Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha
For this Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha, strips of firm tofu are fried and served with a peanut-butter Sriracha sauce. And this recipe is so easy; even if you haven’t cooked tofu before you really should try it if you like peanut butter!
PIN Peanut Butter Tofu try it later!
I’ve always been a fried tofu fan, but this Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha might be my favorite tofu recipe. This popular stir-fry dish features browned strips of firm tofu finished with a sauce made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, smooth peanut butter, Monkfruit sweetener (or sweetener of your choice), Sriracha, and a little vegetable stock or water.
And this amazing way to cook tofu is also vegan, for people who care about that! But I think everyone who likes peanut butter is going to love this, whether or not you’re vegan, so I’m featuring it for my Friday Favorites pick this week!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- firm or extra firm tofu
- Peanut Oil (affiliate link)
- large garlic cloves
- Ground Ginger Root (affiliate link)
- green onions (for garnish, optional)
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
- Adams 100% Natural Peanut Butter (affiliate link), or any smooth natural peanut butter without added sugar
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link)
- canned vegetable broth (affiliate link) or water
- Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link)
What type of Tofu works best for Peanut Butter Tofu?
You want to use Firm or Extra Firm Tofu for a recipe like this, where the tofu is cut into strips and stir-fried before it’s coated with the spicy sauce. One secret to success with this recipe is not cutting the tofu strips too small, which makes then easier to turn. Here’s more about types of tofu if you’re not familiar with it.
What peanut butter did I use for Peanut Butter Tofu?
I love Adams 100% Natural Peanut Butter (affiliate link) and I use that in all my recipes with peanut butter. You can check out Keto Recipes with Peanut Butter for more tasty recipes I’ve made with my favorite peanut butter!
How low in carbs is the Peanut Butter Tofu?
When it’s made with low-sugar peanut butter an an approved sweetener this amazing tofu with peanut butter sauce only has about 4 net carb per serving!
Do you have to have a wok to make Peanut Butter Tofu?
If you don’t have a wok, this recipe can definitely be made in a large heavy frying pan. The design of the wok where the edges are curved up just lets you move the food around a bit more easily when you’re stir-frying.
Tips for Stir-Fry Cooking:
Check out the Principles for Chinese Cooking that I learned many years ago in a cooking class for tips for the stir-frying method used in this recipe.
How to make Peanut Butter Tofu:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Drain tofu in a colander; them put blocks of firm tofu between double layers of paper towel and press down on the tofu until the towel has absorbed a lot of the moisture. (Do this several times if needed.)
- Cut tofu into thick strips. (My tofu was about 3 inches long and I cut the strips about an inch wide.)
- Whisk together soy sauce, Unseasoned Rice Vinegar, peanut butter, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice, and stock and then add the Sriracha Sauce to taste. (We used 1 tablespoon of Sriracha, and it was plenty hot.)
- Heat the wok, then add the oil and heat, then add sliced garlic and ginger and cook just until fragrant and remove. (This is called “seasoning the oil.”)
- Add tofu pieces and cook over medium-high heat, turning, until the tofu is nicely browned on both sides, about 7-8 minutes. (Watch it carefully.)
- When the tofu is nicely browned, add the sauce mixture and turn heat to low.
- Cook 1-2 minutes, or just until the mixture starts to thicken. (Don’t cook too long or the sauce won’t pour over the tofu pieces.)
- Serve peanut butter tofu hot, with sauce poured over and garnished with green onions.
Make it a Low-Carb Vegetarian Meal:
This tofu with the peanut butter sauce would be amazing with Easy Cauliflower Rice with Garlic and Green Onion, Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower, or Tomato, Cucumber, and Radish Salad for a low-carb vegan meal!
More Tasty Tofu Recipes:
Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha
This spicy vegan Peanut Butter Tofu is made with strips of firm tofu that are browned and served with a peanut-butter Sriracha sauce!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 16 oz. firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 T peanut oil
- several large garlic cloves, sliced
- one large piece of ginger root, sliced
- 2 T diagonally sliced green onions (for garnish)
Sauce Ingredients
- 3 T soy sauce (see notes)
- 3 T rice vinegar (see notes)
- 2 T smooth natural peanut butter (see notes)
- 1 T Monkfruit sweetener
- 2 T vegetable stock or water
- 1 T Sriracha Sauce (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Drain the tofu well in a colander placed in the sink.
- Then put tofu pieces between a double layer of paper towels and press down with your hand so the liquid in the tofu is absorbed by the towel. (You can do this several times if you need to.)
- Cut tofu into lengthwise strips about 1 inch wide.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, Monkfruit sweetener, vegetable stock or water, and then add the Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link). (I would start with a smaller amount of Sriracha, taste, and decide when it is hot enough.)
- Cut the pieces of garlic and ginger, and diagonally slice green onions.
- Heat the dry wok (or heavy pan) over high heat for one minute.
- Then add the peanut oil and heat about 30 seconds more.
- Add the sliced pieces of ginger and garlic and cook just until they are fragrant (about 30 seconds); then remove and discard.
