Gochujang Tofu Rice Bowls (Vegan)
Wholesome, colourful and delicious Gochujang Tofu Rice Bowls made with plant-based, high fibre and high protein ingredients and ready in 30 minutes. These rice bowls are a great meal prep lunch or quick dinner.
Welcome back to my rice bowls series and this spicy tofu bowl with a fresh carrot and cucumber slaw, fresh veggies and beans, quick pickles and a delicious tahini sauce. These bowls work so well all year round and are great for meal prep as they take about 30 minutes (or as long as it takes to cook rice) and keep well for a few days in the fridge. They are packed with colour, flavour and texture and are so good.
Why will I love these bowls?
These bowls are so good:
- Packed with colour, flavour and texture
- With spiced tofu nuggets
- Topped with a fresh tahini sauce
- With homemade quick pickles
- Perfect with a refreshing cucumber-carrot slaw
- Easy to make in a few steps
- Naturally vegan, dairy-free and egg-free
- Gluten-free and nut-free
- Ideal for meal prep
- Delicious for lunch or dinner
- Great leftovers for lunchboxes
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Or less if you use pre-cooked rice
- Naturally high in fibre
- From all the veggies and edamame beans
- A great source of protein
- From the tofu and beans
- Easy to make in a few steps
- Everyone will love these bowls
- Great all year round
If you already love the sound of these bowls, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the bowls:
- Brown rice: or your preferred rice.
- Carrot: peeled into ribbons for the fresh slaw.
- Cucumber: I love to peel this into thin ribbons.
- Olive oil: use extra-virgin olive oil if you can, for the better flavour.
- Lime: for freshness.
- Fresh mint: to add into the slaw.
- Avocado: for some creaminess on the side.
- Edamame beans: for some added protein and fibre.
- Baby spinach: or your favourite salad leaves.
- Sesame seeds: I used white seeds on top.
To make the quick pickles:
- Red onion: slice these thinly.
- Apple cider or white or cider vinegar: this is perfect for pickling.
- Water: warm this up to dilute the vinegar.
- Sugar and salt: this allows the onion to soften and preserve the mix.
And for the tofu:
- Extra-firm tofu: the firmer tofu is best here, but super firm/firm will also work.
- Gochujang: this is a chilli paste and is so delicious. You can swap for sriracha if you prefer.
- Maple syrup: to make it sticky and golden.
- Tamari soy sauce: this adds richness and make sure it is tamari soy sauce not regular soy sauce if you are GF.
- Olive oil: as above.
And finally for the sauce:
- Tahini: the runnier and smoother, the better.
- Lime
- Tamari soy sauce
- Maple syrup
Are these gluten-free and nut-free?
These bowls are gluten-free, as long as you use tamari soy sauce (regular soy sauce contains wheat) and these nut-free.
How do I make them?
These bowls are ready in a few steps:
- Cook the rice: if cooking it from scratch.
- Peel the carrot and cucumber: and toss with the lime and herbs.
- Make the quick pickles: warm the vinegar, water, sugar and salt.
- Pour the mix over the onion: and leave to soften and pickle.
- Chop up the other salad components: and leave to one side.
- Tear up the tofu and toss with the marinade: and spread out onto a tray.
- Air fry or bake the tofu until golden and crisping: about 15 minutes.
- Stir together the ingredients for the tahini sauce: until smooth.
- Plate it all up and enjoy: or keep for later.
How long will they last?
These bowls will keep for 2-3 days (the pickles will keep for 2 weeks) in a sealed container in the fridge.
What other recipes can I try?
For more 30-minute meals and bowls:
- Green Goddess Rice Bowls
- Cashew Crunch Edamame Bean Salad
- Creamy Herby Pasta with Greens and Beans
- Red Pesto Roasted Vegetable Bean and Grain Salad
- Lemon Herby Tofu Tzatziki Bowls
Gochujang Tofu Rice Bowls (Vegan)
Wholesome, colourful and delicious Gochujang Tofu Rice Bowls made with plant-based, high fibre and high protein ingredients and ready in 30 minutes. These rice bowls are a great meal prep lunch or quick dinner.
Ingredients
For the Bowls:
- 120-150g brown rice, uncooked weight*
- 1 carrot
- ½ cucumber
- 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped mint
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 100g edamame beans, thawed if frozen
- Baby spinach leaves
- 3 tbsp white sesame seeds
For the Pickles:
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 100ml apple cider or white or cider vinegar
- 60ml water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- A pinch of salt
For the Tofu:
- 300g extra-firm tofu
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp tamari soy sauce
- 2 tsp olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp runny smooth tahini
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp tamari soy sauce
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2-3 tbsp water or dairy-free unsweetened milk
Instructions
- Start by cooking your rice according to packet instructions. I like to cover it with double the amount of water by weight and once boiling, keep a lid on, turn down to a very low simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the pickles. Add the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a saucepan and warm gently until the sugar has dissolved. Add the red onions to a heatproof bowl and pour over the hot mixture. Stir gently and leave to one side.
- Once cool, store in a sealed container in the fridge for 2 weeks. This makes enough for about 6-8 servings.
- For the tofu, combine the gochujang, maple syrup, tamari soy sauce and olive oil in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Break apart the tofu with your hands until bite size pieces and add to the bowl. Toss thoroughly and then arrange in an even layer on a tray. Air fry at 180C for 15 minutes, until bubbling, sticky and delicious. Or, bake in a preheated oven at 160Fan/180C for 20-25 minutes.
- For the bowls, peel the carrot and cucumber (stop when you reach the water middle seeds – you can eat this!) into a bowl. Add in the olive oil, mint and 1 tbsp sesame seeds. Toss well.
- To make the dressing, add the ingredients to a small bowl or jug and whisk until smooth and pourable. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once everything is ready you can plate up. Add some rice to two bowls, with some baby spinach and then arrange the carrot cucumber salad, some edamame beans, avocado and the gochujang tofu. Sprinkle over some sesame seeds and drizzle on the dressing. Add some pickles on top and enjoy.
- You can keep everything in sealed containers in the fridge for 2-3 days and enjoy cold.
Notes
*or use 1 pouch pre-cooked rice (approx. 250g)
Shop the recipe
Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of these Gochujang Tofu Rice Bowls so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With gochujang love x
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