Vegan Poke Bowl ヴィーガンポケ丼

With savory pan-fried tofu, vibrant vegetables, and brown rice, this beautifully crafted Vegan Poke Bowl makes the perfect midweek meal. It’s healthy, delicious, and super easy to make. Ready in 20 minutes! 

Cooking up healthy meals to keep my family nourished has always been a priority of mine. It is more important than ever to help you eat well and feed your family well.

Today I have this delicious, quick-to-make, nutritious and mood-boosting Vegan Poke Bowl recipe for you.

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Poke Bowl

I like to think of poke bowls as a brilliant adaptation of sushi and rice bowl in one. While traditional poke bowls feature raw fish, we can definitely go without the fish and still enjoy this bright flavored, Hawaiian-influenced dish. Take cues from this vegan poke bowl – it has all the fresh flavors and textural factors.

There are just so many reasons to love this recipe:

• Super easy and quick to make – literally 20 minutes to put together!
• Fresh, healthy ingredients for your body and soul.
• Pan-fried tofu in a spicy and savory sauce… the bomb!
• Meal-prep friendly!
• No sashimi-grade fish involved, but it’s very fulfilling, even for a big man like Mr. JOC.

Savory Poke Sauce for Tofu

Since tofu is the featured player in the vegan poke bowl, you need to season it with a good sauce. My sauce is very simple and uses only 4 condiments:

1. Soy sauce
2. Rice vinegar
3. Sesame oil
4. Chili sauce/paste of your choice – I used an Indonesian chile paste, sambal oelek, but you can substitute with sriracha sauce.

When combining them together, you get a savory, tangy, nutty sauce with a nice touch of heat. It’s also plenty to go around to elevate the flavor of the bowl.

The Right Vinegar for All Japanese Recipes

Because of the simplicity of the sauce, you’ll want to use the right vinegar for this recipe.

As a matter of fact, I exclusively use Mizkan Natural Rice Vinegar in my cooking, just like my mom and my grandma did, and always recommend my readers to use it. Genuinely crafted with real organic ingredients, the rice vinegar has a mild tang, refreshing aroma, the right amount of acidity, and does not overpower a dish. It is the perfect accent to any meal and makes it easy to create authentic recipes at home.

If you wish to replicate the uniquely delicious flavor of Japanese cooking, I cannot emphasize the importance of getting quality rice vinegar. It is one of the 6 must-have Japanese condiments after all! Whether you’re looking to create a modern recipe, like this Vegan Poke Bowl, or try your hand at a more traditional meal, I always recommend using Mizkan.

How to Make Vegan Poke Bowl (3 Simple Steps!)

1. Cook the tofu and season it: Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes and pan-fry them. Add seasonings and let them absorb all the delicious seasonings!
2. Prepare the vegetables: See my tips below.
3. Assemble the rice bowl: Serve steamed rice in a large bowl, and then start topping with bulky ingredients, like pan-fried tofu, avocado, and shredded cabbage. Then top with lighter ingredients like julienned carrot, edamame, and sliced cucumbers. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallion, and it’s done!

3 Helpful Tips

1. Decide what type of tofu to use

After trying different tofu for the Vegan Poke Bowl, my family liked these two types of deep-fried tofu.

The deep-fried firm tofu on the left is our favorite choice for the poke bowl. It is denser than “firm” tofu. The fried crust not only keeps its shape but also gives delicious savory flavor. Once you cut it into cubes, the inside is tender and absorbs all the delicious sauce! You can purchase this type of tofu in the refrigerated section in regular (American) grocery stores.

The right tofu is a common crispy, fried tofu puffs that you can find in Asian grocery stores. It can also be called deep-fried tofu squares or sponge fried tofu. These fried tofu puffs are made with crispy tofu skin that acts like a sponge. It’s great in absorbing flavors, but you may feel you’re eating air as it lacks the tofu texture.

2. Choose a variety of colorful toppings

For a speedy preparation, I pick a rainbow range of vegetables that are ready to eat raw. Not only you cut down on cooking time, but these fresh, crisp vegetables also provide a nice contrast to the tender steamed rice and tofu. The result is a well-balanced, exciting bowl that is packed with flavors and textures.

In this recipe, I added avocado, carrot, cucumber, edamame, red cabbage, scallion, and watermelon radish. Feel free to switch up with different vegetables such as sunflower sprouts, ready-made pickles, cherry tomatoes, red radish, or mango!

