• 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

    Teriyaki Tofu

    Published: Jul 24, 2020 Updated: May 3, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Teriyaki Tofu

    This teriyaki tofu is made with a deliciously sweet and salty homemade teriyaki sauce. It’s super quick and easy and better than takeout!

    Teriyaki tofu with sesame seeds, chopped spring onions and rice in a black bowl.

    There is a lot to love about this teriyaki tofu. It’s packed with flavor: salty and a little sweet, and it comes together super fast.

    Served with rice it’s a fabulous high protein meal that’s perfect for weeknights.

    And if you love tofu like we do, then also check out our baked tofu recipe, our crispy fried tofu and our marinated tofu salad.

    Teriyaki tofu with rice and sesame seeds in a black bowl.

    How To Make Teriyaki 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. Start out by pressing your tofu for 30 minutes (not pictured). Press it in a tofu press or, if you don’t have a tofu press, place the block of tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then stack a heavy pot on top. The goal is to remove any excess water from the tofu so it’s as firm as possible.
    • Make the teriyaki sauce. While the tofu is pressing you can make your teriyaki sauce. Add soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, brown sugar, ground ginger and garlic powder to a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring all the while. Then make up a cornstarch slurry by adding cornstarch to a bowl with a little water and mixing it into a paste. Add this to your sauce and whisk it in. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat.
    Step by step process photo collage of making teriyaki sauce.
    • Fry the tofu. When the tofu is pressed, cut it into slices, cut the slices in half and then into triangles. Heat sesame oil in a pan and when hot, add the tofu triangles and fry until browned and crispy on one side, and then turn them over and fry until browned and crispy on the other side. Stand the tofu triangles on their sides and fry so that the sides get browned and crispy too.
    • Add the sauce. Pour the sauce into the pan and use a spatula to gently mix the tofu with the sauce so that it’s evenly distributed. Turn off the heat.
    Step by step process photo collage of making teriyaki tofu.

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve your teriyaki tofu over rice and top it with sesame seeds and chopped green onions (also called spring onions or scallions). Some lemon wedges on the side is also great.

    Teriyaki tofu with sesame seeds and rice in a black bowl.

    Chef’s Tips

    Firm tofu is a must in this recipe. It won’t work at all with a soft tofu. The tofu must be firm or extra firm. The firmest tofu you can buy will be the best one to use in this recipe. And then we press it as well to make sure it really fries up well.

    This recipe is pretty salty. A main ingredient in teriyaki sauce is soy sauce which leads to the strong saltiness in this dish. If you like salty foods then you will love it. But if you’d like to cut the saltiness down then you can use a low sodium soy sauce or a dark soy sauce. Both of those options are milder in terms of sodium content.

    Teriyaki tofu in a black bowl with rice and sesame seeds.

    Storing and Reheating

    Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat in the microwave or in the frying pan. If the sauce is too thick, add a small splash of water to it as it heats to thin it out again.

    Chopsticks lifting a piece of teriyaki tofu.

    More Tofu Recipes

    1. Marinated Tofu
    2. General Tso’s Tofu
    3. Kung Pao Tofu
    4. Tofu Stir Fry
    5. Tofu Steak
    6. Tofu Satay

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

    Teriyaki tofu with rice, sesame seeds and green onions in a black bowl.

    Teriyaki Tofu

    This teriyaki tofu is made with a deliciously sweet and salty homemade teriyaki sauce. It’s super quick and easy and better than takeout!
    5 from 15 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Japanese-Inspired
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 258kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Tofu:

    • 14 ounces Firm Tofu (400g)
    • 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

    For the Teriyaki Sauce:

    • ¼ cup Soy Sauce (60ml)
    • 1 cup Water (240ml)
    • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
    • 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
    • 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
    • ¼ cup Water

    For Serving:

