Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl!

This recipe tastes like greasy take out, but it's healthy, vegan, easy to make, and so super delicious! Skip the fuss of working with wrappers, and using a fatty deep fryer, and make a vegan egg roll in a bowl instead! This dish tastes just like an egg roll but without the wrapper. Seasoned tofu crumbles, stir fried cabbage, tossed in a sweet and salty sauce. Serve this stir fry over rice or rice noodles for an easy weeknight meal.

30-minutes to make with ingredients you might already have in your kitchen. Vegan egg roll in a bowl is great served fresh, but it also makes super yummy leftovers served hot or cold, which is perfect for meal prepping or packing your lunch box. If you're not into tofu, you can replace it with crumbled tempeh, sliced mushrooms, or any kind of veggie ground that you enjoy.

Traditionally egg rolls are stuffed with stir fried cabbage and carrot with some kind of ground meat. To make this vegan version I subbed the ground meat with crumbled tofu. The tofu is pressed and sautéd so that when the marinade is added it become super juicy and flavourful. And speaking of the marinade, often egg rolls are served with plum sauce for dipping, so I added it directly into the marinade for that authentic taste!

To Make Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl:

To prep the tofu: Prepare the tofu by draining it, and then pressing it for 15 to 30 minutes. I love using my Tofuture tofu press, but you can also follow these instructions for a DIY tofu pressing method. Pressing the tofu squeezes excess water out so that the tofu can suck up more of the marinade and become more flavourful.

Make the sauce: Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Prepare the filling: In a large skillet or non-stick pan heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown.

Reduce the heat to medium and use your hands to crumble the tofu into the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until the tofu begins to brown. Tip: don't stir the tofu too much, let it cook for a couple of minutes without stirring so that the bottom can brown. Stirring too often will make it difficult for the tofu to brown. Pour in about ½ of the prepared sauce and stir to combine. Remove the tofu mixture from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the cabbage and carrot and sauté until the cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes more.

Add the tofu mixture and all of the remaining sauce and heat through.

Serve hot with rice (if using) and garnish green onions, peanuts, and dress with more soy sauce, plum sauce, or hot sauce to taste if you like.

Bon appetegan!

Sam Turnbull.

4.91 from 95 votes

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Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl!

This recipe tastes like greasy take out, but it's healthy, vegan, easy to make, 30-minute recipe, and so super delicious! Just like an egg roll but without the wrapper. Skip the fuss of working with wrappers or using a fatty deep fryer, and meal prep this easy weeknight dinner.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

 

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For the sauce:

• ▢ ¼ cup soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons plum sauce or sweet and sour sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For tofu and cabbage:

• ▢ 2 tablespoon sesame oil,, divided
• ▢ 1 yellow onion,, sliced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic,, minced
• ▢ 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
• ▢ 1 12 oz block extra-firm or firm tofu,, drained and pressed (see step 1)
• ▢ 16 oz cabbage (green, purple, or a combo), (16oz), finely shredded
• ▢ 1 large carrot,, peeled and grated

Optional:

• ▢ 2 green onions,, sliced
• ▢ ½ cup roasted salted peanuts
• ▢ an extra drizzle of plum sauce, soy sauce, or Sriracha
• ▢ cooked rice or rice noodles, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

 

OnOff

• To prep the tofu: Prepare the tofu by draining it, and then pressing it for 15 to 30 minutes. I love using my Tofuture tofu press, but you can also follow these instructions for a DIY tofu pressing method. Pressing the tofu squeezes excess water out so that the tofu can suck up more of the marinade and become more flavourful. 
  
• Make the sauce: Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  
• Prepare the filling: In a large skillet or non-stick pan heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown.

  Reduce the heat to medium and use your hands to crumble the tofu into the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until the tofu begins to brown. Tip: don't stir the tofu too much, let it cook for a couple of minutes without stirring so that the bottom can brown. Stirring too often will make it difficult for the tofu to brown.

  Pour in about ½ of the prepared sauce and stir to combine. Remove the tofu mixture from the pan and set aside.
  
• Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the cabbage and carrot and sauté until the cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes more.
  
• Add the tofu mixture and all of the remaining sauce and heat through. Serve hot with rice (if using) and garnish green onions, peanuts, and dress with more soy sauce, plum sauce, or hot sauce to taste if you like.
  

Notes

Meal prep/ Make ahead: Allow the dish to cool completely before storing in air-tight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Oil-free: to make oil-free omit the sesame oil. Use a good non-stick pan and use water or vegetable broth instead of the light oil to sauté the vegetables. You can add some sesame seeds for garnish if you want a little of that sesame flavour.

Tofu: If you want to substitute the tofu, you can replace it with crumbled tempeh, sliced mushrooms, or any kind of veggie ground that you enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving without toppings or rice (recipe makes 4 servings) | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 975mg | Potassium: 501mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3118IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2mg

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Author: Sam Turnbull

Cuisine: Chinese-Inspired

Course: Main Course