- Add tofu pieces, lower heat to medium high and cook, turning often, until the tofu is nicely browned on both sides, about 7-8 minutes.
- When all the tofu pieces are browned, add the sauce, turn heat to low, and cook just until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the tofu. (Don’t cook too long or the sauce will get too thick and won’t pour over the tofu pieces.)
- Remove pan from the heat.
- Transfer tofu pieces to a plate and pour sauce over and garnish with green onion slices (if using.)
- Serve hot.
- I’m guessing this would keep in the fridge and could be reheated on the stove, but it’s probably best freshly made.
Notes
Reduced sodium is fine for this recipe; use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if needed. I like Adams 100% Natural Peanut Butter (affiliate link). Don't use seasoned rice vinegar which contains sugar. I would use Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for this recipe, but use any no-calorie sweetener you prefer.
Recipe created by Kalyn, with good suggestions from Jake.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 191Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 0mgSodium 821mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 15g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha would be suitable for most low-carb eating plans, including Keto. For the original South Beach Diet, remember that tofu is limited to 1/2 cup serving size for Phase One, so serve with a big dish of stir-fried veggies.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stir-Fry to find more recipes like this one.Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Peanut Butter Tofu was posted in 2012. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
81 Comments on “Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha”
I have made this recipe countless times, and I love it! But oddly enough, I made it today for dinner and it was way too acidic! I’m not sure if it was the brand of rice vinegar I used or what. Anyway, thank you for the countless delicious dinners.
So glad you have enjoyed it. I don’t know what could have caused that, but that might be it.
What nutrition calculator do you use? I am trying to make sure I get enough calcium every day (osteoporosis).
I use Nutritionix and that one is hard-wired into the recipe card I use. Looks like it doesn’t include calcium. I might google “nutritional calculator that includes calcium and see what you find. Or just get really familiar with which foods are rich in calcium.
I made this tonight. LOVED IT!! I even scraped the pan clean with a spatula to eat the remaining peanut sauce, haha. SO GOOD!!! 😄
So glad to hear you liked it! I love that sauce!
This was SO good! I have a salt restriction, so I cut the soy sauce to 2 T and found it to still be absolutely YUMMY (I might try to cut it even more next time). I’ve never been disappointed by your recipes Kalyn!
So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the very kind feedback on the recipes!
It was delicious. Thank you So much !
So glad you liked it!
Made this for the first time , was so easy to make & delicious , would definitely make it again. I had leftovers for lunch the next day .I served it with quinoa and broccoli
So glad you enjoyed it!
I subbed Tahini for the PB and this was amazing!! Love the sauce. Thank you for the recipe:))
So glad you liked it; I like the sound of this with Tahini!
I JUST made this on my YouTube channel and it was SO SO SO good! I linked back to here so people can find more of your awesome recipes! THANK YOU! If you live in LA or ever want to collab let me know! Sharzad@LuxLyfe.com ; )
Glad you liked it; thanks for the link back!
What can I use instead of agave nectar?
Maple syrup or honey would work.
I made this recipe last night and it was fantastic! I think it's my favorite tofu recipe yet 🙂
Thanks for letting me know; I love hearing that!
Wow, this really looks fantastic. Great job. Amybeth Hurst, Portland
Thanks Amy, glad you like it.
I just made this , thank you so much it was so tasty and delicious 🙂
Lia, so glad you enjoyed it!
Made it with extra firm tofu and next time I will slice the slabs thinner for more crunch surface. Delicious, thanks!
I'm a carnivore as I live for a medium cooked filet the same way I love sunny days with no humidity. But with Costco selling 3, 19oz packages of tofu for less than 4 bucks I had to pick it up and try it out. This was amazing! Savory, spicy, sweet, AND satisfying! Thanks for a fantastic recipe.
So glad you liked it!
It was sooooooooooooo good…and easy too! Thank you for posting this!
You can probably bake the tofu separately and cook the sauce to serve over it, but I wonder if you'd get the same flavor since the tofu isn't cooked in the flavorful sauce. Love to hear how it works if you try it.
Can you bake it instead?
The sauce was great!
This looks divine!!!! It just may be our dinner tonight. I have fresh organic broccoli that I could toss in for a yummy stir-fry.
Thank you for this recipe.
Nancy, so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Kalyn,
Made this tonight and YUM! The sauce had a perfect amount of heat and great flavor. I made sides of jasmine brown rice and seared broccoli and chard with sesame oil. I could eat this for days! Thank you!
Jordan thanks; always appreciated. I will share your round-up.
This looks awesome! Just wanted to let you know I included you in my sriracha recipes roundup. Have a great day 🙂 http://smilesandwich.com/2013/11/07/healthy-recipes-with-sriracha-sauce/
I've made this several times now. Its always delicious! I have made it with chicken and tofu. I started adding in some canned veggies to make it a one dish meal. Usually I put in baby corn and some chop suey veggies. Everyone loves it. I always have leftovers and it tastes great the next day!
So glad you enjoyed it, and no argument from me if you like it more spicy!
