This Indian-style Tofu Salad with a Greek yogurt dressing is a vegetarian, protein-rich dish that comes together in just 20 minutes. It's easy and quick to make, and perfect for when you're looking for a light meal!
This Tofu salad is made with pan-fried tofu, veggies tossed in Greek yogurt dressing with some Indian spices. It's great for lunch or even as a side dish. You can cook the tofu in the pan, oven, air fryer, or grill.
My husband absolutely loved this salad — he even said it's in the top 3 of all the salads I make! You can also use air fryer tandoori tofu tikka in place of pan-fried tofu for a flavorful twist to the dish. If you're not a fan of tofu, you can easily substitute it with air-fryer paneer for a delicious alternative. You may also like my chickpea salad with yogurt dressing recipe.
More Indian tofu recipes you may also enjoy are tofu bhurji and palak tofu curry.
Ingredients
- Extra Firm Tofu - For best results, use extra-firm or firm tofu. Press the tofu for at least 30 minutes to remove all the excess moisture. Removing the moisture helps to make the tofu cubes crispy.
- Oil - Used to sauté or air-fry tofu.
- Spices - I used turmeric, red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala (or garam masala), and salt for seasoning tofu. You may use your favorite go-to spices.
- Veggies: I used cherry tomatoes, onion, cucumber, red cabbage, and romaine lettuce.
- Dressing: I used Greek yogurt, extra-virgin olive oil, maple syrup, garlic, lime juice, salt, black pepper, roasted cumin powder. If you don't have Greek Yogurt, you can substitute it with homemade hung curd.
- Herbs: I used coriander leaves, but feel free to substitute dill, parsley, or any other fresh herbs you have on hand.
How to Make Indian Style Tofu Salad
In a bowl, add 1 cup of pressed extra-firm tofu (cubed), spices like ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala (or garam masala), and salt. Toss everything well, so they are well-coated.
In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil. Once it's hot, add seasoned tofu cubes and saute about 2-3 minutes or until they are golden and crispy. Keep them aside.
Whisk ½ cup Greek yogurt, 1 garlic clove (minced), 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice (or vinegar), 1 teaspoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Then add 1 tablespoon of coriander leaves and stir again.
In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup of chopped lettuce, veggies like ½ cup diced cucumber, ½ cup onion (diced), ½ cup of cherry tomatoes (halved), ¼ cup of red cabbage (chopped), and pan-fried spiced tofu.
Next, add the Greek yogurt dressing, and coriander leaves.
Toss the salad to combine. Adjust the seasoning at this stage. You can eat this salad right away or refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve Indian style tofu salad with soups like creamy tomato soup or sweet corn soup.
Storage Suggestions
Tofu Yogurt Salad can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight glass container for up to 2 days.
Tips & Variations
- More Veggies: You can add hearty veggies of your choice, like boiled sweet potatoes, colored bell peppers, and avocado.
- No Tofu: If you don't like tofu, replace it with paneer.
- Fresh Herbs: You can also replace coriander leaves with dill leaves, mint, or parsley.
- No Greek Yogurt: If you don't have Greek yogurt at home, take regular yogurt, pour it into a muslin cloth, and drain the whey for 30 minutes above the kitchen sink. Here is the detailed recipe on how to make hung curd at home. Please do not use regular curd.
- Protein: You can add beans like boiled chickpeas to this salad.
- Nuts & Seeds: You can also add roasted nuts like air fryer roasted peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and seeds such as flax, sunflower, pumpkin, or hemp seeds for added crunch and nutrition.
More Indian Salad Recipes
Indian Style Tofu Salad
Ingredients
For Tofu
- 1 cup extra-firm tofu cubed into 1-inch pieces (about 7 oz)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon chaat masala (or garam masala)
- 1 salt to taste
Dressing
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (or hung curd)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey)
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
Veggies
- 1 cup romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup tomato diced
- ½ cup cucumber diced
- ¼ cup red cabbage chopped
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, add pressed extra-firm tofu (cubed), spices like turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, chaat masala (or garam masala), and salt. Toss everything well, so they are well-coated.
- In a pan, add oil. Once it's hot, add seasoned tofu cubes and saute till they are golden and crispy. Keep them aside.
- Whisk Greek yogurt, garlic clove (minced), extra-virgin olive oil, lime juice (or vinegar), maple syrup, cumin powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Then add coriander leaves and stir again.
- In a large mixing bowl, add chopped lettuce, veggies like diced cucumber, onion (diced), cherry tomatoes (halved), red cabbage (chopped), and pan-fried spiced tofu.
- Next, add the Greek yogurt dressing, and coriander leaves.
- Toss the salad to combine. Adjust the seasoning at this stage. You can eat this salad right away or refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
Nutrition
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