Black Pepper Tofu and Green Beans Stir-Fry

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This black pepper tofu and green beans stir-fry is the ultimate quick weeknight comfort food – easy to make, delicious, vegan, healthy, and high in protein!

I love the fact that this dinner recipe only takes you 25 minutes to cook yet makes for a wonderfully balanced weeknight meal with vegetables, protein, carbohydrates, and lots of flavors!

Tofu is high in protein, and the green beans nourish your body with essential vitamins and fiber – a hit for the whole family or date night (no garlic involved 😉).

How To Make Tofu Tasty

A common question! To make tofu tasty, you need to give it some love! Though it’s very straightforward, and the trick can be used for any recipe that involves tofu.

3 Easy Steps:

• Remove excess liquid (with kitchen paper or a tofu press) → This is a must that the tofu can better absorb the marinade, in this case, cornstarch. Start with firm tofu, which contains the least amount of excess water.
• Cover with cornstarch (simply add both in a jar and shake it, baby 😉) → Cornstarch makes tofu crispy!
• Fry in enough oil until crispy

These three steps are vital, yet super easy, to make your tofu taste delicious and crispy. If you’ve never prepared tofu this way before, you’ll be thrilled. Cornstarch makes such a difference!

Remember, this is the base. Now, we need to add some taste. The black pepper sauce consists of soy sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper.

Let me tell you; this sauce isn’t tied to this recipe. You can use this basic black pepper sauce for any stir-fry!

How To Make This Black Pepper Tofu Recipe

Read through this visual step-by-step guide with lots of extra tips! The exact quantities and everything else you need to know for the recipe can be found in the recipe card below.

• Cook the rice according to the package instructions. → I only cook rice in a rice cooker! Makes truly the best rice!
• Cover the tofu in a paper towel and press to remove excess water (or use a tofu press). Cut the tofu into cubes, place them with the cornstarch in a container, and shake well until the tofu is fully covered.
• Heat a skillet with oil over high heat, add the tofu, and fry for 5 minutes. Set aside.

• Wash, trim, and cut green beans in half.
• Heat a large skillet, add green beans and ½ cup of water. Cook on high heat until all water is absorbed/evaporated (this takes around 5-10 minutes).

• Add one tablespoon of oil and fresh ginger, stir-fry for 3 minutes over medium heat.

• Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.

• Add it with the tofu to the beans. Cook while constantly stirring until the sauce has thickened.

• Sprinkle with a good pinch of freshly cracked black pepper!

• Serve over rice. → Feel free to top it with sesame seeds and a splash of sriracha.

Recipe FAQ & Tips

How long does it stay fresh? Leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Using frozen beans? Skip step number 5 and stir-fry green beans with the ginger and olive oil right away. Fresh beans need some water to turn soft. Frozen beans, on the other hand, are already blanched and turn out deliciously stir-fried. 

Want to add some garlic, onion, or scallions? Add it with the ginger to the beans!

Low-FODMAP: This recipe is suitable for a low-FODMAP diet. But beware, green beans are FODMAP poor only up to a serving of 75g per day. In this case, reduce the amount used in the recipe, and substitute with more tofu or another low-FODMAP vegetable. 

Do you have a gluten intolerance? Use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).

More Asian Recipes You’ll Love:

• Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches
• Vegan Pho
• Udon Stir Fry
• Vegetarian Pad Thai
• Vegan Sushi
• Vegan Dumplings with Tofu

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