Vegan Tofu Gyoza (ビーガン豆腐餃子)
These vegan gyoza are perfectly crispy, chewy, juicy comfort food. Filled with 9 simple ingredients but so delicious, healthy, and satisfying!
Gyoza is one of those dishes that you just never get sick of. (At least I never do.) The combination of the crispy bottom, chewy skin, and juicy filling just screams comfort to me, different from the way loaded vegan pizzas or vegan mac & cheese does. American comfort food is delicious in its own right, but often leaves me feeling lethargic, bloated and thirsty from sodium-overload, and with an uncomfortable food baby. On the other hand, Asian comfort food usually leaves me with more time to enjoy the food before I hit a food coma. There’s also a higher chance of some kind of vegetable to appear, which always makes me feel slightly better — like, yes, I’m eating vegetables, this is an acceptable dinner, I have more than one food group in this meal, nutrients yay!
Asian food is so good that it’s basically all just comfort food to me on some degree, but my favorites would have to be ramen, korokke, curry, my peanut miso soup, and gyoza. I have one other gyoza recipe on my blog already, but that one was made with lotus root (I love the crunch it gives). Traditionally gyoza is made with ground pork, so I thought I should have a recipe slightly more similar to a traditional Japanese gyoza. That being said, these are obviously not made with pork, but they do have a chewy, meaty texture which I find quite satisfying.
The Secret to “Meaty” Texture!
Frozen tofu! If you haven’t tried frozen tofu, you are missing out big time. Frozen tofu is magical. The texture changes completely and it becomes like a sponge and soaks up flavors so well! (It’s really good for making vegan karaage, too.) Just stick a block of tofu (drained and placed in a freezer-safe bag for best results) in the freezer until solid, then thaw in the fridge a day or two before using, or boil in water for 10 minutes or so until thawed all the way through.
Of course, you can use fresh firm tofu as well, it just won’t have as much of a chewy texture. You will also need to press the tofu well to get rid of excess water. I recommend using a nut milk bag* to press out the water.
Ingredients
- Tofu ⟶ Frozen (and thawed) tofu will produce a meatier texture and soaks up the flavors more, but you can also just press fresh tofu if you want a softer texture.
- Chinese/garlic chives ⟶ They should be very long stalks (look for them in an Asian market) OR replace with green onions if you can’t find chives.
- Shiitake Mushrooms ⟶ Add a chewy, meaty texture and nice Japanese flavor, but can be replaced with other types of mushrooms.
- Cabbage ⟶ bulks up the filling and adds a slightly crunchy texture
- Garlic & Ginger ⟶ for extra flavor
- Soy Sauce, Miso, & Sesame Oil ⟶ Add umami and deepen the flavor.
- Gyoza Skins ⟶ Check the packaging to make sure it doesn’t include egg OR use wonton skins OR make your own.
More Classic Japanese Dishes!
- Lotus Root Gyoza
- Air-Fryer Korokke
- Spicy Miso Eggplant Tofu
- Air-Fryer Karaage
- Spicy Miso Ramen
- Curry Udon
- Japanese Tofu & Eggplant Ginger Stir Fry
- Hayashi Rice
I hope I’ve inspired you to make this vegan tofu gyoza! If you try it out, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking! I love seeing all of your tasty recreations 🙂 Happy cooking! ♡
Vegan Tofu Gyoza
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz block firm tofu** thawed if frozen
- 1 cup cabbage chopped
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms** rehydrated and chopped
- 1 cup garlic/Chinese chives** chopped
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp
soy sauce* - 1 tbsp red or white miso
- 1 tsp
sesame oil* - 1 pinch of black pepper
- 30 gyoza skins** may need a few more or less
Dipping Sauce**
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- thinly sliced ginger optional
Instructions
- If using frozen tofu, make sure your tofu is completely thawed. To do this, you can take the tofu out of the freezer a night or two before and thaw in the fridge. Or, if you don't have that much time, boil in water for 10 minutes or so until thawed all the way through.
- Mix together dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Parcook Veggies: Add cabbage (and shiitake mushrooms if using fresh) to a microwave-safe bowl with a tablespoon of water, cover, and microwave 1-2 minutes, until cabbage is slightly tender but still crisp (mushrooms should be slightly soft and start to release some liquid).
- Remove Excess Liquid: Let the veggies sit until cool enough to handle, then use your hands to squeeze out excess liquid.
- Mix: Crumble tofu into a big mixing bowl and add in the cooked veggies, chives, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, miso, sesame oil, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Make Gyoza: Lay out the gyoza skins on a clean surface and place a dollop of filling in the center, making sure there is still room to fold up the skins.
- Lightly dip your index finger in water and wet the edges of the gyoza skins. This will help the skin stick together when you fold them up. Fold and crimp your gyoza skins so that no filling is falling out. Repeat until you use up all the filling.
- Cook Gyoza: Heat a pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil (about 1 tbsp). Add gyoza to the pan, flat side-down, making sure they don’t touch each other. Fry the bottom of the gyoza for 1-2 minutes until crispy and browned on the bottom, then add about 1/4 cup water (or reserved shiitake liquid) to the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium low and steam for 3-5 minutes or until water evaporates and gyoza skins are transparent. Remove from pan and repeat the process with remaining gyoza.
Notes
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