Sticky BBQ Tofu made using a quick homemade BBQ sauce that is off the charts delicious! It's easy to make with no tofu pressing required and barely any hands-on time. Once baked (or grilled) this tofu is tangy, spicy, sweet and savoury. And don't worry there's plenty of sauce so you can use it for serving too!
PREP TIME: 15 minutesminutes
COOK TIME: 50 minutesminutes
Servings: 12triangles
Ingredients
½ cup (120mls)apple cider vinegar
1½ cup (360mls)tomato ketchup
1½tbspmolasses
⅓ cup (100 grams)dark brown sugar, add a little more if you like a sweeter sauce
2teaspoonsyellow mustard
1½teaspoonsgarlic powder
1tablespoonsoy sauce, or gluten-free soy sauce/Tamari/coconut aminos
1teaspoonsalt
¾teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
½ to 1teaspooncayenne pepper
1teaspoonsmoked paprika, or a few drops of liquid smoke
1blockextra firm tofu , All brands vary in size. Anything from 350-450 grams (12 - 16 oz) is OK.
INSTRUCTIONS
Add everything except the tofu to a small saucepan, whisk together then set over medium heat. Allow to come gently to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat, taste (carefully as it will be very hot) and adjust seasonings to taste then set aside.
Open the tofu, drain any excess water then lay it on its side and cut carefully lengthways into ½ inch thick large slices. Different blocks of tofu are different thicknesses but most you will get 2 or 3 slices. Take each of those slices and cut it into triangles. There are pictures in the post above showing how to cut it if you need a visual representation.
Lay the tofu triangles out in a large dish and pour over just enough of the sauce to coat the tofu. Use a clean hand to make sure all sides of the tofu are covered. At this stage you can cover the dish tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days before proceeding with baking it.
Lay the tofu triangles out on a lined metal baking tray (it must be metal and not glass or ceramic cookware) and bake at 400° F (200 °C) for 25 minutes. Keep the dish with the remaining glaze in it as you will need it later.
Turn the tofu over, brush generously with more sauce (use what's left in the dish you coated the tofu in) and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes or until it looks caramelized and is getting slightly charred on the corners/edges.
Brush generously with sauce once again before serving to make the tofu pieces shiny and saucy. Decant leftover sauce into a bottle or jar for serving. Feel free to thin it out with a little water if you want it to be more pourable.
To grill
Make the BBQ sauce and coat the tofu with sauce as above.
Place the pieces of saucy tofu over a medium grill and cook, basting with sauce when you can, until clear grill lines have appeared and the corners and edges are beginning to look dark brown and caramelized. Brush with sauce once more before serving.
NOTES
Storage & reheatingStore leftover BBQ tofu in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days. (It's great cold as a snack!), or you can reheat it.
To reheat in the oven - Bake on a baking tray at 350°F (175 °C) for about 15 minutes.
To reheat in an air fryer - Pop it in at 350°F (175 °C) for about 10 minutes making sure to flip halfway.
Leftover BBQ sauce can be used as a condiment or in any way you would store-bought BBQ sauce. Keep it in a bottle or jar in the fridge for up to 14 days. It can also be frozen for up to 4 months.