Cast-Iron Vegan Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos with Black Beans and Avocado
Set a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium coals or a medium camp stove flame. Cook diced onion and pepper for 6 minutes, brown crumbled tofu for 7 minutes, then stir in a spice mix and warm black beans alongside it. Pile it into warm corn tortillas with avocado, salsa and lime. It takes about 40 minutes start to finish.
This is a hearty plant-based breakfast that doesn't taste like a compromise. Tofu crumbles and browns in the skillet, and smoked paprika, turmeric and nutritional yeast give it a savory, golden, egg-scramble feel. Black beans make it filling enough to carry you through a morning hike.
It all cooks in one skillet and uses ingredients you can find in any grocery store. Mix the spices at home and the camp work is mostly chopping and stirring. The tofu needs the cooler, so this one is best for car camping and overlanding trips.
Cast-Iron Vegan Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos with Black Beans and Avocado
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium coals or medium flame
- Pack weight
- 4 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- One burner
- Low water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 12-inch cast-iron skillet
- Grill grate or camp stove
- Heat-proof spatula
- Cutting board and knife
- Can opener
- Clean kitchen towel
- Small mixing bowl
- Tongs
Steps
-
Press the tofu
Open the tofu, drain it and wrap it in a clean towel. Press it under a cutting board or a flat pan for 5 minutes to squeeze out water. Meanwhile, mix the paprika, cumin, turmeric, nutritional yeast and salt in a small bowl if you didn't do it at home.
-
Heat the skillet
Set the skillet over medium coals on a grate, or on a stove at medium. Add the olive oil and let it warm for about a minute until it shimmers.
-
Soften the vegetables
Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and just starting to brown. Stir in the garlic for the last 30 seconds.
-
Crumble and brown
Crumble the tofu into the skillet with your hands, in pieces about the size of a walnut or smaller. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring only every minute or so, so the edges can brown.
-
Season the scramble
Sprinkle on the spice mix and add 1/4 cup water. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes until the water is gone and the tofu is evenly golden. Add pepper and taste for salt.
-
Warm the beans
Push the scramble to one side of the skillet and add the black beans to the open side. Heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring the beans, until steaming hot. Move the skillet to the edge of the heat to keep everything warm.
-
Warm the tortillas
Set the tortillas right on the grate over the coals, or in a dry second pan on the stove. Heat 20 to 30 seconds per side until soft and flecked with char. Stack them in a clean towel to stay warm.
-
Build the tacos
Fill each tortilla with scramble and beans. Top with avocado, salsa, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and hot sauce. Eat them right away while everything is hot.
Trail Notes
Mix the paprika, cumin, turmeric, nutritional yeast and salt in a small jar at home. Dice the onion and pepper into a zip bag and keep it in the cooler for up to 2 days.
Keep the tofu at 40°F or below until you cook it. Cook it through until hot and steaming, and chill any leftover scramble within 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's above 90°F outside. Eat leftovers within a day.
No cooler? Use shelf-stable boxed extra-firm tofu, or two drained cans of chickpeas lightly mashed with a fork. The chickpeas need only about 5 minutes in the skillet. Check the tortilla label if you need this gluten-free.
Strain dish water through a mesh strainer and scatter it at least 200 feet from water, then pack out the food bits. Pack out avocado pits and skins, and the tofu packaging too. Don't leave scraps in the fire ring.
Round out your camp day
Picked to work with the same kit as this recipe.
LunchCampfire Beer-Simmered Brats in Cast Iron
DinnerCampfire Chili Mac Soup in a Dutch Oven with Cheddar and Corn Chip Crunch
Snack or treatCampfire Cheddar Jalapeño Stuffed Mini Sweet PeppersMore one-burner camping meals →Planning a trip? Get the free 3-day meal plan →
Campers ask
Do I have to press the tofu at camp?
A quick 5-minute press with a towel is enough. It keeps the skillet from steaming and helps the tofu brown instead of turning mushy.
Can I make a tofu scramble on a campfire?
Yes. Use a cast-iron skillet on a grate over medium coals, and keep the pan about 4 to 6 inches above the heat. If the oil smokes hard, slide the skillet off to the edge of the coals.
How do I keep tofu fresh while camping?
Keep it sealed in the cooler at 40°F or below and cook it within 2 days of packing. Once opened, cook it right away and don't leave it out.
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