Here is one of my favorite tofu bowl recipes! Spicy jerk tofu served over seasoned black beans and rice with a citrusy mango salad, topped with pickled onions and avocado. Vegan and GF.
Why You’ll Love This Tofu Bowl!
When things begin to feel a little out of control in the diet department, I turn to healthy bowls to ground and reset. They are like my personal “farmacy” where I can intentionally select the ingredients based on the benefits my body needs.
This jerk tofu bowl is packed with protein, nutrients, and flavor! Truly, where healthy meets delicious, our whole motto here! And while black beans are well known for their high protein and fiber, one of their most notable benefits is that they’re one of the most polyphenol-packed foods you can eat! They contain anthocyanins, the same compound found in blueberries! Here’s how to make black beans from scratch!
And don’t even get me started about mangos… also packed with polyphenols (mangiferin, catechins, quercetin) just to name a few!
The bowl is citrusy and tropical with a little bit of heat. So many delicious flavors!
Tofu Bowl Ingredients
- Tofu: Use extra firm tofu for best results. Organic, non-GMO is best.
- Mango: Grab an extra-large one! Avoid an overly ripe mango so you can easily dice it.
- Cucumber: Adds a cool, crunchy, and refreshing component.
- Red onion: Or sub green onion—your preference!
- Jalapeño: Slice or dice it, and if you want to cut back on heat, omit the seeds.
- Cilantro: For a fresh, herby flavor that makes this bowl taste extra summery!
- Orange juice and lime juice: Use fresh juice for optimal sweetness and for the best citrus flavor.
- Sriracha: Adds a hint of heat.
- Soy sauce: I prefer low-sodium soy sauce. Or use gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos.
- Spices: Granulated garlic powder, smoked paprika (or regular paprika), allspice, cumin, ground ginger (optional), and cayenne season the tofu perfectly.
- For the bowl: Cooked rice, like cilantro lime rice, cooked black beans (or sub canned- see notes), lime wedges, pickled onions, avocado slices, sriracha, and cilantro.
Tofu Bowl Variations
- Make this with chicken: Use grilled jerk chicken or Cuban Mojo Chicken instead of tofu.
- Not a fan of mango? Try it with our Chipotle Pineapple Salsa. A fruity salsa pairs best here!
- Make our Cuban Black Beans from scratch!
- Try this with Coconut Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice – both are delicious!
How to Make the Best Tofu Bowl
1. Prepare the mango salad. Add mango, cucumber, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro to a bowl. Add the orange juice, olive oil, sriracha, soy sauce, and lime juice. Mix everything together, then season with salt and pepper to taste. If prepping this ahead of time, leave out the dressing until ready to serve (store separately in a jar).
2. Make the jerk tofu. Drain the tofu and pat dry, pressing gently with a paper towel to absorb any excess liquid. Then, cube the tofu.
Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle half of the salt over the oil, along with all of the pepper. Swirl to evenly coat the pan. Add the tofu cubes in a single layer and sprinkle the remaining salt over the top. Let tofu sit undisturbed to develop a crust. Lower the heat as needed.
3. Create spice mix. Add all of the jerk spices together into a small bowl and mix.
4. Pan-sear the tofu. The bottom of the tofu should be golden and naturally release from the pan. Use a metal spatula to flip the tofu. Once a few sides are golden and crispy, spray with olive oil and sprinkle the spices on top. Turn the tofu to coat evenly, then turn off the heat to prevent burning.
5. Assemble the bowls. Add 3/4 cup rice and 3/4 cup beans to each bowl. If the rice and beans aren’t warm, simply reheat in the microwave or on a skillet. Divide the tofu evenly among the bowls, then top with a generous scoop of mango salad. Top with sliced avocado, pickled onions, and cilantro. Spoon a little of the remaining dressing from the mango salad over top of each bowl.
Chef’s Tips
- Pat tofu dry: To get it nice and crispy.
- Cook tofu undisturbed: This will help it develop a golden crust. It’s ready to flip when it naturally releases from the pan.
- Dress the mango salad just before serving: This keeps it crisp, fresh and vibrant!
- Warm the rice and beans: Reheat the rice and beans in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving.
- Freeze the rice, beans, and tofu: This makes for easy bowl assembly later!
