Tofu scramble is probably one of the most cliche vegan things ever. As a vegan it is kind of strange that my very first experience with a tofu scramble was while attending BlogHer Food in Seattle in June 2012.
I liked it.
So what’s probably even more strange that it took me until now to make my own version and stuff it into a homemade corn tortilla.
Ah yes, a breakfast taco. Considering there’s a huge gap in breakfast recipes on my site, this should be a good one to make up for it.
And even though I’m completely sure you are already drooling over this recipe I have to share how much Levi enjoyed it. We made up a dozen of these breakfast tacos. Of those twelve Levi ate at least 8 – maybe 9. If that’s not a high vote of confidence on the tasty-meter I don’t know what is.
You don’t have to use homemade corn tortillas but they really are pretty awesome so if you can swing it I’d highly recommend it. If you’re worried about your time in the morning you can make the tortillas the night before and wrap them in foil and refrigerate. Heat the foil-wrapped bundle up the next morning in a low oven. If you’re looking for a nice quick tutorial for making your own homemade corn tortillas you can check out my tutorial.
We served these tacos with homemade salsa too. You can use store-bought. It’ll still taste good I’m sure. But, if you’re ever up for making homemade salsa, it’s a great project even for first-time home canners. You can check out my recipe for homemade salsa if you’re interested. A nice fresh pico de gallo would also be excellent!
Now, on to the tofu scramble recipe. I searched online for this. I was really unsure of what exactly went into a typical tofu scramble other than I was sure most of them contained curry powder or turmeric for the color. Of course, the curry powder also adds some flavor.
You can see a difference in the scramble before the seasonings and nutritional yeast are added:
And after you add the seasoning and nutritional yeast:
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb firm tofu, drained and pressed*
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 12 corn tortillas (homemade is always a bonus!)
- ¼ cup Daiya cheddar-style shreds, divided among 12 tacos
- ½ cup salsa, divided among 12 tacos
- In a small bowl combine all seasonings and water. Whisk with a fork to mix well.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Break up tofu into smaller chunks and add to skillet with green onions. Use a metal spatula to break up the chunks into smaller bits. Fry for 10-12 minutes, stirring often. Use the spatula to scrape off any crispy bits from the bottom of the frying pan.
- Add the spice mixture and nutritional yeast. Stir well to combine and heat through. Fry an additional 5 minutes.
- Divide tofu scramble filling between 12 corn tortillas, sprinkle with Daiya and spoon salsa over top.
* I press my tofu for about 20 minutes between two cutting boards lined with paper towel and a heavy cast iron skillet on top for extra weight.
recipe inspired by Post Punk Kitchen
Now speaking of breakfast burritos/tacos and tofu scramble, a few weeks after I had originally made this recipe I heard that Root Down Workers Cooperative Cafe was opening on Sundays for brunch. One of the menu items was a tofu scramble breakfast burrito. So on the day before New Years, Levi and I ventured down on a Sunday to enjoy brunch at the *only* place in Saskatoon where we can get an actual breakfast meal and not just a makeshift breakfast of hashbrowns and fruit. It was amazing. I kept saying to Levi that it was like something I’d make at home – and it tasted as good as that. We will definitely go back again and again.
Please go check out Root Down if you’re in Saskatoon. It is Saskatoon’s first vegetarian cafe and it’s also a workers cooperative which is very cool. They have quite a few gluten-free options (though I don’t know if the gluten-free bread is actually vegan or not) and their soups and salads are all quite unique and the ones I’ve tried are tasty.
I just made this for my family and they loved it!! I was apprehensive about the tofu because I hate tofu but the way you seasoned it made it taste soo good! they didnt even know they were eating tofu! it was wonderful thank you for this. hope to keep seeing more vegan and gluten free recipes because I just started this lifestyle.
So glad that everyone enjoyed it! I made these for brunch this morning again too. Perfect Sunday morning breakfast.
Megan,
Do you have to use the yeast? I am allergic to yeast, so I was wondering if this recipe would work without it?
Thanks,
Kim
I think you could omit the nutritional yeast. It gives a bit of cheesy/nutty flavor but I am sure that with the spices used you won’t notice it missing at all. You may need to fry up the tofu a bit longer though since I find the nutritional yeast kind of absorbs any excess moisture in the mixture a bit. Once you try it out, can you come back and let me know how it turned out!? Thanks!
Hi Megan, can you suggest other spices than cumin/curry type, my man does not like this flavour in the morning. Any suggestions? We have been vegan for only 2 years and still experimenting with spices etc. thanks
Hi Debi,
You could really use any spice in this … the turmeric doesn’t add much in the way of flavor but does lend a nice yellowish color (mimics the color of scrambled eggs) for any who may be skeptical to try scrambled tofu. Any dried herbs would be good, garlic powder is always nice. If strong flavors in the morning aren’t your thing, then stick with something light like a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, and some dried thyme. Let me know what you end up trying and how you liked it. I’d love to hear other variations!
This recipe looks great! Have you attempted freezing leftovers? I’d like to try making these, but I’m the only one in my house that’ll eat ’em. I’ve never tried freezing tofu. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t attempted freezing this prepared tofu scramble but I bet it would be just fine. I’ve frozen tofu in the package before and thawed to use it. It becomes more firm and almost more … chewy in texture, but in a pleasant way. I don’t know if that would happen with the prepared tofu scramble but it wouldn’t be a bad thing either I don’t think. Give it a try and let us know! 🙂
WOW. This recipe is great! I have been struggling with cutting out eggs. Breakfast tacos are a big deal in Texas (and to me) and this is such an excellent replacement. I think I may be able to finally make the change with this. I don’t think I will attempt freezing any this week as I mentioned in my previous comment, because I believe I may eat it all within the week. But I’ll try it with my next batch. Thanks!!
Brilliant to hear Murry! Glad you enjoyed it. We even made this when we were camping this week. Perfect camping breakfast!
Im a very new vegan, I was wondering if there’s a way to make it for 1-2 servings instead of 12? I live with my boyfriend who is not vegan, so cooking for only myself with small portions is a little confusing. Thanks!
Since this uses a full block of tofu to make the recipe it might be hard – and probably a bit more wasteful – to just use 1/6 or 1/3 of a block of tofu than just making up the full recipe and either refrigerating or freezing the rest. I haven’t tried freezing the prepared tofu scramble but I think it would probably be just fine to do.
Once you open a package of tofu I find it needs to be used within a day or so to keep its freshness. If you still want to half the recipe I’d make sure you have plans for the remaining tofu in other recipes to use it up. 🙂
This looks amazing! I can’t wait for the week-end to try it out!
I had friends stay with me last weekend, and I made these for breakfast on Sunday. I was apprehensive, as my friends eat meat and gluten, but they LOVED them. So did my fiancé, who is a notoriously picky eater. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. 🙂