I know I've been posting a lot of tofu recipes recently, but I just can't help it. I love the stuff! The textures and flavours you can make with tofu are endlessly delicious, and this recipe for Vegan BBQ Shredded Tofu is no exception. The tofu is shredded with a cheese grater and then baked in spices. This technique makes the most amazing tender and chewy bite. It's super satiating and full of BBQ deliciousness. A new fave in my house for sure!
Just 8 ingredients and super easy to make. It also stores well in the fridge for 3 - 4 days so it's great for meal prepping too.
Once you have your shredded tofu you can layer it on a bun for a pulled tofu sandwich, pile it on a taco or in a burrito, use it for scrumptious lettuce wraps, top on a baked potato, scatter over nachos, or enjoy it any way you like! (I'm also a big fan of munching on it straight from the pan). 😉
I came across the idea shredding tofu with a cheese grater from the blog Up Beet Kitchen, and I combined that technique with my method for making tofu crumbles and tah dah! Vegan shredded chicken. You just gotta love the amazing powers of tofu!! (Probably the most vegan statement ever said). Haha!
To make Vegan BBQ Shredded Tofu:
There is no need to press the tofu as it will dry out in the oven. Simply drain off the excess water and pat dry. Use the large side of a cheese grater to grate the block of tofu into shreds. Set aside.
Mix the oil, soy sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add the shredded tofu, and use a spatula to gently toss to evenly coat the tofu in the seasonings.
Spread the tofu evenly over the prepared pan. Bake for 28 - 33 minutes, stirring the tofu halfway through, until the tofu is browned. For chewier shreds you will want to bake them a little longer, or for more tender shreds bake them a little less.
Remove the tofu from the oven. Heat the BBQ sauce and water in a pan, and then stir in the baked tofu. The tofu will absorb some of the liquid and it will soften to tofu slightly making the most perfectly meaty texture.
Serve hot as a sandwich, in tacos, on nachos, in lettuce wraps, on a baked potato, any way you like! Or allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Vegan BBQ Shredded Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 350g block extra-firm tofu, drained and shredded (see step 2)
- 1 tablespoon light oil such as canola or vegetable
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce gluten-free if preferred
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup vegan-friendly BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- There is no need to press the tofu as it will dry out in the oven. Simply drain off the excess water and pat dry. Use the large side of a cheese grater to grate the block of tofu into shreds. Set aside.
- Mix the oil, soy sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add the shredded tofu, and use a spatula to gently toss to evenly coat the tofu in the seasonings.
- Spread the tofu evenly over the prepared pan. Bake for 28 – 33 minutes, stirring the tofu halfway through, until the tofu is browned. For chewier shreds you will want to bake them a little longer, or for more tender shreds bake them a little less.
- Heat the BBQ sauce and water in a pan, and then stir in the baked tofu. The tofu will absorb some of the liquid and it will soften to tofu slightly making the most perfectly meaty texture. Serve hot as a sandwich, in tacos, on nachos, in lettuce wraps, on a baked potato, any way you like! Or allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
Rose says
I flipped out when I seen this recipe! Delicious even better than using jackfruit for barbecue!
Shannon says
I just used this technique to shred smoked tofu for pea soup to replace the meat off a hambone! Super excited, I think this will work well!
Sonya says
Another incredible recipe. Tofu has always been easy to my stomach and anothet added to my favorites thank you
Kat says
I was able to get pretty decent shreds when I grated, not as long or thick as the ones in the picture, but when I mixed with the spices, even though I was very gentle, they broke. I have mostly a mix between half of a shred and a crumble, LOL
Ellen says
another great recipe. Make great sandwiches. The former the tofu the better (trader Joe’s high protein for those in the US)
I also enjoyed it in the dip. So versatile. Have you thought about using it for crab dip too? Maybe with old bay? I’ll leave the ideas to the pros because these recipes are all amazing.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh crab dip! I love that idea! I will add that to my list 🙂
Jean says
I loved it as I use tofu a lot (I work for a small company that makes small batch tofu). I used low sodium soya sauce but still found it a bit salty... can I leave the soya sauce out all together?
Jill says
Whoooopsie! I made a mistake and mixed the water and bbq with the spices before cooking. It’s in the oven now and I don’t know what I’m going to wind up with! (I also used frozen tofu) oh man! It smells good though lol
Milo says
Has anyone tried shredding tofu in a food processor?
Ian Wilson says
Nobody tried it yet?
Amands says
Delicious! Such a great idea.
Claudia says
So tried this and accidentally over baked them to a crisp! Guess what!!! They turned out to be the yummiest salad topper! Thanks Sam. But will definitely try again and be more careful with the baking time.
