Yes, you read that right. Vegan Fried Egg. No, Sam has not turned into a mad scientist this week, but she has turned into a craving stomper.
When I posted my recipe for Vegan Toast Dipping Sauce (which is basically a vegan egg yolk), 2 things happened.
- I got flooded with messages from people raving about how dippy eggs were the only thing they missed since going vegan and now I have fulfilled their cravings. (Woot!)
- I got flooded with messages from people raving about the vegan egg sauce but also asking if I could make a fried egg version.
Craving stomper Sam, here to the rescue!
For my vegan friends who crave a fried egg, for anyone who wants to try an easy, fun, and playful recipe, or for a great April fool's day breakfast, I bring you my vegan fried egg.
And guess what, it's actually pretty darn eggy tasting!
To make a Vegan Fried Egg: Turn the block of tofu on its side and cut into 4 thin slices. Use the tip of your knife to cut off the corners of the tofu making it a rough circle. You could alternatively use a round cookie cutter, or just leave it as a rectangle.
Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the tofu slices in a single layer (you may have to work in batches). Fry the tofu a couple of minutes per side until lightly browned around the edges, flip and repeat on the other side.
Once the tofu slices are cooked, remove from pan and place directly onto plates or serving dishes. Use a small round cookie cutter, a shot glass, or the tip of your knife to cut a small circle in the middle of the fried tofu slices. Serve the slices on a plate and fill the holes with the Vegan Toast Dipping Sauce. Garnish with salt and pepper as desired. You can serve any leftover dipping sauce in a small dish on the side.
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Vegan Fried Egg!?
Servings: fried eggs
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Ingredients
- 1 recipe Vegan Egg Yolk
- 1 block (about 445g) medium-firm or firm tofu, drained
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- When preparing the Vegan Egg Yolk you can add 1 - 2 teaspoons more cornstarch if you want the yolk to be thicker.
- Turn the block of tofu on its side and cut into 4 - 6 thin slices. Use the tip of your knife to cut off the corners of the tofu making it a rough circle. You could alternatively use a round cookie cutter, or just leave it as a rectangle.
- Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add in the tofu slices in a single layer (you may have to work in batches). Fry the tofu a couple of minutes per side until lightly browned around the edges, flip and repeat on the other side.
- Once the tofu slices are cooked, remove from pan and place directly onto plates or serving dishes. Use a small round cookie cutter, a shot glass, or the tip of your knife to cut a small circle in the middle of the fried tofu slices. Serve the slices on a plate and fill the holes with the Vegan Egg Yolk. Garnish with salt and pepper as desired. You can serve any leftover dipping sauce in a small dish on the side.
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Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Alison says
I make this at our bed and breakfast! Guests love it!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We love that!
Emily says
My egg turned out a bit ugly for the first try, but the flavor was spot on. I used to like a fried egg with some avocado toast, and this replicated that dish for me. The trickiest part is slicing the tofu thin enough and making sure the yolk is not too thin, but with practice this has become an easy recipe in my rotation.
Annemarie says
I never liked eggs even when I did eat those things. But this is great including the dipping yoke, thanks
Agnes Chrismer says
I always loved soaking up my yoke with "buttery" toast, 20 years vegan and this is the biggest thing I missed. So glad I tried this one, it sure helped with the craving. Thanks bunches. I did try this a few years back when I first saw it on your website and I really loved it then, and I do make it several times a month and just don't remeber if I thanked you then. So again thank you
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Great review, thanks for sharing!
Carrie says
A fried egg is really the only thing I missed when I went vegan and this well and truly satisfied that craving!! I make this most weekends now, amazing!!
Krystal says
Amazing! So is the egg yolk sauce 🙂 I sprinkled some nooch, onion powder, and garlic powder over the tofu circles. I like to save the tofu “scraps” and turn them into a scramble the next day (and drizzle with more of the egg yolk sauce of course.)
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
Henry Lord says
I made this over the weekend and everyone like it, even my mother-in-law. This is a keeper recipe.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic!
Vina says
How can I get this to be "hard" and not the runny type of fried egg? Do I just use it from the fridge cold? I don't like runny eggs so I want to see how I can make it fried egg but the vegan yolk more solid...? Hope that makes sense, appreciate your feedback! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Vina, that would be a different recipe. It will get thicker in the fridge, but not like a cooked firm egg yolk. Instead, why don't you try the yolk from my Deviled Potatoes recipe? It's a very similar taste and texture to fully cooked egg yolk. Hope that helps!
Kat says
I had the same question.I don't like runny yolk either.
Rachael Smith says
This is my favorite weekend breakfast now! I have it with vegan bacon and orange juice. So satisfying!
JB says
Can't. Stop. Eating. Wow! Fabulous!
I couldn't bring myself to fry just plain tofu, so, after pressing, I dipped it in a quick marinade of water, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, onion powder and black salt before frying in Melt vegan butter. Yum!