Meal Prep & Storage
To meal prep this recipe, make the rice and black beans up to 3 days in advance and store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator. Once the tofu and mango salad are prepped (keep dressing separate) store each bowl component separately to enjoy quick lunches throughout the week!
To store leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Leftover rice, black beans, and tofu can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Mango salad is best consumed 1-2 days after making it.
Serving Suggestions
- Instead of a bowl, serve inside of tortillas for jerk tofu tacos or burritos
- Serve with pineapple salsa instead of mango salad
- For a lighter meal, serve the tofu and mango salad over chopped romaine
- Swap the rice for quinoa, farro, or cauliflower rice
- Add sweet plantains
- Add a creamy dressing like creamy avocado dressing or creamy cilantro lime dressing
FAQs
Start with a hearty base like rice and beans. We add mango salad to pair with the jerk seasoning, but any fruity salsa would work well here.
This could be described as a Buddha bowl! The five components are whole grains, veggies or fruit, protein, sauce or dressing, and toppings.
Pan-fried! This gives the tofu a deliciously golden crust without having to use cornstarch.
Give the Spicy Jerk Tofu Bowl a try this week and let us know what you think!
More Favorite Tofu Bowls
Jerk Tofu Bowl Recipe
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 bowls
- Category: dinner recipe, vegan dinner, bowl recipe, tofu recipe
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Here is one of my favorite tofu bowl recipes! Spicy jerk tofu served over black beans and rice with a refreshing mango salad, topped with pickled onions and avocado. So much flavor!
Ingredients
Mango Salad
- 1 large mango, diced (1 –1 1/2 cups). Not overly ripe.
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1 tablespoon red onion, finely diced (or sub 2 green onions, sliced)
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno, thinly sliced (or diced) optional
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos
- 1–2 teaspoons lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Spicy Jerk Tofu
- 16–ounce extra-firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika), more for red color
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
- 1/8– 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, more to taste.
Crispy Tofu Bowl Ingredients (makes 4 bowls)
- 3 cups cooked rice of your choice (our cilantro lime rice is nice here)
- 3 cups cooked black beans (or use two 15-ounce cans, drained and seasoned, see notes.)
- Garnish: Lime wedges, pickled onions, avocado slices, sriracha and cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
- Make the mango salad. Place mango, cucumber, onion, jalapeno and cilantro in a bowl and toss with the dressing ingredients- orange juice, olive oil, sriracha, soy sauce, lime juice. Give a good stir. This will be extra juicy for drizzling dressing over the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If making this ahead, do not dress it; keep dressing separate.
- Jerk tofu: Drain the block of tofu, pat dry with paper towel removing excess liquid, and cut into cubes. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the oil with half the salt, all the pepper and swirl until the bottom is evenly coated. Add the tofu in a single layer. Sprinkle with remaining salt. Let the tofu develop a crust, lowering the heat to medium if needed. Take your time here.
- Mix the spices in a small bowl and set aside- smoked paprika, garlic powder, allspice, cumin, and cayenne.
- Flip the tofu, using a metal spatula. When it is golden, it should naturally release from the pan. Once a few sides of the tofu are golden and crispy, spray with olive oil and sprinkle on the spices, turning the tofu to coat evenly. Turn the heat off before the spices start to burn.
- Make the Bowls. To create the bowls, place ¾ cup rice and ¾ cup beans in each bowl. (You could microwave this if it’s not warm.) Divide the tofu, and add a hearty scoop of mango salad. Add sliced avocado, pickled onions, and cilantro. Spoon a little of the dressing (remaining in the mango salsa bowl) over the top. Serve with a lime wedge.
Notes
Black Beans: Make our black beans, or our cuban black beans from scratch, or buy seasoned black beans. Or season plain canned black beans with salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder, a little cumin and smoked paprika. Warm gently adding a couple tablespoons of water and a drizzle of olive oil.
Leftovers: Store the rice, beans and tofu separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The mango salad is best eaten within 1-2 days. Black beans and rice may also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (makes 4 bowls)
- Calories: 580
- Sugar: 8.9 g
- Sodium: 965.9 mg
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 89.1 g
- Fiber: 17.5 g
- Protein: 27.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
