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.
SpicyKimchi says
HELP!! I don’t know where I went wrong here – I followed the recipe as it’s written down and made this with your Vegetable Asian Stock for the water/stock option. For some reason, the final dish had a bitter aftertaste. What did I do wrong? Did I burn the peppercorns? (I literally timed it for 30 sec T_T)
Janine says
This was amazing! I used some lao gan ma in place of the chili oil and fermented black beans, and bumped up the sugar to about a tablespoon. Tasted so so good and reminded me of when I lived in China!
Sarah says
Amazing, so glad you enjoyed it, Janine! “Tastes like what we had in China” is one of the biggest compliments we can give to ourselves too! :)
M.C. says
I’ve come back to this awesome recipe three times since I started sheltering in place 55 days ago. Makes me feel good about all the shelf-stable sauces I collected from before the pandemic, ha. I’ve been adding nutritional yeast, which is perfect in vegan recipes like this with strong flavors (for anyone who doesn’t like the taste of nut’l yeast). And all this numbing spice is somehow comforting to me in these strange, anxious times.
Sarah says
I think a lot of us have been finding comfort in cooking since lockdown started! So glad you found us and that you’re enjoying this vegan version of our mapo tofu!
Hillary says
I love this recipe so much I’m about to make it for the third time in like two and a half weeks! The flavors are amazing and the unique heat strangely addicting! I’ve never commented on a blog before but after making 6 of your recipes and all of them being wonderful I had to leave positive feedback! We don’t eat any red meat and try to mostly be plant based and I’ve found that even your recipes where I’ve substituted chicken or tofu for beef or pork are still fabulous and so flavorful. I’m so very happy and thankful that I found your blog. I’ve never before found a site that delivers such consistently great results as yours does, thank you!
Judy says
Thank you so much for your generous praise, Hillary. We’re very happy to hear that you’re enjoying your cooking :-)
Sarah says
Wow, such high praise. Thank you so much Hillary! So happy to have you cooking with us!
Nick says
Love the recipe.
Though we found it overpowering on the ginger.
We used bottled minced ginger but also skipped the step to cook ginger for the extra time by itself. (Combined garlic and ginger in the same step)
Is the issue that we didn’t cook ginger by itself for the extra time or could our brand of ginger be too dense, it much more of a paste in consistency than little minced bits.
Other than that it’s a great recipe.
Bill says
Hi Nick, you hit the nail on the head. The bottled ginger is more powerful because it’s mashed with all the oils and juices released and is likely more potent than fresh ginger. Also, toasting the ginger in the oil changes the strong raw flavor and makes it milder, so don’t skip that step next time (although some people prefer that strong raw ginger taste). Happy cooking!
John-Mark says
Hello!
Very tasty, but next time I’ll crush my peppercorns more, as they never softened and I didn’t like all the bits in my teeth.
Also, a question: the ingredients list says 1 1/4 cups water or broth, but the recipe only seems to use 2/3 cup. Am I just missing something?
Anyway, thanks for all you do.
Ash says
Hey John-Mark, I did the same thing when I first made this recipe. The problem you may be having is that you need to take the peppercorn out of the husk and only use the husk in cooking. The peppercorn itself causes that gritty/sandy taste that you must be tasting.
Sarah says
Thanks for catching that John-Mark! It was a weird typo on my part––I’ve since updated it!
Ellie Gebhardt says
Hello, I am hoping to make this dish on a camping trip. Would it be possible to make the sauce at home the day before, then heat it up and add the tofu?
Bill says
Hi Ellie, that sounds very doable and a great idea for camping!
Sarah says
Hi Ellie, yes you could definitely do that! Mapo Tofu on a camping trip…epic!