One-Pan Tofu Coconut Curry
Today's recipe is tasty, colourful, and hearty! It's an easy-to-make Tofu Coconut Curry all made in one-pan and ready in 30 minutes.
The creamy, golden coconut milk and tomato-based sauce is deliciously spiced with curry powder, turmeric, cumin (and of course salt and pepper) along with fresh pungent garlic and ginger.
It's mild and not very spicy (unless your curry powder blend is spicy), which is great to serve the whole family!
The tofu sucks up the curry flavours as well as adding protein and texture to the dish. I like to use extra-firm tofu so it holds its shape when mixed into the curry.
The addition of tasty sweet bell peppers, onions, green spinach, and fresh cilantro gives this curry additional bulk and nutrition too.
Serve this curry along with rice to make it one filling meal. I like to use a brown basmati rice.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
How do you make this tasty and easy tofu recipe?
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions available in the recipe card down below)
In a large sauté pan or skillet (I used a 12-inch skillet) at medium-high heat, add vegetable oil, then sauté the onions and peppers with salt and pepper, until the onions start to brown.
Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, and cumin until fragrant, around one or two minutes.
Reduce to low heat. Stir in the coconut milk, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste until uniform. Add the tofu and toss to coat with the sauce.
Bring the curry to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Then stir in the spinach, lime zest, and lime juice, until the spinach wilts.
Taste for additional salt and pepper and top with fresh cilantro. Scoop over bowls of rice and enjoy!
Love one pan/pot/sheet pan meals? Take a look at these four recipes!
- Carrot Orange Ginger Soup
- Curried Red Lentil and Quinoa Vegetable Soup
- One-Pan Rosemary Garlic Chicken
- Sheet Pan Baked Salmon with Asparagus
To sum up, this One-Pan Tofu Coconut Curry is:
- Delicious and flavourful: The curry sauce is creamy and wonderfully spiced. It goes perfectly with the tender tofu bites and the colourful vegetables in this recipe.
- Hearty and filling: It makes a generous amount of curry that's will fill you up and warm you from within.
- Quick and easy to make: It takes only 30 minutes to make and has a few simple instructions to follow.
- Vegan and gluten-free too: Tofu is naturally gluten-free, but make sure it's labelled as such when choosing the brand if this is important to you.
Did you make this easy tofu coconut curry recipe? Leave me a rating and comment down below or tag me on any of my social media. I'm @yay_for_food on Instagram. Please share your recipe pictures!
One Pan Tofu Coconut Curry
Wonderfully spiced with a mild curry flavour, this tofu coconut curry is a quick, easy, and delicious vegan meal made in one pan.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 yellow (or white) onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 400 ml (14 fl. oz.) canned coconut milk
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 454 g extra firm plain tofu, chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Serve with cooked rice.
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan or skillet (I use a 12-inch skillet) at medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil, onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the onions begin to brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, and cumin and stir for another minute or two, until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the coconut milk, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste until well-incorporated. Add the tofu and gently stir to coat with the sauce.
- Bring the curry to a boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach, lime zest, and lime juice, until the spinach wilts. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Top with fresh cilantro and serve over rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutritional information is based on one serving for a total of six servings excluding rice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 258Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 10g
Nutritional values are estimated based on the ingredients used by the author; your ingredients may differ. These values are calculated using Nutritionix.
This looks so good. Tofu is amazing, and I kind of have quit cooking with it. Need to go buy some!
I hope you do! It's great in this recipe!
I had this for dinner tonight and it was a great recipe. It tasted great and the instructions were good. You can't ask for much more than that, can you?
Thanks Ben! I'm glad you enjoyed this curry!
Thank you for this recipe! This has become my tried and true, my favorite curry recipe. I make it all the time now! 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful review, Tina! I'm happy you like this recipe!
I made it. Super yummy. Thanks for sharing this great dish. Loved it.
Thank you for the rave review, Noelia! 🙂
I found 1 lime too much. Think I’ll only use half next time .
Was I suppose to press the tofu or add it straight from the packet?
I found the tofu didn’t absorb the sauce well and was bland .
I don't press the tofu, but I do drain the liquid from the packaging or look for extra-firm tofu that is vacuum sealed. However, pressing would allow the sauce to better absorb into the tofu.
I used noodles instead of rice and it was so good!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi could I freeze this?
I tend to avoid freezing recipes with coconut milk (or any type of dairy) because there is a possibility that when reheated the milk might separate and the texture may become grainy (but will taste fine).
This was easy to make and pretty good but also very bland!
@Abby, It is a bit bland but due to stomach issues I'm really glad to find a curry I can tolerate! I also tend to add extra seasoning
Very yummy and easy to make! A little bland, but I just added more salt. It was my first time making anything like this, it was a huge help! Thanks!
I just made it to the following exactly the ingredients except for the red pepper which I replaced with carrots. I think it would be really good with less lime. Are used one lime and I think it is too much. Will try 1/2 lime next time. Thanks!
Sue
Thanks for choosing to try this recipe, Susan!
LOVED IT!!! Wish I would have doubled it. I air fried the tofu a little as I don't love the soft texture. I also added a dash of chili flake for heat. Otherwise, this is utterly perfect.
Thanks for the wonderful review, Jessica!
This was SO good. I cooked the tofu first, used spicy curry powder and added garam masala and a bit of Serrano pepper.
The additions sound delicious! Thank you for trying out my recipe!
@mom in spokane, I added garam masala and curry paste for a bit of heat, but I think my taste buds were wanting a bit more.
This recipe is simply AWESOME! I used vindaloo curry powder instead of simply curry... You should try it!
Thanks Andrea! The vindaloo curry must've given this recipe a spicy kick!
This turned out amazing! Added other veggies I had in the fridge but I think the coconut milk + lime zest and juice are the real star players here
Thank you Jacob! So happy to hear! I love the bright flavour that the lime adds!
Beautiful curry, but turned out very bland. I tried adding some extra salt, curry powder, and sriracha, which helped some!
This was DELICIOUS!!! My new favorite recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
So glad you like the curry!