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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    September 3, 2017 56 Comments

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu

    11.7K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    To fu, or not to fu, that is the question. The answer is and the answer always will be, to fu! (or tofu rather).

    Alright, alright, Sam is having one of her loopy rambling words days. I still can't believe I'm a "professional" writer. Seriously, how did that happen?

    Back to tofu. I love me some tofu. Yep, vegan stereotype or not, I just love the stuff and it's one of my favourite foods to play with in the kitchen as it has endless possibilities of what it can do. Tofu, you are one mighty fine food.

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu! Marinate the tofu in a lemon garlic sauce for up to three days for an easy make ahead meal. Then bake or fry in a crispy panko coating. Vegetarian, oil-free #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Today I have decided to share with you my Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

    1. The tofu is marinated in a simple lemon garlic sauce, and you can have it sitting in your fridge for up to three days! Meaning deliciously lemony tofu is waiting for your hunger to strike. The longer you leave it, the more awesome it becomes. Make ahead easiness, check.
    2. You can decide whether to bake or fry the crispy vegan lemon tofu. Meaning you get to choose how healthy you want to be for this particular meal. Both ways come out crispy and delicious. Healthiness option, check.
    3. Not only is the tofu marinated in lemon garlic sauce, but it is dredged in flour and then dipped back into the lemon marinade to infuse it with maximum lemon garlicky goodness! Who needs eggs for a breaded coating when you can double infuse with flavour instead? Then coat it in seasoned panko for maximum crunch. Vegan recipe for the win, check!

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu! Marinate the tofu in a lemon garlic sauce for up to three days for an easy make ahead meal. Then bake or fry in a crispy panko coating. Vegetarian, oil-free #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    And there you have it crispy vegan lemon tofu. Crunchy on the outside, lemon garlic on the inside. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes, and a green salad or cooked green like asparagus or broccoli. Yum!

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu! Marinate the tofu in a lemon garlic sauce for up to three days for an easy make ahead meal. Then bake or fry in a crispy panko coating. Vegetarian, oil-free #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    To make Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu: In a large resealable bag or medium dish, mix together all of the marinade ingredients. Add in the slices of tofu and toss lightly to coat. Seal or cover and put in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, but you can let marinate in the fridge for up to 3 days. The longer it marinates the more flavour infused it will become.

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu! Marinate the tofu in a lemon garlic sauce for up to three days for an easy make ahead meal. Then bake or fry in a crispy panko coating. Vegetarian, oil-free #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Take three small bowls. Add flour to one. Pour off the leftover lemon marinade into the second, leaving the tofu behind. Mix together the panko, nutritional yeast, dried parsley, and garlic powder in the third.

    Take a slice of the marinated tofu and toss it into the flour to coat, then dip the tofu into the leftover marinate, and finally coat in the panko mixture. Repeat with all the tofu slices. You can bake or fry the tofu depending on your preference.

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu! Marinate the tofu in a lemon garlic sauce for up to three days for an easy make ahead meal. Then bake or fry in a crispy panko coating. Vegetarian, oil-free #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    To bake the tofu: Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the panko coated tofu in a single layer and bake for 18 to 23 minutes until lightly golden.

    OR

    To fry the tofu: heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When hot, carefully fry the tofu pieces until they are golden brown on both sides, and heated through. About 3 to 6 minutes per side. The panko coating can be a little fragile and falls off easily, so I found the best technique was to use a large spatula (and not tongs) for flipping. Just be gentle when handling the tofu.

    Garnish with extra lemon slices and fresh parsley if desired. Boom!

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu! Marinate the tofu in a lemon garlic sauce for up to three days for an easy make ahead meal. Then bake or fry in a crispy panko coating. Vegetarian, oil-free #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Print Recipe
    4.95 from 34 votes

    Crispy Vegan Lemon Tofu

    Marinate the tofu in a lemon garlic sauce for up to three days for an easy make ahead meal. Then bake or fry in a crispy panko coating. 
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Canadian
    ingredient tag: tofu
    Servings: 8 tofu slices
    Calories: 104kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    For the lemon marinated tofu

    • 2 lemons, zested and juiced
    • ¼ cup water
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 teaspoons agave or maple syrup
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 block (350g) extra-firm or firm tofu, drained, pressed, and sliced into 8 pieces (see notes)

    For the panko coating:

