If you miss scrambled eggs, this Tofu Scramble Recipe is for you! An easy vegan breakfast staple made with just 7 ingredients in 10 minutes.
If you’re looking for more breakfast tofu recipes, check out my Fried Vegan Eggs, Vegan Breakfast Burritos, and Tofu Cream Cheese while you’re here.
I used to love eating scrambled eggs as a kid. That is, until I actually learned what eggs were and where they came from… My relationship with eggs was officially tainted forever.
The joy I felt eating scrambled eggs is something I still miss, which is where this Easy Tofu Scramble comes in. It’s a vegan egg recipe that really hits the spot. Slightly creamy and jammy with some seriously delicious eggy flavors, it’s as close to real scrambled eggs as it gets!
And as the best tofu scramble recipe ever, it only takes 10 minutes to cook a batch in one pan. The ingredients are simple and likely already in your kitchen, too! I highly recommend doubling the recipe so you have enough for yourself, the kids, and leftovers for a few days after.
Why this is the best breakfast tofu scramble ever
- A vegan breakfast staple – A protein-packed plate of tofu scramble is always the perfect way to start the day, whether it’s a weekday or weekend morning.
- A nostalgic “eggy” flavor – The secret’s out… Black salt (kala namak) is the secret ingredient that gives the crumbled and seasoned tofu its eggy, sulfur-like flavor. If you’re like me, each bite will have you reminiscing about the plates of scrambled eggs you loved eating as a kid.
- Really quick and easy – 7 ingredients, 10 minutes, and 1 pan. That’s all this easy breakfast recipe takes!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Olive oil or other oil/vegan butter
- Tofu – Use firm or extra-firm tofu. The amount of water in a brick of soft or medium tofu will take too long to cook off.
- Nutritional yeast – A cheesy and salty seasoning that gives the tofu scramble a delicious umami flavor. Try not to skip it if you can help it!
- Black salt – AKA kala namak. It’s a sulfur-tasting salt that gives vegan egg recipes a similar flavor to real eggs. You can substitute it with regular table salt or sea salt if you don’t have it on hand.
- Turmeric – For a golden “egg yolk” color. Feel free to omit the turmeric if you don’t have any on hand. The nutritional yeast will still give the scramble a yellow-ish color.
- Garlic powder
- Non-dairy milk – Any unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk will work! Better yet, stir in a little cashew cream.
How to make tofu scramble
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, mash the block of tofu in the pan with a potato masher or fork, or crumble it over the pan with your hands.
Cook the tofu, stirring often, until the excess water has evaporated.
Sprinkle the nutritional yeast, black salt, turmeric, and garlic powder over the tofu. Cook and stir the seasoned tofu for 5 minutes.
Pour the milk into the pan and stir to mix.
Serve the warm tofu scramble on plates with sliced avocado, toast, berries, and your other favorite breakfast items. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
I prefer to use firm tofu but extra-firm tofu will work just as well. No need to press the block ahead of time! The water cooks out really quickly.
You should be able to find black salt at specialty grocery stores or buy it online. It comes in handy when you need to replicate classic eggy flavors in vegan egg recipes, like this tofu scramble recipe, my Vegan Egg Salad, or a JUST Egg Omelette.
You can easily turn this basic tofu scramble into a colorful breakfast by playing around with different vegetables! There are so many you can add, like:
Vegetables you can sauté in the pan a few minutes before adding the tofu are 1/4 cup diced onion, minced garlic cloves, or a diced bell pepper.
Vegetables to add after the milk is added are fresh spinach or kale, small broccoli florets, or diced or sliced tomatoes.
Other than vegetables, you can also add crumbled vegan bacon, a sliced Italian vegan sausage, or half a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or black beans at the end to make the scramble even heartier.
I love to serve this basic tofu scramble with sliced avocado, hot sauce, toast, and fresh fruit. It also goes well with sliced tomatoes, fruit salad, breakfast potatoes, and your other favorite vegan breakfast recipes.
