Rich in protein, iron, calcium and manganese, tofu is a versatile and healthy staple in vegetarian and vegan diets. But let’s face it, after a while, the miso soup and pad thai routine gets stale. The good news? I have 21+ amazingly delicious tofu recipes that are anything but boring.
21+ Insanely Good Tofu Recipes That Skip the Miso Soup and Pad Thai Routine
1. Bang Bang Tofu Bowls
If you love Bang Bang sauce, you’ll love this recipe. The tofu is cooked in the air fryer, so it’s nice and crispy. Then, it’s smothered in a homemade Bang Bang sauce made from mayonnaise, a sweet Thai chili sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar and a few other simple ingredients.
Serve over warm rice with steamed vegetables and top with sesame seeds and green onions.
2. Spicy Tofu with Coconut Sauce
Craving something spicy? This dish is perfect. Pan-fried tofu cooked in a spicy coconut sauce with minced ginger, shallots, sambal oelek/ulek, curry paste and other spices.
Serve over rice with steamed veggies. Asparagus and broccoli are winning choices for this dish.
Watch Lisa Lin make this recipe here 👇
3. Mapo Tofu Recipe
If you love Sichuan, then this will be one of your favorite tofu recipes on this list. Traditionally, Mapo is also cooked with minced meat, but you can omit this if you want to keep it vegetarian.
Ingredients like garlic, ginger, fermented black beans, chili paste, Sichuan peppercorns and soy sauce add so much flavor to this dish.
Everything is cooked in a single pan, so cleanup is easy. Serve over a bowl of rice or on its own with some steamed vegetables.
Related: 20 Delicious Vegan Brunch Recipes That Are Easy to Make
4. Crispy Gochujang Tofu
Spicy, crispy and versatile, this tofu recipe is one of my top choices when I’m craving something different for dinner.
What you’ll love most about this dish is that it’s super simple to make.
The tofu is tossed in cornstarch and a little oil before frying in the air fryer. Then, toss with the gochujang sauce made from gochujang paste, rice vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil.
You can serve this with rice, but I also love it with lettuce wraps and in noodle dishes.
5. Tofu Nuggets, Japanese Style
These nuggets look so tasty, and they’re made with just a few simple ingredients, like cashew nuts, panko breadcrumbs, wheat flour and oil. The wheat is what gives these nuggets their crispy outer shell.
These tasty nuggets stay fresh in the freezer for up to a month, so cook a big batch and have plenty of leftovers for busy nights.
6. Stuffed Tofu
You’ll need a little extra time for this recipe, but it’s so worth the effort. Look how delicious and gorgeous the presentation is!
Start by hollowing out cubes of tofu and mashing the bits you remove. Then, toss the mashed tofu with garlic, onion, carrots, mushrooms and soy sauce. Pan fry for 3-4 minutes, and then start stuffing your tofu cubes with the filling.
Pan or deep fry the stuffed blocks, make the sauce and pour it over the tofu.
TheFoodieTakesFlight walks you through each step of this recipe here 👇
7. Pork Belly Tofu
This is one of those tofu recipes that you never expected but wish you had found sooner. It’s so delicious, but I will admit that it’s a little tricky for beginner cooks.
The recipe has you marinate the tofu, then sandwich layers between bread and steam before pan-frying and serving.
It’s a little complicated, but it’s been a game-changer for those nights when I’m craving something a little more satisfying and comforting.
The star of the show in this dish is the Chinese 5 spice powder, so don’t skip this ingredient.
8. Sticky Garlic Lime Tofu
A sticky, tasty tofu recipe with a kick of lime that adds tons of flavor. This is the perfect recipe for beginners because it’s so easy to prepare and enjoy even on busy days.
I recommend using super firm tofu. You’ll also need sambal oelek if you want this to be spicy. If you can’t find this ingredient, try sriracha instead. Some brown sugar and sesame oil will give the tofu its sticky texture.
Serve with warm rice, green onions, fresh cilantro and extra squeeze of lime.
9. Butter Tofu
Delicious and creamy, this butter tofu is the perfect dish for a rainy or cold afternoon. A rich coconut sauce spiced with garam masala, turmeric, coriander and ginger is tossed with crushed tomatoes, tamari and garlic to make the perfect vegan alternative to butter chicken.
The tofu itself is baked until crispy, so you don’t have to worry about deep frying.
I love to serve this with rice or naan bread.
10. Crispy Baked Tofu
It’s easier than you think to make crispy tofu that you can add to just about any dish. The secret to making your tofu extra crispy is to press it first. Pressing removes all of the excess water.
You can use a tofu press or wrap your tofu in a towel and stack heavy objects (like books) on top.
The rest of the process is easy, and you’ll be baking your tofu, so there’s no need to deal with messy frying.
Plus, the maple dijon dipping sauce is amazing.
11. Spicy Sesame Grilled Tofu
A simple recipe that packs a flavor punch. To make this tofu, you’ll need to first press it for 15-20 minutes to remove excess moisture.
Then, whisk together a tasty marinade of rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, maple syrup, garlic, chili and seaweed. Marinate, grill and enjoy!
