A bowl containing mapo tofu over steamed rice.

Mapo Tofu at a Glance

Mapo tofu (mabo dofu, 麻婆豆腐) is a silken tofu and ground pork dish simmered in a savory doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) sauce. Mine is the Japanese style, which adds miso and mirin to the sauce and is much less spicy than the Sichuan original.

Why You’ll Love It

  • Mild enough for children – Mixing non-spicy and spicy doubanjiang keeps the heat gentle, and that’s the mix I still use for my family. Japanese mapo tofu use little or no chili—perfect for non-spice lovers!
  • Rich and rounded sauce – Two Japanese condiments—miso and mirin—adds savory depth and a gentle sweetness. Flavorful even without heat.
  • No watery sauce – Draining the tofu for 15 minutes keeps it from releasing water into the pan and thinning the sauce.
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What readers say
”Gochisosama deshita Namiko-san. I’m half Japanese and cook Mapo Tofu on high rotation. I looked up your recipe tonight and my daughter said it was the best yet!”

Pauline Piper

My Recipe Story

This is one of the meals my family has eaten for as long as I’ve been cooking for them. When the kids were small, I made it mild enough for them to finish, and it stayed in the rotation. We started with non-spicy doubanjiang because my kids couldn’t eat any spice. After they were exposed to some spice, we moved to half non-spicy and half spicy. One summer, my son decided to learn how to make it, and the simpler version he worked out became my Easy Mapo Tofu. He still cooks it for himself at college.

If you love the Japanese adaptation of Chinese cuisine called chuka ryori, try my Gyoza, Tan Tan Men, and Japanese Fried Rice next!

A bowl containing mapo tofu over steamed rice.

Key Ingredients

You’ll need silken tofu, ground pork, and aromatics, plus a savory sauce built on doubanjiang, oyster sauce, soy sauce, miso, and mirin. Japanese sansho pepper is optional for serving.

  • Silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) – My choice is silken tofu, which adds a smooth, creamy texture. Medium or firm tofu works too; it holds its shape better but isn’t as silky.
  • Doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) – This fermented seasoning is what makes the dish taste like mapo tofu. I mix it with the milder non-spicy doubanjiang (broad bean paste) made by Taiwanese brands such as Lian How (岡山) or Ming De (明徳). Use gluten-free doubanjiang for a gluten-free version. Gochujang or doenjang can stand in, but they change the flavor.
  • Miso and mirin – These two make this version Japanese. Any miso works, but miso with added dashi is saltier, so use a little less.
  • Potato starch (cornstarch) – Either one thickens the sauce so it clings to the tofu. I whisk the starch into the sauce mixture from the start instead of adding a slurry at the end.
Doubanjiang Spicy Bean Paste
Doubanjiang | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

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A ichiju sansai meal consists of steamed rice, miso soup, and mapo tofu.

How to Make Mapo Tofu

  1. Prep everything first. Drain the silken tofu on paper towels for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and ginger, slice the green onions, and whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cut the tofu into ¾-inch cubes.
  2. Cook the aromatics and pork. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat and sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the ground pork and break up the chunks with a wooden spatula. Cook until it’s no longer pink.
  3. Simmer the sauce. Stir the sauce mixture again, pour it in, and stir until it bubbles and thickens.
  4. Add the tofu and green onions. Gently stir the tofu into the sauce and heat it through, then add the green onions.
  5. Serve. Spoon it over a large bowl of steamed rice donburi-style, the way I like it, or serve it in individual dishes as part of a composed meal.
Combine the mapo tofu sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Cook the meat until no longer pink.
Add the sauce to the ground meat.
Add the tofu and green onions to the mapo tofu.
A ichiju sansai meal consists of steamed rice, miso soup, and mapo tofu.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Nami’s Recipe Tips

Before you start, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

  • Prep everything first – This dish cooks fast, and there’s no time to step away once the pan is hot. I line up my prepped ingredients by the stove.
  • Drain or blanch the tofu – Drain it on paper towels for 15 minutes without pressing. For sturdier cubes, many Japanese cooks simmer them in lightly salted water for 1–2 minutes instead.
  • Don’t burn the aromatics – Burnt garlic and ginger turn the whole sauce bitter, and there’s no fixing it afterward. Medium heat gives you a few more seconds.
  • Stir gently or shake the pan – Silken tofu is delicate, and broken tofu turns the dish mushy. A few slow stirs or shakes coat every cube without breaking it.

Make Ahead Tips

  • Cook the ground pork sauce ahead – Stir-fry the pork and add the sauce, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 1 month. Reheat it until it bubbles, then add the tofu and green onions right before serving.

Storage and Reheating Tips

To store: Once the mapo tofu is cooled to room temperature, store the leftovers in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish as tofu changes its texture once frozen.

To reheat: Gently warm up in a saucepan over medium-low heat until thoroughly heated.

Bowls containing mapo tofu over steamed rice.

Variations

This mapo tofu recipe is easy to adapt to your preferences and needs. Here are a few of my suggestions for how to vary this delicious dish.