Jonathan says
I have to admit I am not a huge tofu lover, but my wife and I tried this recipe for the buffalo dip and another this week with tofu, and we both LOVED THEM! Fantastic! No leftovers!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you loved tofu prepared this way, Jonathan 🙂
Kasey says
This was really good my shreds were more like crumbles and I used extra firm but I always freeze my tofu so that might have been the cause of that but I will want to try this recipe again either before I freeze my tofu or using super firm.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, frozen tofu will result in crumbs, so next time use tofu that hasn't been frozen first. Glad you enjoyed!!
Hechy says
This is awesome...will be trying this out on the weekend. I love how tofu-centric you are. (How tofu-rrific of me.) <3
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, I admit, I could eat tofu all day everyday!
Rachel says
My son and partner loved these- had as sliders with coleslaw- another awesome option for our half meat-free household.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Cynthia says
OMG! This made the BEST taco salad (your BBQ tofu shreds, lettuce, salsa, avocado tortilla chips, black beans)... FABULOUS! Fed the family and everyone loved it. Thank you!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww wonderful!!! 🙂
Tanya says
Thanx for another great recipe) From Russia with loveee))))
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Tanya!
Shannon says
I have not made these yet but i am giving it 5 stars because everything i have made from your blog is 6 star worthy! I have a question thou. I can never find smoked paprika. Can i substitute some liquid smoke? If so how much should i use? Thanks!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you Shannon! Yes, I would use 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika plus a few drops of liquid smoke. That should get a really similar taste. Enjoy!
Tina says
Has anyone tried freezing the shreds after it has been made but before it’s been simmered with the bbq sauce?
I’d like to cool it from the oven and then freeze so I have it on hand to cook in any marinade.
Melissa says
I've never eaten a pulled-anything sandwich, but this sounded tasty, so I gave it a try. Wow! I put it on top of some leftover rice and it was like a bean-less chili. Yum. Thanks for another great tofu recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoyed it, Melissa!
Patricia says
I have several packages of frozen extra firm tofu. Would the same method work with that? BTW your wonderful cookbook gets quite a workout around my house.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoy my book!! Frozen tofu gets a spongey texture which doesn't work well for this recipe. Use fresh 🙂
Kaitlan says
I was really excited to try this but it did not turn out well. I used Whole Foods' brand of Extra Firm tofu and it was very watery and did not shred well, it just crumbled. I did pat it dry but I resisted my intuition at the beginning to press it- I wish I had! Just an fyi for anyone else with really watery tofu.
Sam Turnbull says
Sorry to hear that! I use Sunrise brand and it works every time.
Christopher says
My tofu just crumbled when I tried to shred it. Advice?
Sam Turnbull says
Were you using extra-firm tofu? Other firmnesses of tofu will crumble. I also find sprouted tofu is a little more crumbly. You can still cook the crumbles they will taste just as good 🙂
Susanne says
I have been vegan for 3 years now and have tried the newer "meats" from the store and I can truly say this recipe is so much better than any of those. These are so versatile. You can vary the marinades and use these for everything. I made the ones above and was so excited with the taste and texture. Love that can be made ahead and frozen too. You have really done it this time. I have never posted a review but these were perfect!!! Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful Susanne! Thrilled you loved it so much 🙂
D says
This looks great! I want to make it for my husband for Father's day tomorrow 🙂
Question - if I make it today, what's the best way to reheat it tomorrow? And will it change the texture?
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi D. You can fully prepare it, it won't change texture. I would heat it up on the stove at a low heat. You may need to add a splash of water. ENjoy!
Lynette Smith says
Agree with all the comments above! This was delish! Like a few other people I pressed my tofu for half an hour and, perhaps because of this, I found it needed a bit more moisture. We had it in a bun with sliced tomatoes, like a burger.
Will definitely be making this again!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful, so happy you enjoyed Lynette!
Sue says
This is phenomenal! I couldn’t stop eating it, straight from the oven! Then I served it in soft corn tortillas with guacamole. We practically fought over the leftovers! . Thanks for another out-of-the-box winner Sam.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! That's awesome! 🙂
Jill says
Delicious! I made this last week and family loved! I did press the tofu for about thirty minutes before shredding and then marinated for about 4 hours (also added about 1/8 tsp liquid smoke with other ingredients).
After baking, when I heated the bbq/water before adding baked tofu, I added a splash of worcestershire sauce to the bbq/water mixture.
Added baked tofu to this mixture and stirred until reached consistency we like (we tend to like our "bbq" on the dry side).
Had leftovers next day and even better!
Love your recipe and will be making this often!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed!
