This Vegan Almond Sesame Tofu comes together in less than 30 minutes and is easy to make, so delicious, high protein and a quick plant-based dinner!
VEGAN ALMOND SESAME TOFU
Oh my word, y’all, this Vegan Almond Sesame Tofu is to die for!! I created this on a whim this week, as I needed a quick dinner and didn’t want to fool with baking or any of that.
This whole dinner comes together in about 15 minutes (not including pressing the tofu), so a major win win and a healthy vegan dinner to boot!
This almond sesame sauce is absolutely dreamy. My daughter moaned eating it. I have fallen in love with tofu ever since creating this Smoky Tofu. Now, I’m in love with this new easy tofu recipe. If you are a fan of tofu, then try my easy 5 Ingredient Easy BBQ tofu or my Crispy Chewy Breaded tofu!
HOW TO MAKE EASY VEGAN ALMOND SESAME TOFU
Drain and press the tofu. Season well with salt and pepper and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly. The cornstarch helps to brown the tofu.
Brown the tofu on each side until golden brown and crispy, 3-5 minutes. It’s important to use a high-quality nonstick pan. This also prevents the need for any oil.
Make the almond sesame sauce.
Add the sauce to the cooked tofu and cook on low heat for only about a minute to warm through and only slightly thickened. You do not want to overcook it or it’ll become too thick and you want to have lots of that yummy sauce.
I served this with white rice, a sweet potato and some cooked spinach. Feel free to use any grains you like.
MORE EASY QUICK VEGAN DINNERS
- 20 Minute Alfredo
- Lazy Red Lentil Curry Soup
- Easy Vegan Pasta Bake
- Creamy BBQ Chickpeas and Lentils
- Quinoa Veggie Teriyaki Stir-fry
Vegan Almond Sesame Tofu
Ingredients
Tofu
- 10 oz block extra firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- salt and pepper
Almond Sesame Sauce
- 3 tablespoons (48g) creamy roasted almond butter
- 3 tablespoons (45g) water
- 2 tablespoons (30g) coconut aminos (this adds a touch of sweetness and is much less salty than soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (see NOTES)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (add 1/4 teaspoon for extra spicy)
- salt
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- I used a 10 oz block of extra firm tofu, but if you end up using a 14 oz, then you may want to make 1 1/2 of the sauce recipe, so there's plenty. Example: Instead of 3 tablespoons almond butter, it would 4 1/2 tablespoons.
- Drain the tofu really well. I simply used several layers of paper towels to wrap up the block of tofu, set it on a plate and set a couple of heavy books on it. Let it sit at least 15 minutes. You want the tofu dry so it browns well and isn't soggy.
- Slice the tofu into 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick pieces. Add to a bowl.
- Season the tofu well with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch on the tofu and stir to coat well until the cornstarch is evenly coated.
- Add the tofu to a quality nonstick hot pan over medium heat. Using a nonstick pan, you will not need oil.
- Make sure the tofu is in a single layer (not overlapping) so they cook evenly. Cook the tofu on the first side until golden brown, as in the photos, 3-5 minutes or so. Flip and brown the other size, about a minute. Remove from the heat.
- Make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients and whisk really well. Add salt to taste, I added maybe 1/4 teaspoon.
- The sauce should be runny, this is what we want.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked tofu and heat on low just until warmed through and only slightly thickened. It will cook/thicken very quickly, so don't walk away. You don't want to overcook it or cause it to turn too thick. It should still be saucy.
- Serve immediately. I served over rice, with green onions, alongside a sweet potato and some greens.
Phenomenal!
I wanted to incorporate more tofu into my diet and this particular recipe looks terrific. I will let you know how it goes. Thank you!
This was actually super easy, i didn’t think i would manage to find all the ingredients in the uk but i did, we used to Tofoo brand and didn’t even press it and it was fine. Had it with rice and broccoli, really tasty.
This was SO SO good. I used super firm tofu from Trader Joe’s, and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing it!
So happy to hear it Megan!
