• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Loving It Vegan

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Entrees

    Grilled Tofu

    Published: Oct 17, 2020 Updated: Apr 19, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Grilled Tofu

    This grilled tofu is the best ever! It’s grilled to perfection on a grill pan and brushed with a fabulous sesame ginger marinade sauce.

    Grilled tofu served with rice and chopped green onions in a black bowl.

    You will love this grilled tofu recipe. It’s super easy to make, packed with flavor and high in protein too, so it makes a perfect weeknight dinner.

    You don’t even need to use an outdoor grill, a grill pan works great and it’s exactly what we used to make this tofu.

    Of course if you love easy tofu recipes then you’ll also love our marinated tofu, kung pao tofu and General Tso’s tofu so check those out too. You’ll also love our delicious vegan kebabs.

    Grilled tofu with green onions and basmati rice in a black bowl.

    How To Make Grilled 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 two blocks of tofu, ideally using a tofu press, or if you don’t have a tofu press, by placing the tofu on a plate, with another plate on top of it, and then stacking something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or stack of books. Leave to press for 30 minutes.
    • When pressed, slice each block of tofu into 3 rectangular blocks, so that you have 6 rectangles.
    Tofu pressing in a tofu press and then cut into strips.
    • Brush the tofu with a little sesame oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
    Brushing olive oil on tofu strips and then sprinkling on spices.
    • Mix up your basting sauce by adding toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, hoisin sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger powder and cayenne pepper to a measuring jug.
    • Whisk it into a sauce.
    Adding marinade ingredients to measuring jug and whisking.
    • Lightly brush a grill skillet with sesame oil and heat it for around 6 minutes on medium to high heat until hot.
    • Place three of the tofu blocks onto the hot skillet. They will stick to the skillet.
    • Grill the tofu for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes they will have grill lines and should release from the skillet easily without sticking.
    • Flip the tofu over and grill for 5 minutes on the other side.
    • Remove the tofu from the skillet and repeat with the remaining 3 tofu rectangles.
    Adding tofu strips to grill pan and then flipping.
    • Then return the tofu to the skillet, 3 pieces at a time and lightly brush the basting sauce on both sides.
    Brushing marinade sauce onto tofu in a grill pan.
    • Serve over basmati rice and pour over the rest of the sauce. Top with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of white sesame seeds.
    Grilled tofu with rice and green onions in a black bowl.

    Ingredient Notes

    Firm or extra firm tofu. It is crucial that you use firm or extra firm tofu in this recipe. Extra firm is preferable. And then we still press the tofu to make it as firm as possible. This is so that the tofu holds its shape and doesn’t break up when you try to lift it from the grill skillet.

    Pressing the tofu. The most ideal way to do this is to use a tofu press. We have had one for years now and it comes into regular use in our kitchen so it’s a very handy tool to have. Otherwise a heavy pot or heavy stack of books will also do the job.

    Sesame oil and toasted sesame oil. The tofu is brushed with sesame oil (NOT toasted sesame oil) and the grill pan is also brushed with sesame oil but the basting sauce uses toasted sesame oil. It’s important not to mix them up.

    Regular sesame oil has a high smoke point so it’s a good option to use for grilling or frying. Toasted sesame oil has a wonderful flavor so works great for sauces. If you used toasted sesame oil in your grill pan it would likely smoke up your whole house. So use regular sesame oil to brush the grill pan and your tofu before grilling and then use toasted sesame oil in your basting sauce. This is also why we just brush on the basting sauce briefly at the end, when the tofu is already grilled and why we don’t cook the tofu in it.

    Grilled tofu with rice in a black bowl.

    Chef’s Tips

    Let the grill pan get hot before adding the tofu. The grill pan needs to be hot so that the tofu seals when it hits the pan, gets those lovely grill lines, and doesn’t stick.

    Wait 5 minutes before flipping. In addition to the grill pan being sizzling hot, you must also wait the full 5 minutes before you try to flip the tofu. If you try to flip it too soon, it will break up.

    Piece of grilled tofu on a fork.

    More Tofu Recipes

    1. Teriyaki Tofu
    2. Crispy Baked Tofu
    3. Tofu Satay
    4. Crispy Fried Tofu
    5. Tofu Scramble
    6. Tofu Stir Fry

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

    Grilled tofu with rice in a black bowl.