Sue says
Thank you Jill for your genius idea. I’ve made this twice before, but your short-free idea produced the best results! Sam”s followers are so smart. ‘)
Dmytro says
Why did you stop making youtube videos? I thought you abandoned the blog until I jumped onto the site
Sam Turnbull says
I've just been busy with other projects, but I hope to come back to YouTube soon! My blog is my number one priority though, so you can always find me here, or on Instagram @itdoesnttastelikechicken 🙂
Lynne says
Oh, Sam, you've done it again! You've invented another excellent recipe with tofu. Who knew tofu could be so delicious. This is such a versatile recipe that I will be sure to double it in the future! I pressed my tofu just to get it drier. I have a couple of tofu presses which makes it no work to get rid of the excess moisture. I was surprised I could shred tofu -- that was a first, but won't be a last. I love the flavour of these little morsels. I made wraps with lettuce and Ranch dressing but I'm thinking the possibilities are endless. After falling in love with your Baked Tofu Bites recipe, I always make some whenever I have my oven on (they freeze well) but now I'll have to make some of these BBQ Shredded Tofu yummies too! It seems like a good idea to always have some of these available too. Thanks Sam!!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Lynne!! Thrilled you're loving my tofu recipes so much 🙂
Marie-Christine says
I made this last night for tacos. I used a jerk marinade instead of BBQ sauce, simply because I didn't have BBQ sauce and didn't feel like making it. The tofu was absolutely delicious! It almost didn't make it to the tacos - we wanted to eat it right out of the oven, then out of the pan after it was cooked with the marinade. So good!
I'm loving all these tofu recipes! I'm never sick of tofu!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Glad you feel that way, I could eat tofu every day!
Lyns says
Hi Sam!
Do you have a go-to recipe for homeemade bbq sauce?
Sam Turnbull says
I do! That one is in my cookbook 🙂
Linda says
Can’t believe I shredded tofu. Had a little learning curve. Apply the slightest amount of pressure. Was rather fun.
Baking right now. Going to bake, cool and put in fridge. When I am ready to make the BBQ will put sauce on. I use your tofu taco all the time. Freeze and then cook from a frozen state.
I do absolutely love using frozen tofu. So much more like the meat feel I crave at times.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed Linda! I tried this recipe with frozen tofu but it was way too crumbly for me, but if you like it, go for it!
Mary McGrory says
I used firm tofu because that was all I had but it worked ok after pressing for an hour. We found the finished recipe too hot so next time I will reduce the amount of chilli powder. We much preferred this to the various recipes for pulled jackfruit, the texture was nicer. I cooked my tofu for 30 mins and it was quite crispy. I might shorten the cooking time next time and see how that turns out. Definitely a keeper.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed! The chili powder I use is not spicy so if yours was that's likely why it came out too spicy. And the cooking time would vary for different tofu firmness. Glad you enjoyed!
Sarah Hobbs says
I just made this for dinner!!! Good job I doubled the recipe as there is not a scrap left!!! You've done it again. Another keeper!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Love it! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Sarah 🙂
Huong Nguyen says
Thanh You Sam. I like this recipe
I will try this soon
Sam Turnbull says
Great, enjoy!
Ari says
Wondering if I can shred the tofu in the food processor?
Sam Turnbull says
I don't see why not!
VeggieTater says
I love this idea! Unfortunately right now I only have a block of just "firm" tofu that needs to be used so.... I'm going to try popping it into the freezer just long enough for it to semi-freeze, and try grating it. Hope it doesn't change the texture too much, but I'll see what happens for fun... at worst I'll have crumbles to saute! BTW Sam, I love that you often offer alternatives to oil for those of us who need to avoid it! Thanks for all you do!
Tiana says
I just made it with only “firm” and it turned out great.
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! I hope you enjoy it!!
lena says
whoa!! brilliant! hmmm...now, i'm wondering if any of the marinades you've posted before will work with this as well???
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! Toss them in instead of the BBQ sauce and water, (about 12/ cup of marinade total).
Shannon says
You are a genius!! I will be trying this very soon!
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Shannon!
Barbara says
Could this be made with frozen tofu? I froze 2 tubs of firm tofu, precut into slices, and found that I really didn't like the texture of the frozen tofu. Do you think that shredded, thawed tofu slabs could work in this recipe? Also, I would enjoy seeing recipes that use tofu that has been frozen. Thanks. #itdoesnttastelikechickenfangirl
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Barbara, I actually tried frozen tofu, but it doesn't shred so it won't work well for this recipe. I'm actually not a fan of the texture of frozen tofu, way too spongey for me, so I don't think I'll be posting a recipe anytime soon, but you never know!
Josee says
I have not tried it yet but giving it 5 stars anyways because I know it will be absolutely amazing. Your recipes always are. Just look at that picture too... it just screams DELICIOUS!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Yay!
Allison says
I'm looking forward to making this- such a great idea to bake it to make it a bit more crispy! I love your blog and recipes.
🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Allison!