Easy Teriyaki Tofu
Grilled Tofu “Chicken” that’s been slathered in a Sweet & Salty Teriyaki Sauce is so dang good and better than Take-Out!
Teriyaki is ubiquitous out here in the US, and for good reason, it’s delicious on just about anything! I used to eat it any chance I got, typically on chicken, so naturally I had to turn my Tofu Grilled Chicken recipe into Teriyaki Tofu!
I made this since I was already making some Beef Teriyaki and Tofu Katsu for my Plate Lunch post, and I’m glad I did! It was super good with some rice and broccoli, and even better with some of the Hawaiian Style Mac Salad I made too!
What’s the best tofu for Teriyaki tofu?
I highly recommend Super Firm Tofu as I found it had the best texture and was the easiest to work with. Once it’s been scored and marinated and grilled, it’s really hard to beat the taste and texture for the time and effort spent.
Super Firm is vacuum sealed and doesn’t require any pressing so it’s really the easiest and quickest choice. If you can only find Extra Firm, just make sure you press it for at least 30 minutes.
ingredients for grilled tofu chicken
- Marinade – I wanted to keep the ingredients as common as possible. So the marinade is just things like soy sauce, nutritional yeast and pantry staple seasonings.
- Teriyaki Sauce – I used to think Teriyaki sauce was hard to make, or had unusual ingredients, but it’s honestly very simple and straight forward!
how to make TEriyaki Tofu chicken
To make the Teriyaki Sauce, simply combine everything in a pot. Bring to a light boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch slurry, stir, and heat until thickened. Let it cool, and store in the fridge.
For the tofu, the process is quite simple! First we’ll slice our block of tofu into fillets. The next step is optional. However I find that replicating the shape of a chicken breast really sells the dish! The eyes eat first as they say!
So if you wanna get creative, round off the edges of two corners.
Your filet should look something like what I’ve got on the left (below). If you want to get even more artistic, you can shave off the edges and make them a bit rounder and softer. Again, totally optional, but I like to do it!
You can make a Tofu Scramble or Tofu Ground Beef with the scraps!
Once your filets are looking good, score them lightly so the marinade can penetrate a bit more. I like to score them one way on both sides. Make sure you don’t score too deeply as this will make the fillet a bit more delicate and might fall apart. But scoring will create a more “shreddy” texture as well.
After that we’ll just whip up a quick marinade!
Then we can marinade it, I recommend marinating for 30 minutes to overnight.
After that we just need to grill our tofu chicken until it’s looking beautiful! You can also brush on more of the marinade as it grills to infuse more flavor as well.
Then brush on some of the Teriyaki Sauce! Cook this only for a minute or 2 so you don’t burn it.
storage
The Tofu can be stored in the marinade for a 3 – 4 days. The Teriyaki Sauce is good for 4 – 5 days.
other recipes you’ll dig!
Recommendations for Kitchen Gear, Spices & Pantry Items, Photos and Videos, can be found on my AMAZON Storefront!
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, please leave a rating & review! It really helps out the blog and it makes my day, thank you!
Teriyaki Tofu
Ingredients
- 16 oz Super Firm Tofu *
Marinade
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Sriracha
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Mayo (or neutral oil)
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Vinegar (or lemon juice)
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/3 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 – 2 Tbsp Agave (or Maple Syrup, Date Syrup)
- 1 tsp Grated Ginger (or 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger)
- 3 cloves Minced Garlic (or 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder)
- 2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp Cornstarch + 1 Tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
Instructions
Teriyaki Sauce
- Add all the ingredients except the cornstarch slurry to a saucepan. Whisk together, bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
- Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then pour into the saucepan. Whisk and heat for another 2 – 3 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in the fridge.
Tofu Filets
- Make sure to use super firm tofu, the kind that's vacuum sealed and doesn't need pressing. Otherwise, if you are using extra firm, you should press it for at least 30 minutes.
- Cut block of tofu into 4 filets. Optional but recommended, carve each rectangular filet into a more chicken breast like shape. You can also shave off the edges to make them smoother if you choose as well.
- Lightly score the filets on each side, but only score them one way (as opposed to cross hatch). This will help the marinade penetrate as well as create a more "shreddy" type of texture.
- Marinade for at least 30 minutes to overnight or even longer.
- Get a pan up to medium high heat, add a little oil and then grill the filets for about 5 minutes per side. Once flipped, brush on some of the Teriyaki Sauce. Flip again, but only cook for a minute or so, careful not to burn the Teriyaki Sauce. Flip and brush again, and then remove from the heat and serve!
This recipe is fantastic! Great flavor. I look forward to making it again very soon.
Love to hear this, thank you so much!
Is this recipe reheatable in the microwave? I am thinking of using this as meal prep for work
Yes should be fine!