The leftover tofu scramble will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Double the recipe and store the extras in individual containers for easy grab-and-reheat meals to enjoy for meal prep!
The Best Tofu Scramble
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- (1) 14.5-ounce block firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kala namak (black salt) or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, unsweetened and unflavored
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat (I prefer a cast iron pan, or non-stick). Mash the block of tofu right in the pan, with a potato masher or a fork. You can also crumble it into the pan with your hands. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes until the water from the tofu is mostly gone.
- Now add the nutritional yeast, salt, turmeric and garlic powder. Cook and stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Continue to cook for longer, not stirring for a few minutes at a time, until golden spots form on some of the tofu. This is a personal preference but I prefer some golden spots and a longer cook time.
- Pour the non-dairy milk into the pan, and stir to mix. Serve immediately with sliced avocado, hot sauce, parsley, steamed kale, toast or any other breakfast item.
Video
Notes
- Tofu Scramble is also good with all sorts of vegetables mixed in. Vegetables to add before the tofu: 1/4 cup diced onion or a few cloves of minced garlic. Saute in the oil for 2-3 minutes before adding and mashing the tofu. Vegetables to add towards the end: fresh spinach, kale, thin sliced red peppers, small chopped broccoli or fresh sliced/diced tomatoes. Add these after you’ve added the milk to the tofu, and cook for just a few minutes.
- Omit oil if desired to make the tofu scramble oil free.
- You can use any kind of non-dairy milk you like, such as soy, almond, cashew, oat or coconut milk. Just make sure it is unsweetened and unflavored. Cashew cream makes it extra creamy and delicious!
Nutrition
*This post contains affiliate links.
I have been plant based for about 2 years. My husband joined me after he saw the movie The Game Changers! First time making tofu scramble. So so good! I made a breakfast burrito and my kids liked it too! Have you ever made a big batch of burritos and froze them? I used to do that before giving up the meat. Thank you!
I haven’t made breakfast burritos but they are on my list! I’m sure my preteen athletes would appreciate a freezer full!
This is hands down my favorite tofu eggs recipe. I use it every time I want to have a big weekend breakfast 🙂 The flavors are perfect. Thank you!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad it’s delicious. 🙂
I’m a very new vegan and I really miss eggs. I thought I would try this in hopes of it being close. It is so much better than close, it was great! This is the first dish I have made with tofu and now I’m not scared of it anymore LOL 🙂
That’s so wonderful to hear! Thanks for the comment! 🙂
Amazing
Can’t wait to make this for my little ones! What measurement is the nutritional serving size based off of?
Hope they enjoy! The nutritional information is based on 2 servings, so 1/2 of the dish. It will likely feed 3-4 kids, or 2 hungry adults. Thank you!
Texture and flavor is perfect thanks!! It made an amazing vegan breakfast burrito that even the flexitarians enjoyed
I love putting the scramble in a burrito! Glad everyone enjoyed. 🙂
I love tofu scrambles but usually my 3-year old won’t touch it with all the veggies mixed in. Today I made this and then added my sautéed veggies separately. I crossed my fingers and served it to her. She said “ I like scrambled eggs.” SCORE!! This was delicious and will be my new go-to. Thanks so much!
I love to hear stories like this. It’s a double win for me when kids like a recipe! 🙂
I am somehow vegan and absolutely love this ? . Had an extra tofu and no idea what to cook for breakfast .. I’ll surely cook this more often ?
I’m so glad you liked it!
Well, Nora, in your own amazing way, you’re batting a thousand! I had to tweak this slightly to just do one teaspoon of garlic salt (I had no powder and decided this could cover the garlic powder and salt requirements all in one). I also started with a quarter cup of chopped red onion, about a tablespoon of garlic paste, and then after adding the tofu, spices and milk, I added around a quarter cup of diced tomatoes and two huge handfuls of fresh spinach. My husband and I, both, agree that this is the best tofu scramble we’ve had in over 10 years. Thank you.
