This vegan sticky tofu bowl (crispy tofu rice bowl) is everything I love about bowls. It's sweet, spicy, creamy, crunchy, and easy to switch up depending on what you have. It comes together in about 20 minutes and works really well for easy dinners or meal prep.
If you don’t already have it, start with my sticky tofu recipe, then add a creamy peanut sauce, or chipotle sauce, whatever sounds good to you.
A Quick Look: Sticky Tofu Bowl
- Recipe Name: Sticky Tofu Bowl (Crispy Tofu Rice Bowl)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Key Ingredients: Sticky tofu recipe, rice, cabbage, avocado
- Dietary Info: Vegan, plant-based, meal-prep friendly
- Best For: Meal prep, easy lunch, quick dinner
- My Favorite Part: Crispy glazed tofu, crunchy toppings, and creamy sauce in every bite.
Jump to:
I make this bowl all the time, but I rarely build it the same way twice. The sticky tofu stays, but everything else depends on what I already have. It reminds me a lot of the way I make my Thai noodle salad with peanut sauce, tofu salad rolls, and vegan egg roll in a bowl, with lots of texture, vegetables, and a really good sauce.
If your rice is already cooked, the whole bowl comes together while the sticky tofu cooks. Easy!
Why This Recipe Works
- The sticky tofu brings the texture. Crispy edges and a maple glaze give the bowl a sweet-savory bite that makes it feel like so much more than just rice and vegetables.
- Fresh toppings balance the bowl. Simple ingredients, but it looks and tastes like you put in way more effort than you did.
- The sauce changes everything. Go Asian-inspired with peanut sauce, Mexican with chipotle or creamy jalapeño sauce, or Mediterranean with homemade hummus or tahini.
- It’s built for flexibility. Rice, quinoa, noodles, or greens all work as the base, depending on what you already have.
If you like bowls for lunch or dinner as much as I do, try my Mexican burrito bowl or nacho bowl next. Both are really good with this creamy burrito bowl sauce.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to build this sticky tofu bowl:
- Sticky tofu: Use my sticky tofu recipe as the protein base for the bowl.
- Cooked rice : cilantro lime rice, white, Mexican rice for tacos, or rice cooker brown rice all work. Quinoa is an easy swap.
- Cabbage : Thinly shredded green or red cabbage. Shredded lettuce or another crunchy green can work in a pinch.
- Avocado : Look for one that’s plump, ripe, and just slightly firm to the touch.
- Green onions : Red onions work too if you prefer.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How I Use This Bowl
I think of this less as one fixed bowl and more as a formula: grain + crispy tofu + something crunchy + something creamy + sauce.
Some days I’ll use rice and vegan chipotle sauce, and other times this easy Asian peanut sauce and shredded cabbage. Sometimes I’ll skip the grain and pile everything over greens.
I also switch up the tofu sometimes and use my air-fried sweet and spicy tofu recipe or crispy baked tofu instead.
It's one of my favorite things about cooking like this; you can mix and match easily.
Tested Tips
- Cut the tofu evenly. Similar-sized pieces brown more evenly and give you more consistent crispy edges. Pre-pressed tofu is the easiest option, but otherwise just press it or pat it really dry before cooking.
- Keep the vegetables thin and crisp. I like the contrast between the warm sticky tofu and fresh crunchy vegetables, so I slice cabbage, radishes, and onions fairly thin.
- Add the sauce at the end. Especially for meal prep, keep it separate until serving so the tofu and vegetables hold their texture.
How to Make a Crispy Tofu Rice Bowl
- Add the base: Divide the cooked rice between bowls.
- Add the tofu: Top each bowl with crispy sticky tofu.
- Add the vegetables: Layer on cabbage, radishes, avocado, and green onions.
- Finish the bowls: Drizzle with your favorite sauce and finish with sesame seeds or fresh herbs.
For a different protein, try tempeh, tofu taco crumbles, or tofu sausage crumbles.
Sticky Tofu Bowl FAQs
Yes. Use my crispy baked tofu recipe, then toss the baked tofu with sticky glaze sauce before adding it to the bowl.
Yes. Leftover rice works great. Reheat it with a splash of water and cover it so it doesn’t dry out.
The bowl itself doesn’t have to be. The heat mostly depends on the sauce you choose. Use chipotle or sriracha mayo for more heat, or peanut sauce, hummus, or tahini for something milder.
Yes. I like it cold for lunch, especially with peanut sauce. If you prefer, you can reheat just the rice and tofu and keep the fresh toppings cold.
More Ideas for What to Make With Tofu
If you’ve got tofu in the fridge and no real plan for it, I keep all my go-to tofu recipes in one place. Or here are a few great places to start:
Did you try this recipe? Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest! 💛
📖 Recipe
Sticky Tofu Bowl (Crispy Tofu Rice Bowl)
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Ingredients
- 1 batch sticky tofu recipe
- 2 cups cooked rice, white, brown, cilantro lime rice, or Mexican rice, use what you have
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded, green or red
- 4-6 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- creamy chipotle sauce, for serving, see Notes for more sauce ideas
- sesame seeds, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Make the sticky tofu and cook the rice if needed.
- Build the Bowls: Divide the cooked rice into serving bowls.
- Add toppings: Layer with tofu, cabbage, radishes, avocado, and green onions.
- Drizzle with Sauce: Add a generous spoonful of creamy chipotle sauce, or any sauce of your choice (see Notes for ideas).
- Finish and serve: Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
Video
Notes
- This bowl uses sticky tofu, which takes about 20 minutes. While that cooks, prep everything else (or have it made ahead). If you already have tofu and rice ready, it comes together in 10 minutes.
- Sauces to use: Creamy peanut sauce, Chipotle sauce, homemade egg roll sauce, creamy jalapeno sauce, glaze sauce, or sriracha mayo all work well.
- Rice tip: Fresh or leftover both work. To reheat, add a splash of water and cover. For an easy option, make jasmine rice in the Instant Pot (2 cups water + 2 cups rice, cook 5 minutes, natural release 10).
- Precooked tofu: You can also use precooked tofu. Just warm it up and toss it in the glaze at the end. It still turns out really good.
- Additional veggie add-ins: Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and jicama.
- Fresh herbs: Cilantro, parsley, Thai basil, or mint all add a nice finish.
- Top with crunch: Crushed peanuts, pumpkin seeds, or crispy shallots.
- Meal prep: Store the tofu, rice, sauce, and fresh toppings separately for up to 3 days. Reheat the tofu and rice, then add avocado, vegetables, and sauce just before serving.
Nutrition
Julie Gaeta is a plant-based recipe creator, certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and mom of nine who's been plant-based for over 20 years. She's cooked approximately 4,382 pots of beans and can't vacation without her juicer and pasta pot. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Yahoo, YourTango, and other major outlets. She helps others simplify wellness and feel good again through her blog, coaching, and weekly newsletter.
Moira says
Julie deserves it all! This was so easy to make and so delicious! Absolutely amazing the flavour combination is incredible
Julie Gaeta says
Moira, thanks so much for letting me know! This bowl is a go-to in our house. So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Alexa says
Absolutely LOVED this recipe! The tofu came out SUPER crispy and the chipotle sauce was delicious! Thank you!! I'm definitely making this again! 😋
Julie Gaeta says
Yay, so glad you loved it! Crispy tofu and chipotle sauce are one of my favorites. Thanks so much for letting me know! 💛
Julie Gaeta says
This maple-glazed tofu bowl is unbelievably delicious in all the right ways. It’s packed with flavor, easy to throw together, and flexible for whatever season or mood I’m in. It's a weekly meal prep go-to that everyone loves.