Teriyaki is one of our favorite ways to enjoy Japanese food. Ingredients are cooked in the glaze of the same name made from soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame. Although the most common combination with teriyaki sauce is chicken, you can also cook vegetables with it. Today we show you how to make delicious teriyaki tofu that’s perfect on a bed of sticky white rice.
Our recipe is both vegan (meatless, egg-free) And gluten free. Important note for celiac disease: Make sure you buy a soy sauce that is clearly labeled as gluten-free. You might think that soy sauce is naturally gluten-free since it’s a by-product of soybeans. But the traditional way to prepare the sauce is to ferment the soybeans with it Wheat. Some labels may not indicate this. So make sure your soy sauce clearly says “gluten-free” if you’re gluten intolerant.
Instead of using pre-made teriyaki sauce, we make it ourselves. It’s easy and fast, don’t worry. To make it healthier and lighter, we have reduced the fats and sugars present in the classic sauce. We made it by halving the amount of sesame oil and replacing white sugar with maple syrup. Our teriyaki sauce is also vegan as we used maple syrup instead of honey to make it refined sugar free.
We also chose to bake our tofu teriyaki in the oven instead of deep frying. In some teriyaki chicken recipes, the chicken is first fried and then basted with sauce. You could use the same technique on tofu, but we recommend avoiding frying and sticking with the oven instead to make this a healthier meal.
Overall, this recipe is great for vegans or flexitarians with cravings for a healthier teriyaki dish. One serving of this teriyaki tofu will give you 158 calories and cover 28% of your RDI for proteins and just 14% RDI for fats. You can make a meal out of it by serving the tofu with a bowl of sticky rice and steamed vegetables.
Just follow our simple steps below and you’ll be munching on healthy tofu teriyaki in no time. Enjoy!
And if you’re looking for more ideas for flavoring tofu, you’ll love this Fireworks Sauce for Fried Tofu, Miso Marinade for Baked Tofu, or Spicy Honey Glaze for Fried Tofu.
frequently asked Questions
Is Classic Teriyaki Sauce Vegan?
Teriyaki sauce is a staple of Japanese cuisine, and the simplest version is made with a few simple ingredients:
Also popular variations include grated ginger root and crushed garlic, and a starch slurry to thicken the sauce.
As you can see, the classic teriyaki sauce is 100% vegan. However, some recipes swap sugar for honey, making it unsuitable for those following a plant-based diet.
We chose to make our vegan teriyaki sauce with maple syrup instead of refined white sugar, and we substituted extra rice vinegar for sake.
Weight for weight, maple has two-thirds the sugar and a lower glycemic index, perfect for a healthier twist on teriyaki.
To keep this recipe non-alcoholic as well, we substituted mirin for sake, an alcoholic drink made from fermented rice. Mirin, or rice vinegar, is stronger and sweeter than sake, so we used one tablespoon of rice vinegar and one tablespoon of soy sauce for every two tablespoons of sake.
What kind of tofu should I use?
There are two types of tofu: silken and regular tofu. Both are available in different variants such as extra soft, soft, firm or extra firm.
We recommend using firm or extra firm regular tofu for this recipe, as it holds its shape better when sliced and coated and has a “meatier” texture, similar to chicken.
Silken tofu, on the other hand, is the top choice when preparing desserts, smoothies and soups. It has a higher water content than regular tofu and is easily processed into a smooth cream.
What can I serve with Tofu Teriyaki?
We love pairing these oven-baked tofu sheets with a steaming bowl of sticky rice. We have here a detailed recipe where we show you how to make sticky rice for onigiri.
Alternatively, you can serve this teriyaki glazed tofu on a bed of brown rice for a fiber boost or with cauliflower rice for a low carb meal.
Finally, to stay on track with your 5 a day, we recommend adding a good helping of veggies to your bowl. You can try:
– Steamed vegetables such as pak choi, spring greens, cabbage, spinach or chard
– A stir fry. Be inspired by our recipes for vegan pan noodles
– Sautéed mushrooms and tender broccoli
– Root vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and potatoes
– A simple green salad