Chilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce

Name: Chilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 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

By Ali Slagle

Updated July 23, 2025

Chilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce — Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Rating: (0)
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

¼cup crunchy peanut butter
2tablespoons chile crisp, plus more for serving
2tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1tablespoon black or rice vinegar
1(14- to 16-ounce) block silken tofu, cold and drained
2celery stalks, thinly sliced

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

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.
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.