An easy Spicy Spinach Tofu Stir fry that can be made in 1 pot within 15 minutes. This recipe is a lifesaver come dinnertime and leftovers taste great the next day. Try this Indian spiced Tofu Spinach curry Gluten-free, soy-free option.
1 Pot and 15 minutes is all you need to make this Spicy Spinach Tofu Stir fry! Think of this as an easy, spicy take on the restaurant favorite Palak Paneer. Tofu simmered in a rich spinach yogurt and spices that is made spicy by adding cayenne pepper or Indian chili powder and crushed red pepper. So good. The perfect weeknight dinner on a cold night and leftovers make an amazing lunch the next day.
I love serving this curry with flatbread, roti or naan but rice would be another great option. For low-carb, serve it with cauliflower rice.
Press the tofu
Open a package of firm or extra-firm tofu and drain the liquid. Cut the tofu width-wise into slices — four times should do it. Now, lay some paper towels on a sheet pan and spread your tofu slices in a single layer on top. Put more paper towels over the tofu, then place another sheet pan over them.
Place some heavy objects on top of the sheet pan ( cookbooks or cans). Or use your handy tofu press. Leave the tofu to press for at least 15 minutes. You can leave it like that for hours if you have room for it in the fridge.
More Indian Dishes from the Blog
- Baked Madras Curry Tofu
- Baked Balti Veggies
- Veggie curry casserole
- Indian Butter Tofu
- Bombay Potato and Peas
- Tofu Pasanda
- Vegetable Jalfrezi
- Gobi Broccoli Makhani
- Tempeh Tikka Masala
Recipe Card
Spicy Tofu Spinach Stir fry (15 Minute 1 Pan)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 7 ounces (200 g) firm or extra firm tofu pressed for 15 minutes then cubed (see notes for soy-free)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or cayenne/Indian red chili powder or both
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Kashmiri garam masala or regular garam masala or use curry powder or berbere
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- good pinch of cinnamon clove, and cardamom (optional)
- 8-10 ounces (230 g) frozen spinach thawed or chopped fresh spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste
- 3-4 tablespoons vegan yogurt or you can use non-dairy cream such as cashew cream or use vegan plain cream cheese
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water or use 1/2 -1 cup non dairy milk for saucier/creamier
- pepper flakes, lime juice and garam masala for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a medium to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it get hot.
- Add your pressed and cubed tofu to the skillet and cook until some of the edges of the tofu are golden.
- Then add in the salt, pepper, Kashmiri garam masala, coriander, cumin, and any of the spices you are using and toss well to coat. Cook for another minute to roast the spices as well.
- Then add in spinach, salt, garlic powder, onion flakes,m, ketchup/tomato paste and mix well. Cook until the spinach is not frozen and doesn’t smell raw. 3- 4 minutes.
- Then add in yogurt and mix in. Add in 1/2 cup of water and mix in and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 3-4 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust salt and flavor then take off the heat.
Video
Notes
- Soy-free, use pre-cooked potatoes and/or roasted cauliflower to the gravy. Or, make your own chickpea tofu and add that. Or add 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast for extra umami
- Oilfree: toss tofu in half of the spices and bake until golden. Then add to the skillet. Add remaining spices, spinach and tomato paste and cook and follow the rest of the steps.
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- for this recipe, I recommend firm or extra firm tofu. You want to press it for 15 minutes before cutting it into cubes
- Kashmiri garam masala or regular garam masala or simply use curry powder, if that’s what you have
- for that authentic Indian flavor, we add ground coriander, cumin, a good pinch of cinnamon, clove, and cardamom
- for ease of preparation, I used frozen thawed spinach but fresh spinach also works
- garlic powder and onion flakes are quintessential to the taste
- to make this a spicy curry, I add cayenne or Indian red chili powder. Add as much or as little as you want.
- ketchup or tomato paste lends umami as well as a nice color to the gravy
- vegan yogurt – use your favorite dairy-free yogurt or use cashew cream
Tips & Substitutions:
- To up the umami, add 1 tbsp nutritional yeast with the ground spices.
- To make this curry soy-free, use pre-cooked potatoes and/or roasted cauliflower to the gravy. Or, make your own chickpea tofu and add that.
How to make Spicy Tofu Spinach Stir fry:
Heat a medium to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it get hot. Add your pressed and cubed tofu to the skillet and cook until some of the edges of the tofu are golden.
Then add in the salt, pepper, Kashmiri garam masala, coriander, cumin, and any of the spices you are using and toss well to coat. Cook for another minute to roast the spices as well.
Then add in your spinach, salt, garlic powder, onion flakes, cayenne, ketchup/tomato paste, and mix well. Cook until the spinach is not frozen and doesn’t smell raw, 3 -4 minutes.
Then add in yogurt and mix in. Add in about half a cup of water and mix in and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 3-4 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust salt and flavor then take off the heat.
Garnish with some pepper flakes and garam masala. add a drizzle of thinner out yogurt or non dairy cream. Serve with flatbread or rice.
Make your own Kashmiri garam masala:
For making your own Kashmiri garam masala, blend 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 tsp each of ground cumin , powdered fennel seeds, cinnamon, and cardamom and 1/8 tsp clove powder.
Alternatively, you can make my Garam Masala Spice Blend.
Jennie
Amazing. I can’t eat onions so added nigella seeds which subbed nicely. Used coconut milk. Will make again!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! glad you enjoyed
Joe Rickerson
My wife loves palak paneer as do I so I thought she might like this as well. But she is a die hard tofu hater so I partially conceded to her objection and made a combination tofu along with potatoes. I tickled out the tofu and left her with just one small piece to sneak it past her. She is too clever for me and gave me a mild reprimand. But other than the errant tofu piece she loved your recipe as did I. Wonderful spices and textures. Thank you.
