Tofu Scramble With Black Beans and Corn

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated January 14, 2026

Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
Ready In
20 min
Rating
4(140)
Comments
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Dotted with hearty black beans, juicy corn and crunchy bell peppers, this tofu scramble is a valuable recipe to have in your weeknight dinner repertoire. Staple spices of cumin, turmeric and paprika deliver powerful flavor and color to the clusters of tofu. The corn and bell peppers are not cooked, but are simply tossed with the hot tofu, allowing the residual heat in the pan to soften them just enough to remove the raw taste. The spices are bloomed briefly in the olive oil to awaken and intensify their flavors, but take care to add the tofu promptly to avoid the spices burning. This is an adaptable and versatile dish that can be eaten as an easy lunch or dinner, with tortillas on the side, tossed with some baby spinach as a snacky salad, or with a fried egg on top for breakfast. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 (14- to 16-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu, drained and broken into 1-inch chunks

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels 

  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus 1 quartered lime for serving 

  • Handful cilantro leaves, chopped

  • ½ to 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced 

  • Warmed tortillas (optional), to serve

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

49 grams carbs; 461 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 21 grams fat; 13 grams fiber; 1075 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 6 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

    Place the cumin, turmeric and smoked paprika in a small bowl. 

  2. Step 2

    Heat a large skillet on medium for 2 minutes. Drizzle in the olive oil, add all of the spice mixture and, stirring constantly, allow the spices to bloom briefly until fragrant and darker in color, 10 to 15 seconds. Immediately add the tofu and garlic, and season generously with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Increase heat to medium-high and cook, tossing occasionally, until the tofu is golden around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes. 

  4. Step 4

    Turn off the heat. Add the corn, bell pepper and black beans to the skillet and toss to combine. Leave for about 3 minutes, allowing the residual heat to soften the corn and peppers slightly. 

  5. Step 5

    Add the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed

  6. Step 6

    Top with sliced jalapeño and serve with tortillas (if using) and lime wedges on the side.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
140 user ratings
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Comments

Will S.

Bland. I was excited by the ingredient list but when made it was on the dry and tasteless side. I added some guacamole and possibly salsa would have helped but I doubt I'll try again.

Katie S.

I usually love Hetty Liu McKinnon's recipes but this one was a miss for me. Quite simply it was bland. Texture was fine but I couldn't get past how flavorless the tofu was. I added some salsa and mashed avocado, which helped, but not enough to make me want to try this recipe again. The aroma was full of promise but the result was a letdown.

Silene

I make a very similar scramble, but it is not worth calling it a scramble (which evokes eggs as an ingredient) without the addition of Kala Namak salt. Once I became aware of this I have never make a tofu or any other “scramble” without it.

Maggie

Made this with one package of tofu which is standard for 4 servings - so 2 packages must be a typo in the recipe ingredients. Turned out great, not bland at all.

MH

The ingredients are there but order of operations as written sub optimal. This is what you do. Press the tofu. Cube the tofu. Set your oven to 425. Salt and pepper your tofu along with some olive oil and bake it for 25 minutes. While the tofu is baking, sauté the garlic with spices and add the corn and red bell pepper until softened. Make sure to salt appropriately. Add the beans. When the tofu is done, add it back in. Wait for this to cool a little then add the lime juice and cilantro on top. This was tasty. 1 block of tofu is plenty

Paul T

I decided to make this before reading the comments, but read them before starting and adjusted. Despite boosting spices, adding ancho chili powder, adding sauteed onion, 4X garlic, 3X lime juice it was still quite bland. I used a 14" cast iron skillet, but the volume of tofu was still far to much to crisp due to crowding. Ultimately a disappointing and fundamentally flawed recipe.

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