I made this tonight for dinner. It was so good. I did change it up a little bit just to match my ingredients and our taste. I diced up some onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, minced garlic and some cilantro and sautéed them in some veggie broth. Once that was tender I added the sauce. I served sauce over rice and topped it with the tofu. I also pressed the tofu overnight with paper towels to get a lot more of the liquid out.
It is a keeper of a recipe. Thank you for your blog. I have truly enjoyed your recipes.
Sounds amazing Amanda!
Another great recipe , especially if time restricted! Whipped this up for lunch , had quinoa already made so super quick !! Delish !!! Thanks Brandi ! X
I’m excited to see you sharing some tofu recipes—I love tofu! I made this today (I air fried the tofu & added it to a pan with the sauce) & it was delicious, thanks!
Yay, thank you so much Penny! I eat tofu almost daily now lol! SO, lots more to come!
This was so good! I can’t believe the tofu turned out so well despite not having oil. Will definitely make again!
I really liked this recipe!
Very good and simple to make 😊👍
I made this for my family today and we all LOVED it! So easy to make and I already had all the ingredients in the house, too! The sauce is so yummy! I’ll definitely be making this dish again. I served it with oven-roasted sweet potatoes. Yum!
So thrilled to hear this, thank you so much Jennifer for leaving a review!
This was so easy i feel like I’m “cheating” coz it’s even more delicious than a lot of other much more complicated and time-consuming recipes I’ve tried.ive put a few stars on this in my book of recipes. One question tho, what are the dimensions of the tofu pieces? It looks like I cut mine too small which was probably the reason it took longer than it should’ve taken to cook. I cut em in 1/4” cubes which was a challenge to flip on the pan….lol
I’m stocking up on some ingredients. Just wondering if you recommend regular sesame seeds or toasted sesame seeds for this recipe and in general? Thanks. Looking forward to trying this.
Hi! Oops I meant to put that, definitely toasted!
The best Tofu dish I have ever made! Absolutely delicious (even though I added the sauce while pan was still hot so it thickened but I just added a few drops of coconut aminos, perfect! Also roasted some broccoli for a perfect dinner. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes
Woohoo, so so happy to hear this is the best tofu you’ve had, yay!!! Thanks for the review!
The best Tofu dish I have ever made! Absolutely delicious (even though I added the sauce while pan was still hot so it thickened but I just added a few drops of coconut aminos, perfect! Also roasted some broccoli for a perfect dinner. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes
5 Starts for sure!
What would you sub the coconut aminos with?
Well, the coconut aminos is a big part of the flavor so I wouldn’t suggest subbing. But if you must, then low-sodium soy sauce. However, soy sauce is much saltier and less sweet than coconut aminos, so you may need to add a little agave or sugar to balance it out. Because it’s going to taste different.
Easy and delicious! This will definitely be a regular in for us.
SO happy to hear it Christal!
Amazing recipe
Done it yesterday, as soon as I got your email
Delicious 👌
Thank you ❤️
Yay!! So glad you loved it! Thank you for posting a review!
Is it still worth making the recipe without the sesame oil?
Yes! It just will have less depth of flavor and of course not as bold of a sesame flavor.
Instead of sesame oil I used some runny tahini because that is what I had on hand. It is a delicious recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Brandi,
The link up above right hand corner takes us to the old Instagram account.
Thank you for letting me know!
Le Titre m’a trompé, j’ai cru que tu parlais de faire un tofu avec des amandes et du sésame ???
Après la lecture totale de la recette, j’ai compris mon erreur, et oui on peut rêver !!! J’ai de drole d’envie parfois !!!
Ce qui est sur et certain c’est que ta recette est formidable et j’ai hate de la mettre en pratique, car elle semble bien succulente …
Merci pour cette belle recette, que nous allons avoir beaucoup de plaisir à déguster
I wish I knew what all that meant, but since you gave it 5 stars, I assume you loved it, haha, thank you!
Brandi, the end says, Thank you for this beautiful recipe, that we are going to have a lot of pleasure in eating.
Wonderful, thank you!