This Thai basil tofu is bursting with flavors, delicious, and incredibly satisfying. Ready in just 15 minutes and requires minimal prep, it is great to make if you want dinner on the table fast.
We especially love serving vegan pad kra pow with other Thai dishes, including our tofu red curry, vegan pad Thai, and vegan yellow curry.
Pad kra pow, traditionally made with minced pork/chicken stir-fried with Thai holy basil, used to be my go-to Thai order. When I became vegetarian, I assumed it is one dish I would have to give up.
That changed during my trip to Thailand years ago, when I first made pad kra pow using tofu. Since then, it has became a weekly staple in our house, and we have continued to tweak the recipe to improve the flavors.
It is best served over steamed Jasmine rice and go great with Thai spring rolls or vegan tom kha. You can also enjoy it with my tofu pad see ew!
💚Why you will love vegan pad kra pow
- Healthier and lighter than takeout
- Tofu is crumbled and lightly fried to mimic the texture of ground meat
- Ready in 15 minutes and makes a comforting and low effort weeknight dinner
- Bursting with authentic Thai flavors and incredibly aromatic
🌶️What you will need
- Tofu - Use extra-firm or firm tofu that has been pressed beforehand, either with a tofu press or by stacking something heavy on top. Save silken tofu for dishes like silken tofu scramble or tofu pasta sauce.
- Bird's eye chilies - Deseeding it removes some of the heat, but you can choose to leave them in for a spicier dish.
- Basil - Traditionally, holy basil is used, but it can be tricky to find. Feel free to use the more common Thai basil. If you could not differentiate them, I recommend checking out this post, "holy basil vs Thai basil".
- Oyster sauce - To keep it vegan, use a vegetarian oyster sauce, like this Lee Kum Kee's stir-fry sauce.
- Soy sauce - Substitute half the soy sauce for vegan fish sauce if you can get your hands on it, as it makes for a more authentic dish.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📃Variations and add-ins
Tofu - Can be substituted with crumbled tempeh, small chunks of seitan (like my Instant Pot seitan or vegan chicken breast), or veggie mince.
Add other vegetables - Such as diced mushrooms or chopped bell peppers to bulk up the recipe.
Adjust the spice level - for more heat, add more chilies. For a milder dish, you can swap bird's eye with a regular chili, or skip chilies entirely for a spice-free version.
🔪How to make Thai basil tofu
Step 1: Combine all the seasonings needed to make the stir-fry sauce.
Step 2: Using your hands or a potato masher, crumble your tofu into small pieces to resemble minced meat.
Step 3: Heat some oil in a non-stick wok, then fry onions for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Stir in garlic and chilies next, frying for another minute.
Step 4: Add French beans, cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Add tofu and stir-fry sauce, then fry until everything is hot. Remove from heat before stirring in basil leaves.
Step 6: Serve your Thai basil tofu stir-fry with rice and any other dishes you like!
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✅Helpful tips
- Put rice to cook before making stir-fry - If you plan to serve vegan pad kra pow with rice, prep and cook your rice, either on the stove or in a rice cooker. By the time you finish cooking, your rice will be ready.
- Storing leftovers - Leftover Thai basil tofu can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- Serving suggestions - Serve with fried egg or vegan fried egg and Jasmine rice. For a heartier meal, pair it with Tom Yum fried rice or green curry fried rice.
❔Commonly asked questions
Regular basil can be used in place of Thai basil. However, you will miss some of the bold, aromatic notes of Thai basil, as regular sweet basil is milder. However, your Thai basil tofu will still be incredibly flavorful, thanks to the addition of other seasonings!
Traditionally, pad kra pow can be quite spicy due to the addition of a generous amount of fresh bird's eye chilies.
However, if cooking at home, you can make it milder by reducing the number of chilies or by deseeding them prior. Alternatively, substitute bird's eye with regular chilies, which are milder.
Vegan fish sauce, available in some grocery stores and vegan specialty stores, works best as a substitute. Alternatively, substitute it with more soy sauce or a mixture of soy sauce and oyster sauce to maximize umami flavor.
🍽️More Asian tofu recipes
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📖 Recipe
Thai Basil Tofu Stir-fry (Vegan Pad Krapow)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu
- 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce *
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce optional, but recommended
- 2 teaspoons sugar
For stir-fry
- 1 block extra-firm/ firm tofu drained and pressed (around 14oz/400g)
- ½ medium red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3-5 bird's eye chili deseed to make it less spicy
- 5 stalks green beans around 80g/3 oz
- 1 cup Thai basil/holy basil lightly packed**
Instructions
- Combine all seasonings needed to make the stir-fry sauce in a bowl. Mix well.
- Using your hands or a potato masher, crumble tofu into small pieces to resemble minced meat. Set aside.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the wok, and add chopped onions. Fry for 3-4 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in garlic and chilies next, and fry for another minute.
- Add green beans and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until they are tender.
- Add tofu and stir-fry sauce to the pan. Toss and fry until the tofu is hot.
- Remove from heat before stirring in basil leaves. Your vegan Thai basil tofu stir-fry is ready to be served!
Notes
- Put rice to cook before making stir-fry - If you plan to serve vegan pad kra pow with rice, prep and cook your rice, either on the stove or in a rice cooker. By the time you finish cooking, your rice will be ready.
- Storing leftovers - Leftover Thai basil tofu can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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