Vegan Jamaican Curry Tofu
Jamaican curry tofu is made with a few simple ingredients. It’s a rich and hearty vegan stew that can be made any night of the week.
This vegan Jamaican curry tofu combines the nostalgic flavors of Indian and authentic Jamaican spices with hearty chunks of tofu to make a filling and satisfying stew. It’s a meatless version of curried chicken that’s delicious when served with Jamaican Rice and Peas and a side of Cold Pressed Golden Mango Juice.
Curries are insanely popular in Jamaica. There’s a large population of people of Indian descent who have influenced some of our local dishes.
I grew up eating countless bowls of curries as we would have a dish at least once a week. This recipe is quick and easy to make any day of the week. You can also meal prep a huge batch for daily lunches.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Firm or Extra-firm Tofu – to improve the texture of tofu, freeze it in the package and thaw it before using. Tempeh is a good substitute for tofu.
- Jamaican Curry Powder – usually includes a blend of spices from Indian and Jamaican cuisine, but often with more turmeric. It’s sometimes called Indian curry powder. Bahola’s Indian Curry and Badia Jamaican-style Curry Powder are my favorite tried-and-tested brands.
- Scallions and thyme – fresh is best. Jamaican scallions have a more robust flavor than green onions and are used in traditional recipes. They have purple-colored roots. Use green onions or dried thyme if fresh is unavailable.
- Scotch Bonnet Pepper – often added to the pot whole and unbruised, then removed at the end of cooking. This allows the unique flavor from the pepper’s skin to infuse the dish without making it too spicy.
- Allspice – also called pimento in Jamaica. Freshly ground gives the best flavor, but preground is a good option.
- Vegetable Broth – can be substituted with vegetable bouillon cubes or Jamaican all-purpose seasoning and water. Mild jerk seasoning is also another option.
How To Make Jamaican Curry Tofu
- Cut tofu into cubes and season with curry powder, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a pan at medium heat. Add the tofu and cook until browned on all sides. Be careful not to burn the curry, which could result in a bitter aftertaste.
- Add the remaining ingredients, including vegetable broth (or water) and whole scotch bonnet pepper.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and carefully remove scotch bonnet pepper.
- Serve with plain rice or Jamaican Pigeon Peas and Rice.
Storage Suggestion
Tofu curry can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month. However, the texture of tofu may change after freezing.
More Jamaican recipes
- Jamaican Vegan Stew Peas
- Vegan Jamaican Patties
- Vegan Rasta Pasta
- Jamaican Easter Bun
- Vegan Jamaican Fruit Cake (with Alcohol-free Option)
Vegan Jamaican Curry Tofu
Servings: 3
Calories: 249kcal
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This easy vegan Jamaican tofu curry is made with only a few simple ingredients. It’s a meatless take on the classic Jamaican curry chicken recipe.
Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.
Ingredients
- 10 oz (300 g) extra firm tofu, or firm tofu, drained
- 2 tbsps (30 g) Jamaican Curry Powder, (see notes)
- 1 medium (61 g) carrot, chopped
- 1 medium (110 g) onion, chopped
- 2 stalks scallion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) fresh thyme
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) allspice, ground or crushed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp (30 ml) oil
- 1 cup (237 ml) vegetable broth, or water
Instructions
- Cut tofu into cubes and season with curry powder, minced garlic, salt and pepper.10 oz (300 g) extra firm tofu ,2 tbsps (30 g) Jamaican Curry Powder ,2 cloves garlic ,Salt and pepper
- Heat oil in a pan at medium heat. Add the tofu and cook until browned on all sides. Be careful not to toast the curry too much as this could result in a bitter aftertaste.3 tbsp (30 ml) oil
- Add remaining ingredients including vegetable broth and whole scotch bonnet pepper.1 medium (61 g) carrot ,1 medium (110 g) onion ,2 stalks scallion ,2 teaspoon (10 g) fresh thyme ,1 whole scotch bonnet pepper ,1 cup (237 ml) vegetable broth ,1/2 teaspoon (2 g) allspice
- Cover pot and reduce heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and carefully remove scotch bonnet pepper.
- Serve with plain rice or Jamaican Rice and Peas.
