Vegetarian Tomato Mapo Tofu

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published August 19, 2025

  • Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(400)
Comments
Read comments

Mapo tofu, the classic Sichuan dish that is now a Chinese American staple, receives a summery twist with the addition of tomatoes. Its signature tingly and assertive flavors are intensified by the umami tanginess of tomatoes, which also add a hint of fresh acidity. When you add the tofu, it will look like there’s not enough liquid, but rest assured, the tomatoes do break down during the cooking process, providing a soupy base. Not all brands of doubanjiang are created equal, so look for ones that come from Pixian, in Sichuan, as they tend to be the most flavorful thanks to a long period of fermentation under sunlight, resulting in a reddish-brown color with a deep and complex umami.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)

  • 1 yellow onion, halved and cut into ½-inch wedges 

  • 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved or quartered, depending on size

  • Salt and pepper 

  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 

  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

  • 1 to 2 whole dried red chiles (such as er jing tiao or chile de árbol) or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons doubanjiang (fermented spicy broad bean paste) or Chinese black bean sauce 

  • ½ to 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (to your liking)

  • 1 pound tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 2 (14- to 16-ounce) packages silken tofu, drained

  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

  • Cooked rice, to serve

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

23 grams carbs; 321 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 17 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1010 milligrams sodium; 24 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot on medium-high. When hot, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and then add the onion and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Stir until the mushrooms and onions have softened and have golden edges, 2 to 3 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the ginger, garlic, dried chiles, doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorns, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, soy sauce and ½ cup water, and stir to combine.

  3. Step 3

    Add the silken tofu to the pot, breaking it up into irregular chunks, and gently stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    To serve, drizzle with sesame oil, top with scallions and eat with rice.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
400 user ratings
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Comments

Fran B

We really enjoyed this! I did tweak it a little after reading David Tannis's vegan mapo tofu again (it is also an excellent recipe) and soaked a small handful each of dried sliced cloud's ear mushrooms, dried sliced shitake mushrooms and the dried 'gourmet mushroom mix' from Costo. I chopped up the rehydrated mushrooms and added them along with a 1/2 cup of the mushroom water (replacing the 1/2 cup of water) and also added tablespoon or so of rice wine. Served with brown rice and chili crisp.

Dylan

Very tasty and alive with flavour. Ended up a bit too watery for me - I possibly used too many tomatoes but would cut down on the additional water next time to have a more concentrated flavour. Did add a few dashes of Shaoxing Rice Wine which did add a lovely acidity.

min

This is amazingly flavorful! I water sautéed the vegetables, omitting the neutral oil. I did add the sesame oil at the end...about 2 tsp total. I can't wait to make this again!

Cattails

So good! I was pleasantly surprised. Next time I’d fry the peppercorns in the oil first, then drain and powder them. Didn’t particularly enjoy the sudden crunch in this otherwise velvety stew. Highly recommend adding rehydrated wood ear mushrooms

Mark

I LOVE this recipe! I substituted ground beef instead of the Tofu. It turned out delicious and the Kids Loved !

Ellen

I wish you would offer specific substitutions for unusual ingredients. Provide an optional recipe where all the ingredients could be bought at the Watervliet Kroger. (Small town near Lake Michigan.)

Jen C

@Ellen doubanjiang is the only tricky one. I looked it up yesterday, and it seems to be generally a spicy fermented bean paste. I have a jar of fermented soy beans in my fridge. Fermented foods last basically forever in your fridge. Someday stop at an Asian grocery store and pick up a jar of some kind of fermented bean product. I’m going to add something spicy to that, like chili oil, and I feel like that would give me the flavor profile she is going for.

person

@Ellen If you are only able to go to one store, you will have to limit yourself to recipes that that store’s inventory will support. It’s not the recipe writer’s responsibility to customize every recipe to every regional supermarket in the US.

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