Lemongrass Tofu Bowls
Lemongrass Tofu Bowls- lemongrass marinated tofu is served with crisp vegetables, cilantro and fresh mint for a light and refreshing meal that’s perfect for summer. (vegan + gluten-free)
Hey guys! How was your weekend?
I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy some nice weather. Brandon came home on Friday after traveling all week so we decided to lay low and relax at home. We worked on setting up our patio with new chairs and a raised garden bed which I’m super excited about. I’ve got lots of herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and a blueberry plant. Fingers crossed that I don’t kill them all!
In other news, I completely dropped the ball on making Memorial Day themed recipes. I’m just not good with the whole holiday thing, y’all. Please forgive me?
Even though these Lemongrass Tofu Bowls are not holiday themed, they make for a delightfully light and flavorful meal that’s perfect for warm summer weather.
They start with a simple marinade of fresh garlic, tamari, lemongrass, lime juice, and a touch of coconut sugar. Once the tofu has absorbed all of that goodness, you pan fry it until it’s nice and golden brown with crispy edges.
Then you add the tofu to the bowls with crisp romaine, shredded carrots, cucumber, brown rice and radishes, and top it off with fresh cilantro and mint for an extra refreshing pop of flavor.
It’s great for a light and easy dinner on the back patio, especially if you want to put the herbs in your garden to good use. I hope you enjoy it. Cheers to summertime, friends!
Lemongrass Tofu Bowls
Yield: 4 bowls
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 30

Ingredients:
For the Tofu
- 14 ounces super firm tofu, drained and pressed*
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 stalk lemongrass, minced** (about 1 tablespoon)
For the Bowls
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 14 ounces romaine lettuce, shredded
- 2 small cucumbers, seeded and cut into matchsticks
- 2 cups shredded carrot
- 4 cups cooked rice (I used brown jasmine)
- fresh cilantro and mint for serving
Directions:
In a measuring cup, whisk together the minced garlic, lime juice, tamari, coconut sugar and lemongrass. Dice the tofu into 1-inch cubes then transfer to a medium-sized shallow bowl. Pour in the marinade and stir until all of the tofu is evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the bowls.
In the same measuring cup, whisk together the tamari, rice wine vinegar, garlic, jalapeño and lime juice. This will serve as a dressing for the finished bowls. Arrange the lettuce, carrot, cucumber and rice in each bowl.
Grease a large skillet over medium heat then add the tofu along with the marinade. Cook for about 10 minutes, continuing to stir until every side of the cubes are light golden brown. Distribute warm tofu into each bowl. Serve with dressing, fresh cilantro and mint.
*Press tofu by placing between two kitchen towels and stacking a few heavy books on top. Allow to press for about 30 minutes, or until excess water has drained.
**To mince lemongrass, cut off green tops down to white fleshy part. They are not edible. Cut off root then peel away outer layers until you reach the tender part of the lemongrass. Slice very thinly across the stalk. Continue to chop with chef’s knife until very fine.
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!
Yay for having a garden!! My tomatoes have finally been coming in and my peppers are growing now too. The herbs are basically taking over everything, so any recipes that involve a lot of them are my current favorite. These flavors sound amazing together!
That’s so exciting! I’m getting a little bit of a late start. Hopefully they come in before summer ends, lol!
Thanks for the detailed instructions on how to prep lemongrass. I have never cooked with it, but this recipe looks too good not to try! Pinned for later, Thanks!
It’s weird at first but the flavor is incredible! Thanks Alison! :)
I live in Japan and the sushi bowls here are amazing! I might have to try this. =)
Oh you are so lucky! :)
Ohhh yesss.. So much YES here! I’m a big tofu fan, and paired with this marinade (hello lemongrass), I’m all in. I adore it’s subtle flavor, especially with tofu. No worries on the holiday menu… I dropped the ball too.. it just kinda crept up on me. I’m already working on July 4… :D Besides, I’ll take this mouthwatering bowl over slaw any day! (Hooray for a raised garden! It’s going to produce beautiful things!!)
Oh my gosh, you just reminded me about the 4th, haha! I better get to work on that soon. ;)
So many INGREDIENTS, but I like this recipe. It should be healthy, what is lemongrass, is it the same as lemon?
Hi Tiana! Some of the ingredients are the same, like the tamari, lime juice and garlic. I just separated them for ease of preparation. Lemongrass isn’t a lemon. It’s actually grass that’s scented like lemon. It’s kind of like an herb.
Hi There! SO excited to give this a test run this weekend :) I am wondering if the jalapeno goes into the dressing? I am surmising by order of ingredients that it does, but just don’t want to add it to the dressing if it will make it funky! Thank you!
Hey Sadie! You’re correct, the jalapeño is for the dressing. I just fixed it in the directions!
It’s mostly just to give the bowls a subtle kick of spice but if you don’t like jalapeño you can also leave it out. :)
It sounds just right! I cannot wait to make this…it sounds incredible :)
Ahhhh! This was SO GOOD! I did add a few crushed peanuts and some sliced avocado. I could drink that dressing! And the marinade!
Love the flavorful ingredients in this dish! Lemongrass is My fave! Thank you:)
Loved the recipe! So easy and tasty. One recommendation: reduce the amount of lime for the tofu marinade. It overwhelmed the dish and I couldn’t taste the lemongrass which should be the shining star. I did reduce the amount of lime in the dressing and added. some agave nectar. I think that helped tie the dressing with the tofu.
HI Any tips on making this ahead and reheating the tofu? Im meal planning and want to cook the tofu ahead of time. can I partially cook it and reheat in a pan?
You can do that! Or you can just leave it marinating in a sealed container and cook when you’re ready to eat.
AMAZING! Thank you so much for this recipe, I’m going to be eating this for the next month straight!