Chilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce

Name: Chilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter; 2 tablespoons chile crisp, plus more for serving; 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; 1 tablespoon black or rice vinegar; 1 (14- to 16-ounce) block silken tofu, cold and drained; 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

By Ali Slagle

Updated July 22, 2025

Chilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce — Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Rating: 5(135)
Comments: Read comments

This no-cook recipe loosely follows the Chinese traditions of liangban tofu and bang bang sauce by topping cold, silken tofu with a fiery, tangy peanut sauce and raw celery. Eaten together, it is creamy and crunchy, hot and cold, intense and mild all at once. (The combination of peanut butter and celery might happily remind you of ants on a log, the childhood snack.) Eat with hot, steamed rice alongside, if you like.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

¼cup crunchy peanut butter
2tablespoons chile crisp, plus more for serving
2tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1tablespoon black or rice vinegar
1(14- to 16-ounce) block silken tofu, cold and drained
2celery stalks, thinly sliced

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, chile crisp, soy sauce and vinegar. If the mixture is too thick to pour, thin with cold water a little at a time.
Step 2
Spoon big chunks of the tofu into two bowls. Drizzle with some of the peanut sauce. Top with the celery, followed by more of the peanut sauce and another drizzle of chile crisp, if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5

135 user ratings

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Comments

Elev70737 months ago

I would put this sauce on ice cream! Maybe not, but it's THAT good. No celery, but a seeded English cucumber added the perfect texture and sweetness to the tofu. This gem is on the frequent repeat list

MerfromMaberly8 months ago

@Blueberrygirl, Ottawa, Ontario Canada I live about an hour west of Ottawa, and in nearby small town grocery stores have found chili crisp (Metro, Loblaws, and Food Basics). The nearest Walmart had it too! Chili crisp is the 21st century equivalent of salsa. If you cannot find it, check out the Woks of Life website, simply the best resource for Chinese and Asian cooking and ingredients.

Gail8 months ago

@Blueberrygirl, Ottawa, Ontario Canada Check out Genevieve Ko’s recipe for chili crisp on this app. Making your own allows for controlling the heat.

AND in CDMX1 week ago

I cook tofu a lot, but some tofu dishes (esp. uncooked ones) fall into a category we call "groats" (think 1970s hippie cooking). I was expecting that was the reaction I was going to get from my husband, but he really liked it! Quick (if you already have rice or start the rice ahead of time) and easy. Sauce is quite good (though I'd wished the chili crisp I had was spicier). Took advice from comments to add sliced scallions, as well as a few peanuts, on top. Using good Japanese rice also helped.

Lisa D.3 months ago

Delicious! I added some honey, sesame oil, and grated ginger.

Hannah3 months ago

How does this recipe not get more attention?? An absolute banger—easy, super flavorful, very flexible, with ingredients that are easy to get or at least possible to buy in bulk and have on hand (chili crisp, black vinegar). I’ve been making the sauce as a dip for other vegetables as a snack and, frankly, could eat it with a spoon.

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