This Korean tofu soup is made with silken tofu and veggies in a spicy gochujang broth! Its comforting, healthy, and can be on the table in about 30 minutes.
I came up with this recipe on a cold day this winter when I was craving some spicy, nourishing soup. Korean food is always perfect for those kinds of days!
This soup is inspired by soondubu jigae, a delicious Korean tofu soup, but my version probably isn't very authentic. Traditional Korean tofu soup includes an egg and potentially some meat or seafood. We're keeping things vegan here.
My version is spicy and loaded with healthy veggies, all of which happen to cook pretty quickly. We're also using silken tofu, which doesn't get cooked at all aside from a brief simmer in broth. All of that makes this soup quick and easy to whip up!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Peanut oil. Another neutral high-heat oil can be substituted if you'd like. Canola oil, vegetable oil, and avocado oil will all work.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Gochugaru. These Korean red pepper flakes may be available in the international section of your supermarket, or you may need to visit an Asian market. You could substitute with regular red pepper flakes if you'd like, or leave them out for a milder version of the soup.
- Low sodium vegetable broth. I like to stick with low sodium broth because some of the other ingredients in this soup are quite salty. You can add salt or extra soy sauce when the soup is done cooking if you think it's needed.
- Gochujang. This is a spicy fermented Korean chili paste. It will add so much spicy and umami flavor to your soup, so don't skip it. You may be able to find it at the supermarket (international aisle). If not, it can be found in Asian grocery stores.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos will also work.
- Rice vinegar.
- Zucchini.
- Shiitake mushrooms.
- Fresh spinach.
- Silken tofu. Choose firm silken tofu if it's available. If not, use soft tofu. For that matter, feel free to substitute with pretty much any tofu texture if that's your preference. Firm, extra-firm, and even super-firm tofu can be used, and optionally fried using this tofu frying method for an extra decadent version of this tofu soup.
- Toasted sesame oil.
- Sesame seeds.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Heat some oil in a pot and add diced onion. Sweat the onion for a few minutes, until it starts to soften up.
- Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and gochugaru. Sauté everything briefly, just until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and zucchini. Bring the liquid to a boil and let it simmer until the mushrooms and zucchini are tender.
- Finally, stir in the spinach and diced silken tofu. Let the soup simmer for just another minute or two, until the spinach wilts. Silken tofu is delicate, so be gentle when stirring.
Tip: You can vary the amount of gochujang based on how spicy you'd like your soup. If you're not sure how much to use, start with less. You can always taste-test the soup and add more at the end.
- Take the pot off of heat and stir some sesame oil into the soup. You can also adjust any other seasonings to suit your taste at this point — add salt to taste, more gochujang, soy sauce, or vinegar if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top it with some scallions and sesame seeds.
You can serve your Korean tofu soup alone, or with some sides like cooked rice or vegan kimchi.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover tofu soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
I don't recommend freezing this soup, as freezing can alter the texture of tofu.
More Vegan Korean Recipes
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Spicy Korean Tofu Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (or more, to taste)
- 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons gochujang (plus more, to taste - up to 4 tablespoons total - see Note)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned and sliced
- 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
- 4 ounces fresh spinach leaves (about 2 cups, packed)
- 1 (12.3 ounce/349 g) package silken tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Salt, to taste
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 scallions, sliced
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the peanut oil and place it over medium heat.
- Add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it becomes soft and translucent.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and gochugaru. Cook everything for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, gochujang, soy sauce, vinegar, mushrooms and zucchini. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 8 minutes, until the mushrooms and zucchini are tender.
- Stir in the spinach and tofu. Let the soup continue simmering just until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the sesame oil. Optionally, season the soup with salt to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to suit your taste, adding gochujang, soy sauce or rice vinegar if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve.
Notes
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This soup was pretty good, but if I made it again I'd reduce the broth by at least a cup. The flavors were spot on, but the broth could have been a little richer. My wife and I both loved it though and will definitely make it again.
i have soft tofu not silken Thinking about just using as it's already past best by date... just slice and dump in
I hope if works if not, I'll use this recipe another time
Soft tofu should work just fine! It'll obviously have a different texture, but otherwise won't affect the recipe at all. Enjoy!!
It was delicious.
Do you think this soup would freeze well in containers? Should i leave tofu out if going to freeze?
Yes, it should freeze just fine and I would leave the tofu out - freezing can mess with the texture of tofu. Enjoy!
I am a sucker for clear-broth, spicy, Asian-influenced soups, and this one is wonderful. Easy to make and easy to modify with what you have on hand. The second time I made it, I added a bit of leftover brown rice and some nice, crisp bok choy stems. Would also be good with rice noodles or ramen. If you like light, spicy soup for breakfast, as I do, this is perfect. Thank you for your lovely recipes.
Excellent! I love spicy dishes, and Korean spices and foods are a favorite.
This soups is so easy to prepare. I especially like that it’s a winter and summer soup.
Oddly, my ultra picky, omnivore husband liked it. Another success! Thank you!
I am very excited to try this recipe. I am reading some different theories about whether eggs are vegan, stating that hens are not slaughetered. What do you think? Thanks,
Karen M. Sheppard
Burlington, Vermont
Hi Karen! No, eggs are not vegan. A vegan diet eliminates all animal products, regardless of whether the animal is slaughtered. You may be thinking of a vegetarian diet, which can include animal products other than meat. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Eggs are unborn chickens. They have the right to live. Don't you think?
Only FERTILIZED EGGS are unborn chickens. Eggs commonly sold in stores have not been fertilized, but are still not Vegan as they are animal produced..
Eggs are vegetarian, but not vegan.
chickens are tortured for eggs ... so please stay away