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    Oh My Veggies » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Main Dishes

    Crispy Vegetable Buns With Tofu

    Published: Oct 14, 2021 · by Nicole · Updated: Mar 5, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These crispy vegetable buns with tofu are crunchy, flavorful and fun to make from scratch! A vegan alternative to Sheng Jian Bao, they are guaranteed to impress served with a sauce of your choice. They feature a fluffy and chewy dough, a tofu filling with veggies for crunch, and are panfried to crispy perfection!

    Vegetable buns with tofu

    Crispy vegetable buns with tofu

    I absolutely love making dumplings from scratch. It’s so much fun, and even though it’s not always the quickest process, it always makes for a fun weekend project! And these crispy vegetable buns just happen to be a new favorite of mine.

    Crispy tofu buns with scallions on a plate

    These are inspired by Sheng Jian Bao, a Chinese steamed dumpling variety which is typically filled with pork. I made a tofu and vegetable filling that has a lot of flavor and a ‘meaty’ texture that makes for a great plant based alternative to pork without having to use store bough meat substitutes.

    Crispy buns with vegetables and tofu

    The dough is light and fluffy, but still has a bit of chewiness to it. They are panfried and steamed to create the most amazing texture. The dough remains light, but also crunchy on the outside. I’m sure you’ll love these vegan buns if you try them out!

    How to make vegetable buns from scratch

    Make the dough

    Start by making the yeast mixture. Mix together plant based milk, yeast and sugar. Whisk together, and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. Meanwhile, add baking powder and salt to plain flour in a large bowl.

    Yeast mixture in a bowl
    Eggless dough for crispy buns

    When the yeast mixture is ready, add water and rice vinegar. Mix together, then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together using a spatula until the dough starts to clump together, then add the olive oil and continue mixing and kneading using your hands for a further 5 minutes.

    Vegan dough on a flat surface
    Vegan dough after proofing

    Cover the dough with a towel and set aside for an hour, or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

    Make the tofu 'pork' filling

    While the dough is rising, use this time to make the filling. Crumble up the extra firm tofu using your hands. Then, add rice vinegar, soy sauce and coconut sugar, and mix together thoroughly.

    Crumbled tofu with soy sauce
    Vegetables in a skillet

    Now heat sesame oil in a large, non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallions and carrots. Season generously with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.

    Now add the tofu and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tofu starts to become crispy and browned. At this stage, lower the heat to a low-medium and add the water and cornstarch. Continue stirring until the filling thickens and starts to stick together.

    Vegetables and tofu in a skillet
    Tofu 'pork' dumpling filling

    Shape the vegan buns

    Add a dusting of flour to a large, flat surface. Transfer the dough to the surface and divide it into 4 equal sections to make the rolling process easier.

    Roll each section of the dough into a large, thin circle around ¼ cm in thickness. Then, use either a glass or a cookie cutter to divide the dough into equally-sized circles. You can set aside the leftover dough and roll it out once more afterwards until you've ran out.

    Sheet of eggless dough for steamed buns
    Dumpling wrapper being rolled out

    Work on one bun at a time and cover the rest of the dough with a kitchen towel so that it doesn't dry out. Add a light layer of flour to the circle, roll it out wider, then flip, dust once more and continue rolling out until it’s around 12cm in diameter.

    Place around 2-2 ½ tbsp of the filling in the centre of the circle, and press it into a neat dome using your fingers. Make sure to wash your hands after doing so in order to make the wrapping process easier.

    Dumpling wrapper with tofu filling
    Dumpling being wrapped on a flat surface

    Now it’s time to seal together the edges. This may be a little bit tricky at first, but practice a few times to get the hang of it. Refer to the images in this blog post, as well as the recipe video to see how my mum and I did it with relative ease. You can work either on a flat surface, or by holding the dough in the palm of your hand.

    Process of wrapping vegetable buns
    Vegan buns on a wooden board

    Set the finished vegetable buns aside, covered, on a lightly dusted surface while you work on the rest.

    Cook the buns

    Place the vegetable buns into a large frying pan or skillet and add either olive oil or vegetable oil until around ⅛ of each bun is submerged in the oil. Bring the heat to a medium-high and allow them to cook for around 7-8 minutes.

    Crispy buns in a frying pan

    Now flip the buns - they should be crispy and golden brown when you do so. Now add water to the frying pan until around ¼ of each bun is submerged. Place the lid on the skillet/frying pan and allow to steam for a further 6-7 minutes, until all of the dough is cooked all the way through.

    Transfer carefully to a plate of your choice, and serve!

    Recipe tips for amazing crispy vegan buns

    You can also use instant yeast for this recipe. If you do so, skip the activation stage and move straight onto combining the wet and dry ingredients.

    Vegetable buns with tofu recipe

    Make sure to knead the dough thoroughly for a solid 5-10 minutes. This will allow it to become smooth and get rid of any lumps, which is necessary for the best texture.

    If you want vegetable buns that are less fluffy and don’t have as much of a ‘bready’ texture, shorten the proofing time to around 40 minutes. But in general, you don’t want to go much shorter than this because otherwise, the dough will be too elastic and complicate the process of rolling it out.

    Crispy vegan bun with a tofu filling

    The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. If it looks too dry, add water 1-2 tbsp at a time until it's stretchy and easy to roll out. If it looks too wet, add extra flour when rolling it out and dusting.

    Crispy buns with scallions on a plate

    Make sure that the tofu filling is sticky enough to form a ball in the centre of each dumpling to make the wrapping process easier. If the tofu and vegetables look like they have too much moisture or visible liquid in the frying pan, turn up the heat and cook for a while longer.