You can pair this with grilled vegetables, rice, or whatever you want. It’s a versatile dish that will balance out any vegetarian meal.
12. Tofu Kebabs
Quick, easy and tasty. There’s no need to press the tofu for this dish, so you’ll save a lot of time. Just mash the tofu with garlic, red onion, chickpea flour and spices like coriander, sumac, mint, turmeric and more.
Shape into kebabs, pan fry over medium heat and you’re ready to eat. It’s that simple! We like to serve these with salad and tahini sauce, but you could do rice, pita bread or hummus.
Related: 15 Protein-Packed Quinoa Salad Recipes to Fuel Your Body
13. Tofu and Chive Wontons
How delicious do these look? This recipe is more hands-on and time-consuming just because you’ll fill and shape each wonton by hand. But you’ll make a big batch that you can enjoy over multiple meals if you want.
The Foodie Takes Flight shows you how she makes this tasty meal step by step.
14. Tofu Taco Meat
Looking for a tasty meat alternative for tacos? Tofu has the perfect texture and absorbs so much flavor
To get the flavor and texture just right, you’ll want to start by pressing your tofu for 15-20 minutes using a press or heavy objects.
Then grate your tofu, and cook it over medium heat in a skillet. Cook with soy sauce for 10 minutes, then add your taco seasoning. Finally, add tomato sauce and simmer for a few more minutes.
Stuff taco shells and enjoy!
15. Soy Garlic Tofu Balls
Here’s one of my all-time favorite tofu recipes for when I’m craving meatballs. It has an Asian flare, but it’s so delicious, thanks to the garlicky sauce.
For this recipe, you can either buy pre-made tofu balls (or other plant-based meatballs), or make your own.
The sauce combines Chinese black vinegar with garlic, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, cornstarch, water and sugar.
16. Sweet Chili Tofu Balls
Start by making your tofu balls with oil, minced garlic cloves and an air fryer. In the meantime, you can start making the sweet chili sauce with water, Gochujang chili paste, tomato ketchup, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sugar and rice wine vinegar.
Mix your ingredients in a bowl and then heat a large pan before adding oil, sauteeing onions and then adding in your sauce.
Once the sauce thickens, add your tofu balls in and cook until the balls are fully coated in the sauce.
17. Panko Tofu
Panko tofu is simple to make:
- Make a marinade with tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil and clove garlic.
- Put together a tofu and breading with tofu, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, aquafaba and panko breadcrumbs.
And Cooking for Peanuts even explains how to make an easy dipping sauce to go along with this dish.
18. Crispy BBQ Tofu
Start this dish by pressing your tofu (tofu presses work great). Preheat your oven to 400℉ and cut your tofu into triangles. Add soy milk, flour, garlic and onion powder, cornstarch, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper into a bowl and mix until it forms a batter.
Place panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper into another bowl and mix together.
Add the tofu into the first large bowl and then into the breadcrumbs before placing them on a baking sheet. Cook for 20 minutes or so, toss in a bowl of BBQ sauce and then put back on a baking sheet to bake for 10 more minutes.
19. Lemon Pepper Tofu
Lemon tofu recipes are some of my favorite recipes, and this easy weekend meal is perfect for those times when you want something quickly without slaving over the oven. First, you’ll make breading from cornstarch, nutritional yeast, dried ground thyme, salt and pepper, olive oil and super firm tofu.
On top, you’ll add your lemon pepper sauce made from chicken broth, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, garlic, cornstarch, salt and pepper.
Slice your tofu, bread it and then pour the sauce into the pan when the tofu is nice and crispy.
20. Vegan Chick-fil-A Style Tofu Nuggets with Dipping Sauce
You’ll start this recipe like you do so many others by opening the tofu and draining it out. Preheat your oven to 400℉, then mix all of your paste ingredients together: soy sauce, agave syrup, veggie broth, sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and nutritional yeast.
Break your tofu into chunks in a bowl and then fold it into your paste.
Place on a baking sheet for 30 – 35 minutes and serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.
21. Pineapple Teriyaki Tofu Recipe
Pineapple tofu takes nearly three hours to make, but prep and cook time are just 55 minutes in total. You’ll freeze and then defrost your tofu, squeeze it out over the sink when it’s properly thawed and place it on a towel to remove any excess liquid that you have.
Marinate your tofu in your mix of:
- Toasted sesame oil
- Olive oil
- Chicken bouillon powder
- Teriyaki sauce
- Minced garlic and red onion
While baking on your baking sheet, you’ll make a pineapple glaze that you drizzle on top and then serve with your choice of rice, salad and salsa.
Related: 17+ High Protein Vegan Meals You’ll Want to Try ASAP
22. Maple Hoisin Shredded Tofu Wraps
Maple syrup, hoisin sauce and tofu offer a protein-packed, healthy option to add to your weekly food menu. And if you’re not the biggest fan of tofu (trust me, it’s not for everyone), the sriracha mayo, tamari, garlic, maple syrup and tons of spices make this dish a delight for your taste buds.
I recommend using a box grater for this recipe so that you can grate the tofu instead of crumbling it with your fork.
I’ve found that a firmer tofu works best for this recipe.
