15 minute Tofu Noodle Soup (Easy Vegan Recipe)

There is nothing quite like a good soup, and this 15-minute Vegan Tofu Noodle soup is healthy, easy and nourishing. Make a warming sesame peanut vegetable broth and pour it over some udon noodles, Chinese cabbage, julienne carrot, green onion and crispy marinated tofu. Top it with sesame oil, spring onion, coriander and sesame seeds for a yummy and speedy dinner or lunch.

I think you'll love this speedy soup because it uses very simple ingredients to create a wonderfully warming soup that is full of flavour, and ready in no time. Perfect for a cold day, this classic soup is made with plant-based ingredients and is one of my favourite comfort foods. You'll find everything you need easily at the grocery store, and the cook time of just 15 minutes makes it a great option for meal prepping.

If you follow the instructions in order we can speed through the cooking. We slice the veggies while the soup base is simmering away, saute the tofu for just a few minutes to warm it, add some noodles and we're done!

Some other great noodle soup recipes I have for you to try are this super Easy Laksa Recipe, or this yummy Prawn (Shrimp) Coconut Noodle Soup, which are all a complete meal.

Ingredients you'll need to make this vegan version of Tofu Noodle Soup

Vegetable Broth (soup base):

• ¼ bunch green onion (scallion)
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 4 tablespoon peanut butter (smooth preferred)
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 8 cups vegetable stock (vegetable broth). For best results I use Massel Australia vegetable stock powder because I love the flavour and always keep it in my pantry, but you can also use a stock cube.

For the Filling:

• 400 g marinated extra-firm tofu. The satay flavour works well, but you can use other flavours if you like (for example, honey soy), and or use tempeh or smoked tofu if you can get access to it. Plain extra firm tofu also works but won't have the same flavours, so you might want to marinate it yourself first, and use a tofu press.
• 1 carrot
• ½ baby wombok cabbage
• 400 g udon noodles (wok ready)

To Serve:

• ¼ bunch coriander (cilantro)
• 1 lime - serve a lime wedge or two with each bowl
• ¼ bunch green part of green onion (scallion or spring onions)
• 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon sesame seeds

See the recipe card for full details and serving variations.

Substitutions and Add-ins

• Dark soy sauce: Substitute for tamari for a gluten-free option.
• Peanut butter: Substitute for almond butter or tahini for a peanut-free option.
• Vegetables: You can use any crisp vegetable, like red capsicum (red bell pepper), pak choy, snap peas or bean sprouts. Slice the vegetables into small pieces so the stock will cook them through. If you want to use a larger vegetable like bok choy, then add it to the stock with the noodles so it cooks for longer.
• To make a creamy version of this soup, add coconut milk to the vegetable stock when cooking over medium-low heat.
• Stock: Because a lot of stock powder is vegan, you can use vegan chicken broth powder to make this a vegan chicken noodle soup recipe. You could also try miso paste to create a miso soup base.
• Noodles: I use wok-ready udon noodles, which are wheat-based noodles, but you can use any fresh noodles like wok-ready rice noodles, fine vermicelli rice noodles, soba noodles or egg noodles. It is of course possible to use dried pasta,but you will need to cook it with the broth, and cook the broth for longer, or use cooked pasta.
• Aromatics: Feel free to get creative with this recipe as it is really versatile, and will carry any aromatics you want to add like fresh ginger, tomato paste, bay leaf or star anise. Nutritional yeast will also add a depth of flavour to the broth.
• To serve: Add lemon juice, black pepper, olive oil and a pinch of salt to add flavour when serving.

How to make Tofu Noodle Soup

1. Prepare the Ingredients:
   • Finely slice the white part of green onions at an angle and then thickly slice the green part.
2. Prepare the Soup base:
   • Place a large pot on high heat and add sesame oil and the white part of green onion.
   • Once fragrant, add peanut butter, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine.
   • Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
3. Prepare the Tofu:
   • Place a frying pan on medium-high heat.
   • Slice tofu into 1 cm pieces, then fry tofu cubes for a minute each side until warm and golden brown. Set crispy fried tofu aside in the pan, off the heat.
4. Prepare for Serving:
   • Finely julienne the carrot.
   • Finely slice the cabbage.
   • Roughly chop the coriander.
   • Slice the lime into wedges.
5. Cook the Noodles:
   • Once the broth is boiling, add wok-ready noodles and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Assemble the Soup:
   • Add cooked tofu, carrot and cabbage portions to each bowl.
   • Use tongs to transfer cooked noodles to each bowl.
   • Ladle over the hot soup base.
   • Serve with the rest of the ingredients; coriander, green onions, a drizzle of dark soy and sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
   • Squeeze lime juice from wedges.

Serve Hot: This soup is best served piping hot. Make sure to serve it immediately after assembling it to enjoy it at its best.

Kid-Friendly Variations

• Kids may prefer noodles, tofu and carrot served separately, and skip the intensely flavoured stock (soup base) if it is too salty.

How to Store Tofu Noodle Soup

This soup can make great leftovers. Store the leftover soup broth, noodles, and toppings separately in an airtight container in the fridge, and assemble when you're ready to enjoy it again.

Equipment

You will need a pot, a stovetop, a frying pan.

More Noodle Soup Recipes

If you like this recipe, you should also try my Fast Beef Pho for a quick and speedy (but still very tasty) version of Pho, or this Chicken Dumpling Soup.

Recipe