    Grilled Tofu

    This grilled tofu is the best ever! It’s grilled to perfection on a grill pan and brushed with a fabulous sesame ginger marinade sauce.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 261kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 24 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (680g) 2 blocks of 12 ounces each
    • ½ Tablespoon Sesame Oil
    • Sprinkle Salt and Pepper

    Basting Sauce:

    • 4 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
    • 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
    • 4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
    • 2 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
    • ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
    • ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

    For Serving: 

    • Basmati Rice
    • Green Onions Chopped
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Press the tofu, ideally using a tofu press, or if you don't have a tofu press, by placing the tofu on a plate, with another plate on top of it, and then stacking something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or stack of books. Leave to press for 30 minutes.
    • When pressed, slice each block of tofu into 3 rectangular blocks, so that you have 6 rectangles.
    • Brush the tofu with sesame oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.  
    • Mix up your basting sauce by adding the toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, hoisin sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger powder and cayenne pepper to a measuring jug. Whisk it into a sauce. 
    • Lightly brush a grill skillet with sesame oil and heat it for around 6 minutes on medium to high heat until hot. 
    • Place three of the tofu blocks onto the hot skillet. They will stick to the skillet. 
    • Grill the tofu for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes they will have grill lines and should release from the skillet easily without sticking. 
    • Flip the tofu over and grill for 5 minutes on the other side. 
    • Remove the tofu from the skillet and repeat with the remaining 3 tofu rectangles.
    • Then return the tofu to the skillet, 3 pieces at a time and lightly brush the basting sauce on both sides. 
    • Serve over basmati rice and pour over the rest of the sauce.
    • Top with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of white sesame seeds.

    Notes

    1. Tofu – it is crucial that you use firm or extra firm tofu in this recipe. Extra firm is preferable. 
    2. Sesame oil – regular sesame oil is used to brush onto the tofu and onto the grill skillet, and toasted sesame oil in the basting sauce. Don’t mix them up because toasted sesame oil is not a good option to use in high heat. This is why we also just brush on the basting sauce at the end, we don’t cook the tofu in the sauce. 
    3. Let the grill pan get hot before adding the tofu. The grill pan needs to be hot so that the tofu seals when it hits the pan, gets those lovely grill lines, and doesn’t stick. 
    4. Wait 5 minutes before flipping. In addition to the grill pan being sizzling hot, you must also wait the full 5 minutes before you try to flip the tofu. If you try to flip it too soon, it will break up. 
    5. Prep time does not include the time spent pressing the tofu. 
    6. Nutritional information is for tofu and sauce only and excludes basmati rice. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 14.1g | Fat: 17.4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 227mg | Sugar: 10g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!
    « Vegan Blondies
    The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies »
    673 shares

    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. Farida says

      January 24, 2022 at 6:52 pm

      Hello! I’m not sure how long you leave the tofu on the skillet at step 10 🙂 Can you please help? Thank you for yet another recipe that I know we will all love.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 25, 2022 at 10:17 am

        Hi Farida, just as long as it takes to brush on the basting sauce on either side. All the best and hope you enjoy the recipe!

        Reply
    2. Mary-Ann says

      October 26, 2020 at 12:57 am

      Made this for brunch today. Very easy.
      I didn’t have toasted sesame seed oil so I used peanut oil instead. It was still quite delicious. I’ll definitely make it again using the toasted sesame seed oil in the basting sauce.
      Great recipe. Thank you ????5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 26, 2020 at 10:05 am

        Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Mary-Ann!

        Reply
    3. Anna says

      October 22, 2020 at 4:24 pm

      Making a bland tofu into something scrumptious is really an art. Thank you for this simple effective recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 23, 2020 at 8:44 am

        Thanks Anna!

        Reply

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    Leave A Comment & Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Popular Posts

    • Vegan Tuna
    • The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese (Classic, Baked)
    • Vegan Burrito
    • Super Eggy Vegan Tofu Scramble
    • Sliceable Cashew Cheese
    • Homemade Vegan Butter

    Veganuary

    • Vegan Halloumi
    • Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Vegan Stuffed Peppers
    • Vegan Granola
    • The Best Vegan Waffles
    • Vegan Salmon

    See all Veganuary Recipes →


    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    As Seen In

    Press logos black and white

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Loving It Vegan

    Get 10 fabulous dinner recipes!
    Absolutely free! Sign up below!
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!