Our Mapo Tofu recipe remains one of the most popular recipes we’ve posted on the blog to date.
Indeed, mapo tofu is one of the most famous tofu recipes to have made it out of China. This spicy, delicious dish usually includes small amount of ground pork, but for this vegan version, we use chopped shiitake mushrooms.
The result is a vegetarian/vegan dish that hasn’t sacrificed a bit of umami!
Developing a Vegan Version
This vegan mapo tofu recipe is very similar to our ever-popular traditional mapo tofu. The main difference is that instead of ground pork, we’re using finely chopped shiitake mushrooms to add umami to the dish.
We’ve also added fermented black beans to the recipe to add an extra savory kick.
Since we’ve all been trying to eat a bit less meat lately, I’ve been making this version more often at home, and I have to say, I really don’t miss the meat!
What Kind of Tofu to Use in Mapo Tofu
Mapo tofu should include silken or soft tofu. The high water content in these types of tofu means they have the silky, almost custard-like texture that mapo tofu should have.
Some recipes out there on the Internet tell you not to use silken tofu, or even to use firm tofu. In our humble opinions, that is just plain wrong.
It’s true that silken tofu and soft tofu are very delicate, and can break up easily if handled improperly. As you’re slicing and stirring this tofu, just make sure to do so gently. Use a slow folding motion when stirring so that the tofu doesn’t break apart in the sauce. I used silken tofu here, but soft tofu is a little easier to work with!
Ok, let’s cook!
Vegan Mapo Tofu Recipe Instructions
In a wok over medium low heat, add the vegetable oil and ground Sichuan peppercorns (remember to reserve ¼ teaspoon for garnishing the dish at the end).
(Note: You can use Sichuan peppercorn infused oil as a shortcut to this step.)
Cook for 30 seconds, and add the ginger.
Stir for another 1 minute and add the garlic. Cook for another 1 minute.
Add the black beans, and chilies. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Turn up the heat to medium, and add the mushrooms.
Caramelize the mushrooms, about 5 minutes.
Add the spicy bean sauce and chili oil to the mixture and stir it in well.
Turn up the heat to high, and add ⅔ cups water or broth and stir. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, and allow to bubble for 1 minute.
Stir the cornstarch and water mixture to make sure the cornstarch is dissolved, and add it to the sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken (if it gets too thick, splash in more water or stock). If the sauce is too thin, make a little more cornstarch slurry and add it in. There will be variations depending on how high your heat is.
Add the tofu to the wok and gently toss the tofu in the sauce.
Allow the tofu to simmer for 3-5 minutes, and then add the sesame oil, sugar, and scallions.
Give everything a final stir, and taste for seasoning (you likely won’t have to add any additional salt, as the spicy bean sauce and fermented black beans are quite salty). Serve, garnished with a last sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder.
Vegan Mapo Tofu
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns (coarsely ground, reserve 1/4 teaspoon for garnish at the end)
- 3 tablespoons ginger (finely minced)
- 3 tablespoons garlic (finely minced)
- 1 tablespoon fermented black beans
- 1-2 Thai bird chilies (thinly sliced)
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms (110g, finely chopped)
- 1-2 tablespoons spicy bean sauce (depending on your desired salt/spice levels)
- 1 tablespoon chili oil
- 2/3 cup water (or vegetable or mushroom broth)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
- 1 pound silken tofu (or soft tofu, 450g, cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 scallion (finely chopped)
Instructions
- In a wok over medium low heat, add the vegetable oil and ground Sichuan peppercorns (remember to reserve ¼ teaspoon for garnishing the dish at the end).
- Cook for 30 seconds, and add the ginger. Cook for another 1 minute and add the garlic. Cook for another 1 minute. Add the black beans, and chilies. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Turn up the heat to medium, and add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are cooked down and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- Add the spicy bean sauce and chili oil to the mixture and stir it in well. Turn up the heat to high, and add ⅔ cups water or broth and stir. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, and allow to bubble for 1 minute.
- Stir the cornstarch and water mixture to make sure the cornstarch is dissolved, and add it to the sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken (if it gets too thick, splash in more water or stock). If the sauce is too thin, make a little more cornstarch slurry and add it in. There will be variations depending on how high your heat is.
- Add the tofu to the wok and gently toss the tofu in the sauce. Allow the tofu to simmer for 3-5 minutes, and then add the sesame oil, sugar, and scallions.
- Give everything a final stir, and taste for seasoning (you likely won’t have to add any additional salt, as the spicy bean sauce and fermented black beans are quite salty). Serve, garnished with a last sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder.
So happy I found this vegetarian version of Mapo tofu! I want to try this recipe but is there any way I can substitute the mushroom with something else and still get that umami flavor?
Hi Xinyi, honestly, even if you omit them, this mapo tofu recipe will have good flavor. You can add a bit more of the black bean to add additional umami. You could also add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetarian oyster sauce (though it is also made from mushrooms).