    • â…“ cup flour
    • ½ cup panko crumbs
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Marinate the tofu: In a large resealable bag or medium dish, mix together all of the marinade ingredients. Add in the slices of tofu and toss lightly to coat. Seal or cover and put in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, but you can let marinate in the fridge for up to 3 days.
    • Panko coat the tofu: Take three small bowls. Add the flour to one. Pour off the leftover lemon marinade into the second, leaving the tofu behind. Mix together the panko, nutritional yeast, dried parsley, and garlic powder in the third.
    • Take a slice of the marinated tofu and toss it into the flour to coat, then dip the tofu into the leftover marinate, and finally coat in the panko mixture. Repeat with all the tofu slices. You can bake or fry the tofu depending on your preference.
    • To bake the tofu: Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the panko coated tofu in a single layer and bake for 18 to 23 minutes until lightly golden.
    • To fry the tofu: heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When hot, carefully fry the tofu pieces until they are golden brown on both sides, and heated through. About 3 to 6 minutes per side. The panko coating can be a little fragile and falls off easily, so I found the best technique was to use a large spatula (and not tongs) for flipping. Just be gentle when handling the tofu.
    • To air fry the tofu: Preheat your airy fryer to 370F (190C). Lay the panko-coated tofu in a single layer, working in batches if needed, and fry for 14 to 19 minutes until lightly golden.

    Notes

    If you're new to pressing tofu, check out The Ultimate Guide to Pressing Tofu to find out how (it's easy peasy)!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 104kcal
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sudan says

      July 15, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      Is there any substitute for Panko crumbs?

      Reply
    2. Stephanie says

      October 16, 2021 at 4:35 pm

      5 stars
      So yummy! I love this recipe. The first time I have ever marinated tofu. I will definitely be doing it more now. Thank you!!!

      Reply
    3. Kim says

      March 08, 2021 at 8:26 pm

      4 stars
      I wish I hadn't sat on this recipe so long before finally trying it! This was easy and delicious, and I appreciate that you provide options for how to cook it (I opted to bake mine). I served it with lemon & garlic roasted asparagus for a nice early spring (almost!) meal. I do think a dip or sauce would be a nice addition (maybe something with dill?) as I found the panko coating a bit dry after baking, but that won't stop me from making this again!

      Reply
    4. Gloria says

      January 09, 2021 at 11:50 am

      I tried to make this last night and discovered I didn't have any panko. So I chopped up some fried onion topping, and skipped the powdered garlic since the onion already has a strong/salty flavor... and OMG!! Best tofu I've ever had. Thanks!

      Reply
    5. Kelly says

      December 10, 2020 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this (after marinating overnight) and I’m in love! I have some leftovers which I think I will incorporate into a cold salad tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    6. Emily Noltemeyer says

      August 24, 2020 at 10:38 pm

      This inspires me to veganzie my moms winner winner chicken dinner from childhhod with these

      Reply
    7. Sandee Childs says

      May 31, 2020 at 3:50 pm

      I made this for our dinner last night and it was a hit! I breaded the cutlets a bit in advance, possibly why I had no trouble with the batter falling off. Hated to throw the marinade away so I poured it into a small skillet, heated it and whisked in a bit of cornstarch. It made a delightful sauce! I’ll make this recipe often! Thank you!

      Reply
    8. Michelle says

      February 03, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      Have you tried roasting after marinating sans panko coating?

      Reply
      • Michelle says

        February 03, 2020 at 8:32 pm

        Never mind--I tried it, drizzling slices with EVOO before baking and after flipping midway through cooking. Delicious!

        Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 07, 2020 at 1:41 pm

        You definilty can!

        Reply
    9. Shannon says

      November 24, 2019 at 9:31 am

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner last night. It was so good that i couldn't stop eating it! I have 3 small pieces left for today. Thanks for being such an awesome cook! I will make this again!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 26, 2019 at 10:01 am

        Thrilled you enjoyed it, Shannon!

        Reply
    10. Suee33 says

      August 28, 2019 at 8:09 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, this is SO good and easy! Did some in the Air Fryer and some I fried, both were good, frying is always better! ha! Mine were very lemon - for sure trying to think of a sauce for them.
      thanks for this recipe

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 04, 2019 at 11:26 am

        So thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Suee33 🙂

        Reply
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    I'm Sam. Bestselling cookbook author and full-time vegan recipe creator! I LOVE vegan food, but it didn't start that way. As someone who comes from a family of hunters, butchers, and chefs I'm the last person I thought would go vegan. Here's My Story →

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