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You’re going to love this vegan version of ejotes con huevo! Protein-packed tofu is mixed with fresh green beans and tossed in spicy red salsa. Just don’t forget to serve it with a stack of freshly made corn tortillas.
Table of Contents
📖 About
Nailing a tofu scramble is essential in order to master classic Mexican breakfast staples. This recipe is easy to make, tastes delicious, and is loaded with nutrients!
What are ejotes?
Ejotes in English means green beans. It is actually derived from the Nahuatl word “exotl,” which translates to the same.
You may also hear this vegetable go by other names such as alubias verdes, habichuelas verdes, and others.
Ejotes are the unripe fruit of various cultivars (types) of the common bean. In other words, green beans are harvested and eaten before ripening into something else.
History of ejotes
The green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) originated in Central and South America thousands of years ago. More specifically, it was initially cultivated in places like Peru and Mexico.
From there, green beans made their way to Europe and eventually spread throughout the world, allowing everyone to enjoy this wonderful food.
Ejotes in Mexican Cooking
Ejotes are used in many different Mexican recipes because they’re readily available, cheap, and extremely nutritious.
One of the more popular recipes utilizing greens beans is “ejotes con huevo” as these two foods pair perfectly together.
Are ejotes con huevo vegan?
Since ejotes con huevo are made with eggs (can’t argue with the name), they are not vegan-friendly. However, this recipe is made with tofu, which makes it 100% plant-based and gluten-free.
Serving
Ejotes con huevo can be eaten hot off the pan or cold the next morning. But, some of our absolute must-have garnishes and sides include:
- Fresh corn tortillas
- Black beans
- Refried beans
- Queso fresco
- Avocado slices
- Chopped cilantro
Do you have any favorite foods to serve alongside your tofu scramble? Let us know in the comments section!
🍲 Key ingredients
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
Green beans (ejotes)
Taste: these long and slender vegetables provide a fresh, starchy flavor with a slightly crunchy texture. Ejotes are perfect to use in tofu scrambles as they add bulk and fiber without adding too many calories.
Health: this low FODMAP vegetable is a good source of vitamin K and calcium. When your doctor tells you how strong your bones are, you’ll have green beans to thank!
Tofu
Taste: with a neutral taste and texture that perfectly emulates eggs, tofu is a must-have item for vegan ejotes con huevo. We use firm tofu (4/6 firmness) and press it to create the best texture.
Health: did you know tofu contains all 9 essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein)? Not only that, but it’s also a great plant-based source of iron, calcium, and manganese.
Salsa
Taste: to add flavor and extra spice to this dish, cook your ejotes con huevo in a fresh salsa roja. We make our salsa from tomatoes, a pasilla chile, serrano chiles, garlic, and onion. The addition of pasilla is optional, but it gives smoky, fruity, and earthy notes that we love so much.
Health: this salsa is nutrient-dense and contains one of our favorite plant compounds — capsaicin. This ingredient is found in hot peppers and is responsible for making them spicy. It’s also a powerful antioxidant shown to help reduce hunger, increase metabolism, and reduce inflammation.
Seasoning
Taste: to make these vegan “eggs” taste and look like the real thing, we add turmeric for color, nutritional yeast for umami flavor, and Himalayan black salt for the sulfurous taste associated with eggs.
Health: this “egg” seasoning mixture is hugely beneficial for your health. Nutritional yeast (nooch) contains vitamin B12 and curcumin (found in turmeric) has been used for thousands of years for its potent anti-inflammatory effects.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about this vegan ejotes con huevo recipe, don’t forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: drain and press the tofu between two hard surfaces with a heavy object overtop for about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, chop the green beans into bite-size pieces.
Step 2: bring a pot of salted water to boil and add in the beans, 1 clove of garlic, and a small piece of onion. Cook until just tender, about 2-4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, discard the onion and garlic, and set aside.
Step 3: fry the pasilla chile on each side for about 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Add in diced onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Next, add in the garlic, serrano chiles, tomatoes, and pasilla chile once more. Cook for 5-6 more minutes, or until soft.
Step 4: transfer the pasilla chile and a few scoops of the vegetables to a blender and pulse until smooth. Note: you may need to add a few tablespoons of water to move your blender.
Step 5: in a mixing bowl, crumble the tofu and add nutritional yeast, turmeric, and black salt. Stir until evenly coated, then add the tofu to the skillet with the green beans and stir it all together.
Step 6: strain in part of the salsa and combine with the tofu mixture. Taste and add more salsa or salt to your preferences. Serve this dish by itself or with corn tortillas, refried beans, cilantro, vegan queso fresco, etc. Happy eating!
