This Curry Tofu Salad is a vibrant, flavorful, and realistic chicken salad substitute. Toss the “chicken” style tofu in the creamy curry sauce and layer it into lettuce cups for a refreshing and healthy lunch!
Creamy tofu salad with “chicken” style tofu
Still searching for vegan meal prep ideas? This Curry Tofu Salad would be a perfect option! It’s easy to make, so creamy and flavorful, and can be served with greens, in wraps, or stuffed into sandwiches. Bonus: it takes less than 1 hour to make and stays fresh throughout the week!
It’s made with crispy baked tofu, fresh vegetables, and a creamy sauce that’s boosted with curry powder and chutney. Every bite is bold, sweet, creamy, and crunchy!
If you are new to tofu, I have some recipes that will turn you into a tofu fanatic! Check out this Marinated Tofu (The Best Tofu Ever!), Peanut Tofu, or Perfect Fried Tofu.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Baked extra firm tofu – The “chicken” style tofu is tossed in cornstarch and oil, then baked until crispy. You don’t have to cook the tofu if you need the salad in a hurry, but I think it tastes better when it’s cooked first. Alternatively, 2 cans of mashed chickpeas, my vegan chicken, or storebought vegan chicken (like Tofurky) can be substituted for the baked tofu.
- Olive oil
- Cornstarch – Arrowroot and tapioca starch can be used instead.
- Salt
- Vegan mayonnaise – This is the base of the creamy curry salad dressing. You can lessen the oil in the recipe by using my oil free homemade vegan mayo.
- Curry powder – This flavorful and aromatic spice blend is the main flavor booster in this tofu salad recipe. Curry powder is made from a mix of Indian spices, like coriander, turmeric, cumin, ginger, fennel, red chilies, and more. It’s a necessary ingredient in vegan curry and can provide so much flavor to roasted cauliflower!
- Chutney or apricot jam – Or substitute half of a shredded apple or 2 tablespoons of agave or maple syrup.
- Celery
- Green onion
- Raisins – Or use dried cranberries, dried cherries, or leave them out if you want.
- Roasted cashews – Optional, but they give the salad a delicious crunch!
- Cilantro
How to make tofu salad
Press the tofu to remove the excess moisture, then rip the block into small chunks. Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, cornstarch, and salt. Lay the coated tofu on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy.
Next, make the salad dressing by whisking the vegan mayo, curry powder, chutney, salt, and black pepper together. Feel free to make the dressing ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for later!
Stir the cooked tofu pieces, celery, green onion, raisins, roasted cashews, and cilantro in the bowl with the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary, then serve!
Serving suggestions
Treat this creamy, filling salad just like vegan egg salad or vegan chicken salad. Scoop some over a bed of greens or into lettuce cups for a light lunch. It can also be stuffed into sandwiches, vegetable wraps, or enjoyed on its own with crackers or bread for dipping.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you press tofu? You can either use a tofu press or wrap the block in paper towels or a clean tea towel. Place a heavy plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, then put some heavy books or a cast iron pan on top of that. Let the tofu press for about 30 minutes.
- Should tofu salad be served cold or warm? It’s up to you. I find that the flavors get even better when the salad is left to chill in the fridge for a few hours but you can serve it as soon as it’s assembled with the freshly baked tofu.
- How long does it last? The leftover salad will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days when it’s stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It’s perfect for meal prep!
Want more creamy vegan salad recipes?
Curry Tofu Salad
Ingredients
"Chicken" Style Tofu
- 14.5 ounce block extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
The Rest
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo
- 1-2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons mango chutney or apricot jam
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- few shakes ground black pepper
- 1 rib celery, finely diced
- 1 green onion, chopped white and green parts
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup roasted cashew pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Instructions
For the tofu
- Press the tofu – Wrap the tofu in paper towels (or a clean dry tea towel). Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books or cast iron pan on top of that. Let the tofu press for about 30 minutes. You can skip this step if you buy the super firm variety in a vacuum pack.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the tofu into about 6 slices, then rip each slice into small chunks. You want a ripped texture, and it's okay if some of the tofu crumbles.
- Add the tofu pieces to a large bowl, then add the olive oil, cornstarch and salt and stir gently to combine. You want the tofu to be coated in the olive oil/cornstarch.