3. Consider the construction and composition

The poke bowl is meant to showcase fresh ingredients and colorful vegetables in a beautifully presented bowl. So it’s worth thinking about how you would want to prepare the vegetables or toppings. – whether thinly sliced or artfully cubed – they should be easily mixed in together when you eat.

When assembling the bowl, arrange the ingredients to highlight a spectrum of colors. Mix and dig in only when ready to eat!

How to Serve Vegan Poke Bowl

There are so many different and fun ways to serve this Vegan Poke Bowl. You can leave out the rice for a lighter poke bowl, or toss in mango or pineapple cubes for some tropical vibe, or top with some shredded seaweed or pickled ginger. The bowl is yours to enjoy!

More Japanese Vegan Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• Vegetarian Udon Noodle Soup
• Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi (Rice Bowl)
• Soba Noodle Salad
• Creamy Miso Pasta with Tofu and Asparagus
• Vegan Miso Soup

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Vegan Poke Bowl

4.70 from 36 votes

With savory pan-fried tofu, vibrant vegetables, and brown rice, this beautifully crafted Vegan Poke Bowl makes the perfect midweek meal. It's healthy, delicious, and super easy to make. Ready in 20 minutes! 

Print Pin

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Pan-Fried Tofu

• ▢ ⅛ onion (2 oz, 57 g)
• ▢ 1 block deep-fried firm tofu cutlet (atsuage) (6.5 oz, 184 g)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ ½ Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) (I used Mizkan Natural Rice Vinegar)
• ▢ 1 tsp Sambal Oelek Chili Paste

For the Vegan Poke Bowl

• ▢ 1 carrot (3.5 oz, 100 g)
• ▢ ¼ English cucumber (2 oz, 57 g)
• ▢ ½ watermelon radish (2.5 oz, 70 g)
• ▢ ⅛ head red cabbage (3 oz, 90 g)
• ▢ 2 green onions/scallions (1 oz, 30 g)
• ▢ ½ avocado (3.5 oz, 100 g)
• ▢ 1 lime
• ▢ 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain brown rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)
• ▢ 2 Tbsp shelled edamame (1 oz)
• ▢ ½ tsp toasted black sesame seeds
• ▢ ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Instructions

 

Before You Start…

• For the steamed brown rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain brown rice in a rice cooker or Instant Pot.
  
• Gather all the ingredients.
  

To Make the Pan-Fried Tofu

• If you want to serve hot tofu, start preparing the vegetables first (scroll down) and come back to this step later. Otherwise, thinly slice ⅛ onion.
  
• Open the package of 1 block deep-fried firm tofu cutlet (atsuage) and remove any moisture with a paper towel. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces, about 12 pieces.
  
• Heat 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the white onion.
  
• Sauté until the onion is coated with oil. Then, add the tofu cubes.
  
• Once the tofu is coated with oil, add 3 Tbsp soy sauce, ½ Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) (I use Mizkan Natural Rice Vinegar), and 1 tsp Sambal Oelek Chili Paste.
  
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and coat the tofu with the sauce. Turn off the heat and remove it from the stove once the tofu is well-coated with the sauce.
  

To Prepare the Vegetables (Toppings)

• Julienne the carrot: Cut 1 carrot into thin slabs and then cut into julienne strips. I use this julienne peeler and cut in half lengthwise.
  
• Peel ¼ English cucumber, leaving some part unpeeled (so it looks nice), and cut into thin slices.
  
• Peel ½ watermelon radish and cut into thin slices.
  
• Remove the tough core of ⅛ head red cabbage and thinly shred.
  
• Diagonally cut 2 green onions/scallions into thin slices.
  
• Gently peel ½ avocado and cut into ½-inch slices.
  
• Then cut the avocado into cubes. Cut 1 lime in half and squeeze the juice over the avocado to prevent it from browning.
  

To Assemble the Vegan Poke Bowls

• Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain brown rice in individual large bowls. Place the bulky ingredients on top first, such as the pan-fried tofu, avocado, and red cabbage. Then, divide and add the rest of the ingredients: The carrot, cucumber, radish, cabbage, and 2 Tbsp shelled edamame. Divide and sprinkle ½ tsp toasted black sesame seeds, ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds, and the chopped green onions on top.
  

Nutrition

Calories: 639 kcal · Carbohydrates: 81 g · Protein: 25 g · Fat: 16 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Sodium: 1096 mg · Potassium: 1205 mg · Fiber: 15 g · Sugar: 9 g · Vitamin A: 9030 IU · Vitamin C: 54 mg · Calcium: 337 mg · Iron: 5 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: rice bowl, tofu, vegan

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