This vegan Marry Me Tofu recipe is a rich, creamy, and luxurious tofu dish with garlic, sun dried tomatoes and spinach! A surprisingly quick and easy one-pan meal that’s ready in 30 minutes.
Looking for more mouthwatering tofu dinner recipes? Check out my Creamy Lemon Tofu, Shredded Tofu Tacos, and Easy Teriyaki Tofu recipes while you’re here.
Move over, Marry Me Chicken! My vegan Marry Me Tofu recipe is just as mouthwatering, indulgent, and proposal-worthy as the classic viral comfort food but uses fried tofu and dairy-free cream for a simple plant-based version.
To make this surprisingly easy one-pan meal, I nestled crispy pan-fried tofu triangles in an ultra-creamy sun-dried tomato sauce and served it over al dente pasta (although rice and mashed potatoes are just as good!). Perfect both as a 30-minute weeknight meal or impressive date night dinner, the rich Tuscan-inspired flavors in every bite make it an instant hit.
3 reasons why you’ll fall for this marry me tofu recipe
- Vegan twist on an incredibly popular recipe – Like my Marry Me Chickpeas recipe, this recipe uses plant-based ingredients to put a meat and dairy-free twist on classic Marry Me Chicken.
- Nothing short of luxurious – I love the crispy fried tofu pieces in this dish but it’s the sun-dried tomato-infused cream sauce that really makes every bite stand out. It’s so rich and creamy, you’ll be surprised that it’s completely dairy-free!
- Easy to make in 30 minutes – This is a quick and easy weeknight or date night dinner recipe you can make in one pan in just 30 minutes.
How to make marry me tofu
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Pat the tofu dry and slice it into small triangles. Set them aside.
Combine the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Coat the tofu pieces in the cornstarch mixture, then carefully place them in a hot pan with oil. Pan fry until the tofu is golden and crispy on both sides. Transfer the pieces to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.
Time-saving tip: Instead of pan-frying the tofu, air fry or bake the pieces while you make the sauce.
In the now-empty skillet, sauté the garlic until it’s fragrant. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Stir the broth, tomato paste, cream, and spinach into the skillet with the herbs and seasonings. Heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the spinach has wilted. Taste the sauce and adjust the flavors as needed.
Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the fresh basil and grated vegan parmesan. Nestle the fried tofu pieces into the sauce, then flip to coat each piece.
Serve the marry me tofu over a bed of rice or pasta with crusty bread on the side. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
“Marry me” is in the name simply because the indulgent Tuscan cream sauce is so good that you’re bound to get a marriage proposal from anyone you serve it to!
While it’s doing its thing on the stove, cook a batch of rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, or pasta noodles to serve with the tofu and cream sauce. I like pairing each serving with vegan garlic bread and a kale caesar salad on the side, but it’s just as good scooped right out of the pan with crusty bread!
This recipe would work just as well with two cans of drained and rinsed white beans, my Vegan Chicken recipe, or my homemade Seitan Bites if tofu isn’t your thing.
Cashew Cream is my favorite for this recipe (and most recipes!). Any store-bought unsweetened dairy-free creamer will work well in the cream sauce (I like Ripple’s Half and Half best). If you can’t find vegan cream, use a can of full-fat coconut milk, homemade cashew cream, or full-fat plant milk, like oat milk or soy milk, instead.
Once cool, pack the leftover sun-dried tomato cream sauce and fried tofu pieces into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The leftovers reheat well in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add a splash of milk or broth to make the consistency creamier, if needed.
Marry Me Tofu
Ingredients
Crispy Tofu Triangles
- 16 ounce super firm tofu *or extra-firm, pressed well
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil *or other high-heat safe oil
Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup Cashew Cream or other vegan cream, see Notes
- 2 cups baby spinach sliced or chopped
- 4-5 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1/2 cup Vegan Parmesan optional
Instructions
Pan Fry the Tofu
- Remove your super-firm tofu from the package (Note-this is NOT the tofu packed in water). Pat dry with a paper towel, then slice into small triangles, or other shape of your choice.
- To a small bowl, add the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- In a large non-stick or cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Dunk the tofu pieces in the cornstarch batter to coat all over, then carefully place on the pan. Pan fry the slices for about 4 minutes on one side until crispy and golden brown. Carefully loosen the pieces from the bottom of the pan using a spatula or even a fork and flip to cook on the other side.
- Remove the tofu from the pan and set on a plate nearby. Turn the heat down to low-medium and let it cool down a bit before you make the sauce. If there is a lot of cornstarch in the pan, wipe it out carefully.
Prepare the Sauce
- In the same skillet over low-medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. There still should be some oil in the pan, but if there is not, add another tablespoon before adding the garlic.
- Stir in the sun dried tomatoes, oregano, red chili flakes, salt and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Now add the broth, tomato paste, cream and spinach and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until warm and the spinach has wilted. Taste; add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes as desired.
- Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil and grated parmesan. Place the fried tofu pieces in the sauce and gently flip them over so they are coated.