    Instructions for storage and freezing

    These panfried vegetable buns make an amazing freezer-friendly recipe! When done assembling them, transfer them to a lightly-dusted baking tray in a single layer and leave in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Then, transfer to freezer-friendly bags or containers and leave in the freezer for up to 2 months.

    Crispy vegan buns on a plate

    You can cook the tofu Bao directly from frozen following the same method, but give them around a minute longer on each side.

    Try out my other dumpling recipes!

    • My vegan wonton soup features amazing wontons made from scratch.
    • Khinkali are a Georgian soup dumpling variety that are fun and easy to make.
    • You can't go wrong with homemade vegan ravioli!
    Vegetable buns with tofu and scallions

    If you give these vegetable dumplings with tofu a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@ohmyveggies) and leave your feedback in the comments below together with a star rating! I'd love to hear from you.

    Vegetable Buns With Tofu (Sheng Jian Bao)

    These crispy vegetable buns with tofu are are crunchy, flavorful and fun to make from scratch! A vegan alternative to Sheng Jian Bao, they are guaranteed to impress served with a sauce of your choice. They feature a fluffy and chewy dough, a tofu filling with veggies for crunch, and are panfried to crispy perfection!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: crispy dumplings, Dough, dumplings, earth of maria, Sheng Jian Bao, to move, Tofu, vegan buns, vegan chinese food, vegan dumplings, Vegetables
    Servings: 20 buns
    Calories: 115kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Equipment

    • Small mixing bowl x 2
    • Large mixing bowl
    • Frying pan or skillet
    • Rolling Pin

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • ½ cup plant based milk
    • 3 tsp dry inactive yeast
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 3 cups flour
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 1 tbsp olive oil

    For the filling

    • 20 oz extra firm tofu
    • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1 tbsp sesame oil
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup scallions chopped
    • 1 cup carrot diced
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • 3 tbsp water
    • 1 tbsp cornstarch
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Make the dough

    • Make the yeast mixture. Mix together plant based milk, yeast and sugar. Whisk together, and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. Meanwhile, add baking powder and salt to plain flour in a large bowl.
      ½ cup plant based milk, 3 tsp dry inactive yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 3 cups flour
    • When the yeast mixture is ready, add water and rice vinegar. Mix together, then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together using a spatula until the dough starts to clump together, then add olive oil and continue mixing and kneading using your hands for a further 5-10 minutes.
      ½ cup water, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil
    • Cover the dough with a towel and set aside for an hour, or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

    Make the filling

    • Crumble up the extra firm tofu using your hands. Then, add soy sauce and coconut sugar, and mix together thoroughly.
      20 oz extra firm tofu, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp coconut sugar, 1 tbsp rice vinegar
    • Heat the sesame oil in a large, non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallions and carrots. Season generously with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
      1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup scallions, 1 cup carrot, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
    • Add the tofu and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tofu starts to become crispy and browned. At this stage, lower the heat to a low-medium and add the water and cornstarch. Continue stirring until the filling thickens and starts to stick together.
      3 tbsp water, 1 tbsp cornstarch

    Shape the buns

    • Add a dusting of flour to a large, flat surface. Transfer the dough to the surface and divide it into 4 equal sections to make the rolling process easier.
    • Roll each section of the dough into a large, thin circle around ¼ cm in thickness. Then, use either a glass or a cookie cutter to divide the dough into equally-sized circles. You can set aside the leftover dough and roll it out once more afterwards until you've ran out.
    • Work on one bun at a time and cover the rest of the dough with a kitchen towel so that it doesn't dry out. Add a light layer of flour to the circle, roll it out wider, then flip, dust once more and continue rolling out until it’s around 12cm in diameter.
    • Place around 2-2 ½ tbsp of the filling in the centre of the circle, and press it into a neat dome using your fingers. Make sure to wash your hands after doing so in order to make the wrapping process easier.
    • Seal together the edges. This may be a little bit tricky at first, but practice a few times to get the hang of it. Refer to the images in the blog post, as well as the recipe video to see how to make it easier. You can work either on a flat surface, or by holding the dough in the palm of your hand. Set the finished vegetable buns aside, covered, on a lightly dusted surface while you work on the rest.

    Cook the buns

    • Place the vegetable buns into a large frying pan or skillet and add either olive oil or vegetable oil until around ⅛ of each bun is submerged in the oil. Bring the heat to a medium-high and allow them to cook for around 7-8 minutes. 
    • Flip the buns. They should be crispy and golden brown when you do so. Now add water to the frying pan until around ¼ of each bun is submerged. Place the lid on the skillet/frying pan and allow to steam for a further 6-7 minutes, until all of the dough is cooked all the way through. Transfer carefully to a plate of your choice, and serve!

    Video

    Notes

    Yeast: You can also use instant yeast for this recipe. If you do so, skip the activation stage and move straight onto combining the wet and dry ingredients.
    Dough texture: Make sure to knead the dough thoroughly for a solid 5-10 minutes. This will allow it to become smooth and get rid of any lumps, which is necessary for the best texture. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. If it looks too dry, add water 1-2 tbsp at a time until it's stretchy and easy to roll out. If it looks too wet, add extra flour when rolling it out and dusting.
    Filling: Make sure that the tofu filling is sticky enough to form a ball in the centre of each dumpling to make the wrapping process easier. If the tofu and vegetables look like they have too much moisture or visible liquid in the frying pan, turn up the heat and cook for a while longer.
    Gluten-free: I haven't tried making these vegetable buns gluten-free, but you can try replacing the plain flour with a gluten-free flour mix. 
    To freeze: When done assembling the buns, transfer them to a lightly-dusted baking tray in a single layer and leave in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Then, transfer to freezer-friendly bags or containers and leave in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can cook the tofu Bao directly from frozen following the same method, but give them around a minute longer on each side.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 309mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1119IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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