🌡️ Storage
Having a protein-packed breakfast ready to go all week is a game-changer! Follow these tips to keep your ejotes con huevo fresh for the upcoming week.
Fridge
This tofu version of ejotes con huevo will last in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. It works really well to prep a double recipe so you don’t have to worry about making breakfast on busy mornings.
Reheat
Tofu scramble is delicious cold, but if you want it warm, pan-fry the mixture for 2-3 minutes on low-medium and serve as you normally would.
💭 Pro tips
Time to share our tips and tricks we learned while experimenting with this vegan egg recipe for you:
- Press the tofu. To avoid an overly watery dish, make sure you press the tofu for at least 15 minutes.
- Use firm tofu. For the absolute best texture, use firm tofu. Soft tofu will have too much water and extra-firm doesn’t quite recreate an egg-like texture.
- Taste test the beans. Try your beans before straining them. You don’t want them soft and soggy, but they should be tender.
- Add more spice. If you like your food extra spicy, try adding more serranos or a habanero chile.
🍴 Tasting notes
This is one of our favorite meals to prep for a savoury breakfast. You’re going to love it too! It’s:
- Spicy
- Hearty
- Fresh
- Protein-packed
If you try these vegan ejotes con huevo, please rate the recipe and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
Ejotes con Huevo
Equipment
- Skillet
- Medium-large pot
- Strainer
Ingredients
Beans
- ⅔ pound fresh green beans ($0.73)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.04)
- ⅛ white onion ($0.03)
- A pinch of salt ($0.01)
Salsa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil ($0.11)
- 1 pasilla chile, de-seeded ($0.04)
- ½ small white onion, diced ($0.12)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced ($0.32)
- 1-2 serrano chiles, de-seeded & minced ($0.02)
Tofu “eggs”
- 1 pack firm tofu ($3.53)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast ($0.24)
- 1 teaspoon black salt ($0.02)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ($0.01)
- Sea salt to taste ($0.01)
To serve optional
- Refried beans
- Chopped cilantro
- Corn tortillas
- Avocado slices
- Queso fresco
Instructions
- First, drain and press the tofu between two hard surfaces with a heavy object overtop for about 15-20 minutes.
Green beans
- In the meantime, cut the ends off the green beans and chop into ½-inch pieces. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add in the beans, 1 clove garlic, and a small piece of onion.
- Cook until just tender, about 2-4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, discard the onion and garlic, and set the beans aside.
Salsa
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium, then fry the pasilla chile on each side for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- Add in diced onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Next, add in the garlic, serrano chiles, tomatoes, and pasilla chile once more. Cook for 5-6 more minutes, or until soft.
- Transfer the pasilla chile and a few scoops of the vegetables to a blender and pulse until smooth. Note: you may need to add a few tablespoons of water or vegetable broth to move your blender.
Tofu “eggs”
- In a mixing bowl, crumble the tofu and add nutritional yeast, turmeric, and black salt. Stir until evenly coated, then add the tofu to the skillet with the green beans and stir.
- Strain in about ½ of the pasilla chile salsa and combine with the tofu mixture. Taste and add more salsa or sea salt to your preferences.
- Serve this dish by itself or with freshly made corn tortillas, refried beans, cilantro, avocado slices, vegan queso fresco, etc. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have access to black salt, don’t worry! Just add extra regular sea salt.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty recipes like this one, check out our:
- Huevos a la Mexicana for a spicy, quick, and easy breakfast to enjoy any day of the week.
- Vegan Spanish omelette for a savoury “egg” recipe made with chickpea flour and loaded with tender potatoes, tomatoes, and onion.
- Tofu scramble to test out a more western-style version of vegan scrambled “eggs.”
- Mexican oatmeal for a sweet, creamy, and fiber-packed breakfast made with piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar).
- Air fryer green beans for a quick, easy, and healthy way to cook green beans.
💬 FAQ
Firm tofu works best to emulate vegan eggs. Our tofu is rated a 4/6 on the firmness scale to give you an idea. However, if you prefer the texture of extra-firm tofu, that works too!
You don’t have to press tofu, but it will hold its shape better and the dish will be less watery if you do. If you’re using extra-firm tofu, you don’t need to press it.
Black salt adds an “eggy” flavor that can’t quite be emulated without it. But, if you don’t have access to black salt or don’t want the sulfurous flavor, this recipe is still delicious with regular sea salt.
Absolutely! While we prefer the flavor and texture of fresh green beans, frozen works too. Just remember to weigh them after thawing and draining off any excess water.
