This vegan healthy, fruity mango tofu salad recipe is a great make-ahead side dish or salad for any potlucks, picnics, or bbqs you will be attending this summer. 

Like vegans, salads get a bad rap because they’re all lumped in with the bad ones. You know the ones… 

The bad vegans that are holier-than-thou and judge you for eating your Oreos or your Impossible Whopper. 

The bad salads that consist of little more than limp lettuce and tomato. 

I aim to not be one of “those vegans” and I aim to not share “those salads”. 

This mango tofu salad is definitely not one of those salads. 

Formula for a Perfect Salad

Here is the no-fail perfect salad formula that I follow to make sure my salads don’t end up bland and forgettable. 

Base + crunch + soft + unexpected + protein + dressing = perfect salad

Let me break it down for you with this salad as an example:

  • Base – butter lettuce (or salad greens of your choice)
  • Crunch – raw onion
  • Soft – avocado
  • Unexpected – mango 
  • Protein – tofu and quinoa
  • Dressing – pineapple cilantro vinaigrette 

Boom! The result is a perfect salad. 

My favorite thing about this mango tofu salad in particular, other than how summery it feels and yummy it tastes, is how perfect it is for meal prep. Because I use an air fryer for my tofu and an instant pot for my quinoa (a minute on high pressure method), I just prepare my other base ingredients and my dressing and I have lunch for the week in under 20 minutes. All I have to do when it’s time to eat my salad is reheat if I’m choosing to (I just like mine to not be fridge cold), cut a quarter of an avocado, and top with dressing. 

It doesn’t get much easier. For somebody like me with a very active toddler and barely enough time to use the bathroom, recipes like this are life savers. 

Other Tasty Salads

If you’re looking for other tasty salads, you might try:

Mango Tofu Salad with Pineapple Cilantro Dressing

This vegan healthy, fruity mango tofu salad recipe is a great make-ahead side dish or salad for any potlucks, picnics, or bbqs you will be attending this summer. 
Course Salad
Keyword Cilantro, dressing, mango, meal prep, pineapple, quinoa, tofu

Equipment

  • Air fryer
  • Blender

Ingredients

Crispy Air Fried Tofu

  • 1 14oz block firm tofu drained, pressed, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • nonstick oil

Pineapple Cilantro Vinaigrette

  • 1/3 cup pineapple juice
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Remaining Salad Base Ingredients

  • 2 medium mangos diced
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 large avocado
  • your choice of salad greens (I chose butter lettuce for mine)

Instructions

Crispy Tofu

  • Place the pressed and chopped tofu into a bowl with a lid and sprinkle with cornstarch and salt. Add your lid and give the tofu a few shakes to coat the tofu.
  • Add the tofu to the base of your air fryer, spray with nonstick spray, and cook at 375*F for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice to avoid sticking.

Pineapple Cilantro Vinaigrette

  • Add all of the pineapple cilantro vinaigrette ingredients to a blender and blend on high speed until fully combined.
  • Store the dressing in a mason jar or bowl with a lid and top salad with it right before serving. Don't add it yet if you plan to use this for leftovers or meal prep because the salad greens will get soggy.

Salad Base

  • Divide the salad base ingredients (minus avocado) and the crispy tofu into 4 separate containers.

Eat and Enjoy!

  • When ready to eat, top with 1/4 avocado and 1/4 of the dressing.
  • Enjoy!

As always, I love to see you guys take these recipes and make them your own. If you use this recipe as is or use it for inspiration, I’d love to see your creation. Tag me @holefoodbakery and/or use the hashtag #holefoodbakery so I don’t miss it. 


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