  • Adjust the heat level. Add more or less doubanjiang, use the Taiwanese non-spicy version, or turn up the heat with a few teaspoons or more of fiery-red Sichuan doubanjiang! For less heat, I recommend using 1½ Tbsp non-spicy doubanjiang and 1 Tbsp spicy la doubanjiang. If you like it slightly spicier, sprinkle la-yu (Japanese chili oil).
  • “College-meal” version. My son made my Easy Mapo Tofu in an electric pot in his dorm kitchen, and his friends loved it! It’s super quick and easy to make.
  • Change up the ground meat. In Japan, we always use ground pork. However, you can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground beef.
  • Make it vegetarian/vegan. Instead of meat, use finely diced fresh or dried (rehydrated) shiitake mushrooms. Use vegetarian stir-fry sauce in place of oyster sauce.

What to Serve with Mapo Tofu

  • As the main dish of a traditional ichiju sansai meal – For a Japanese-style “One Soup Three Dishes” meal, serve the rice and mapo tofu in separate dishes, then add a miso soup, two side dishes, and a small dish of Japanese pickles.
  • As a rice bowl – If you serve it donburi-style (mapo tofu over rice), I suggest adding Homemade Miso Soup and a simple veggie side like Japanese Cucumber Salad to make it a complete meal.
A ichiju sansai meal consists of steamed rice, miso soup, and mapo tofu.

FAQ

Why is my mapo tofu too salty?

Doubanjiang and miso vary in saltiness by brand, and miso with added dashi is saltier, so start with less when you switch brands.

If you double the recipe, multiply the sauce seasonings by 1.5, not 2. Mapo tofu is also meant to be eaten with steamed rice, which balances the salt.

More Chuka Ryori Recipes

If you love this Mapo Tofu, you’re in for a treat with these other irresistible Japanese-style Chinese recipes.

Thin slices of Chashu on the cutting board.
A white plate containing cold ramen (Hiyashi Chuka) with julienned cucumber, ham, egg, and more!

Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu)

4.76 from 338 votes
by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
A bowl containing mapo tofu over steamed rice.
Japanese-style Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu) is full of flavor but much less spicy than the original Sichuan dish. Even kids can enjoy this family-friendly recipe of ground pork and silken tofu that's ready in just 30 minutes! {Vegetarian/Vegan Adaptable}
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Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Servings: 4

For the Mapo Tofu

  • 14 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) (drained for 15–30 minutes)
  • ½ lb ground pork (or your choice of meat; use mushrooms or veggies for vegan/vegetarian)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 Tbsp ginger (minced)
  • 2 green onions/scallions
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil

For the Sauce

For Serving

Instructions

To Prepare the Ingredients

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Wrap 14 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) in paper towels without pressing it, and let it drain on a plate for 15 minutes.
    Nami's Tip: Prep everything before you turn on the heat. Once it starts, there's no stepping away.
    Mapo Tofu Ingredients
  • Finely mince 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press). Thinly peel off the ginger skin with a sharp knife or scrape it off with a spoon.
    Mapo Tofu 3
  • Cut the ginger into thin slices, then into thin julienne strips. Mince the strips and measure 1 Tbsp ginger.
    Mapo Tofu 4
  • Slice 2 green onions/scallions crosswise into thin rounds. Set aside some for garnish when serving.
    Mapo Tofu 5
  • Cut the drained tofu into ¾-inch (2-cm) cubes.
    Mapo Tofu 6

To Prepare the Sauce

  • In a small bowl, whisk 2½ Tbsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste), 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 Tbsp miso, ½ Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch, and 4 Tbsp water until the miso dissolves.
    Nami's Tip: Doubanjiang and miso vary in saltiness by brand. When you switch brands, start with a little less.
    Mapo Tofu 2

To Cook the Mapo Tofu

  • Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp neutral oil then the minced garlic and ginger.
    Nami's Tip: Watch the garlic and ginger closely. They go from fragrant to burnt in seconds.
    Mapo Tofu 7
  • Sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add ½ lb ground pork to the wok.
    Mapo Tofu 8
  • Cook the ground pork, breaking it up with a spatula, until it's no longer pink.
    Mapo Tofu 9
  • Give the sauce mixture a final stir and pour it into the pan. Stir until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
    Nami's Tip: The potato starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl as it sits, so it needs that last stir to thicken evenly.
    Mapo Tofu 10
  • Add the drained tofu. Gently stir it into the sauce so the tofu doesn't break, and cook until heated through, for about a minutes.
    Nami's Tip: Silken tofu breaks apart easily and turns the dish mushy.
    Mapo Tofu 11
  • Add the green onions, reserving some for garnish. Gently stir them in, and remove it from the heat.
    Mapo Tofu 12

To Serve

  • Transfer to individual bowls and garnish with the reserved green onions. Sprinkle with Japanese sansho pepper, if using, and serve immediately.
    Mapo Tofu 13
  • Serve it over steamed rice donburi-style for a one-bowl meal, or as the main dish of an ichiju sansai meal.
    Mapo Tofu 14

To Store

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Don't freeze it, because tofu changes texture once frozen.

Notes

Doubling the recipe – Double the ingredients for the mapo tofu, but start with 1.5 times the sauce ingredients, then taste. You can add more, but you can’t take salt out.
Doubanjiang – Here, I use a combination of non-spicy doubanjiang (dark brown color) and spicy la doubanjiang (deep red color).

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 845mg, Potassium: 395mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 180IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 3mg

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Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 29, 2011. The video was added on May 6, 2016, and the post was updated with new images on February 4, 2024. It was updated with more helpful information on December 3, 2024, and republished with extra troubleshooting guidance and expert notes on September 11, 2026.