Honey Glazed Tofu
I feel like I have been on a mission to make tofu taste good for almost as long as I have been a vegetarian. Why does tofu have such a bad reputation? I think like many other vegetarian or vegan menu items, it is thrown together as an afterthought (see also: vegetable lasagne and mushroom risotto). If I eat at non-vegetarian establishments, tofu usually arrives at my table either a raw, wobbly bland brick, or greasy, deep-fried and tough. Not good!
Through extensive trial and error, I have discovered that pressing and marinating usual yields the tastiest results, however, I lack the time management skills for this to be feasible option most of the time.
This recipe is my little trick. It does take a little time to cook, but I can potter about the kitchen preparing the rest of my meal as it hangs out in the pan getting tasty. Kirk has also given it the carnivore stamp of approval, so everybody wins!
- 1 package of extra firm tofu (14oz/397g)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or other flavourless oil
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Mix honey, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper flakes in a bowl, set aside
- Cut tofu- for this recipe I cut it town the middle to make 2 1 inch thick rectangles, then I cut each rectangle in half, and then cut those 4 halves on the diagonal as shown in the pictures
- Warm oil in a large frying pan
- Add cut tofu and fry for about 5 minutes on medium heat until golden
- Flip over and fry the second side until golden
- Add the honey and soy mix to the pan, and turn the heat down to low
- Cook for another 15 minutes and then flip back to the first side
- Cook for about 15 minutes more until most of the liquid had evaporated and the tofu is coated in a golden glaze
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OK…I am pursuaded I will give tofu a try!!!
Haha! Maybe I will make it for you this week!
but honey isn’t vegan! do you think it would work with the bee-free honey?
Sarah, you are right. Please forgive the oversight! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with bee free honey or agave though 🙂
Yum! Looks good! I love tofu. I like to cut it into small cubes and dredge it in corn starch before I cook it, adds nice texture. I am going to give this sauce a try. Thanks for posting!
Thanks Michelle, hope you love it!
Emma, thanks a lot for the recipe. To be honest, this is the first recipe I have ever heard. I like to make experiments in my small yet comfortable kitchen.
Just made it and loved it! While I was waiting to pour the sauce into the pain, I kept sneaking little tastes of it because it was so delicious 🙂 I added a minced clove of garlic as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Shauna, thanks for the comment! I’m so happy you liked it!
This was so yummy 🙂 A little too spicy for my taste – maybe next time I’ll only put half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. But overall it was awesome and I will definitely be making it again.
Thank you Shirli! Yes, I can be a little heavy handed with the red pepper flakes 🙂
Nice post…!!!
Tried out this recipe this past weekend and loved it! Had extra marinade and will be using it to saute other vegetables. Thanks!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Happy Lohri
I aborted my attempt before the last fifteen minutes of cooking because all I had left appeared to be some asphalt welded to the pan. The smell was a bit nasty and the piece of tofu I tried had the succulence of toast – the kind you get if you put it through a few times on the toaster’s highest setting.
I followed your recipe precisely with two exceptions:
balsamic vinegar instead of rice vinegar (no idea what that is, but we didn’t have any)
probably much smaller, thinner tofu triangles (it was difficult to judge from your photo)
I would like to try your idea again, although I may not be allowed if I can’t take this stuff off my girlfriend’s pan with the grinder before she finds it.
Gordon, sorry you had a bad experience with the tofu! If you try it again I would advise using rice vinegar, you can usually find it in large supermarkets, health food shops and speciality asian markets. For the correct size tofu, cut the block in half through the centre first, so you have two rectangles, and then cut the rectangles into triangles. Also, maybe consider turning the heat down on your pan.
I think I should give it a try..
Hi Emma, thx for the recipe, made it and it was very tasty :D!
Thank you Laurentiu!
can the red pepper flakes be easily replaced? I’m not a big fan of them:T
Cally, I think you could leave them out and still have pretty tasty tofu!
can this be baked instead of fried/sautéed?
Hi Dawn! You could probably bake the tofu and make the glaze separately in a pan, but I haven’t ever tried. Let me know if you do!
Hi Emma: Your recipe looks very familiar to something I do, but I try to find time to drain the tofu first before marinating it in the honey, soy etc, marinade and then sticking it in the oven to bake. If you don’t have time to drain it, I just gently squeeze the tofu between a couple tea towels before marinating and then baking. This way, I avoid frying the tofu, and hope it’s slightly healthier! Loving your website, by the way!
Thank you Jules, and great tip! I will give that a try 🙂
Just came upon your lovely blog and already made this and the lentil one-pot pasta and they were huge hits! Looking forward to trying. more
Yay! So happy to hear that Miriam 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe, it came out really well. Have been searching for this recipe and stumbled up on this site, really good collection…
Thanks Preetha!
Going to try this for my kids but without the chilli flakes
Desperate for them to like tofu but every recipe I make is a disaster and I’m putting them off tofu even more by trying out dl recipes they hate!!!!
I hope it worked out for you Louise!