I made this for a second time two weeks ago and I think I liked it even more than I remember. I did add a lot more spice (with both the Sirracha and some chili oil) than you recommended, but I don't think that messed with the amazing flavor you've created here.
Glad you enjoyed it. And you're correct that the 4 servings recommendation is based on the SBD limit of 1/2 cup tofu for Phase One. I assume this is part of a meal with lots of veggies on the side if you're eating it for South Beach, but if that doesn't matter to you, you can certainly have a larger serving.
Jessica, you're welcome. I'm so happy you are enjoying it so much!
Oh and I also throw in green beans and shredded carrot too. Yum!
Thank you so much! I have this memorized now! Thanks for the suggestions on frying the tofu, PRICELESS! I had no agave so I used some sweet Thai chili sauce that I made in its place. Yummmmmy! I have been making this weekly since I found the recipe in May. 🙂
Monica, so glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing! Best recipe I have tried in a while. Fiancee loved it too!
Kelly, so glad you are enjoying it!
I can't thank you enough for posting this recipe. It has become my new favorite, and I make it all the time. I think it is perfect without any alterations, except sometimes I double the sauce because it's so dang good that I want it on my veggies as well! I made it once with chicken for a non tofu eating person and it was still amazing.
Made this last night and it was really yummy. A bit too hot so be careful with the sriracha 😉
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post 🙂
I made this last night; used the suggested pressing with a heavy skillet method for the tofu between paper towels and it worked great! Doubled the sauce (used splenda for the agave as I didn't have any). Used the heavy skillet (don't have a wok)to cook and drizzled the extra sauce over not only the tofu but a side of raw baby spinach. Absolutely delicious!!! Our favorite tofu dish to date. I use your site everyday. Thanks again!
Mouth party!! Im eating and typing this comment. Im leaving now to ravish the little tofu fingers on my plate. thank you so much!
S, so glad!
So delicious! My boyfriend balked at the idea of a vegan recipe but he loved that sauce so much he's already asked when we'll have it again. Love it, thanks!
Very glad you liked it so much!
We have made this twice now and LOVE it! We add fresh cilantro to the sauce. We also mixed this with veggies and spaghetti squash – our version of pad thai.
So happy that people are enjoying this. I just bought more tofu so I can make it again!
I made this tonight and loved it! I just served rice and plain simmered collard greens on the side–the sauce was plenty exciting to jazz up the whole plate! 🙂 And I love the tip for pressing tofu in the comments above, I'm definitely going to do that next time.
Delicious! I added some bok choy and mushrooms as per another commenter's suggestion.
So Yummy…love tofu and always looking for new ideas! Thanks for tweaking this! I was amazing, I ate half of it for dinner tonight!!!!!
Made this for dinner tonight, with 1 1/2 lbs of tofu and double the sauce. It was a huge hit over brown rice – and with your spicy cilantro-peanut slaw on the side! You're the best, Kalyn!
Cara, great idea!
Ohh, I would love this with a side of broccoli smothered in that sauce too!
Sharon, so glad you liked it!
Tried this yesterday and it was delish! The sauce has endless possibilities. I am going to use it for noodles sometime but thought about using it to for lettuce wraps and a dipping sauce for chicken. Thanks for sharing!!!
Scott, great tip for draining the tofu. Hope you enjoy!
We were talking about making Tofu tonight when my wife said "Check Kalyn's blog." Right, this looks glorious and we'll make it tonight. One tip I picked up from some friends in Japan – to drain the tofu, wrap in a clean kitchen towel, put it on a plate, and put a cast-iron pan on top while you prepare other ingredients. Works like a charm!
Julia, so glad you liked it!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I made it for dinner last night and served it with white rice and a salad. My husband and I liked it so much we decided it needs to be added to the weekly rotation. Also a great recipe for us gluten free folks (using gf soy sauce!)
Thanks John.
Love hearing how other people are adapting the recipe.
Cory Lyn, I think something like roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower or a vegetable stir fry would be great with this. There are a lot of ideas in Vegetables.
This recipe looks delicious – even tho I'm a tofu virgin. Any suggestions on side dishes to serve with this as the main?
I really love tofu. I will have to give this a try soon, when the vegetarians hit town.
I don't think there are many times when I've said that a tofu dish has made me salivate, but this is definitely one of those times!
You could slather spicy peanut sauce on anything, and I would love it. On tofu, it's brilliant.
The sauce looks amazing.
I am not a tofu fan, but I will give this a try with Paneer.
wooo! That sriracha would kill me, but I sure love ya for being able to handle it!
Looks delish! I can't have soy but I'm going to try this with chicken and coconut aminos instead of the soy sauce. I'll let you know how it goes!
Thanks Marla. The sauce is definitely something you can't have too much of!
Oh Kalyn ~ this tofu looks wonderful. I will make extra sauce for sure!
Joanne, I am completely with you on that!
CookTheStory, so glad you liked it!
Kalyn, I adore your meatless Mondays. This one has got to be one of the best. Sriracha and PB are one of my fave combos. Thanks for inspiring me with this recipe!
All I had to read was "spicy peanut butter" and I was sold. The tofu sounds like the perfect vessel for it!