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    Recipes » Recipes » Lunch & Dinner

    Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry (GF)

    Last updated - July 14, 2021; Published - July 23, 2018 By Rhian Williams 17 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Breaded tofu katsu with vegetable and potato curry on a bed of white rice on a brown plate against a marble background

    This Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry is the best seriously satisfying, but deceptively easy dinner: think tender, crispy breaded tofu smothered in a rich, spicy curry sauce.

    A plate with rice, curry sauce and tofu katsu

    Japanese Curry is one of my favourite recipes - it's super comforting, filling, and just so flavourful. Adding some crunchy, golden sticks of Tofu Katsu really takes it to the next level.

    A plate with rice, curry sauce and tofu katsu from a close-up angle

    This Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry might look a little different to the ones you're used to seeing at restaurants, as lots of places serve Katsu Curry as a smooth curry sauce without vegetables.

    However, the traditional Japanese version of Katsu Curry is just a normal curry with vegetables and potatoes served with pieces of breaded meat or tofu.

    Homemade Japanese Curry is much easier to make than you might think, and it's just as rich, creamy, subtly spiced and salty-sweet as the traditional version, but much healthier. It also means you can easily make it gluten-free and refined sugar free, and it doesn't contain any MSG.

    A saucepan with potato, pea and carrot curry

    How to make Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry

    For the vegan katsu, I went with tofu as I love how it stays moist and tender on the inside whilst crisping up beautifully on the outside. My favourite way to make the tofu katsu, which strikes a good balance of speed, deliciousness and healthiness, is to pan-fry it in a small amount of oil.

    If that's still not healthy enough for you, I've also tested out several other ways to make the tofu katsu, and you can choose a method depending on your dietary requirements and how healthy you want to be. You can either:

    • bake it in the oven with a tiny amount of oil added
    • bake it in the oven oil-free (this worked surprisingly well)
    • cook in your air-fryer if you’re lucky enough to own one!

    4 sticks of breaded tofu katsu on a plate lined with baking paper

    How to make gluten-free Tofu Katsu

    Panko breadcrumbs work really well for this tofu katsu, but if you’re gluten-free you can:

    • make your own breadcrumbs by crumbling up gluten-free bread with your hands or in a food processor
    • use shop-bought gluten-free breadcrumbs
    • use crushed gluten-free cornflakes.

    A plate with rice, curry sauce and tofu katsu

    How to serve this Tofu Katsu Curry

    This Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry is best served with brown or white sticky rice. You can also serve it with pickled ginger or quick-pickled Chinese cabbage, and some fresh salad leaves drizzled with this Wagamama-Inspired Salad Dressing.

    For more vegan curries:

    • Chickpea Korma Curry
    • Chickpea Sweet Potato Peanut Curry
    • Cabbage Potato Curry
    • Eggplant Chickpea Peanut Curry
    • Chickpea Coconut Mango Curry
    • Tofu Satay Curry

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    A plate with rice, curry sauce and tofu katsu

    Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry (GF)

    This Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry is the best seriously satisfying, but deceptively easy dinner: think tender, crispy breaded tofu smothered in a rich, spicy curry sauce.
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Japanese
    Keyword: gluten-free japanese curry, tofu katsu curry, vegan japanese curry, vegan katsu curry
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 479kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the tofu katsu:

    • 400 g (14 oz) firm tofu (or sub silken tofu)
    • 4 heaped teaspoons gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 40 ml (⅕ cup) water
    • Salt + pepper, to taste
    • 30 g (1 oz) panko breadcrumbs (*see notes for gluten-free options)
    • 3 tablespoons rapeseed or vegetable oil (**see notes for oil-free and baked options)

    For the curry:

    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or sub vegetable or rapeseed oil)
    • 1 onion , diced
    • 2 cloves garlic , minced
    • 1 cm (½ inch) ginger , peeled and minced
    • 1 heaped teaspoon curry powder , to taste
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
    • 400 g (14 oz) potatoes , diced (new potatoes are best as they retain their shape and there’s need to peel them), diced (you can also substitute sweet potatoes)
    • Handful of frozen green peas
    • 200 ml (⅘ cup) tinned coconut milk
    • 1 vegetable stock cube (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • 1 teaspoon agave syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
    • 120 ml (½ cup) tinned tomatoes
    • 200 g (14 oz) French (green) beans , trimmed and halved
    • 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
    • Salt + pepper , to taste

    To serve:

    • Cooked brown or white sticky rice
    • Pickled ginger
    • Salad

    Instructions

    For the tofu katsu:

    • Drain and rinse tofu and pat dry with a paper towel
    • Cut the block of tofu into thirds horizontally, then each piece into 6 small rectangles
    • Mix together the flour and water in a bowl
    • Mix the breadcrumbs with salt + pepper and lay out onto a plate
    • Dip a piece of tofu into the flour and water mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs. Transfer onto a large plate
    • Repeat for the rest of the tofu
    • Heat up oil in a large frying pan and cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, occasionally turning over the pieces until crispy and golden
    • Transfer onto a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil

