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    Home » Appetizers

    Crispy BBQ Tofu

    Published: Sep 10, 2021 Updated: Sep 10, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    BBQ Tofu

    This crispy oven-baked BBQ tofu is seriously addictive! It’s also a super easy recipe that can be served as an appetizer or side dish, and even makes a perfect main course.

    BBQ tofu with chopped green onions and BBQ sauce on a black plate.

    This BBQ tofu is crispy and delicious and smothered in vegan BBQ sauce.

    It makes a wonderful appetizer (perfect for game night), but you can also serve it as a main course alongside other vegan sides like vegan mashed potatoes or vegan fried rice.

    And if you love this recipe you’ll also LOVE our BBQ Cauliflower Wings – made the same way, but with cauliflower. Our BBQ jackfruit pulled pork is also divine!

    Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make BBQ tofu

    Ingredient Notes

    • Vegan BBQ Sauce – you can use your favorite store-bought vegan BBQ sauce or make your own with our recipe for homemade vegan BBQ sauce.
    • Soy milk – works great for this as it’s nice and creamy. You could replace this with a different non-dairy milk but make sure it’s a creamy option, cashew milk and oat milk should both work well.
    • Firm tofu – or extra firm tofu are ideal for this recipe.
    • Panko breadcrumbs – work best for crispiness. You can use different breadcrumbs but they don’t tend to crisp up quite as well as Panko in this recipe.
    BBQ tofu with chopped green onions and BBQ sauce on a black plate.

    How To Make Crispy BBQ Tofu

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Press the tofu for 30 minutes. It’s ideal if you use a tofu press, but if you don’t have a tofu press then place the tofu on a plate, with another plate on top of it and then put something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot.
    • When the tofu is pressed, cut it into triangles. You can also cut it into rectangles or cubes.
    Two photo collage showing cutting tofu into triangles on a wooden board.
    • In a large mixing bowl, add soy milk, all purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and whisk into a batter.
    Two photo collage showing ingredients added to a mixing bowl and whisked into a batter.
    • In a second bowl, add panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix together.
    Two photo collage showing breadcrumbs, salt and pepper added to bowl and mixed together.
    • Add the tofu triangles to the batter in the large bowl and toss the tofu in the batter so that every piece is coated.
    Two photo collage showing tofu triangles added to batter and coated with batter.
    • Transfer the tofu triangles in batches to the breadcrumbs bowl and gently toss them in the breadcrumbs so that they are coated on all sides.
    Two photo collage showing tofu triangles placed in breadcrumbs bowl and coated with breadcrumbs.
    • Place the tofu onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
    Two photo collage showing breaded tofu triangles placed on parchment lined tray and baked.
    • Remove the tofu from the oven and add to a bowl with vegan BBQ sauce. Toss the tofu gently in the sauce so that all the pieces are coated.
    Two photo collage showing baked tofu triangles placed in bowl and BBQ sauce poured over the top.
    • Place the tofu back onto the parchment lined baking sheet and place it back into the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
    Two photo collage showing bbq sauce coated tofu on parchment lined tray and then baked.
    • Remove from the oven and brush with more BBQ sauce before serving.
    BBQ tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve your BBQ tofu with lots of extra vegan BBQ sauce on the side for dipping. This tofu is also divine dipped in vegan ranch dressing or vegan mayo.

    Or serve it as a main course alongside vegan mashed potatoes or vegan scalloped potatoes or vegan cauliflower cheese.

    Can You Make This Gluten-Free?

    You can use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend instead of regular flour, and gluten-free breadcrumbs. It might not be quite as crispy though since Panko breadcrumbs seem to work best for crispiness in this recipe.

    BBQ tofu topped with chopped green onions on a black plate.

    Storing Tips

    This BBQ tofu is best when hot and crispy right out of the oven. However, leftover tofu can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

    Even after it sits in the fridge, this BBQ tofu is still delicious! It might not stay crispy like when you first make it but reheating makes all of its great flavors come alive. To reheat, simply pop any leftovers into a microwave or an oven preheated to 350°F and warm until heated through and ready to eat.

    Piece of BBQ tofu on a fork.

    More Delicious Tofu Recipes

    1. Crispy Baked Tofu
    2. Crispy Fried Tofu
    3. Marinated Tofu
    4. Tofu Steaks
    5. Crispy Air Fryer Tofu
    6. Grilled Tofu
    Piece of BBQ tofu on a fork.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    BBQ tofu with chopped green onions and BBQ sauce on a black plate.

    BBQ Tofu

    This crispy oven-baked BBQ tofu is seriously addictive! It's also a super easy recipe that can be served as an appetizer or side dish, and even makes a perfect main course.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Side
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Tofu Pressing Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 418kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces Firm Tofu (450g)
    • 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml)
    • ¾ cup All Purpose Flour (93g)
    • 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
    • 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
    • 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
    • ¼ tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
    • ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
    • ¼ tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
    • 1 cup Vegan BBQ Sauce
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    Instructions

    • Press the tofu for 30 minutes. It's ideal if you use a tofu press, but if you don't have a tofu press then place the tofu on a plate, with another plate on top of it and then put something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot.
    • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
    • When the tofu is pressed, cut it into triangles. You can also cut it into rectangles or cubes.
    • In a large mixing bowl, add soy milk, all purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and whisk into a batter.
    • In a second bowl, add panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix together.
    • Add the tofu triangles to the batter in the large bowl and toss the tofu in the batter so that every piece is coated.
    • Transfer the tofu triangles in batches to the breadcrumbs bowl and gently toss them in the breadcrumbs so that they are coated on all sides.
    • Place the tofu onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
    • Remove it from the oven and add to a bowl with the BBQ sauce. Toss the tofu gently in the sauce so that all the pieces are coated.
    • Place the tofu back onto the parchment lined baking sheet and place it back into the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
    • Remove from the oven and brush with more BBQ sauce before serving.

    Notes

    1. Soy milk – works great for this as it’s nice and creamy. You could replace this with a different non-dairy milk but make sure it’s a creamy option, cashew milk and oat milk should both work well.
    2. Panko breadcrumbs – work best for crispiness. You can use different breadcrumbs but they don’t tend to crisp up quite as well as Panko in this recipe.
    3. Vegan BBQ Sauce – you can use your favorite store-bought vegan BBQ sauce or make your own with our recipe for homemade vegan BBQ sauce.
    4. Gluten-Free: You can use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend instead of regular flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs. It might not be quite as crispy though since Panko breadcrumbs seem to work best for crispiness in this recipe.
    5. Storing: This BBQ tofu is best when hot and crispy right out of the oven. However, leftover tofu can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1172mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 289mg | Iron: 4mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Charlene says

      January 22, 2022 at 2:20 am

      Omg these are amazing!!!! It definitely took me all night to do these though. I chopped them up tiny so I would have more surface area covered for flavour. Hot sauce used was 1/3 honey 1/3 coconut oil 1/3 sirracha. Amazing!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 24, 2022 at 9:51 am

        So happy you enjoyed it Charlene!

        Reply
    2. William Matus says

      October 06, 2021 at 8:26 pm

      Hey can this work with extra firm tofu?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 07, 2021 at 10:12 am

        Yes definitely.

        Reply
    3. Anna says

      September 13, 2021 at 3:19 pm

      This is a definite hit! Not quite as crispy with gluten free bread crumbs,but excellent anyway5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 14, 2021 at 11:40 am

        So glad it came out well Anna!

        Reply

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