This vegan Baked Teriyaki Tofu with vegetables recipe is an explosion of Asian and Middle-Eastern flavors and is addictively delicious. Asian-inspired baked teriyaki tofu with scallions top colorful steamed vegetables and then the whole thing gets covered by the most delicious, slightly sweet, slightly spicy lemon tahini sauce you’ve ever tried. I have been making this dish for close to 20 years and it’s a crowd pleaser every time, even for people who would not normally touch tofu.

baked teriyaki tofu finished dish — Baked tofu teriyaki

This dish is vegan and is full of antioxidant-rich cruciferous vegetables - red cabbage and broccolini. Cruciferous vegetables contain substances called glucosinolates. When consumed by the human body, gluconsinates convert into other phytochemicals that have been shown in studies to lower the risk of cancer in people who eat these vegetables regularly.

Baked Teriyaki Tofu is perfect for a lunch or light dinner entree. No additional side dishes are needed. A perfect dessert after this meal would be my Fresh Berries with White Chocolate Sauce. (Caveat: that berry recipe is vegetarian, but not vegan.)

Ingredients for Baked Teriyaki Tofu

This baked tofu teriyaki dish comes together relatively quickly, despite the seeming long list of ingredients!

A word on tahini: I have tried a lot of different brands of tahini. Soom brand organic tahini is my favorite for flavor, but, like most brands of tahini, the solids tend to separate from the oils. I despise stirring the mess with a spoon, trying to get the solids and the oils to emulsify again. Too much trouble! I was thrilled to find Mighty Sesame Co. Organic Tahini. It’s silky smooth. It’s delicious with no bitterness. And most importantly, no mixing is required. Just shake and squeeze. The solids never separate from the oils. (At least, they haven’t in a year for me.) Trust me, it’s a game changer.

baked teriyaki tofu and vegetables ingredients — Baked Teriyaki Tofu and Vegetables Ingredients

extra firm tofu

extra virgin olive oil
soy sauce
scallions

red cabbage
broccolini (or broccoli crowns)
sugar snap peas

avocado oil
tahini
lemon juice

maple syrup
cayenne

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for Baked Teriyaki Tofu

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (375 degrees if you have a convection oven)

baked teriyaki tofu squares after baking — Baked teriyaki tofu squares

Place tofu in a baking dish and toss gently with olive oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and scallions. Even extra firm tofu breaks apart with little force, so go easy when tossing. Bake in oven for 40 minutes, gently stirring halfway through the time. The tofu should look caramelized and the scallions will be be brown and soft.

lemon tahini sauce - baked teriyaki tofu — Lemon tahini sauce

While the tofu is baking, make the sauce. Place the avocado oil, tahini, lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon water, maple syrup and cayenne in a blender and blend until smooth. The sauce should pour without being watery. If the sauce is too thick, add additional water in 1 tablespoon increments until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasonings. You may want to add more cayenne or more lemon juice, based on your personal preference.

Vegetables in steamer - baked teriyaki tofu — Vegetables in the steamer

When the tofu is within 10 minutes of being done, heat 1” of water in a steamer. When boiling, add red cabbage to the steamer basket, place over the water and cover. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the broccolini pieces to the steamer with the cabbage and cook another 3 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas to the steamer and cook a final 2 minutes.

baked teriyaki tofu and vegetables plated — Teriyaki baked tofu and vegetables, plated

Divide the vegetables between individual serving bowls, top with the tofu and drizzle the sauce on top. It will seem like a lot of sauce, but believe me, you will want to use it all - and lick the spoon! Serve immediately.

Hint: Don't oversteam the vegetables. They should be tender with just a little bit of toothy bit left to them.

Substitutions

This baked tofu teriyaki with vegetables recipe is versatile and flexible.

Gluten free: substitute tamari for the soy sauce
Sugar free: substitute stevia powder or drops to taste for the maple syrup

Pescatarian: this dish is equally delicious with a 4 oz fillet of roasted salmon per person in place of the tofu. You can even roast the salmon with the same olive oil, soy sauce and scallion toppings.

Variations

Customize baked teriyaki tofu to suit your tastes. Here are some ideas:

Vegetable side dish: without the tofu, the vegetables alone with the lemon tahini sauce are delicious and would make an excellent side dish

Herbs: add ¼ cup fresh basil or other favorite fresh herbs to the sauce ingredients in the blender.
Other veggies: - you can vary the veggies that you steam. Snow peas can easily stand in for sugar snap peas. Any veggies are going to taste great with this sauce. Why not zucchini? Carrots? Green beans? You may just have to adjust the steaming time depending on the veggies you choose.

Equipment

You need a steamer for this dish. All-Clad makes a variety of high quality steamer products. This is a beautiful steamer: All-Clad Stainless Steel Steamer Cookware, 5-Quart, Silver that will last you a lifetime.

Additionally, make short work of your chopping chores with a high quality chef's knife. This Global 7-inch Stainless Steel Chef's Knife is an excellent choice.

Recipe