Curried tofu salad: Quick & easy vegan lunch

Flavorful curried tofu salad comes together in just ten minutes. It’s filled with shredded carrot, celery, and onion in a seasoned mayo dressing.

There’s a bit of sweetness from raisins, and crunch from pistachios. Enjoy it on its own, in a sandwich, or wrap. Vegan and gluten-free.

When you need a substantive, protein-packed lunch in a hurry, you can’t beat the convenience of curried tofu salad. It’s great for picnics and fast lunches.

No stove is required. Just some chopping & stirring, and you’re there.

It’s a terrific no cook meal with kitchen staples. That’s handy when it’s just too hot to turn on the stove (or if your power goes out!)

This dish is based on one of my favorite prepared salads at my local Co-op. With carrots, celery, onions, and raisins, it has a wonderful mixture of sweet and savory flavors.

Ways to enjoy it

This dish can be eaten in a variety of ways:

• Spoon it onto a sandwich
• Roll it into a tortilla
• Add dollops to lettuce leaves
• Stuff it into a tomato
• Spread it onto crackers
• Pile it alongside a green salad
• Eat it right out of the bowl

What kind of tofu should I use?

For this recipe, I like to use super firm tofu in vacuum packaging. Because it isn’t packed in water, it doesn’t have to be pressed first, which is really convenient.

This recipe calls for 10 ounces of tofu. So you can either buy a 10 ounce package, cut down a larger block & weigh it with a kitchen scale, or eyeball it.

Wildwood and Trader Joe’s make vacuum-packed tofu. Trader Joe’s vacuum-packed tofu comes in 16 ounce packages. So you’ll need a little more than half.

Only have water-packed tofu in the refrigerator? No problem. Just follow these directions first on how to press tofu.

Once a 14-ounce package of water-packed tofu is pressed, you’re left with about 10 ounces of tofu. That is just what you’ll need for this recipe.

Which curry powder to use?

For this lunch offering, I use the sweet curry powder from Penzey’s. Then I sprinkle in cayenne to taste for added kick.

I also like Penzey’s hot curry powder, as well as S & B.

If you have a favorite curry powder, by all means, use it. Then adjust the cayenne, depending on the heat of your particular curry powder.

How to make it

Here’s what you’ll need for this tofu salad.

1. Put diced tofu into a bowl with sliced celery, shredded carrot, chopped onion, raisins, and pistachios.
2. Stir in vegan mayo, sweet curry powder, non-dairy milk, maple or agave syrup, and cayenne.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can eat it right away. But I recommend putting it in a covered container in the refrigerator and allowing the flavors to meld and deepen for several hours or overnight.

Make it your own

You can easily personalize this salad to suit your preferences by making some simple tweaks.

• Instead of tofu, use chickpeas or seitan chicken
• Replace store-bought mayo with homemade
• Instead of yellow onion, use spring onions
• Use cashews, almonds, or toasted pine nuts in place of pistachios
• Instead of maple syrup, use agave

What should I serve with it?

This tofu salad plays well with any of the following dishes:

• Fall salad with apples & vegan feta
• Easy spinach salad
• Salad with persimmons 
• Baked fries
• Broccolini with garlic and kale
• Samosas & apple chutney

Can I make it ahead of time?

Absolutely!

Curried tofu salad is great for meal planning, because the flavors meld, deepen, and improve with time. I think it tastes best on day two!

Make a batch on Sunday. Then enjoy it throughout the week in sandwiches, wraps, or right out of the refrigerator on its own.

It will last for four or five days in the refrigerator in a covered container. If it seems dry, add another spoonful of mayo & pinch of salt.

More easy mayo-based salads

Looking for more quick and easy mayo-based salads? Here are some other dishes I know you’ll love.

• Vegan tuna salad
• Vegan egg salad
• Vegan chicken salad
• Potato salad
• Coleslaw
• Pasta salad

Curried tofu salad

Now here's an easy lunch! With carrots, onions, and raisins, this dish has a wonderful mixture of sweet and savory flavors. Eat it on its own, put it in a sandwich, or add it to a wrap.

4.8 from 5 votes

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: Indian, Vegan

Keyword: easy lunch, no oven

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 10 ounces super-firm vacuum-packed tofu cut into ½ inch cubes*
• ▢ 1 stalk celery sliced
• ▢ 1 small carrot grated
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons yellow onion chopped small
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons raisins
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons pistachios
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons vegan mayo Vegenaise is my favorite.
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon plain unsweetened non-dairy milk I use cashew milk.
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon maple syrup or agave syrup
• ▢ Pinch cayenne pepper
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ Pepper to taste

Instructions

• ▢
  Put tofu, celery, carrot, yellow onion, raisins, and pistachios in a medium sized bowl.
• ▢
  Top with vegan mayo, sweet curry powder, non-dairy milk, maple or agave syrup, and cayenne. Stir to combine, being careful not to break up the tofu too much. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• ▢
  The tofu salad can be eaten right away. However, for best results, cover and refrigerate it. Allow the flavors to meld for several hours or overnight. The flavors will continue to deepen. I like this tofu salad best after two days.

Notes

I like to use the Wildwood or Trader Joe's vacuum-packed tofu, because it doesn't need to be pressed before using. 

Wildwood sells 10-ounce packages of vacuum-packed tofu. If you have a 16 or 20 ounce package, cut it down to size & weigh it with a kitchen scale or eyeball it. 

If you use water-packed tofu, press it first. After pressing it you'll be left with about 10 ounces of tofu. That's just what you need for this recipe, and you can use all of it.

Here's more information on how to press tofu.

Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about four days. If it seems dry, add another spoonful of mayo & pinch of salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2161IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Content, recipe, and photos updated June 21, 2021. Originally posted December 18, 2014.