    • Basmati Rice
    • Sesame Seeds
    • Green Onions Chopped
    • Lemon Wedges
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Press the tofu. Start out by pressing your tofu for 30 minutes. Press it in a tofu press, or if you don't have a tofu press, place the block of tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then stack a heavy pot on top. The goal is to remove any excess water from the tofu so it's as firm as possible. 
    • Make the teriyaki sauce. While the tofu is pressing make your teriyaki sauce. Add soy sauce, 1 cup of water, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, brown sugar, ground ginger and garlic powder to a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring all the while. Make up a cornstarch slurry by adding the cornstarch to a bowl with ¼ cup water and mixing it into a paste. Add this to your sauce and whisk it in. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat. 
    • Fry the tofu. When the tofu is pressed, cut it into slices, cut the slices in half and then into triangles. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan and when hot, add the tofu triangles and fry until browned and crispy on one side, and then turn them over and fry until browned and crispy on the other side. Stand the tofu triangles on their sides and fry so that the sides get browned and crispy too. 
    • Add the sauce. Pour the sauce into the pan and use a spatula to gently mix the tofu with the sauce so that it's evenly distributed. Turn off the heat. 
    • Serve. Serve it over basmati rice topped with sesame seeds and chopped green onions with lemon wedges on the side.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Firm tofu is a must in this recipe. The firmest tofu you can buy will be the best one to use in this recipe. 
    2. Soy sauce. Make sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce if you want this meal to be entirely gluten-free. 
    3. Green onions are also known as spring onions or scallions. 
    4. Storing. Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. 
    5. Prep time is for pressing the tofu. You start making the sauce while the tofu is pressing, which actually reduces the total time for this dish, so it can be ready in 40 minutes total. 
    6. Nutritional information is for the teriyaki tofu only and excludes rice. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.7g | Protein: 13.6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2.2g | Sodium: 979mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 13.5g
    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 Eggplant Dip
    Vegan Buddha Bowl »
    931 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. Steve says

      October 08, 2021 at 11:36 am

      Two tablespoons of cornstarch is way too much. It turned the sauce into sludge and I had to start all over, at a very inconvenient time.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 08, 2021 at 1:27 pm

        Hi Steve, it is supposed to be a thick sauce, we found this worked well as a sauce for the tofu. Sorry to hear that it came out too thick for you. You can definitely reduce the cornstarch by half for a thinner sauce.

        Reply
    2. Aasiyah says

      June 01, 2021 at 5:21 pm

      Delicious! I swapped the sesame oil and rice vinegar with olive oil and apple cider vinegar.5 stars

      Reply
    3. Madeline says

      January 27, 2021 at 7:19 pm

      Hello! This recipe looks appetizing. Can I use another Vinegar?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 28, 2021 at 9:23 am

        You can, but it will change the taste.

        Reply
    4. Lena says

      January 17, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      I just found your blog a while ago and I have tried numerous recipes since, especially liked this teriyaki tofu! Also, cannot believe I never pressed my tofu before..
      Thank you Alison, keep it up 🙂
      all the best from Germany5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 18, 2021 at 1:41 pm

        Thanks so much Lena! 🙂

        Reply
    5. John O. says

      December 30, 2020 at 4:14 am

      Great recipe. Loved it!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 31, 2020 at 10:29 am

        Thanks John!

        Reply
    6. Sandra Strand says

      October 29, 2020 at 3:40 pm

      I loved this recipe!
      Loooord it was delicious and I felt like a pro chef while cooking it. Like when I added the cornflour mix to the teriyaki sauce and it started to thicken before my eyes – magic moment!

      Thank you for a wonderful recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 31, 2020 at 11:54 am

        That is awesome Sandra, I love this comment! Thanks so much for the amazing review.

        Reply
    7. Barbara says

      October 06, 2020 at 11:24 pm

      Delicious sauce! Instead of rice, I served this with lo mein and veggie stirfry.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 07, 2020 at 9:57 am

        Awesome! Thanks Barbara!

        Reply
    8. Katie says

      August 11, 2020 at 6:59 pm

      Do you have any recommended replacements for tofu? This recipe looks delicious but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get tofu

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 12, 2020 at 9:17 am

        The sauce is super delicious so you could really use it anywhere, if you can get other veggie protein sources like veggie strips or nuggets then this would also work great as a sauce for those.

        Reply
    9. Anna says

      August 02, 2020 at 3:21 pm

      Your recipes are always so flavourful and simple, yet uniquely different. I’m constantly trying something new and sooo impressed.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 03, 2020 at 9:56 am

        Thanks so much Anna!

        Reply
    10. Katerina | Once a Foodie says

      August 01, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      I am looking for a new tofu recipe and I think this might be it! The teriyaki sauce looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 03, 2020 at 10:05 am

        Awesome! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Susan Noble says

      July 27, 2020 at 3:05 pm

      I made the teriyaki sauce using dark soy sauce. It was great, not too salty and a rich deep flavor.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 28, 2020 at 10:12 am

        So happy to hear that Susan! Thank you!

        Reply
    12. Amanda says

      July 25, 2020 at 7:38 am

      This looks yummy! Can you use fresh garlic and ginger, and if so, how much? (It’s hard to get the powder where I live.)

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 25, 2020 at 2:24 pm

        Sure! I’d probably stick to a teaspoon of each and use crushed garlic and minced ginger. 🙂

        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!