Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long to discover such easy and delicious recipes. Back in the day, I used to enjoy teriyaki chicken, but since going vegan I seemed to forget about that. Then the other day, it struck me: why haven't I veganized this dish? So I did just that, by simply swapping out a few ingredients (mainly tofu for chicken), and let me tell you, this easy sticky teriyaki tofu is a new household fave!
The key to making teriyaki tofu irresistibly delicious is to prepare the tofu correctly. First the tofu is pressed. This removes excess water and gives the tofu a more chewy meaty texture.
Then the tofu is torn into chunks. THIS IS KEY. I discovered the idea of tearing tofu into chunks (as opposed to cutting it into cubes) when I made my baked tofu bites recipe. When tofu is torn, the shape of the pieces are random and the surface is textured. This is the key to making tofu have chicken-like vibes. The random sizes mean that some pieces are chewier than others, while some pieces are more juicy. The the textured surface not only makes for an amazing mouth-feel, but it also helps hold the sauce on better. Trust me when I say, that tearing tofu is a game changer.
Then for the pièce de résistance, the sauce. The tofu is coated in a sticky, sweet, salty, tangy, garlicy, gingery, every perfect flavour sauce. Sprinkled with green onions and sesame seeds, I can predict that this dish will become a go-to staple for many.
Oh and did I mention that this recipe only takes about 10 minutes of cook time!? Yeah, it keeps getting better and better.
How to Make Easy Sticky Teriyaki Tofu:
First you will need to prepare the tofu. Prepare the tofu by draining it, and then pressing it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. I love using my Tofuture tofu press (as seen above), but you can also follow these instructions for a DIY tofu pressing method.
Pressing the tofu squeezes excess water out so that the tofu can suck up more of the marinade and also will make the texture a bit chewier.
In a bowl or measuring cup, mix together the teriyaki tofu sauce ingredients: the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Set aside.
Once the tofu is pressed, remove the tofu and pat dry, then use your fingers to tear into chunks about 1" in size. Some chunks will be bigger and others will be smaller and that's perfect! Tearing the tofu will make for the best chicken-like texture and also helps grip the sauce better.
Add the tofu to a medium bowl, and sprinkle over the cornstarch. Toss well to coat.
Heat the light oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan. Once hot, add the tofu, and cook for about 5 minutes, flipping as needed until the tofu is lightly browned all over.
Pour all of the teriyaki sauce into the pan with the tofu, and cook for another 2- 3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
Serve the tofu or rice if or noodles (if desired) and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. See how sticky delicious that is!!! YUM!
I love this easy sticky teriyaki tofu is delicious served on rice with a side of broccoli or another green. It's also great served with rice noodles or in a lettuce wrap. Trust me when I say, that this tofu dish is so scrumptious, you're going to find any excuse to make this again and again.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Easy Sticky Teriyaki Tofu
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 1 block (12 oz) extra-firm tofu, (see step 1 for prep)
For the sauce:
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce (gluten-free if preffered)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 inch fresh ginger (1 tablespoon), minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
To cook the tofu:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- To prep the tofu: Prepare the tofu by draining it, and then pressing it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. I love using my Tofuture tofu press, but you can also follow these instructions for a DIY tofu pressing method. Pressing the tofu squeezes excess water out so that the tofu can suck up more of the marinade and also will make the texture a bit chewier.
- In a bowl or measuring cup, mix together the sauce ingredients: the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Set aside.
- Once the tofu is pressed, remove the tofu and pat dry, then use your fingers to tear into chunks about 1" in size. Some chunks will be bigger and others will be smaller and that's perfect! Tearing the tofu will make for the best chicken-like texture and also helps grip the sauce better. Add the tofu to a medium bowl, and sprinkle over the cornstarch. Toss well to coat.
- Heat the light oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan. Once hot, add the tofu, and cook for about 5 minutes, flipping as needed until the tofu is lightly browned all over.
- Pour all of the sauce mixture into the pan with the tofu, and cook for another 2- 3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve the tofu with rice or noodles (if desired) and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Amazingly easy and tasty recipe. Love it!
This was delicious and I love how quick and easy it is. I’ll definitely make it again! Currently enjoying leftovers!
This was so good! We doubled the sauce recipe to have extra for on top of our rice. This will be one of our go to quick dinner recipes now! Thank you!
Fabulous recipe! I made it for lunch today and wished I had doubled the recipe. Simple flavors seem to sing with each other every bite.
This was embarrassingly delicious. Embarrassing, because next time we will have to double the recipe ... for two adults & one toddler - we all basically inhaled it. Thaaaaaaanks!
Absolutely outstanding! I made a double batch, with already pressed tofu - aaaaamaaaazing! & so easy to make too. I shared it with my vegan boyfriend and his non vegan friend and they both loved it too. Thanks for another bomb recipe, Sam!
My husband and I are of Japanese heritage. Since becoming vegan we thought teriyaki chicken was destined to be just a fond memory. I made this tonight and not only was it delicious but it satisfied a culinary void in our diet. Thank you!
Aww that's wonderful. So very happy you loved it, Dianne 🙂
Yes, I have seen this technique of tearing the tofu
used with Chad and Derek Sarno from Wicked Healthy. Their "Country Fried – Crispy Tofu Turkey" is wonderful....I will definitely make this!
Sounds great!
I have made dozens of tofu recipes in my life and this was one of my favorites of not the best I’ve had! I love this recipe, 10/10!
