These Vegan Scrambled Eggs are made from crumbled tofu in a creamy and flavour-packed sauce. Delicious and filling, perfect for a vegan breakfast or brunch.
If I had to choose between having either sweet or savoury breakfasts for the rest of my life, I would definitely go savoury. The scenario of having to choose is, admittedly, fairly unlikely but an important decision to make just in case.
That's probably in part down to a deep devotion to brown sauce. What better way to start the weekend than with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, hash browns, sometimes avocado, perhaps a vegan sausage or two, then mopping up the juices and brown sauce with chewy sourdough toast.
I was never much of an egg-lover in my pre-vegan days so hadn't ever missed a fried or boiled egg, but I was intrigued by the idea of a tofu scramble and must say that after a few experiments, this vegan scrambled egg really is a delicious addition to a fried breakfast. My husband, who was a scrambled egg-lover in his pre-vegan days, absolutely raved about this final version, and with good reason, I think!
Do give it a try.
What you need to make your Vegan Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients
Vegan butter I like to use a good dairy-free block margarine rather than oil as it gives a lovely buttery flavour to this scramble - I use Flora Plant Butter or Naturli block margarine. But of course use oil if you prefer.
Onion and garlic I've seen many tofu scramble recipes using onion and garlic powder which is, admittedly, quicker when you want breakfast in a hurry, but I do find them quite a synthetic flavour and would much rather use the real thing for an extra minute of work. My compromise is ready-chopped garlic from a jar or tube, but of course a fresh garlic clove would be wonderful too!
Ground turmeric This gives the scramble its lovely yellow colour which I think is so important to 'tricking' your brain into thinking you are eating scrambled egg. The edge of fragrant spice it brings is delicious too, though very subtle.
Firm tofu I can't stress enough how important it is to use the right type of tofu here - it can be a bit of a minefield as some brands of silken tofu are marked 'firm' but that's not what you are looking for.
You need an extra-firm tofu - I use Tofoo (naked or smoked), or Cauldron original tofu (which comes in one big block) which are both widely found in supermarkets - in the chiller aisle.
The tofu you get on the shelves (not chilled) is usually silken tofu which makes a cracking chocolate mousse but is too soft to use here.
Dairy-free cream This scramble is a special-occasion treat in our house so I tend to use cream here to make it super-rich and creamy. But if you prefer a lighter everyday version, it works well with an unsweetened plant milk instead. You may just need to cook it for an extra minute or two at the end to thicken it up to the right consistency.
Vegan cheese or nutritional yeast I love the extra savoury flavour that either vegan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes* bring to this scramble. Use whichever you have to hand, they are both delicious!
Salt or kala namak (black salt) There is a great big secret that only vegans know about, and it is called kala namak. It is a black salt from the Himalayas that has a sulphorous and smokey flavour - in short, it smells and tastes eggy!
So it is the perfect thing to sprinkle over your scramble to make it taste just like eggs. However, I do find that the smell and taste disappears very quickly in cooking so I suggest stirring it through right at the end, just before you are about to serve, for maximum effect. I use this one from Natco which is good value.*
Of course, you don't have to use kala namak - this is still a delicious scramble made with normal salt, just a little less eggy-tasting.
Equipment
There's no fancy equipment to make your vegan scrambled eggs - just a decent non-stick frying pan and a hob, a chopping board and a sharp knife.
Enjoy!
How to serve your Vegan Scrambled Eggs
These vegan scrambled eggs are delicious served simply on a slice of toast, but you can also get a bit more fancy:
- Vegan 'full english' breakfast Serve these vegan scrambled eggs alongside your favourite vegan sausages (mine are Naked Glory, Richmond or Sainsbury's Shroomdogs), grilled tomatoes and flat mushrooms, sourdough toast and lashings of brown sauce.
- Filled vegan croissants A few supermarkets now sell vegan croissants, or the Jus-Rol bake at home croissant dough in the chiller cabinet is also vegan. Why not fill your croissants with vegan scrambled eggs for a delicious savoury treat?
- Breakfast tacos If you're having a breakfast or brunch party, toasting mini-tortillas then stuffing them with tofu scramble, avocado slices and roasted cherry tomatoes makes a knock-their-socks-off breakfast dish. Or use full-size tortillas, roll them up and toast so they become breakfast burritos. Yum!
What else can I make with tofu?
If you've got a taste for tofu or want to give it a try as a main meal, look out for my Sticky Ginger Tofu with baby courgettes which also uses extra firm tofu. Or if you have silken tofu rather than firm tofu, Jamie's Vegan Chocolate Pots are pretty epic!
For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.
"Brilliant! Chock full of easy recipes and great tips and advice" Hello! Magazine
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon dairy-free block margarine
- ½ onion
- ½ teaspoon ready-chopped garlic / garlic purée
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 280 g firm tofu
- 3 tablespoon dairy-free cream (or half and half dairy-free milk and cream if you prefer)
- 2 tablespoon grated vegan cheese or 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt or kala namak (black salt) see notes above
- ground black pepper
- 3 chives
Instructions
- Melt the block margarine in a frying pan . Chop the onion as finely as you can and add to the pan. Cook on a medium heat for 2 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add the turmeric to the pan and cook for a further minute on a gentle heat.
- Meanwhile, squeeze any liquid out of the tofu, pat dry with kitchen paper then crumble it with a fork. Try to keep some larger chunks as well as smaller ones.
- Add the tofu to the pan, stir to combine with the turmeric and cook gently for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to break up the chunks too much.
- Stir through the vegan cream and cheese, salt and black pepper, then return to the heat for just one more minute to warm through. If the scramble looks a little dry add a splash more cream or milk.
- Finally snip the chives into the scramble, stir then serve immediately on freshly 'buttered' sourdough toast or as part of a full vegan fried breakfast.
Karen Booth says
I have free range chickens in the garden, and they lay eggs whether I like it or not! However, I am fascinated to see how you create vegan eggs - looks very tasty 🙂
Thanks so much for linking up to #CookBlogShare week 6 - Karen
Choclette says
I'm with you on so many things Kate and your tofu scramble sounds delicious. I too am a savoury breakfast kind of girl, but brown sauce is definitely not my reason. Chilli sauce, on the other hand ...
Angela says
Looks amazing! I have someone who can't eat eggs in my family. These are perfect!
Gabi says
Although I'm used cooking with tofu I admit I've never tried it for breakfast. Your recipe seems so doable for me as I have even the so important taste intensifier "kala namak" at hand. With your smart step by step instruction this will be a breakfast deluxe tomorrow morning:)
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I'll have to try making these for my husband. They look yum!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Love all the flavors here, I already know I’m going to enjoy this recipe a lot!
Priya Lakshminarayan says
Just made this for breakfast! Turned out perfect. Thanks for this recipe. Its a keeper!