Chilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce

By Ali Slagle

Updated July 22, 2025

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(218)
Comments
Read comments

This no-cook recipe loosely follows the Chinese traditions of liangban tofu and bang bang sauce by topping cold, silken tofu with a fiery, tangy peanut sauce and raw celery. Eaten together, it is creamy and crunchy, hot and cold, intense and mild all at once. (The combination of peanut butter and celery might happily remind you of ants on a log, the childhood snack.) Eat with hot, steamed rice alongside, if you like.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

  • ¼ cup crunchy peanut butter

  • 2 tablespoons chile crisp, plus more for serving 

  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon black or rice vinegar

  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) block silken tofu, cold and drained

  • 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

18 grams carbs; 387 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 26 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 653 milligrams sodium; 28 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, chile crisp, soy sauce and vinegar. If the mixture is too thick to pour, thin with cold water a little at a time.

  2. Step 2

    Spoon big chunks of the tofu into two bowls. Drizzle with some of the peanut sauce. Top with the celery, followed by more of the peanut sauce and another drizzle of chile crisp, if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
218 user ratings
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Comments

Elev7073

I would put this sauce on ice cream! Maybe not, but it's THAT good. No celery, but a seeded English cucumber added the perfect texture and sweetness to the tofu. This gem is on the frequent repeat list

Ratch

Even better covered in a pile of scallions!

MerfromMaberly

@Blueberrygirl, Ottawa, Ontario Canada I live about an hour west of Ottawa, and in nearby small town grocery stores have found chili crisp (Metro, Loblaws, and Food Basics). The nearest Walmart had it too! Chili crisp is the 21st century equivalent of salsa. If you cannot find it, check out the Woks of Life website, simply the best resource for Chinese and Asian cooking and ingredients.

Laura

I love chile crisp but glad I used 1/3 of what was called for. Liked it better thinned with water, added a little ginger and garlic and sugar. Lovely on top of the silken tofu. We served it with some thin Asian noodles with optional additions of jammy boiled egg, diced chicken, shredded carrot, radish, bean sprout, peanuts, cilantro. Lots of great possibilities!

SdK

So how much chili crisp? It just says Tbls

S

This one is a keeper! I didn't have celery on hand so I steamed some broccolini and tossedit with some coconut aminos. I tend to like things with a lot less salt, so I used unsalted peanut butter, and less chili crisp and soy sauce. It was still plenty salty. Garnished with scallions. My whole family enjoyed it!

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