- Serve immediately, either on rice, cooked pasta or with fresh crusty bread.
Notes
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If you can’t find super firm tofu, you can use extra-firm tofu packed in water. Drain and press it by wrapping in a clean tea towel and place a heavy pan or a few books on top for at least 30 minutes.
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For the cream, you can use any store bought dairy free creamer (I love Ripple’s Half and Half), full fat coconut milk, another unsweetened plant milk or best of all, homemade cashew cream.
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To make cashew cream for the cream – Bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle). Pour the hot water over ¾ cup raw cashews and let soak for 5 minutes or up to an hour. Drain the cashews and add to a high powered blender with 1 cup of fresh water and blend until creamy and smooth.
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If you use a store bought cream or coconut milk, you may want to thicken the sauce a bit with cornstarch, as it won’t be as thick as it is with cashew cream. To do this, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water in a bowl, then stir it into the sauce at the end. It should thicken up nicely.
Nora, this was a fantastic dish. Everyone loved it and it was easy to make. I cannot wait to impress others when we get to host.
Notes: Patting down the sun-dried tomatoes to reduce oil was def needed, thanks other comment for that one. I used coconut milk and it came out great. I had to add some cornstarch into the sauce to thicken it up to work better with the tofu and rice.
Made this for the first time and wow!! Very delicious, will definitely become a regular offering around here. I added onion and bell pepper for the red sauce, and used collards instead of spinach because that’s what I had. Turned out great!! Thank you!
You are welcome! I loved reading about the different add in vegetables you used! Thank you for your fabulous review and feedback! I’m thrilled you love the recipe and are making it part of your meal rotation! Wishing you lots more happy cooking!
I made this last night for my vegan daughter, and it was a big hit. She thought there were too many sun dried tomatoes, but she was able to eat just what she wanted and leave the rest.
For next time (and there will be a next time), I plan to make the sauce first and then fry the tofu just before serving. I will either serve the sauce separately or pour over the tofu at the last minute. When the tofu was first fried, it was crispy and delicious. But by the time I set it aside and mixed it with the sauce, it was a bit soggy (but still delicious).
This was incredible. I stirred in purple kale instead of spinach, and served it over crispy oven baked smashed potato slices. This is definitely a dish that will impress omnivores and other vegans alike. I can’t wait to dig into the leftovers for lunch!
Hi Karina. Your meal sounds beautiful and delicious! Thanks for sharing your stellar review and ideas! I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Wishing you happy cooking!
This has got to be one of my favourite tofu dishes of all time!!
Hi Krista. I’m so glad you are loving the recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Love, love, love this recipe!! It was easy and so delicious.
Hi Suze. Thanks for sharing your glowing review and feedback! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe! Happy cooking!
I am about to make this and just noticed that in step 3 to prepare the sauce it says to add broth but I don’t see broth listed in the ingredients. Guess I’ll eyeball it for now!
Hi Larissa. The broth measurements are included under the cream sauce ingredients list: 1 cup vegetable broth. Enjoy!
This recipe’s my fave so far this year! I swapped broccoli for spinach.
Thank you! I’m so glad you love the recipe! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
was in the middle of making this and my tomato paste was old and moldy 🙁 resorting to ketchup… hope it’ll be ok
Hi Chelsea. That’s always a bummer to find your ingredients not fresh. Let me know how it turns out with ketchup.
Creamy deliciousness with the added bonus of tofu and spinach? Yes, please! This dish was gobbled up by my whole family tonight. I served it with a salad and fresh sourdough. I know it will be requested again. Thank you, Nora, for another amazing vegan meal 🙂
You are welcome, Andrea! Thanks for your stellar review and delicious feedback! Your email sounds amazing! I’m glad it was a hit with the whole family! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This is a great recipe! Will be making it again..
Hi Clara. Thanks for your wonderful review! I’m glad you loved the recipe! Wishing you happy cooking!
I made this today, it was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I opted for the Air Fried Tofu, so less hands on time, it was perfect! Thank you!
This was AMAZING! My husband even said 10/10, no notes. Can’t wait to make again.
Hi Nora,
The dish was amazing! My partner and I really enjoyed it. Thank you!
You are welcome, Philip! I’m thrilled you both love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your glowing recipe review! Happy cooking!
This was amazing! So good. So Delicious.
Delicious! I used oat milk instead of cashew cream and added a little cornstarch to thicken. I will make sure I have ingredients on hand to make. Spouse said to make it again soon.
I’m giving this 5 stars because all your recipes are 5 stars! I just have a question: The last instruction mentions chickpeas. I don’t see them in the ingredients.
Oh my gosh thank you! It took me a minute to fine it, it was in the notes section. That was just an error on my part; it’s fixed now. I also have a recipe for Marry Me Chickpeas, and I confused the two for a moment! Thanks for enjoying my recipes Paula!
Hi. Dried sun dried tomatoes or packed in oil for this recipe? Thanks!
I’ve used both and they are both good choices. If I use them in oil, I just pat them dry so the dish isn’t super oily.