Looking for a new way to enjoy tofu? This easy, delicious recipe for Spicy Sesame Grilled Tofu, which is vegan and gluten-free, is one of my all-time favorite ways to prepare tofu. I always have a package of tofu in my refrigerator, and I enjoy tofu several times during the week, in dishes such as lasagna, curry, or stir-fry, and just simply baked or grilled. When I grill tofu, I make a big batch, because it’s excellent over the next few days, cubed into salads or sliced into sandwiches. Plus, tofu is a very nutritious plant-powered food—it’s a good source of protein and it contains phytochemicals that are linked with disease protection. In fact, Asian tofu recipes are part of traditional diet patterns in Asia that are associated with lower rates of obesity and chronic disease. Learn more about tofu in this tofu guide here and my tofu field trip here.
This easy recipe for Spicy Sesame Grilled Tofu pays homage to traditional Asian flavors, including sesame, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, red chili, and seaweed. All you have to do is mix up this flavorful tofu marinade—which takes just a few minutes and 8 ingredients—and then marinate your extra firm, pressed tofu to allow it to seep up those wonderful flavors. Then you can grill it, allowing the surface to caramelize and gain a little crispness. You can learn how to grill tofu in my step-by-step guide here.
This spicy tofu recipe is great for BBQs as the main entrée. Just pair it with a wonderful green salad and a rice dish, and you’ll be in plant-powered heaven! You can also grill this recipe on skewers, or roast the marinated tofu in the oven for a change of pace (and weather) too.
This easy, healthy recipe for Spicy Sesame Grilled Tofu pays homage to traditional flavors, including sesame, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, red chili, and seaweed.
Ingredients
Scale
1 (15-ounce) package of extra firm tofu (for best results, press your tofu; learn how to do this here)
Press the extra liquid off tofu (learn how to press tofu here). Slice it in half horizontally and then vertically to make thick slabs about 3/4-inch thick.
To make marinade: stir together soy sauce, vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger, chili paste, sesame seeds, and dulse granules in a small dish.
Place the tofu in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the tofu. Chill and marinate for at least 1 hour.
Heat the grill over medium-high heat and remove the tofu from marinade, reserving marinade for later.
Place the tofu on the hot grill and cook for about 10 minutes on each side (depending on your grill) on medium-high heat until golden brown. Brush on extra marinade remaining in dish while cooking.
Voila! You’re done. Serve as an entrée, or slice into sandwiches or salads.
Notes
*Dulse granules (also called dulse flakes) are ground from a type of dried red seaweed that grows in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean waters, and can provide a touch of umami and sea flavor to cooking.
Excellent!!! What delicious recipe! Thank you! But I can’t figure how you got 5 3/4 inch slices out of a 15.5oz pack of tofu? My tofu gets pretty thin in my press. Never the less it was very good and a keeper recipe ????
Thank you for your comments. I think the size of the tofu can change the more you press it. If it works to slice it into 4 slabs, that’s fine. I’m glad you like the recipe!
I am starting this recipe to have on the grill tomorrow. Question: the ingredients list calls for “red chili paste”, but in the directions it says “coli paste.” I never heard of coli paste. Is that some kind of special Asian ingredient? I had Laoganma brand Spicy Chili Crisp on hand, which seems like it should be a similar taste profile, so used that. But I also have any number of other spicy hot & red pepper sauce and powder products on hand that could have been used. For future reference, what do you think a good substitute for “red chili paste” or “coli paste” would/could be?
Hi, this is actually a typo and should be chili paste instead. You can use something like sriracha or other spicy hot sauce as an alternative to chili paste in this recipe.
How long would I bake the spicy sesame tofu and at what temperature?
Bake it at 350 for about 15 minutes, until it’s golden on the outside.
Bake it at 350 for about 15 minutes, until it’s golden on the outside.
I made the spicy sesame tofu in the oven and it was very good. I will make it again.
Excellent!!! What delicious recipe! Thank you! But I can’t figure how you got 5 3/4 inch slices out of a 15.5oz pack of tofu? My tofu gets pretty thin in my press. Never the less it was very good and a keeper recipe ????
Thank you for your comments. I think the size of the tofu can change the more you press it. If it works to slice it into 4 slabs, that’s fine. I’m glad you like the recipe!
I am starting this recipe to have on the grill tomorrow. Question: the ingredients list calls for “red chili paste”, but in the directions it says “coli paste.” I never heard of coli paste. Is that some kind of special Asian ingredient? I had Laoganma brand Spicy Chili Crisp on hand, which seems like it should be a similar taste profile, so used that. But I also have any number of other spicy hot & red pepper sauce and powder products on hand that could have been used. For future reference, what do you think a good substitute for “red chili paste” or “coli paste” would/could be?
Hi, this is actually a typo and should be chili paste instead. You can use something like sriracha or other spicy hot sauce as an alternative to chili paste in this recipe.