- Arrange in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and crispy on the outside. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the dressing and salad
- In a medium-large bowl whisk together the vegan mayo, curry powder, chutney, salt and black pepper.
- Next add the cooked tofu pieces, celery, green onion, raisins, roasted cashews and optional cilantro. Stir until well combined.
- Add more salt/pepper as desired. Serve on a bed of greens, in a sandwich, lettuce cups, wrap or with crackers. Enjoy! The salad will keep for 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
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Cook or no cook tofu – You don’t HAVE to cook the tofu if you want to make it faster and easier. You could simply chop the pressed tofu small or crumble it into the bowl with the dressing and other ingredients. I do think it tastes better when you cook it first.
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Use beans instead – Substitute 2 cans of mashed chickpeas for the tofu for chickpea curry salad. Or use my recipe for vegan chicken, chopped or store bought vegan chicken like Tofurky.
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Chutney or jam – Instead of chutney or apricot jam, you can substitute 1/2 of a shredded apple, or 2 tablespoons of agave/maple syrup.
This curry tofu salad is THE BEST! I used jalapeño pepper jelly instead of chutney and ate it on some homemade spinach wraps, love. Only problem is it only makes four servings 😁. So I will definitely be making a double batch next time. Thanks for the awesome vegan recipe!
You are welcome, Jill! Thank you for sharing your great idea and feedback! This is one of my very favorite salads!
Love this recipe!
That is so great! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This was so delicious and, as a former meat eater, really satisfied my chicken salad craving! The second time I made it, I added some red grapes that I cut in half…so good…and even better the next day!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and review!
Delicious!!! I love the chewiness of the baked tofu. Whole family enjoyed it.
Hi Cheryl. I’m so glad your family enjoyed the tofu salad. I love all the wonderful flavors in this recipe! Thank you for sharing your positive feedback and review!
I gobbled this down for lunch. It is delicious! This and your chickpea “chicken” salad recipe are the BEST vegan replica recipes I’ve tried (which is a lot!). Thanks, Nora. I’m so glad I found your blog two years ago.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you loved the salads!
This is so so good! Great way to have tofu! I could eat this everyday!
Me too! I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Oh, Nora. You’ve done it again. This turned out incredible. I’ve been hoping you’d do a curry salad and this one is perfection. My husband wanted to try it with soy curls, so I split the sauce mixture in two. Both the original tofu and the soy curls were equally delicious. Thank you so much!!!
Good to know it turned out delicious with soy curls as well! I’m so glad you loved the curry salad! I’m really excited about this recipe! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Nora you are an absolute genius!!! I have had this recipe saved for a while now. I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not. But I should have just made it when I found it. I have never made a recipe of yours that I didn’t like! I just made this for lunch tomorrow and I took a little taste. It is so good!! I used maple syrup and I didn’t have any raisins or green onions. Next time I will get green onions for it!! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!! Thank you!
Hi Shannon. Yahoo! I’m so glad you love the salad! If you like raisins, you will love it with the raisins! Thank you for your fabulous feedback and review! Enjoy lunch!
Made this Tofu Curry tonight – very fast and easy.
This salad is delicious and a little different twist on the tofu and chickpea salads. Lots of different textures and sweet and salty, crunchy really good.
Thank you for your sharing your detailed and flavorful feedback! I’m glad you loved the tofu salad! I agree that the flavors and crunchy are magnificent! Happy cooking!
Really good- definitely a winner for lunches
Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback, Kim!
Absolutely delicious! Reminded me of the vegan curry tofu that Whole Foods used to serve but I think this is much better! I used an air fryer for the tofu and it came out perfect. Didn’t have raisins or cilantro on hand but it didn’t matter. It was still delicious! Thanks, Nora! I’ll be making this weekly 🙂
Hi Pam. I’m thrilled you love the curry tofu salad, and that it will be part of your meal rotation! Thank you for sharing you wonderful feedback and ideas! Wishing you happy cooking!
This was fantastic! I have tried making a few different tofu curry salad recipes and they always seemed to miss the mark, but this was spot on! It reminded us of a vegan chicken curry salad that used to be sold at Whole Foods. My husband was so disappointed when they stopped selling it, so we are very happy to be able to make this at home now!
Hi Krystal. I’m thrilled to hear you love the flavor of the curry tofu salad! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!