Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger and Soy Sauce

Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger and Soy Sauce is easy to make even if you’re never cooked tofu, and this tofu is super low in carbs! And this combination of stir-fried tofu and green onions seasoned with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce is absolutely delicious for a meatless meal!

PIN the Stir-Fried Tofu to try it later!

I had enjoyed tofu many times when I had it in a restaurant, so many years ago I made this delicious Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger and Soy Sauce using a recipe I adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (affiliate link), and this was the first tofu recipe that ever appeared on Kalyn’s Kitchen! And then through the years I adapted the recipe a bit more almost every time I made it.

So today I’m sharing the new-and-improved much easier version of the recipe that also has much better photos. And this was so delicious! I tested it a few times with my niece Kara who told me she wasn’t much of a tofu fan, but when we tasted it, she agreed with me that it was just so good!

And tofu is very low in carbs, and this would be fantastic for a meatless and carb-conscious dinner. Even if you haven’t cooked tofu before, I hope you’ll try it if you’re looking for vegetarian dinners.

What ingredients do you need?

(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.)

• Extra-Firm Tofu (affiliate link)
• Peanut Oil (affiliate link)
• slices of fresh ginger root
• fresh garlic cloves
• 1 bunch green onions
• vegetable stock
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link), or use fresh minced garlic if you prefer
• Minced Ginger (affiliate link), or use fresh minced ginger root if you prefer
• Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
• Black Sesame Seeds (affiliate link), optional

What kind of tofu should you use for Stir-Fried Tofu?

There are four types of tofu, and choosing the right kind is important. I highly recommend extra-firm organic tofu for this dish. Softer tofu will break apart when you’re trying to stir-fry it.

How low in carbs is this Stir-Fried Tofu?

One serving of this delicious tofu that’s stir-fried with ginger and soy sauce has only about 4 net carbs!

Can you make Stir-Fried Tofu without a Wok?

A Wok is great for stir-fry cooking, but if you don’t have one you can make this recipe in a large frying pan.

How do you prepare the tofu for Stir-Fry Cooking?

I drained my tofu in a colander and then cut it into crosswise slices and pressed each slice between a double layer of paper towel to squeeze out as much water as I could. (see photos below) I just pressed down on the tofu slices with my hands, but you can also put a heavy pan or dish on top of it. If quite a bit of water comes out, I would press the tofu between paper towels twice.

More About Stir-Fry Cooking:

This recipe uses the basic techniques of Chinese Cooking that I learned many years ago when I took a class from a Chinese professor who was temporarily living in the U.S. If you’re not familiar with Chinese cooking, you may want to read the basic rules for stir-frying.

How to Make Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger and Soy Sauce:

(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.)

1. Use Extra Firm Tofu for best results.
2. Drain tofu in a colander placed in the sink. (This brand was in two pieces but it will often be one large piece.)
3. Cut tofu into large slices.
4. Put slices of tofu between double paper towels and press to remove water. We did this twice.
5. Cut the tofu into one-inch cubes.
6. Cut slices of fresh ginger root and peel fresh garlic cloves to use for seasoning the oil.
7. Cut the bunch of green onions into pieces about 3 inches long, separating white and green parts.
8. You need vegetable stock, minced garlic, minced ginger, and soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce. Stir the minced garlic and minced ginger into vegetable stock and measure out soy sauce.
9. Heat empty Wok or frying pan over medium-high heat until it feels hot. Then add the oil and heat until shimmery. Add ginger and garlic and cook about 30-45 seconds, removing as soon as you start to smell garlic.
10. Add tofu and stir-fry until the tofu is getting brown, about 5-7 minutes.
11. Add the white part of green onions and stir-fry until they’re starting to soften and tofu is getting more brown. 
12. Add vegetable stock (with garlic and ginger mixed in) to the wok. Cook stirring several times until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
13. Add the dark green parts of green onions and stir-fry about a minute.
14. Add soy sauce and stir-fry about another minute.
15. Remove cooked tofu and green onions to serving dish and sprinkle the Stir-Fried Tofu with black sesame seeds or regular sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Make it a Low-Carb Vegetarian Meal:

The tasty Stir-Fried Tofu would taste great with Easy Cauliflower Rice, Asian Green Salad with Soy Sesame Dressing, or Asian Cucumber Salad.

More Tasty Tofu Recipes to Try:

• Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha
• Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce
• Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger and Soy Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 24 minutes

Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger and Soy Sauce is so easy to make, even if you’re never cooked tofu before! And this stir-fried tofu is absolutely delicious for a low-car vegetarian meal.

Ingredients

• 14 oz. extra firm organic tofu
• 2 T peanut oil (more or less, depending on your pan)
• slices of fresh ginger root (for seasoning the oil)
• fresh garlic cloves (for seasoning the oil)
• one bunch green onions
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1 T minced garlic (see notes)
• 1 T minced ginger (see notes)
• 2 T soy sauce (see notes)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, preferably black sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Please be sure to use Extra Firm Tofu for best results with this recipe.
2. My tofu came in two pieces, but many brands will be one piece. Drain tofu in a colander placed in the sink
3. Then cut the tofu into large slices, about one inch thick
4. Put the pieces of tofu between a double layer of paper towels and press to remove water. You might need to do this twice, switching to fresh paper towels when the first ones are wet
5. Cut the tofu into one-inch cubes, or a similar size
6. Cut slices of fresh ginger root and peel some fresh garlic cloves to use for seasoning the oil
7. Cut up a whole bunch of green onions into pieces about 2-3 inches long, separating white and green parts
8. Get the vegetable stock, minced garlic, minced ginger, and soy sauce ready: Stir minced garlic and minced ginger into vegetable stock and measure out soy sauce
9. Turn the heat on under the Wok or frying pan to medium-high and heat until it feels hot when you hold your hand there. Then add the oil and heat until shimmery. Add sliced ginger and garlic cloves and cook about 30-45 seconds to season the oil. REMOVE QUICKLY as soon as you start to smell garlic so it doesn't burn.
10. Add tofu and cook (stirring often) until the tofu is getting brown, about 5 minutes
11. Then add the white part of green onions and stir-fry until they're starting to soften and tofu is getting more brown, about 2-3 minutes more
12. Add vegetable stock (with minced garlic and minced ginger) to the wok. Cook stirring several times, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
13. Add the dark green parts of green onions and cook about a minute more, stirring a few times
14. Add soy sauce and cooking about another minute, stirring a few times
15. Remove cooked tofu to a serving dish and sprinkle with black sesame seeds (or regular sesame seeds if that's what you have.) Serve hot, with extra soy sauce to add at the table if desired.

Notes

I used minced garlic and minced ginger from a jar which gave great flavor and made this recipe much easier to get on the table. But you can definitely minced fresh garlic and grate fresh ginger root if you prefer.

Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if needed.

Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. (affiliate link)

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 208Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 0mgSodium 489mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 3gSugar 1gProtein 12g

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.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger and Soy Sauce is a great dish for low-carb and Keto diet plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stir-Fry Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find 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 tasty stir-fried tofu was first posted in 2008! Through the years I adapted the recipe each time I made it and the new-and-improved version with much better photos was posted in 2024, and it was slightly updated again in 2025.

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