I gave up trying to make it look like an egg and just started pouring the dipping sauce over the tofu, because anything that delays getting it in my mouth is not gonna happen.
Patti says
How have I not known about this for twelve years? So glad I found this recipe. I've missed fried eggs and this is the perfect replacement. Since Ive known about it, I've had fried eggs almost every morning for the last two weeks. I make up the yolk recipe and refrigerate it. Each morning I thinly slice the tofu, not even bothering to make it round, fry it in earth balance with salt, pepper and a little bit of black salt. After I flip it, I spoon the yolk on to heat up and enjoy a fried egg breakfast or sandwich! Yeah!
Emily says
I'm really excited to try this recipe! My bf is not vegan, still holding out for eggs every so often, but I hate having eggs in the house. The other ways I've seen of replicating yolks with squash and whatnot seems very time intensive and thus is not an easy 1 to 1 replacement for a fried egg. But making a batch of the eggy sauce ahead and keeping in the fridge will help with this!
I might try with frying a softer tofu, too. Thanks!
Lizzie says
I made this recipe using regular salt (I didn’t have black salt) and it was still so delicious! Thank you for sharing!!
sally says
I have ordered pink black salt. So glad to find your recipe for something that apparantly tastes eggish. I have experimented with various ways of making veggie scrambled egg -all ok, but this salt will likely improve it.
Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
Make sure the salt is also called kala namak. Enjoy!
Subru says
I am an indian, and I used to hate black salt! After turning vegan, it’s become a life saver
lesley says
This was really good. I added a pinch of black salt to each side of the tofu slices as I was frying them. I couldn't believe how much it tastes like an egg. The day I made the dipping sauce or "egg yolk," it didn't taste as eggy on it's own, but it paired with the tofu perfectly and definitely tasted like egg together with the tofu. The next day, the sauce tasted just as good on it's own. I recommend this recipe, and I'll make it again.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it, Lesley!! 🙂
Olivia B. says
I developed an egg allergy 8 years ago, and then coincidentally went vegan about a year ago. While I love tofu scrambles, I've really missed the yolky goodness of fried eggs. Made this recipe this morning and I am blown away by how eerily similar the yolk tastes... same consistency, same flavor, everything! It almost scared me a little. The tofu, which I fried with a little salt and pepper, also really replicates egg whites. Who knew this was possible! So easy, so good, and would be BOMB in a breakfast sammy! Thank you for this recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Olivia!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Monica says
Hi Sam,
The recipe looks great And I’m definitely going to try it. Just as a suggestion, try not to call foods or ingredients from other cultures “weird”. I grew up putting Kala Namak on a lot of things and being Indian, it’s not “weird” to me. Hearing you talk about international food that way reminds me of kids in my middle school always calling my home cooked food “weird” and I would just think that someone doing this in a public food forum would know better.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Monica, I meant that the fact kala namak smells and tastes like eggs is weird to me. Not that the ingredient is weird, it's a staple in my kitchen! I also think it's weird that jackfruit can look and taste like meat! 🙂
Laura says
My whole family loves a fried egg over rice with siracha for breakfast. I subbed the veg. oil with toasted sesame oil. It gave it a rich velvety texture. My children loved the egg sauce better than the real thing. You are so creative in the kitchen. We love all of your recipes! Thank you for helping me win back veganism in our household!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww I love that!! You're most welcome, Laura! So happy you and a your family love it so much 🙂
Laura says
Okay...I'll admit I was a bit skeptical, but this was amazing! I'm a real texture person, and this hit it out of the ballpark. The "egg white" was amazingly like the real thing, not to mention the yummy "egg yolk!" I used the excess as dipping sauce for my toast. WOW! I'm trying to figure out how to use the "yolk" mixture in something else. I'm thinking an egg drop soup would be delish. Maybe you have other suggestions that I haven't come across???
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! SO happy you loved it so much, Laura! I've used the egg yolk sauce in my bibimbap and my breakfast sandwich, and I've heard others have stirred it into their tofu scrambles. Hope that helps inspire you! 🙂
Kissy says
If you could turn the tofu into a “bowl” and make soft boiled eggs!
Sam Turnbull says
That would be fun 🙂
Parie says
My kids and I LOVED this! It is so good and to me, tastes like the real thing (though it has been awhile since I had the real thing). My kids don't know what eggs taste like, but they loved this. We had a lot of fun making & eating it. Thanks for the great idea!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha that's awesome, Parie! So happy you loved it 🙂
Nikita says
Thank you, thank you, Thank you ... if there has been one thing I've missed since becoming vegan, its been eggs. Took me a bit of time to find the correct black salt in South Africa, but so glad I kept trying. So easy to make and tastes amazing!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
That's so wonderful, Nikita!!! So happy you found the salt and enjoy the vegan eggs so much 🙂
L.J. says
I seasoned slices of tofu with the egg spice mix you made for tofu scramble and then drizzled them with the yolky dipping sauce. An amazing alternative to fried eggs.
Sam Turnbull says
Great idea!!