Vegan Richa Support
Hehe. Thank you (and mostly your wife) for trying!
David
Wait*
David
I don’t think I got the timing right; I didn’t want for my fresh spinach to wilt completely before putting in the yogurt and water. The yogurt started to curdle … tastes amazing though :/
Richa
It probably just split because of the heat. You can add a tsp flour mixed with 2 tbsp milk and continue to cook. curdled yogurt is still yogurt
Stephanie
Made this for dinner tonight. Came together quickly and my husband raved about it from the first bite. We also ate it with your naan bread recipe. My only complain-that it didn’t make enough!
Vegan Richa Support
Haha I have definitely had that problem! I’m happy you like the dish. 🙂
Beth
Delicious! So quick and easy- we loved it!
Vegan Richa Support
Wonderful!
Sue
We loved this.. it was creamy and flavorful with cashew cream.. I will never again wonder what to make with spinach. Thanks Richa!
Vegan Richa Support
Terrific!
Jennifer
Hello Richa! My husband has nut allergies. Can I sub coconut cream for the nondairy yogurt? Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Yes you can use coconut cream. But note that this will change the flavor of the dish.
Jeremiah
We’ve been using your recipes for years, and this one was a great success with my finicky two and four year olds. They both ate it up with a side of rice. I finally ordered your Everyday Kitchen book today!
Vegan Richa Support
wow spinach loving kids – yay! i hope that you enjoy the book – thank you
Julie Cohara
Wow. 11 year old approved! We will be making it again. Added lentils for fiber. Thanks from Ohio, Richa!
Richa
Awesome
Ingrid
I made this today and we loved it. I did not have yogurt so I used 1 can of lite Coconut milk and left out the water. It made a good amount of creamy sauce, which was to my linking. I used fresh Spinach and tomato paste. It was nice not to chop a lot of things, it made it easy and quick. We had it with brown Basmati Rice. I will definitely make this again. Thank you Richa for this recipe! 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
thanks Ingrid – less chopping – that;s why i love spinach
Jen
We made this tonight and wow it was delicious! I used cashew cream instead of yogurt. This dish is full of flavor and so easy to prepare. We will certainly be working this into our dinner rotation.
Vegan Richa Support
awesome; thank you
Christina
Wow, this is so delicious! Perfect combination of flavors! Thanks for another great recipe, Richa.
Richa
Yay
Louise Sylvain
This was absolutely delicious!! The sauce was so creamy and it was the perfect amount of “heat” from the spices. We also loved how easy it was to throw everything together!
Vegan Richa Support
perfect; thank you
Maneesha
Amazing recipe, Richa! I love how it’s a one-pot 15 minute dish! Deeeeelish! Especially with fresh spinach! I will definitely be making this again
Richa
Awesome!
Kajal
This was so easy,healthy,and delicious. Loved that it did not involve chopping onion, garlic or tomatoes. Came together so quickly. Great weeknight meal!
Richa
Yep! Super quick!
Crystal
So yummy and easy. I made it for lunch and served it over some basmati rice. Unfortunately I ate half of it, so now I need to make more for the rest of the family. Oppps
Richa
Yes I have this same problem! You can double the recipe. It’s just a quick 2 serve version. Larger pan will add a few mins in cooking time that’s all
suzi
Interesting dish that comes together so quick!! Followed your directions but with fresh spinach and coconut milk. Might add chickpeas next time or something more but we sopped up every delicious speck of that spicy “gravy”!! Really good!!
Richa
Awesome! Yes add chickpeas!
Eric
We just tried this tonight, and it was so delicious, especially considering how quick and easy it was to make. We actually used some frozen tofu that we had around, which changed the texture a bit, but it still worked out great. We garnished with some chopped green onion and a squeeze of lime, which really brightened it up. Thanks!
Richa
Awesome
HB
This was incredibly delicious and easy to make! Saag “paneer” (tofu) is my favorite dish and I’m so happy to have a quick and easy dish that hits the same spot 🙂 I doubled the recipe (to 4 servings) so there was a bit more moisture in the pan but otherwise everything worked great.
Richa
For saucier you can add in more non dairy milk instead of water
Marena
This was so good. I didn’t have coriander so I did a full teaspoon of cumin. And I added some chipotle as well as the pepper. I will be making this again. Thank you
Richa
Awesome
Ariana
This looks delicious!! Do you think vegan sour cream would work here in place of the yogurt?
Richa
Yes
Linda
I have not tried the recipe yet, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciate that you provide alternatives for the ingredients! Some ingredients are harder to find where I live, but you provide options that make your recipes very doable! Thank you!
Richa
❤️❤️❤️
Cheryl
This is sooooo good. I didn’t have any garam masala, so just used curry powder. I served it on rice. I’ll be making this again!
Richa
Yay
Christine Mcmahan
Hi,
This sounds delicious. I have a quick question. Im mostly oil free and I pre ordered your book so I’m wondering if the recipes in the book call for oil can most be made oil free? Sometimes I use a small amount of oil if it seems necessary but I find most of the time broth or water sautéing works fine.
Richa
Yes most recipes you can water saute. I added oil free options in some recipes that you can apply to other similar recipes. There is limited space on book pages so between the options for Glutenfree Nutfree etc we decided to omit oil free options as most of them were just to use broth to sauté. I mention in some recipes if you would atleast need a brush of oil on the pot if the recipe could cause a burn error (for thicker stuff).