    For the curry:

    • Heat up coconut oil in frying pan and add onion, garlic and ginger once hot
    • Fry for about 10 minutes until softened
    • Add curry powder, cumin and turmeric and fry for a minute until fragrant
    • Add carrots, potatoes, frozen peas, coconut milk, stock cube, agave syrup and tamari, with enough water to cover
    • Bring to the boil then turn down heat and simmer for around 15 minutes, until potatoes are soft enough to gently pierce with a fork
    • Add the tinned tomatoes and French beans, and cook for a further 10 minutes
    • Dissolve the cornflour in a small amount of water in a separate bowl, before adding to the curry
    • Stir well and leave to heat gently for a further couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. If it's still looking too thin, do the same with more cornflour dissolved in water first and if it's looking too thick, add more water
    • Taste and add salt + pepper

    To serve:

    • Serve the curry and tofu katsu with brown or white sticky rice, pickled ginger, and a side salad
    • Leftovers keep well covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Store the tofu katsu and curry separately - reheat the curry in a pan or in the microwave, and reheat the tofu katsu in a dry frying pan

    Notes

    *Panko breadcrumbs work really well for this tofu katsu, but if you’re gluten-free you can:
    • Make your own breadcrumbs by crumbling up gluten-free bread with your hands or in a food processor
    • Use shop-bought gluten-free breadcrumbs
    • Use crushed gluten-free cornflakes
    **I tested out lots of different ways to make this tofu katsu, so you can choose which method you prefer depending on your dietary requirements and how healthy you want to be. You can either:
    • Pan-fry in a small amount of oil - this is the method stated above.
    • Shallow-fry in about 1 cm (½ inch) of oil - similar cooking time to the method stated above.
    • Bake in oven with a tiny amount of oil added - lay out tofu katsu pieces on a baking tray, drizzle over a small amount of oil or spray with oil. Bake at 180 degrees (350 degrees) for about 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
    • Bake in the oven oil-free (this worked surprisingly well) - lay out tofu katsu pieces on a baking tray. Bake at 180 degrees (350 degrees) for about 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
    • Cook in your air-fryer if you’re lucky enough to own one!
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry (GF)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 479 Calories from Fat 270
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 30g46%
    Saturated Fat 13g65%
    Sodium 563mg23%
    Potassium 899mg26%
    Carbohydrates 40g13%
    Fiber 7g28%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 16g32%
    Vitamin A 5505IU110%
    Vitamin C 25.1mg30%
    Calcium 230mg23%
    Iron 8.2mg46%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    More Lunch & Dinner Recipes

    • Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls (Vegan + No Yeast)
    • Tofu Burger (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan Sausage Rolls (Gluten-Free)
    • Gluten-Free Vegan Irish Soda Bread
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Bethan

      September 03, 2020 at 10:49 am

      5 stars
      Honestly 10/10, it’s like something from a restaurant. I’m shocked I even cooked this, love the flavours!
      I used medium firm tofu as I’m not a fan of the firm tofu and it broke apart but it still tastes great!
      Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        September 03, 2020 at 9:02 pm

        Thank you so much, so so glad you liked it!!

    2. Cat

      September 18, 2020 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      Really enjoyed this curry. It doesn’t taste like the traditional Katsu (in my opinion) and that’s for all the good reasons. it’s less salty, tastes less processed and oily/heavy. I didn’t feel like I needed the breaded tofu as the curry was lovely on its own with just rice. Another one for my recipe book 🙂

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        September 18, 2020 at 3:02 pm

        Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!

    3. imogen

      March 25, 2021 at 12:43 pm

      My 4 yr old son liked making the Tofu katsu, and enjoyed eating it and my husband was sold on the wagamama-inspired salad dressing, really loved it! I decided to oven bake Tofu katsu so i would have less mess, and would only have to focus on the curry and salad while setting the table!

      I supplemented different veg for the curry. I had no carrot and used purple yam (sweet potato)
      and purple cabbage- i think the end colour put my son off eating his food. Also I was generous with the curry powder forgetting the children would be eating and it was a little too hot for them. It would be amazing to have help with getting spice ( heat ) balance advice to create flavour for adult meals without overpowering a child's palate. thank you

      Your recipes are really helping my husband and I to reimagine dinner time and inspire us to eat healthily again. I just wish experimenting with flavours was not challenging for little people!!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        March 26, 2021 at 9:55 pm

        Thank you so much for your feedback!

        To make it less spicy, you can leave out the curry powder and just stick with the cumin and turmeric. It'll be plenty flavourful, but without the spice. Or you could cut back on the curry powder and just use a half or a quarter of the amount. I hope that helps!

    4. Parth

      February 24, 2022 at 6:15 am

      5 stars

      Reply
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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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