What We’re Cooking This Weekend: Easy Tofu Teriyaki

|Updated May 26, 2020

Before I went vegan, my favorite dish to eat was chicken teriyaki. Luckily, I can still enjoy the same tastes in a plant-base dish because chicken teriyaki is such an easy recipe to veganize! All you need to do is swap out the chicken for tofu; the sauce is already vegan friendly, for the most part-- watch out for teriyaki sauces that have honey in it and/or Worcestershire sauce, which are both not vegan. Here, we replicated the classic marinade with none of the animal products.

I love this recipe, because even though it is extremely easy to make it’s still very flavourful and delicious. If you like your teriyaki sauces a bit on the sweeter side just add a bit of brown sugar at a time until you get your desired sweetness. This recipe also calls for an ingredient called Mirin, which is a Japanese rice wine which is different from rice wine vinegar. If you don’t have this ingredient you can omit it and still get a delicious sauce.

Easy Tofu Teriyaki

Ingredients

Tofu

2 Blocks Extra Firm Tofu
½ Cup Cornstarch
½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
Pinch of salt and pepper

Teriyaki Sauce

½ Cup Tamari or Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
½ Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
3 Tbsp Mirin (Japanese Rice Wine)
¼ Cup Water
3 Tsp Cornstarch

Instructions

Drain and press your tofu to release some of the water. Cut your tofu in cubes and set aside. In a shallow dish or Ziploc bag, add your cornstarch, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. Coat your tofu in the cornstarch mixture. If you’re using a Ziploc bag, all you need to do is put all your tofu in the bag with the dry ingredients and gently shake it until all your tofu pieces are coated.
Heat up about 2-3 Tbsp of oil in a large pan. Tap off any excess cornstarch from your tofu, and fry your tofu for about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown on all sides. Remove your tofu from the pan and onto a plate. Set aside as you make the sauce.
In a medium-sized saucepan, add all your teriyaki sauce ingredients and whisk until all combined. Bring to a boil then bring down to a simmer for 3-5 minutes or until you reach your desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan off the heat and add your cooked tofu into the sauce. Toss your tofu in the sauce until each piece is coated.
Serve with some rice, your favorite veggies, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!