Zucchini Stir-Fry with Tofu

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This Zucchini Stir-Fry combines sautéed zucchini, red bell pepper, and tofu in a savory sauce enhanced by garlic and ginger. Vegetarian and gluten-free!

bowl of zucchini stir-fry with tofu on white rice with chopsticks

Summer is here, and the onslaught of zucchini has started! Oh sure, you’re loving it now, but soon you’ll be looking at down the barrel of yet another CSA basket filled with zucchini and thinking you can’t possibly stomach another loaf of zucchini bread.

Never fear though, I’m here to break you out of your comfort zone with some new ideas for zucchini. To start, how about this Zucchini Stir-Fry with Tofu?

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Why Make This Recipe
🥗 Ingredients
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
🧐 Recipe FAQs
👩‍🍳 Expert Tips
More Zucchini Recipe Ideas
Other Vegetarian and Vegan Main Courses
📖 Recipe
More About Molly

Why Make This Recipe

So Fast and Easy: The sauce comes together quickly, as does the stir-fry itself. Just prep it all in advance so that you’re ready to roll once your pan is hot. 15 minutes later, you’ll have a healthy dinner on the table.
The Best Stir-Fry Method: I share my favorite stir-fry technique in this recipe, and you can use it with so many different proteins and veggies as well! After this one, why not try my Stir Fry Salmon or my Shrimp and Chicken Stir-Fry recipes?
Vegan and Gluten-Free!: Works for almost everyone!

🥗 Ingredients

Soy Sauce: For a gluten-free recipe, make sure you use tamari rather than traditional soy sauce—just check the tamari sauce packaging to make sure it is entirely gluten-free.
Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar can be used. If you don’t have either, try replacing with honey.
Red Bell Pepper: Feel free to replace with green, yellow, or orange bell pepper. You could also replace with a different vegetable entirely, such as mushrooms—just note that mushrooms have more water in them than bell peppers. Add the mushrooms early enough to release some moisture before you add the zucchini.
Red Onion: You can replace this with a yellow or white onion or a shallot. You could also chop up some scallions and use those instead—if so, add the garlic and ginger with the zucchini and red pepper, along with half of the scallions. Use the other half of the chopped scallions for garnish.
Tofu: You can replace this with lots of other kinds of proteins. Try replacing with shrimp or chicken, for example. Or leave it out entirely for an all-vegetable stir-fry.

🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions

Start by whisking together the following ingredients for the sauce, and set aside.

3 T. soy sauce or tamari
1 t. sesame oil
1 t. rice vinegar
1 T. water
1 t. cornstarch
1 t. brown sugar
¼ t. crushed red pepper (or, to taste)

1. Cut 2 zucchini into quarters, length-wise, then slice thinly.

2. De-seed 1 red bell pepper, then cut into bite-sized chunks (about ¾ inch square).

sliced zucchini and red pepper cut into cubes on cutting board with intact zucchini

3. Drain one package of tofu, pat dry, and cut into cubes.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat, then add tofu.

5. Sauté tofu until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from pan.

6. Add ½ tablespoon oil, then add ½ of a red onion, sliced, along with 2 chopped cloves of garlic, and 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger to the pan.

7. Sauté for three minutes, then add another ½ tablespoon oil.

sautéed red onion, garlic, and ginger in large nonstick skillet

8. Stir in zucchini and red pepper. Cook 10-12 min over high heat until zucchini and red pepper are tender and beginning to brown, stirring frequently.

9. Depending on your stove and pan, you may need to turn the heat down to medium-high to make sure nothing burns. But keeping it at as high heat as possible will give you those nice browned edges that are so delicious.

sautéed red onion, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and zucchini in large nonstick skillet

10. Add tofu back into the pan and stir. Give the sauce another quick whisk to make sure the cornstarch is well incorporated.

11. Make a well in the center of the pan, then pour in the sauce. Stir quickly while sauce thickens and turns into a glaze, about 30 seconds, then serve.

zucchini stir-fry with tofu and red bell pepper in large nonstick skillet

🧐 Recipe FAQs

How long will this dish keep in the fridge?

Zucchini stir-fry will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. It also freezes well—just wait until it is fully cooled before packaging in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months, and defrost for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating.

Should zucchini be peeled?

Nope. The skin on a zucchini is thin and easy to bite through, so peeling it is unnecessary. In fact, peeling zucchini just removes some of its nutritional content (see below). Do make sure you scrub it well of any dirt, and choose organic zucchini whenever possible.

Are zucchini good for you?

Zucchini are low in calories and fat, but contain several beneficial vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium. Zucchini also contains high levels of antioxidants, especially in the skin.

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

The trickiest part of this recipe is chopping the zucchini and red pepper so that they cook in the same amount of time. I recommend preparing the zucchini by cutting them in quarters, lengthwise, then slicing.

Not too thin on the slices, or they will start to burn before the bell pepper is cooked. Slicing into half moons would also work for this recipe.

