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
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Made this tofu scramble on Christmas day yesterday and not only was it delicious and tasty, but also a huge hit amongst the non-vegan at the table!
Hi Lindsay. I’m so glad the tofu scramble was enjoyed by all! Thank you!
Truly Amazing. This will be my go to tofu scramble from now on. I made it as is, only adding onions in the beginning (only had a little garlic which I need for soup later). I tasted it plain just to get a good idea of how good the recipe was and it’s pretty great, I then added some roasted red bells and it was even better. Highly recommend!
So dimples but SO delicious!!
I honestly wasn’t expecting much but I was so pleasantly surprised when I had my first bite. Eggs has been one of the things that has been really tough for me to give up, especially because I love having eggs in the morning. Thanks so much for this recipe, it’s a keeper.
You’re welcome!
Delicious! I made tofu scramble for one! I used 1/2 block of organic extra firm tofu and cut all other ingredients in half too.
Served it with 2 slices Morning Star veggie bacon, sourdough toast, orange juice and black coffee. It was a great, hearty, filling breakfast! The turmeric, nutritional yeast and garlic granules are a wonderful combination and really flavor the tofu so well! Great recipe thank you
You’re welcome!
Scrambled egg loving (missing) kid approved! Phew 😀
So glad to hear that!
Made these today for my family. They loved them and they are hard to please when I mention tofu. They thought there was actual egg along with the tofu. Will make these again for sure.
Really simple and yet so tasty! Thank you
You’re welcome!
First tofu scramble I’ve ever made and, wow!!! I was prepared to dislike it because I’m still new to veganism, but this was awesome. I was wondering why milk is added? I found it made my scramble just a bit too wet, just curious! 🙂
That’s great, thank you! You can totally leave out the milk if you want, I find my scramble gets too dry after adding spices and cooking the water off, so it helps add in a bit of moisture. But skip it if you want. 🙂 Best of luck finding more yummy recipes on your vegan journey!
I’m a cook for who eat vegan they love it . Thank you!!
I had yet to find a way I liked tofu and almost didn’t try that but I’m so glad I did. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome!
The heading is 100% accurate. This is the best tofu scramble I’ve ever had.!
Thanks!!
This worked out great. I added sautéed onion and spinach. Doctored up with more spices to taste including black salt, delish! Will make again, quick and easy!
This was GREAT! It was easier than other tofu scrambles I have tried and it was really good. I sautéed onion and garlic and added spinach at the end. My husband and I were very happy with it. I have tried all kinds of spices and never achieved what I wanted until now. Sometimes simple is really the best.
Wow, this was really good! I added spinach at the end and red chili pepper flakes, it was simple and yummy! Even my tofu hating husband enjoyed it. Thanks for such a great recipe!! ?
Thank you!
There is something green in the picture of it but no mention of herbs in the ingredients.
I’d really like to make it including herbs but dont know what?
Those are just chopped green onions, not herbs, but you could throw in some herbs like chopped cilantro, parsley or even basil at the end if you wanted. Thanks!
Nora, you are a genius of home cooking! After eating this for breakfast this morning, my husband actually said, “This is the best tofu scramble I’ve ever had.” I discovered your blog just some months ago, and you’ve become my go-to resource in the kitchen. Thank you so much!!!
Write a cookbook!!!
You’re so welcome! It’s on my list of things to do!
Thank-you Nora for your first class, simple and tasty recipe….really delighted as I eat my breakfast. Your recipe was accurate and included some good modifications – I did mine oil free and adding in that plant milk near the end really makes it quite “eggy”. Have tried 2 other scrambles from popular cooks and I have to say that I like yours the best because of the simplicity and dare I say more “eggy” results. I am not saying it is egg but for those of us who have in the past enjoyed eggs and this is not an option any more…this is fab! I made the full British Breaky with plants and it was great….thanks for helping me to enjoy some nostalgia with this tasty recipe! Cheers!
Thanks for the great comment!
I’m shocked!! I’m new to a plant based life style. This was delicious!!!
That’s so great to hear!
Best tofu scramble. Nit going to eggs.
It’s wonderful! It’s the closest I have tasted to the box of Tofu Scramble seasonings that I haven’t been able to find in over a decade. Today I added pre-cooked spinach and diced onion and made breakfast tacos with avocado and habañero green salsa. Thankfully saved half the batch for tomorrow.
Easy to make and tasted great. I left out the milk because I liked the consistency without it. Also plant based milk tends to give a sweet taste that I dont like in savory foods. On the side we sauteed some mushrooms and onion, fried potatoes and toast. It was a hearty satisfying breakfast. I will definitely be making this again.
My husband who is not plant based and very much an egg lover enjoyed this alot.
Very good. Made it and added flax seeds to it and it was damn good. Say goodbye to eggs.
I was pleasantly surprised by the texture of it 🙂
I highly recommend using black salt (kala namak), as it gives the scramble a really eggy flavor!
Planning on making this tomorrow! But I noticed that if you switch between metric and US the salt goes from 1 tsp to 1/2 tsp. Glitch? Just wanted to let you know!
Thank you for catching that, I will fix it now. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
Super yummy and easy to make!
Thanks!
Super good and easy!