This gluten free peanut rice is a combination of two Asian recipes that are always a hit in my house…Asian peanut noodles and fried rice. The rice crisps up slightly giving it a fried rice texture and the peanut sauce is slightly sweet, appealing to even the pickiest of kiddos. This easy peanut rice recipe is super simple and is made of ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, fridge or freezer. This is my go-to recipe when we’re due for a trip the grocery store and running low on ingredients!
Gluten free peanut rice is a vegan dish but it doesn’t have to be.
I usually make this recipe vegan using cubed and baked tofu but you can easily adjust a few ingredients for the meat-eaters in your family. Here are some of the variations that I’ve tried:
- Vegetarian – Replace tofu with 4-6 scrambled eggs
- Turkey – Replace the tofu with one lb of cooked ground turkey
- Beef – Replace the tofu with one lb of cooked shaved beef or ground beef
- Chicken – Replace the tofu with one lb of cooked chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
- Pork Peanut Rice – On July 4th we had another family over for lunch after the parade and I made pulled pork. I put a little bit aside to prepare with this recipe the next day and it was delicious!
Short on time?
To speed up the prep time, skip the tofu and use deli chicken, turkey or roast beef (sliced and sautéed along with the veggies) instead. Or add shredded pieces of a rotisserie chicken. If you’d prefer to keep it vegan, simply skip the added protein. Between the protein-packed peas and the peanut butter, this recipe has plenty of protein to fill you up!
What’s in Easy Peanut Rice?
What’s in gluten free peanut rice?
- Extra firm tofu. If you prefer meat, try a pound of cooked ground turkey crumbles or shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
- Oil
- Onion
- Frozen peas
- Shredded carrots – Buy the pre-shredded bags to keep it nice and simple.
- Basmati rice
- Tamari sauce – Tamari sauce tastes very similar to soy sauce. It can be found in most grocery stores, in the same section as the regular soy sauce.
- Peanut Butter
- Maple syrup – the real stuff!
- Garlic powder – If you have extra time try finely chopped fresh garlic. Sauté it along with the onion, during the last minute or two of cook time.
- Salt
Gluten Free Peanut Rice
Ingredients
Rice/Protein Ingredients
- 16 oz extra firm tofu If you prefer meat, try a pound of cooked ground turkey crumbles, sliced deli meat or shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup shredded carrots Bags of pre-shredded carrots keep it nice and simple.
- 1 ½ cups uncooked basmati rice
Sauce Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tamari sauce
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup real maple syrup or honey
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- If you’re using tofu, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove the frozen peas from the freezer and place them on a plate to defrost slightly while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Drain the tofu and pat it dry with a paper towel or kitchen towel. Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Place the tofu cubes on parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. The tofu should be firm but not hard.
- Cook the basmati rice according to the directions on the package.
- Chop the onion.
- Sauté the onion in oil until they start to turn translucent (2-3 minutes)
- Add the frozen peas and carrots and sauté on medium heat for 8-10 minutes.
- While the vegetables and tofu cook, prepare the sauce by combining the tamari sauce, peanut butter, maple syrup or honey, garlic powder and salt. This sauce tends to get lumpy if it isn't mixed throughly so use a whisk or place the sauce in a jar with a lid and shake well until thoroughly combined.
- Combine vegetables, rice, tofu (or ground turkey, deli meat or shredded rotisserie chicken), and sauce and cook on medium/high heat for 3 minutes.
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