://www.skinnytaste.com/spicy-tuna-poke-bowls/
Is it ok if I marinate for more than 30 minutes.
I did not make this entire recipe, but was looking for a way to prepare tofu to use in salads. I tried a similar, but different method a couple weeks ago and the results were underwhelming. I prepared the tofu according to this recipe, using arrowroot instead of cornstach and EVOO instead of sesame oil, and I could eat the entire batch right now and not have any left for salads! I have never prepared tofu that has been so flavorful! I am thrilled!
So yummy! Took advantage of a mom & daughter cooking together recipe (daughter is vegetarian). This was fast & tasty and gave us time to chat and enjoy dinner
Perfect!!!
This was a big hit at the dinner table! The marinated tofu was probably the favorite aspect of the dish.
Delicious!! It was my first time making tofu and I enjoyed it! I’d had it before from restaurants and didn’t like it much, so this was a real win! I’d love to figure out how to get the browned pieces not to stick so much next time. But there will be a next time!
This recipe exceeded my expectations!
This was a real hit at my house! Everyone really liked it and asked that we make it again. It’s a winner!
GREAT!
I am not sure what I am doing wrong but my tofu just didn’t turn out. Should I be using a nonstick pan? All of the browned parts stuck to the pan. I am bummed because I love all of these recipes but this one just didn’t work for me.
I love the way Gina taught me to to marinate and fry tofu. Great recipe!
So delicious, can’t wait to make this again!
Great recipe! Delicious and came together very quickly. Great flavors and textures. Even my 2 teenage boys loved it, which is saying a lot for a tofu dish!
Awesome!!
Darned delicious!! I didn’t have any edamame, so I added some cooked broccoli, sweet potato, mushroom, chopped peanuts and cashews and more greens. I thinned my homemade sriracha mayo with a little rice vinegar. The sriracha mayo is a very nice finishing touch.
Fantastic taste and so easy to make. I have little experience with Tofu but this works. I made the tofu in the airfryer ( following your instructions in your Sriracha tofu recipe). It was firm but not crunchy. Probably a little more practice. I used quinoa instead of rice. Thanks so much.
Delicious! I had to do it without avocado and edamame based on what I had on hand, but it was still outstanding – and lower calorie. Will definitely make it again with everything.
I made this today and it is both simple and tastes great. I’m excited to try with different variations.
Hello Gina,
The recipes looks great and I want to make this recipe but would like to reduce the amount of calories. Is the sriracha mayo included in the calorie count ? Do you have any suggestion in reducing the calories?
You could bake the tofu vs frying, use cauliflower rice or all salad greens, not use the optional mayo or use lower calorie mayo.
Would it be more crispy in the air fryer, or is pan frying better? I’m new to making tofu and still learning. Has anyone else tried this?
I think pan fry would be better to get the tofu crispy on all 6 sides of the cubes but I’ve only used an airfryer once! It would take a while in an airfryer to do the whole batch of tofu in my opinion.
This sounds so good and can’t wait to make it. The only change I will have to make is because I’m diabetic is use cauliflower rice instead rice
Love the recipes Accidentally unfollowed and have Re followed
welcome back : )
Can the air fryer be used instead of pan frying?