Haha, amazing! So happy you loved it so much, Hannah 🙂
Very good, Sam! I appreciate the tip to tear the tofu instead of cutting it.
Thrilled you enjoyed it, Carla 🙂
My first tofu recipe ever!!! And I’m hooked Tearing the tofu gave it a great texture and the taste was great. Even the carnivore in the family gave it a thumbs up! Thanks Sam
Wonderful, so happy you loved it, Val!
I made this and threw it into a salad and OMG, so good!! The texture was spot on.
Haha! Amazing. 🙂
Super quick and tasty and items I always have on hand or in the freezer (we freeze our fresh ginger in knobs). Wish we had a big enough cast iron pan would be even better. Added chopped cashews and mandarins for garnish and lots of veg. Will become a weekly dish in our household!! Can’t wait to make it again.
Yay! So happy you loved it, Vanessa 🙂
I made this for dinner last night. I pressed the tofu for several hours because as soon as the recipe showed up in my in-box I knew I wanted to be prepared to make it! The tofu had a nice texture. There were tiny pieces and a bit larger pieces. I liked the contrast between them. It makes a generous amount of sauce (which is a definite bonus). The sauce is delicious! The only thing I added was steamed broccoli. It made a complete meal with the rice & broccoli! Even my meat eating husband enjoyed it. Thanks Sam for another great recipe. I never question if your recipes are going to be good. They never disappoint!
Wonderful, really happy you loved it, Karen! 🙂
I made this tonight, and it was really good! I liked the texture and the sauce had good flavor. I served it to someone who usually doesn't like the texture of tofu and he enjoyed it too-said it was the best tofu I made! 😉
So happy to hear that!
The ripping of the tofu is a total game changer! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself. I wished the sauce was a bit sweeter, so will likely sweeten it up a bit more. I also swapped the corn starch for tapioca flour (as I have an over abundance), and it definitely made the sauce get a bit more sticky. Great recipe! All your stuff is A++!!! Thank you!
Right!? Total gamechanger. So happy you enjoyed!
Sam, may I impose on you to please clarify the oil-free instrux? I've got the part about omitting the oil in the sauce and whisking the cornstarch into the sauce instead of coating the tofu with cornstarch. However, do I add cornstarch to the water / broth when sauteing / frying the tofu?
Hi Rose, no problem. You do not add any cornstarch to the water/broth when frying. Just add the cornstarch to the sauce. Enjoy!
Thanks for getting back to me, Sam. I opted to bake the pieces intead (less likely to crumble). And you're so right! This is much, much better after the first day.
Cheers,
RoseAnne
Received your email this morning. Made it immediately for dinner tonight. I added some onions, shiitake mushrooms and arugula for color, but it was delicious. I reduced the sugar a bit (I'm an RD) and may use even less next time, but this recipe is a winner!
Wonderful! So happy you loved it, Elisa 🙂
I made this tonight and despite squeezing the water out of the extra firm tofu for maybe 1.5 - 2 hours, tearing the tofu as instructed, and cooking it for about 10 min instead of 5 to get it lightly browned, once the sauce was added, it didn’t resemble chicken at all, just tofu. Next time I would leave out the rice vinegar as it gave the sauce a sour taste. Not sure what to do differently to achieve the texture of chicken? I added broccoli and carrots sticks to the tofu and sauce to make it more nutritious.
Did you use extra firm tofu? That’s all I can think of, sorry.
Yes, as I said above, “extra firm tofu”. Perhaps 1.5-2 hours wasn’t enough time to get all the water out?
Sorry you didn't enjoy it more, Ali.
I did enjoy it, Sam, just wish the tofu had been less soft. I will make it again - will try freezing the tofu first, then thawing and removing water as that apparently results in a chewier tofu. I’m determined to get this right!
I made this recipe tonight. The only alteration I made was to use Super Firm Tofu, so I didn't have to press it. Outstanding results. This recipe is a winner!
Wonderful! So happy you loved it, Owenna 🙂
Just made this one... so simple and yummy! Definitely became one of my favourite ways to have tofu.
I recommend breaking the tofu into smaller pieces to get a higher sauce-to-tofu ratio (I find tofu pretty bland, I prefer tasting more of the sauce).
Once again you did it, Sam! Thanks a lot for this one
If that's what your new cookbook looks like... OMG, I just can't wait to have it in my hands!
Wonderful! So happy you loved it so much, Bianca! And yes, this is definitely along the lines of Fast Easy Cheap Vegan! 🙂
I would like to know how much tofu do you eat in a week, Sam?
Totally depends on the week, sometimes none (those are sad weeks hahaha), and sometimes I eat it almost daily. Just depends what my cravings are and what recipes I'm testing 🙂
Can't wait to try this! I wonder how it would be if you used frozen, thawed tofu? I know the texture gets chewier after freezing it.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of the texture frozen then thawed tofu, but if you love it, then go for it!
I know what’s fir dinner tonight! I use a fork to tear our tofu and it really does make a difference, especially when there is sauce involved.
So happy you loved it, Tina!
This looks great, I can't wait to try it! Have you ever done tofu in an air fryer? I was going to give it a shot and hope it turns out like those delicious deep fried restaurant versions..
Hi Sheila, I love tofu in an air-fryer! Although I don't recommend it for this recipe as the cornstarch really needs the oil to make the crispy skin. Enjoy!