Tofu & Veggie Pad Thai Rice Bowls – Vegan & Gluten-Free
I almost forgot how to write recipe blogs. One of my goals for 2020 was to get back into the swing of cooking and sharing recipes. I cook a lot, but hardly take the time to photograph and share the process anymore. They say it’s good for you to take a break now and then, so I’ll take this “hiatus” as a good thing. Ever since we designed the kitchen for our new home, I’ve been anxiously waiting to start cooking and photographing in it! I’m like a kid at Christmas right now and the waiting game is the hardest part. I’m ready for all the new windows to make it easier. Right now, I have to carry all of my ingredients over to the kitchen table in order to get some natural lighting. But, in the meantime, I’m going to keep it up because I miss these recipe posts.
A lot of you mentioned to me that eating at home more was one of your goals for the new year, so I hope this recipe is one you’ll try! It’s definitely a favorite in my house.
We have a form of pad thai weekly. Sometimes we’ll use zucchini noodles, rice noodles, or our favorite, white sticky rice! 😋
The fun thing about making pad thai is that you can customize it in so many ways. Choose which veggies, a form of protein, rice, or spice levels! We like adding broccoli, onions, carrots, cabbage, and whatever leftover veggies we have in the fridge. It’s a great way to use up produce before it goes bad.
We use the Organic Sky Valley Gluten-Free Pad Thai and there’s always extra in our fridge. I’ve tried many brands, and this is our all-time fave.
This is a dish that can easily be made within thirty minutes.
If you do not have an air-fryer, you can bake the tofu in the oven at 400-degrees for fifteen minutes, flip, and bake an additional ten! This pad thai recipe was how I got my family hooked on tofu, and now they love having it in their meals.
Finishing off the tofu in a pan with extra sauce is the key to giving it all the extra flavor!
If you want to try this recipe with the brown rice noodles, we absolutely LOVE the Lotus Foods Brown Rice Pad Thai noodles.

Tofu & Veggie Pad Thai Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 14 Oz Tofu extra-firm, diced
- 1 Cup Carrots sliced
- 1 Cup Red cabbage chopped
- 1 Cup Broccoli chopped
- 1 Cup Spinach
- 1/2 Medium Red Onion Chopped
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 3 Tbsp Roasted Peanuts
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1/4 + 3 tbsps Cup Pad Thai Sauce I used gluten-free Sky Valley
- 1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Cups White Rice Cooked
Instructions
- Add carrots, broccoli, red cabbage, red onion, and peanuts to a frying pan with the sesame oil, and cook on medium-high heat.
- While the vegetables are cooking, add the diced tofu to the air fryer and cook for 15-minutes at 400 degrees.
- Once the vegetables are sauteed, mix in the fresh spinach, 1/4 cup of the pad thai sauce, and cook on high until the spinach leaves are wilted, and all of the vegetables are coated with sauce.
- Add air-fried tofu to a frying pan with the remainder of the pad thai sauce cook until coated. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
- Create the bowl - top 1/2 cup of cooked rice with 1 cup of vegetables, 1/3 cup of cooked tofu, and sprinkle pepper flakes on top!
- Enjoy!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe! 😊
Questions for you!
- What dinner recipe do you want to see from me next?
- Do you remember the first time you tried tofu?
- Are you team spicy or sweet?
Great recipe, I can’t wait to try it! I would love to see a Meatloaf recipe if you don’t already have one, it’s one of my favorite go-to meals!
I’ve never been a fan of tofu, as the first time I tried it it seemed squishy and tasteless. But I am excited to try it this way! And I am DEFINITELY #teamspicy.
Thanks for all you do!
Hi, Adriana!
I have plenty of meatloaf recipes floating around my blog! 😊 If you type “Meatloaf” in the search box, you’ll get a nice variety! xo
Tofu is definitely tasteless, which I love because you get to flavor it anyway!
This looks amazing Taralynn! I tried your granola recipe and loved it, and I’m definitely going to make this asap! Do you have a post with your home strength training routine? I read your recap post and it mentioned the home workout you follow, and I wondered if you had a post with the routine in it? I’d be really keen to see it!
Naomi xo
Thanks, Naomi! I hope you enjoy this recipe 😊
Here’s a link to a ton of my workouts! 😊 https://simplytaralynn.com/category/fitness-challenges/
This looks so delish! Definitely going to try making it! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks, Charmaine!
I’ve never tried tofu, but this looks really good!!
https://www.makelifemarvelous.com/
It’s definitely a good recipe for your first time trying tofu!
I’m always looking for new ways to cook tofu, I have to try this one!
I’d love to see the recipe of the bibimbap you made in the last recap!
The first time I tried tofu I thought it was… Bleh. Not enough spices, I think.
And I’m definitely team spicy! Sriracha sauce is a must in my kitchen and I add ginger everywhere
I hope you like it! 😊
I am definitely going to be doing the bibimbap!!
you definitely need spices for tofu!
Can you cook the tofu in the pan with the vegetables?
Yes, it won’t be as crisp and will fall apart, but it can definitely be done
Oh this looks delicious! I am going to have to try this. I’ve had tofu a couple of times but nothing that has looked this good or tasted this good.
1. I would love more air fried recipes. We have an air fryer and I’m always looking for new recipes.
2. I’ve had tofu a couple of times but nothing that has looked this good.
3. As for team spicy or sweet. It depends on my mood. There are some days I want spicy and others sweet.
The key is the air fryer! or baking it at a high-temp.