Silken Tofu Scramble – An Easy Vegan Breakfast

This quick and tasty silken tofu scramble takes just minutes to make and will keep you satisfied for hours.

The turmeric adds a vibrant yellow color resembling eggs, as well as lovely anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits, due to its most active compound, curcumin.

Make sure to include the black pepper and oil, which help your body to absorb curcumin, a fat soluble nutrient.

What is the difference between silken tofu and regular tofu?

You can find regular tofu in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, and you need to keep it refrigerated. Silken tofu is shelf stable. In my local grocery store it is in the Asian food aisle. This longevity and the fact that you don’t need to keep it refrigerated makes silken tofu a great pantry staple.

The main difference you will notice in eating the two tofus is the texture. Regular tofu you need to press and drain, and it maintains its shape more. It is a bit grainy as well. Silken tofu is often used in desserts due to its very smooth, creamy texture.

I have made plenty of tofu scrambles with regular tofu and they all turned out delicious, so feel free to use whatever tofu you have at home or can easily find at your grocery store.

The downside to using regular tofu for your tofu scramble is that the finished dish will fall off your fork or toast very easily and eating it becomes a balancing act. This dry texture is similar to very well done, possibly overcooked scrambled eggs. As a kid, I always wanted my eggs 100% cooked and thought wet eggs were gross, so I opted for overcooked eggs for many years. Even now I don’t like over easy eggs at all, even though they are very hip and trendy.

A silken tofu scramble will resemble the kind of scrambled eggs that celebrity chefs tell you to make and that you would be served in a restaurant, where they are still a bit wet and easily stay on your toast or fork.

Is tofu healthy?

Tofu provides a wide range of nutrients and health benefits. It is high in protein, calcium, and manganese. Tofu may also help protect against heart disease and cancers.

However, there was a brief buzz about how eating too much tofu may not be advisable for those with breast tumors or thyroid issues.

As with the majority of things you can eat, most people have concluded that tofu can be beneficial as a part of a balanced, varied diet.

For a full breakdown of the benefits (and potential risks) of tofu, you can check out this article by healthline.

A note on salts, and what is black salt?

If you can find Kala Namak salt, or Himalayan black salt, it is an excellent addition to any tofu scramble.

While it smells a bit like sulfur and eggs, the taste is quite mild. It imparts an eggy flavor to your dish and makes it taste remarkably like scrambled eggs.

However, you can make this recipe with table salt and it will still turn out delicious, but the flavor will be saltier.

Despite the name, black salt is actually the pink spice on the left in the photo below.

Black salt has less sodium than table salt, so if that is a concern for you, you may want to pick some up.

It is alkaline, so it can help reduce heartburn, acid reflux, and other digestive issues. Black salt contains potassium, which may help prevent muscle spasms or cramps as well.

Why cumin? Most scramble recipes don’t list it.

While I personally love the flavor of cumin, its health benefits are also a motivating factor in using cumin in this dish.

Cumin is a very dense source of iron, which can be important for vegans and vegetarians to deliberately add to their diets.

One teaspoon contains almost 20% of the recommended daily iron intake for adults, so if you add it to a few meals and also eat some spinach, beans, and maybe some fortified cereal, you’ll be off to a great start.

Cumin helps reduce inflammation, and it is also thought to help manage blood sugar.

As it true for many seasonings (including parsley, as we discussed last week), cumin has antimicrobial properties, so its use in traditional foods may be due in part to its preservative effects, not just its flavor.

Silken Tofu Scramble Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

• 1 12 ounce package of silken tofu (I used extra firm.)

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp cumin

• Scant 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, unless you like a lot of pepper, in which case heap it up

• 1/4 tsp salt (black or table)

• Oil for sautéing (I used olive oil.)

• Sea salt, to taste as garnish

• Frying pan

• Egg turner spatula

• Measuring spoons

• Knife and cutting board

Silken Tofu Scramble Instructions

1. First, heat a frying pan over medium heat and add your oil.
2. While the oil is heating, roughly chop the silken tofu into cubes, about one inch square or so.
3. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes to the frying pan.
4. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, and cumin to the tofu.
5. Use your egg turner spatula to break down the cubes into smaller crumbles as you mix the spices with the tofu until everything is the same color.
6. Cook about five minutes.
7. Serve right away!

I served mine alongside tomato slices with lemon juice and sea salt, but this also would be great on toast, on avocado toast, or with any breakfast foods you enjoy. Black salt has a less salty flavor than table salt, so I sprinkled a little sea salt over the finished dish.

If you try this recipe and enjoy it, I would appreciate you coming back and rating the recipe or letting me know in the comments!

Variations on Silken Tofu Scramble

Use regular tofu if you have trouble finding silken tofu.

Try whatever seasoning blend you like instead of cumin: Mexican seasoning, herbs de Provence, Italian blend, etc.

Fresh chopped herbs would be a lovely addition if you have them on hand or in your garden. Dill, basil, and parsley would all be great in this recipe.

You could add sautéed onions, peppers, and potatoes to make a more traditional breakfast feast.

Sautéed vegetables that you would eat in an omelet or frittata would also go well here, like zucchini, spinach, jalapeños, etc. for a deconstructed omelet.

Make this into vegan breakfast burritos! Use any toppings you like.

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Kala Namak black Himalayan salt

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For some extra oomph, serve with my vegan English muffins.

If you prefer a sweeter breakfast, check out my ultimate baked porridge!

For a sweet and fun breakfast, try my churro pancakes!

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Important: This post is for informational and educational purposes only. This post should not be taken as medical or nutritional advice or used as a substitute for such. You should always speak to your own doctor or nutritionist before implementing this information on your own. Thank you!

I hope you enjoyed this quick and hearty silken tofu scramble!