Southern-Inspired Crispy Baked BBQ Tofu is easy to make, completely addictive and perfect in bowls, sandwiches, burgers and more!
I honestly don’t know how I’ve been sharing recipes for years and yet I don’t have a recipe for BBQ tofu on my website! When I went vegan over 10 years ago, there was a BBQ tofu recipe from one of my very first vegan cookbooks (Veganomicon by the amazing Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero) that I made all the time. I think it was the first way I enjoyed eating tofu.
Now that I’ve had years of cooking with tofu, I’ve learned how to make it taste incredible every time. Trust me, I have had a lot of tofu flops in the kitchen!
This BBQ tofu is crispy on the outside, a little chewy but still tender inside. It gets perfectly crispy in the oven, so no pan frying is needed. I find it so much easier to bake tofu than to fry it, especially because I have a big family and I make a lot at one time.
Pictured above in a Southern Soul Bowl with vegan cheese grits and collard greens. Recipes coming soon for each of them! Best bowl of my life, right here.
How to make it
First, press your tofu. Recently I purchased a tofu press which I do highly recommend, but you can also just wrap the tofu in paper towels and place something heavy on top of it, like a cast iron pan. About 30 minutes will do.
Then slice the tofu into triangle shapes, or cubes, and place in a large ziplock bag with a little olive oil, cornstarch and salt. Seal the bag and shake gently to coat the tofu. (You can do this in a large bowl as well.)
Place on a lightly oiled sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F until golden.
Add your favorite bbq sauce and stir to coat the tofu pieces in the sauce, and bake for 10 more minutes. That’s it! Crispy, flavorful, delicious BBQ tofu is ready to eat.
Serving suggestions
- Make a Soul Bowl! It goes so well with grits and collard greens.
- Serve alongside mashed potatoes and steamed green beans or brussels sprouts.
- Put it in a sandwich with vegan mayo and lettuce.
- Make a BBQ Tofu Burger, adding vegan mayo and coleslaw.
More vegan BBQ recipes
- BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- 10 Minute Skillet BBQ Tempeh
- BBQ Jackfruit Pulled “Pork”
- BBQ Tempeh Sandwich
- Best Vegan BBQ Sandwich with Soy Curls
Crispy Baked BBQ Tofu
Ingredients
- (2) 14-ounce blocks firm or extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 18 ounces (about 2 cups) your favorite BBQ sauce *I used Kansas City Style
Instructions
- Press the tofu by wrapping the blocks in paper towels or a clean tea towel. Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put something heavy (such as a cast iron pan) on top of that. Let the tofu press for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a large sheet pan.
- Slice the tofu crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces, then slice each piece diagonally into 2 triangles. You can also simply cut the tofu into cubes or rectangles.
- Add the tofu pieces to a large ziplock bag (I wash and re-use these). Now add the olive oil, cornstarch and salt, close the bag and very gently shake to coat the tofu.
- Arrange on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until golden on top. Remove from the oven briefly and pour on the bbq sauce, give it a little stir so the bbq sauce coats the tofu pieces and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, but it doesn't freeze well. You can reheat it in the microwave, air fryer, oven or the stovetop.
Notes
- The flavor of the tofu will greatly depend on what bbq sauce you use, so make sure to use one you like! I used a Kansas City Style sauce. For a different flavor, use a spicy Korean bbq sauce. You can also make your own here: Quick & Easy Vegan BBQ Sauce.
- Pictured in the post above is a bowl with the bbq tofu, vegan grits and collard greens. Those recipes are coming in the next few days, so stay tuned!
- Additional ideas for serving bbq tofu: Alongside mashed potatoes and green beans, in baked sweet potatoes, or on a sandwich/burger or wrap.
Can you freeze this?
Sure!
This tofu recipe is really good!! I am the type of person who hates the texture of tofu and have never found a recipe that I like! But this one was awesome! I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like the texture of tofu, thanks for this recipe!
I am thrilled you loved the tofu! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
Made this with your cheese grits and collard greens… AMAZING DINNER, tasted like a restaurant made it, I was the only vegan with 3 non-vegans, this was our special dinner and it ROCKED.
Oooh, I love it. I’m so glad the meal was a hit! It sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
I made this recipe last night and served it in a bowl with some roasted sweet potato, brussel sprouts, and a quick jalapeño cabbage slaw. It was easy and really good!
That sounds delicious! Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
This was so easy to make and tasted delicious. Thanks for a really wonderful recipe.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! I’m glad you love the BBQ tofu!
This Is the best way to eat tofu in my opinion!
Tip: instead of ziplock to shake, use a Tupperware container
Thanks Eli! I’m glad you love the tofu! Thank you for sharing!
I was dubious about the oil/starch mixture but it totally worked. This will definitely be my go-to method for baked tofu going forward.
So glad it worked well for you, and you loved it! I’m also thrilled this will be your go to method for baking tofu! Thanks for sharing your review and comments!
Delicious!! Used a pie pan for mixing the tofu with cornstarch mixture (easier then rewashing plastic bags) and didn’t have an issue. Will definitely make again and again.
Hi Cyndi. I’m glad it worked well for you and that you love it! I appreciate you sharing your great review and comments!
Mixing olive oil and cornstarch turned into a gooey mess that did not adhere to tofu
It’s my go-to method for baking tofu, so it definitely works. Placing the tofu in a large ziplock bag is the way to go, that way your tofu is less likely to break and you can shake it all up. I’m not sure what went wrong, but I hope you try again with better results!
I used only one block of Tofu so I cut the recipe in half. I thought it was good however one side of the tofu was hard and the other side was soft. I will cook again and maybe turn over half way through. Has anyone tried that?
When cooking tofu in the oven I ALWAYS flip half-way through. 10, Flip, 10. Surprised she didn’t mention that in this one.
I’M ALWAYS LOOKING TO FIND NEW NON-ASIAN RECIPES FOR TOFU AND THIS ONE IT THE MARK ! IT WAS SO GOOD AND SO EASY
Hi Violet. I’m glad you love this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Best tofu ive ever prepared! However, I pressed the tofu overnight.
I made the recipe for bbq too and it was good!
Just might want to leave it in the oven with the bbq a little longer to saturate and taste a little smoky.
Otherwise I’m a happy mama! I enjoyed making it and tasting the success. Def preparing for my nonvegan side of the family!!
Absolutely perfect!!! The “shake and bake” method is the best way to make sure the tofu is coated evenly. Can’t wait to try this with different sauces!
Even chewier the next day! Great cold!!
Thanks for the comment!
Ok, I have officially fallen in love w/ tofu again! This recipe elevates tofu to an all new, incredibly tasty level!! Thank you! I can imagine all kinds of sauces would work here as well.
You’re welcome! Yes, I think there could be lots of sauce options.
Tasted amazing and so easy! My fiancé loved it too and it has now become an addition to our regular dinner recipes. Thanks!
love your recipes! I always print to use in kitchen. Please consider formatting for one page print. Thanks!
Thank you so much! I will look into how to change that, thank you for pointing it out.