Very good receipe! I didnt have unflavored almond milk so I used 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth and it turned out great! Thank you!
Loved this recipe! I substituted salt for black salt. Delicious! Thanks a bunch!
So glad you enjoyed the tofu scramble, thank you!
This is seriously the best scramble! It actually takes a lot like eggs. I make this all the time now as it’s a staple my son will eat.
Nice work! Super easy, quick, and tastes good! I did add a tablespoon of onion powder & chives when first mashing up tofu. I only had extra firm tofu, so I added almond milk until I got the texture I wanted. Also added 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon of black salt. Even smelled like scrambled eggs!
Had leftovers of this tofu scramble. It was lunchtime, so I added Hellman’s vegan mayo & Nance’s Hot Mustard. It made a really tasty egg salad, give it a try.
Sounds really great, thanks! I’ll have to try it.
I developed an egg allergy and was missing scrambled eggs very much. This recipe was great and so easy to follow! Thank you for bringing this comfort food back into my life.
I love the turmeric in this scramble! I topped with chopped green onion and it was delicious. The perfect breakfast with a side of avo toast.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the tofu scramble! That sounds wonderful!
This is really good. I didn’t use the oil or non-dairy milk and it turned out really well. I ate this with some oil-free hash browns and salsa, wrapped in a whole grain tortilla . Breakfast burritos with eggs are something I have missed since becoming vegan and this was perfect! Thanks.
I made this for myself after making eggs for my husband and WOW it was delicious! I don’t think I’ll miss eggs much any longer. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thank you, I’m so happy this recipe will help you not miss eggs!
Tried your recipe this morning & it was delicious!
So simple to make & I added fresh parsley from the garden.
I serve the tofu eggs over millet toast spread with Veganaise!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us!
Thank you for the wholesome recipe! I added some black beans and some soy chorizo. So delicious! Nice enough to enjoy on the weekends and easy enough to make before work on the weekdays. Thank you for sharing!
Black beans and soy chorizo sound like a perfect addition to this tofu scramble, yum! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Hey Nora!
What is the non dairy milk for exactly! To make it moist I’m assuming? I can’t wait to try this!!!
Yeah, it kind of brings back some moisture and creaminess that has been cooked off. Enjoy!
Amazing! I’d rather eat these at home than any restaurant eggfu or scrambled tofu I’ve ever tried! Thank you! It’s super great with sauteed onion and mushrooms
After not eating eggs for a year now in my attempt to go vegetarian/vegan, I was missing scrambled eggs so much. I read several recipes and decided to try yours. I made half the recipe and added extra nutritional yeast which I like and I also added black salt (for sulfur flavor). The recipe cooked up quickly and easily. Had this been served to me without my knowing it was a tofu scramble, I’d have sworn it was eggs. I’m so very pleased as this is my first time cooking with tofu, and was worried about how it would turn out. It was wonderful and I’m so happy I can have a tofu scramble that amazingly tastes very similar to eggs. Thanks so very much for putting this recipe out there – I highly recommend it .
I’m so glad it satisfied your desire for scrambled eggs! I know that’s a big one for people. Thank you for sharing, I’m so happy it worked out so well for you.
I’ve made a lot of tofu eggs, both experimenting on my own and trying MANY recipes. These are great and have just enough seasoning. Very toddler friendly!
Thanks, Amelia! Yes, my toddler loves these! Sometimes I add some veggies for myself, and keep some separate for him. 🙂 I’m so glad you liked these.
This would be even better with some Black Himalayan Sulfur Salt – tastes just like deviled eggs.
Such a simple, delicious recipe! Thanks for giving such helpful and clear instructions about when to add the vegetables. That helps a lot!!
So simple to make and really good taste and texture
Will be a regular for me now?