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An easy Spicy Spinach Tofu Stir fry that can be made in 1 pot within 15 minutes. This recipe is a lifesaver come dinnertime and leftovers taste great the next day. Try this Indian spiced Tofu Spinach curry Gluten-free, soy-free option.
1 Pot and 15 minutes is all you need to make this Spicy Spinach Tofu Stir fry! Think of this as an easy, spicy take on the restaurant favorite Palak Paneer. Tofu simmered in a rich spinach yogurt and spices that is made spicy by adding cayenne pepper or Indian chili powder and crushed red pepper. So good. The perfect weeknight dinner on a cold night and leftovers make an amazing lunch the next day.
I love serving this curry with flatbread, roti or naan but rice would be another great option. For low-carb, serve it with cauliflower rice.
Press the tofu
Open a package of firm or extra-firm tofu and drain the liquid. Cut the tofu width-wise into slices — four times should do it. Now, lay some paper towels on a sheet pan and spread your tofu slices in a single layer on top. Put more paper towels over the tofu, then place another sheet pan over them.
Place some heavy objects on top of the sheet pan ( cookbooks or cans). Or use your handy tofu press. Leave the tofu to press for at least 15 minutes. You can leave it like that for hours if you have room for it in the fridge.
More Indian Dishes from the Blog
- Baked Madras Curry Tofu
- Baked Balti Veggies
- Veggie curry casserole
- Indian Butter Tofu
- Bombay Potato and Peas
- Tofu Pasanda
- Vegetable Jalfrezi
- Gobi Broccoli Makhani
- Tempeh Tikka Masala
Spicy Tofu Spinach Stir fry (15 Minute 1 Pan)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu pressed for 15 minutes then cubed, (see notes for soy-free)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or cayenne/Indian red chili powder, or both
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Kashmiri garam masala , or regular garam masala or use curry powder or berbere
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- good pinch of cinnamon, clove, and cardamom (optional)
- 8-10 ounces frozen spinach thawed, or chopped fresh spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons ketchup , or tomato paste
- 3-4 tablespoons vegan yogurt , or you can use non-dairy cream such as cashew cream or use vegan plain cream cheese
- 1/2 cup water, or use 1/2 -1 cup non dairy milk for saucier/creamier
- pepper flakes, lime juice and garam masala for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a medium to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it get hot.
- Add your pressed and cubed tofu to the skillet and cook until some of the edges of the tofu are golden.
- Then add in the salt, pepper, Kashmiri garam masala, coriander, cumin, and any of the spices you are using and toss well to coat. Cook for another minute to roast the spices as well.
- Then add in spinach, salt, garlic powder, onion flakes,m, ketchup/tomato paste and mix well. Cook until the spinach is not frozen and doesn’t smell raw. 3- 4 minutes.
- Then add in yogurt and mix in. Add in 1/2 cup of water and mix in and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 3-4 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust salt and flavor then take off the heat.
Video
Notes
- Soy-free, use pre-cooked potatoes and/or roasted cauliflower to the gravy. Or, make your own chickpea tofu and add that. Or add 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast for extra umami
- Oilfree: toss tofu in half of the spices and bake until golden. Then add to the skillet. Add remaining spices, spinach and tomato paste and cook and follow the rest of the steps.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- for this recipe, I recommend firm or extra firm tofu. You want to press it for 15 minutes before cutting it into cubes
- Kashmiri garam masala or regular garam masala or simply use curry powder, if that’s what you have
- for that authentic Indian flavor, we add ground coriander, cumin, a good pinch of cinnamon, clove, and cardamom
- for ease of preparation, I used frozen thawed spinach but fresh spinach also works
- garlic powder and onion flakes are quintessential to the taste
- to make this a spicy curry, I add cayenne or Indian red chili powder. Add as much or as little as you want.
- ketchup or tomato paste lends umami as well as a nice color to the gravy
- vegan yogurt – use your favorite dairy-free yogurt or use cashew cream
Tips & Substitutions:
- To up the umami, add 1 tbsp nutritional yeast with the ground spices.
- To make this curry soy-free, use pre-cooked potatoes and/or roasted cauliflower to the gravy. Or, make your own chickpea tofu and add that.
How to make Spicy Tofu Spinach Stir fry:
Heat a medium to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it get hot. Add your pressed and cubed tofu to the skillet and cook until some of the edges of the tofu are golden.
Then add in the salt, pepper, Kashmiri garam masala, coriander, cumin, and any of the spices you are using and toss well to coat. Cook for another minute to roast the spices as well.
Then add in your spinach, salt, garlic powder, onion flakes, cayenne, ketchup/tomato paste, and mix well. Cook until the spinach is not frozen and doesn’t smell raw, 3 -4 minutes.
Then add in yogurt and mix in. Add in about half a cup of water and mix in and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 3-4 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust salt and flavor then take off the heat.
Garnish with some pepper flakes and garam masala. add a drizzle of thinner out yogurt or non dairy cream. Serve with flatbread or rice.
Make your own Kashmiri garam masala:
For making your own Kashmiri garam masala, blend 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 tsp each of ground cumin , powdered fennel seeds, cinnamon, and cardamom and 1/8 tsp clove powder.
Alternatively, you can make my Garam Masala Spice Blend.
it tasted so gooood and it was impressively simple and fast to put together. i went with the cream cheese as i didn’t have yogurt, and substituted green onions as i didn’t have onion flakes. i also added mini red pepper. the dish went FAST. next time i will make more….already planning to make it again in a few days
So glad you liked it!
Tasty recipe! Made some alterations – fresh onion, garlic, chilli, added chickpeas, used smoked tofu and forgot to chop the spinach and it still turned out amazing! 10/10
Thank you x
Yay!
I made this with chickpeas instead of tofu and it was delicious! and very easy to put together.
yay!
Just made the tofu spinach. It was delicious I couldn’t wait to eat it!
🙂
Amazing. I can’t eat onions so added nigella seeds which subbed nicely. Used coconut milk. Will make again!
yay! glad you enjoyed
My wife loves palak paneer as do I so I thought she might like this as well. But she is a die hard tofu hater so I partially conceded to her objection and made a combination tofu along with potatoes. I tickled out the tofu and left her with just one small piece to sneak it past her. She is too clever for me and gave me a mild reprimand. But other than the errant tofu piece she loved your recipe as did I. Wonderful spices and textures. Thank you.
Hehe. Thank you (and mostly your wife) for trying!