Full Recipe Video
Notes
- I recommend using a Jamaican-made brand of Indian curry powder for the best flavor. Bahola is a brand I usually buy in Jamaica. Badia Jamaican-style Curry Powder is the closest alternative.
- Freeze tofu in the package and thaw before using. This greatly improves the texture.
- When using a scotch bonnet pepper, be careful NOT to cut or bruise it. Scotch bonnet peppers are some of the hottest in the world.
- We often use scotch bonnet peppers in whole form then remove at the end of cooking. This allows the unique flavor from the skin of the pepper to infuse the dish without making it too spicy.
- More curry recipes: Vegan Thai Red Curry, Vegan Butter Chicken Recipe.
Tried this recipe? Upload a photo in the comments below!If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a rating. It really helps the blog.
Nutrition
Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3678IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
This is my go-to quick dinner and one of my favourites. My friends love it too!
Absolutely delicious. Made this tonight. So easy and flavorful. Added gandules (pigeon peas), and it all just worked. Thank you!!!! My husband loved it as well, and he is not vegetarian or vegan.
Thanks so much Adrian! It looks great. Well done!
Where I live I can’t get Jamaican curry powder. Can I instead make it myself by mixing equal parts of curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin and fenugreek (like in the bahola’s)? Or would you recommend another recipe?
Hi Jonah,
Here’s a good basic recipe to make your own: Jamaican curry powder.
this recipe looks delicious! I want to make this for my family, but since they’re sensitive to spicy food, I was wondering how spicy the whole scotch bonnet will make it?
It’s a pretty spicy ingredient so I would recommend leaving it out. Also, avoid any Jamaican curry brands that are marked “hot”.
Absolutely delicious !
Thanks Angelena!
I am having trouble pinning this recipe. It is due to the images not being able to load.
All of your recipes are making me hungry. I have to get the pepper and Jamaican seasoning.
Hi Holly, Are you having trouble on mobile? I tried it on desktop without any issues.
Just searching Pinterest for recipes and clicked on yours… To find the best written recipe ever. I am dyslexic and adding the quantities for the ingredients mentioned in each step makes it so much easier to read. I have never seen this before. Thank you I will definitely try this recipe now.
Thanks so much Helen! I’m glad you found it helpful. Enjoy the recipe!
Great dish my 10 year old has been vegan for almost 3 months band he loves it even more than I did! Added potatoes and some coconut oil instead of regular oil! Didn’t look at the serving amount would have doubled up because it was gone in 2 sit downs with me and my son!!
I’m happy you both enjoyed it Rashine. Thank you so much!
Hello Jhanelle. I was curious if I can replace the scotch pepper with a different type of pepper. Scotch peppers are hard for me to find.
Hi Howard, you could try habaneros or just use the jerk seasoning paste as it does contain some amount of scotch bonnet pepper but be careful of the spiciness level.
In the process of making it… smells great!! Another great Tofu dish to add to my list . Jamaican escovitch tofu , scrambled tofu now curry 🙂 p.s. I’m of Jamaican parentage from England. 🙂
Thanks Sophia! I hope you enjoy it. I’ve been meaning to try an escovitch version too.
Delicious! Thank you
No problem Hattie!
So easy to make. Me and hubby enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for your feedback!
This tofu curry was delicious. I had to hide the leftover in the fridge so I will have it for dinner tomorrow. I will definitely be making it again as well
as sharing the recipe with my family and friends. I am also a Jamaican. I will look for you on Instagram.
Thank you so much Shereen! So happy you enjoyed it!
Hi Jhanelle, all of your food look DELISH!!!! Many people hear “vegan” food and automatically assume it’s not good, there’s no flavor, just some kind of bland sparse salad and a whole bunch of other wrong assumptions, when in truth they have no clue on just how DELICIOUS vegan/plant-based food is!!!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful dishes/recipes! I look forward to trying a few of them.
Your comment means a lot Sharon! Thank you so much!
I loved the recipe. Easy to prepare and full of flavours!
Thanks for giving it a try Keren! I’m glad you liked it.
This is an amazing dish and super easy to make. It took me a bit to find the right peppers, but now I buy them at an Asian supermarket and freeze them so that I can keep them on hand. I probably make this curry once a month or more.
Thanks so much for trying it Daniel and for the tip about the Asian supermarket. I never would have guessed you could find them there!