Crispy Thai Peanut Tofu Ramen
This Crispy Thai Peanut Tofu Ramen is restaurant-quality! The broth is a heavenly blend of fragrant ginger, creamy coconut milk, nutty peanut butter, and spicy red curry and simmered with tender ramen noodles. Top it with crunchy chili crisp tofu that has a little spicy kick and you have an extremely delicious ramen that you will be shocked you made at home!
What you’ll love about this:
What You Need
*See below for more information.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
What is chili crisp?
Chili crisp is a spicy, crunchy condiment made from chili peppers, garlic, and various seasonings, often mixed with crispy bits like fried shallots. It adds a little heat to our dish. Chili crisp can be found in many grocery stores, typically in the Asian or international foods aisle. It’s also available online through retailers like Amazon or specialty Asian food markets.
What if I don’t have chili crisp?
If you don’t have chili crisp, here are a few substitutes:
Homemade chili oil – Infuse oil with chili flakes, garlic, and other aromatics to mimic chili crisp flavors
Sriracha or another chili sauce – Adds heat without the crunch.
Crushed red pepper flakes – Provides spice, and you can add fried garlic or shallots for extra texture.
What is the purpose of using full-fat coconut milk?
This adds a lot of creaminess to our ramen. I recommend full-fat coconut milk (from a can) for the most flavor, but if you prefer a lower calorie and fat option, you can use lite-coconut milk.
How to Make Thai Peanut Tofu Ramen
Make Your Tofu
After draining and pressing your tofu, pat it dry and cut it into small 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl or gallon-sized bag, add your tofu cubes with your cornstarch, garlic, soy sauce, sesame seeds and chili crisp. Toss it gently until it is coated.
Cook your Tofu
Warm oil of choice in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook your tofu cubes evenly until they start to crisp up. This can take 10-15 minutes. If you’re tofu mixture sticks, this is okay and adds to the texture! Just use a good spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to get those yummy crisp pieces off the bottom. Near the end of cooking, add your diced green onion and cook for a few more minutes. Set this aside.
Cook your Broth
Add your vegetable broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, peanut butter, Thai red curry paste, red pepper, kale, and ginger to a large pot on medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes or until the kale is tender.
Add noodles
Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the noodles and cilantro. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft
Serve
Ladle your soup into bowls and top with your crispy tofu and some fresh cilantro and/or diced green onion if desired.
Can I use other noodles instead of ramen?
Yes, you can substitute ramen with rice noodles, soba, or even udon for a different texture.
Can I make it spicy?
This recipe already has a good kick, but you can make it spicier! You can add extra chili crisp on top, sriracha, red pepper flakes, or fresh chilies to increase the heat level in the dish.
How do you store and reheat leftovers?
Store the noodles and tofu separately from the broth in airtight containers in the fridge (if you leave them together they will get mushy). Reheat by combining them in a bowl and reheating in the microwave (or stovetop).
This recipe was inspired by Half Baked Harvest’s Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen, but completely plant-based!
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Crispy Thai Peanut Tofu Ramen
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Ingredients
Crispy Tofu Topping
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tsp chili crisp in oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup diced green onion
Ramen Broth
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can 14 ounce full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 heaping tbsp Thai red curry paste
- ~2 cups chopped kale
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger or ginger paste
- 3 squares ramen noodles
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Make Your Tofu: After draining and pressing your tofu, pat it dry and cut it into small 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl or gallon-sized bag, add your tofu cubes with your cornstarch, garlic, soy sauce, sesame seeds and chili crisp. Toss it gently until it is coated.14 oz extra firm tofu, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tsp chili crisp in oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- Cook your Tofu: Warm oil of choice in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook your tofu cubes evenly until they start to crisp up. This can take 10-15 minutes. If you're tofu mixture sticks, this is okay and adds to the texture! Just use a good spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to get those yummy crisp pieces off the bottom.Near the end of cooking, add your diced green onion and cook for a few more minutes. Set your crispy tofu aside in a separate bowl. You can use the same pot to make the broth in the next steps.1/4 cup diced green onion
- Cook your Broth: Add your vegetable broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, peanut butter, Thai red curry paste, red pepper, kale, and ginger to a large pot on medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes or until the kale is tender.4 cups vegetable broth, 1 can, ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 heaping tbsp Thai red curry paste, ~2 cups chopped kale, 1 red bell pepper, 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- Add noodles: Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the noodles and cilantro. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.3 squares ramen noodles, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- Serve: Ladle your soup into bowls and top with your crispy tofu and some fresh cilantro and/or diced green onion if desired. Enjoy right away!*FYI the longer the noodles sit in the broth, the more they will soak up – so try to enjoy this recipe right after cooking or separate the noodles from the broth. You can always add in a splash of water or vegetable broth to get some liquid back too, but it will dilute some of that yummy flavorful broth!
Notes
- Use low-sodium soy sauce
- Use low-sodium vegetable broth
- Decrease the amount of soy sauce in the recipe and add to taste.
Absolutely loved this recipe! Can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Thanks Monica!
made this . I was confused by comment put crispy tofu on top. So was the broth supposed to be cooked separate from the tofu . tofu added later ?
your pots looked the same. I did not see to use separate pot
I ended up using the same pot in my recipe because I wanted photograph consistency.
The crispy tofu is a topping (although you could mix it in if you want!) I think it’s better on the top because it maintains the crispy texture!
I added in a few clarifications in the recipe to make it easier to understand – sorry about the confusion! Thanks for your review 🙂
This ramen turned out so flavorful !
This was freakn delicious! So easy to make and the whole family loved it! Thank you!
Thanks Lena!! I’m SO happy to hear that 🙂
It would work if I baked at a high temperature of the tofu? Thank you! Excited to try this!
Hi – I have not tried this but I bet it would work well! As you said, high heat (possibly even using the broiler feature for a short time to really get it crispy!)
This is absolutely one of the best meals I have made in a while! Thank you!
Thank so much for your review Camille!! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This was my first Thai ramen dish and I am blown away! Definitely adding this to my meal rotation. Obsessed 😍
Thank you SO much Sam! Really happy you enjoyed it 🙂
My goodness this is yummy!!!!
Thank you Taylor!
It’s delicious! Fast and easy to make!
Thanks Tracia 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!