Great recipe! I substituted the shitake mushrooms for portobellos. Definitely a good idea to have all the ingredients and measuring utensils prepped before cooking. But this is true for all the recipes. One suggestion re the Sichuan peppercorns. If you aren’t used to them, perhaps add in 1/2 the amount at first and taste the dish after adding in the tofu to see if you want it to be more numbing.
Thanks so much Pepper!
Good
Just a warning to those who haven’t had Sichuan peppercorns: they have a very distinct flavour and numbing effect. The flavour is so overpowering that I unfortunately couldn’t eat the dish–it’s just not for me. The only other time I’ve used them was for infusing oil to make chili oil (recipe from this website) so I didn’t notice the flavour. Thankfully I love the chili oil and had rice left over so I just had rice and chili oil and it was surprisingly great.
I just noticed now that some other people have suggested removing the peppercorns after frying them lightly, so perhaps I’ll try that sometime. But I don’t think I want to risk throwing out a whole dish again.
Hi Kris, apologies that you didn’t enjoy the Sichuan peppercorn flavor. You’re right that it is very distinctive, and though many people love it, some don’t! You could definitely try infusing the oil for less time with the peppercorns, and then removing them. It could also be that you got a particularly strong/fresh batch of them—they’re much stronger when fresh!
I had a hard time with the timing of this recipe so the garlic and ginger got burnt and therefore the dish was bitter unfortunately :( but the sauce part tasted great!!! If you don’t like salty tastes, lower the amount of fermented beans! Really liked it with soft tofu :) also, we’re good with spice in this house so we used the maximum amount of spice we could, and it tasted great, but my partner got a tummy ache, so, if you have a sensitive tummy, don’t be reckless with the spices just because it tastes good!!! :)
Ahh, yes it’s definitely good to have all the ingredients ready to go before starting. But I’m glad the sauce still tasted good. Thanks for sharing your experience with us—I think other readers will find it useful too!
Dear Vaijanthi,
May I offer you one suggestion. If you don’t like the numbing sensation so much, and still get the flavourful fragrance, then do not grind the Sichuen peppercorn. Before frying the garlic, etc, simply fry the Sichuan peppercorn in hot oil, then discard the peppercorn.
And skip the sprinkling of the Sichuan peppercorn powder at the end.
Please try again.
This is really a good recipe and a great tofu recipe!
warmest regards, janis
I’m a huge fan of woks of life. But this recipe turned out awful. After reading the comments, I reduced the ginger to 2 tblspn, and ground the Szechuan pepper corn to a finer powder. I followed the recipe closely. But I’m not sure why…the peppercorn left a weird numbing taste on the tongue! Meh. Never again.
Hi Vaijanthi, apologies that you didn’t enjoy this recipe. That numbing flavor is the flavor/effect of Sichuan peppercorns, and the defining characteristic of Sichuan cooking, along with spicy chilies! That’s actually what the “Ma” means in “Mapo tofu” — numbing. Totally understand if it’s not your thing. Since you didn’t enjoy it, I would say avoid any Sichuan recipes that contain Sichuan peppercorns (most of them do).
Hello,
I went to the Chinese grocery store near me and bought “Chili Black Bean Sauce” by Lee Kum Kee…is this the same thing as “Spicy Bean Sauce” mentioned in your vegan Mapo Tofu recipe?
My sauce came out brown, rather than red. Did I buy the wrong bean sauce? Or was it because I added more shiitake mushrooms than the recipe stated that my sauce is brown?
Thanks :)
Hi Rachna, the are not the same sauce. Please use black bean sauce for Chicken with Black Bean Sauce and Tofu with Black Bean Sauce.
I’ve never made mapo tofu before and I decide to make this one on my first go. It came out extremely bitter and wayyy too spicy. It was inedible, I had to throw it out.
I figured it had something to do with the amount of ginger and Sichuan peppercorn. The second time I made it, I reduced both the ginger and garlic to about a tablespoon and only about 1/4 Sichuan peppercorn and actually omitted the thai chili pepper and it was so much better. Actually really good!
I’m wondering if there is a technique with the ginger I am missing since I think that was the culprit. Maybe I didn’t mince it enough? Maybe I should grate it next time? I didn’t use a wok, and that didn’t really effect the dish the second time I made it. What do you think?
Hi Melissa, did you use the same batch of mushrooms for both batches? I’m asking because older/not fresh shiitake mushrooms can sometimes have a very bitter flavor––I’ve experienced this before! Ginger and especially garlic can also turn a dish bitter, but only if burnt. As for the spice level, that’s totally up to personal preference, and you can feel free to adjust it to a level that tastes good to you!
As I had some silken tofu left, and all the other ingredients, I told myself: why not trying this recipe? And again, 10/10! A+++! Fragrances and taste are amazing, as good as in any restaurant! With the big difference that I cooked it and we really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, and with your clear instructions, it is easy peasy! Thanks Sarah!
You’re welcome, Nico!!