Silken Tofu Scramble

This easy-to-make silken tofu scramble is a brilliant breakfast idea. Creamy and fluffy on the inside, with a yellowish crispy skin on the outside that will certainly make you recall a good old-fashioned egg scramble. Most importantly, it’s loaded with nutrients that help manage your heart health conditions.

This article was written by Wesley Mai, Toronto Metropolitan University Nutrition Student.  Medically reviewed by Veronica Rouse, MAN, RD, CDE

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Why Make A Silken Tofu Scramble

According to statistics, nearly 40% of Canadians do not eat breakfast daily (1).

This is alarming because eating breakfast, especially a high-protein one, keeps you energized for the rest of a day. A high-protein breakfast has been shown to help you feel full and reduce afternoon food cravings, thus avoid overeating (2,3).

A silken tofu scramble is a quick and easy way to make breakfast with just a few common ingredients that you can find in your pantry!

It satisfies your protein needs as tofu is an excellent source of plant-based protein. Cost-wise, tofu is cheaper than most animal-based proteins. An important consideration, given the current rising food prices.

Is It Heart Healthy?

As discussed, silken tofu is a great source of plant protein and can unclog your arteries. Plant protein is an important component of a heart-healthy diet as it helps to lower cholesterol levels, as outlined in The Portfolio Diet (4).

I’m sure you are wondering what The Portfolio Diet actually is…

Well… The Portfolio Diet is essentially a research-based way of eating that has been proven to lower your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease (4).

Fulfilling plant protein requirements is the most challenging part of The Portfolio Diet. It is recommended that you consume 50 grams of plant protein per day.  

Luckily, a serving of Scrambled Silken Tofu for breakfast (half a block of tofu) provides you with 27g of plant protein. That’s half of your daily requirements! This is how amazing tofu can be.

This recipe also calls for turmeric powder. The curcumin in turmeric is an excellent compound that helps you fight against inflammation, thus improving your heart and overall health (5).

Plus, turmeric gives this dish a mesmerizing tinge of yellow that you just can’t resist!

Ingredients In a Scrambled Silken Tofu

There are only 4 main ingredients needed for this recipe:

• silken firm tofu
• nutritional yeast
• olive oil
• turmeric powder

Here are a few tips when purchasing these ingredients.

Silken firm tofu is carried at most grocery stores. You can find blocks of tofu in the refrigerator section next to the produce or near other meat alternatives.

If you haven’t tried nutritional yeast before, consider trying it in this recipe. Basically, nutritional yeast are yellow flakes/powder that contain a decent amount of protein and a wide range of vitamins and minerals. When used in cooking, it contributes to a cheesy mouthfeel and umami flavor.

Nutritional yeast is the soul of this dish. You can get it from the spice aisle of your local grocery stores or directly from Amazon.

The other ingredients used to enhance the flavor of the scrambled silken tofu include:

• garlic (which can also lower blood pressure)
• black pepper
• paprika
• sea salt

How To Make Scrambled Silken Tofu

The most important step in this recipe is probably to drain and press the tofu. To do this:

1. Remove the tofu from the package and drain the excess liquid. Then, wrap the tofu in some paper towels.
2. Next, place a heavy pan on top of the tofu for at least 10 minutes to squeeze out any excess water.
3. Make sure you do this step properly because squeezing out the liquid in the tofu helps to make it crispier when you get to the cooking.

Once the tofu is pressed, it’s smooth sailing.

1. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. On medium high heat, add the oil to a large pan. Wait until the oil is hot, then add in the tofu. You will want to quickly crumble the tofu using a wooden spoon or spatula.
2. Then, stir the tofu for 5 minutes until all the tofu moisture has evaporated.
3. Finally, add in all the seasonings above and keep frying until reaching your desired crispiness.

Leftovers

In order to maintain the fluffy texture of the tofu scramble, store it in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

Rest assured that you will find it so tasty that you won’t let it stay in your fridge for too long!

Reheat

If you can’t finish it all at once, store it in the fridge as outlined above. For the next meal, simply warm it up in a microwave with a splash of water for 60 to 90 seconds.

Variations Of Silken Tofu Scramble Recipe

Vegan

This recipe is vegan-friendly. Tofu is a plant-based source of protein. Nutritional yeast brings about a “cheesy” texture. All the seasonings and herbs help increase the flavor greatly.

Gluten Free

Tofu is made from soybeans, a gluten-free legume.

Switch Up The Flavor

To make the dish look more colorful, feel free to customize it with other toppings!

You can add vegetables of your choice such as bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, mushroom, or tomato. Not only do they add more colors to your plate, but they are also loaded with fiber and phytonutrients that are beneficial for your heart health.

I also recommend trying different seasonings as you wish. For example cumin, curry powder, or onion powder are excellent choices that can enhance the flavor tremendously.

Expert Tips 

How To Eat It?

I guarantee, that unless you look closely enough, you cannot differentiate between silken tofu scramble and traditional egg scramble. They are almost identical in texture and color.

When To Eat It?

Scrambled silken tofu is a breakfast recipe.  That being said, but you can enjoy it at lunch or dinner too.

The recipe requires no more than 15 minutes, so it works well even if you have a tight schedule that hinders you from making complicated dishes.

What To Serve It With?

Pair it with sautéd vegetables and serve on whole grain bread, brown rice, or even make your own hash browns.

Apart from that, you can also add hemp seeds (for omega 3 fatty acids) or unsalted nuts (for healthy unsaturated fat).  These nutrients have been shown again and again to improve your cholesterol and triglycerides profile.

Other Brunch Recipes

Here are some other breakfast and brunch recipes that you may like:

Final Thoughts 

Hesitate no more and start your day with this super easy silken tofu scramble. Selecting a breakfast to manage heart health conditions is made easy with cholesterol-friendly silken tofu and anti-inflammatory turmeric powder.

If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please consider rating it or leaving a comment below. This helps increase my visibility to continue making great content for you to enjoy!