You can chop the zucchini into smaller cubes, or even use zoodles, but if you do, let the rest of the vegetables start to cook before you add the zucchini. Small cubes or zoodles will take much less time to cook than slices.

Cooking the tofu separately in this recipe ensures that the tofu cubes get nice and crispy. That gives this dish a nice difference in textures between the tofu and the vegetables.

Unfortunately, if you try to save time and cook them all together, you won't get those delicious crispy edges! You can also bake your tofu instead using my Crispy Baked Tofu recipe while you start the veggies in your skillet.

Love a good stir-fry? If you're a pescatarian, you might want to try this Salmon Stir-Fry next!

close up of zucchini stir-fry with tofu and red pepper in bowl with chopsticks

More Zucchini Recipe Ideas

Need more ideas for your pile of zucchini? I’ve got you covered. These are some of my favorites:

Grate and bake into an Easy Zucchini Gratin
Make ratatouille, by combining with eggplant and tomatoes
Sauté them with mushrooms and make a pasta sauce in this Zucchini and Mushroom Pasta recipe
Slice and stuff with rice and vegetables, top with breadcrumbs, and bake
Try it with chicken in my Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk and Zucchini
Grill or roast zucchini planks painted with olive oil
Grate and make into zucchini cakes
Make this delicious side dish: Zucchini and Mushroom Sauté
Use an air fryer to make these fantastic Air Fryer Zucchini Chips with Sour Cream Scallion Dip
Make into zoodles and either sauté or serve raw, tossed with a dressing
Bake zucchini bread or these Zucchini Almond Flour Muffins
Grate and add into the mixture for turkey burgers or chicken meatballs
Peel into thin strips and use in a foil packet meal, as with this Foil Packet Tilapia with Zucchini, Lemon, and Butter
Try these Zucchini Quesadillas for another vegetarian meal option!

Other Vegetarian and Vegan Main Courses

If you’re looking for other delicious vegetarian or vegan dishes, don’t miss some of my favorites:

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!

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📖 Recipe

Zucchini Stir-Fry with Tofu

Yield: Serves 3-4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This Zucchini Stir-Fry combines sautéed zucchini, red bell pepper, and tofu in a savory sauce enhanced by garlic and ginger. Vegetarian and gluten-free!

Ingredients

For the Sauce

3 T. soy sauce or tamari
1 t. rice vinegar
1 t. sesame oil
1 T. water
1 t. cornstarch
1 t. brown sugar
¼ t. crushed red pepper

For the Stir-Fry

2 medium-large zucchini
1 large red bell pepper
1 package firm or extra-firm tofu (10-14 oz.)
2 T. vegetable oil
½ red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T. minced fresh ginger

Instructions

Whisk together ingredients for sauce, and set aside.
Prepare zucchini by cutting in quarters, lengthwise, then slicing.
De-seed red bell pepper, then cut into bite-sized chunks.
Drain tofu, pat dry, and cut into cubes.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat, then add tofu. Sauté tofu until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from pan.
Add ½ tablespoon oil, then add sliced onions, garlic, and ginger to the pan. Sauté for three minutes, then add another ½ tablespoon oil.
Stir in zucchini and red pepper. Cook 10-12 min over high heat until zucchini and red pepper are tender and beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Depending on your stove and pan, you may need to turn the heat down to medium-high to make sure nothing burns. But keeping it at as high heat as possible will give you those nice browned edges that are so delicious.
Add tofu back into the pan and stir.
Give the sauce another quick whisk to make sure the cornstarch is well incorporated.
Make a well in the center of the pan, then pour in the sauce.
Stir quickly while sauce thickens and turns into a glaze, about 30 seconds, then serve.

Notes

Leftover Zucchini Stir-Fry will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Wait to package for the refrigerator or freezer until it has cooled completely.

Ingredient Substitutions:

Soy Sauce: For a gluten-free recipe, make sure you use tamari rather than traditional soy sauce—just check the tamari sauce packaging to make sure it is entirely gluten-free.
Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar can be used. If you don’t have either, try replacing with honey.
Red Bell Pepper: Feel free to replace with green, yellow, or orange bell pepper. I chose red since I love its slightly sweet flavor and bold color, but other peppers would also work. You could also replace with a different vegetable entirely, such as mushrooms—just note that mushrooms have more water in them than bell peppers. Add the mushrooms early enough to release some moisture before you add the zucchini.
Red Onion: You can replace this with a yellow or white onion or a shallot. You could also chop up some scallions and use those instead—if so, add the garlic and ginger with the zucchini and red pepper, along with half of the scallions. Use the other half of the chopped scallions for garnish.
Tofu: You can replace this with lots of other kinds of proteins. Try replacing with shrimp or chicken, for example. Or leave it out entirely for an all-vegetable stir-fry.
Crushed Red Pepper: I like my stir-fries with a little bit of spice but not a ton. If you like less, leave it out. If you like more, add more! (Or do what my husband does and pour sriracha over the final dish.)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1226mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 18g

Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.

Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!

More About Molly

Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!

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