Sweet, spicy, tangy, crispy, unbelievably delicious!
This vegan crispy Korean BBQ tofu is EPIC! Super easy, super crispy, super spicy, super amazing! I LOVE Korean flavors. Gochujang is one of my favorite things, and it’s what gives this BBQ sauce it’s spiciness. This Korean BBQ sauce has everything. Sweetness, spiciness, tang. So dang good. The method I use to make this tofu ultra crispy is the easiest thing in the world, and totally gluten-free!
This vegan crispy Korean BBQ tofu comes together crazy fast. Just whisk all the BBQ sauce ingredients together. Toss the tofu in salt and corn starch and then pan fry. Then toss with the sauce and serve with rice. This Korean BBQ tofu tastes amazing with all kinds of veggies too!
Serve with some broccoli, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, or really any veggie you like to throw into a stir fry. I am totally obsessed with this tofu!
When we lived in New York City, Korean food was one of my go to dinners. I tried so many restaurants and loved every minute of it. I wanted to bring a little bit of my food love to you guys, and when I miss New York, I just throw this together and everything seems a little better. A little more like home. Which is exactly what comfort food should invoke! Good food should give you all the feels!
Vegan Crispy Korean BBQ Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 Block(15oz.) Extra firm tofu
- 1/2 Cup Tomato sauce, canned
- 1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 2 Tablespoons Agave syrup
- 2 Teaspoons Gochujang paste
- 1 Small Apple, finely grated
- 2 Cloves Garlic, finely grated
- 1 inch piece Fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame seeds
- 1/2 Cup Corn starch
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Oil for frying
- Scallions for serving
- Rice for serving
Instructions
- Start by pressing your tofu. I will link to my tofu guide below if you would like a step by step of that process. Press the block of tofu for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better. You can even do it in the morning before you plan to make it.
- When you are ready to eat, make the Korean BBQ sauce first. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, agave, Gochujang, the finely grated apple, garlic and ginger, and the sesame seeds. Whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Then, take your pressed block of tofu, cut into cubes, or thinner rectangular slices like I did. Whatever you prefer. Add the tofu to a large mixing bowl, then sprinkle with the corn starch and salt. Toss to coat all of the tofu.
- Now, heat a little bit of oil at the bottom of a non stick pan on medium high. Add the tofu to the pan, don’t over crowd it, if the pan is too small to fit all of it, do it in two batches.
- Brown the tofu on all sides, reducing heat as needed. It will take a few minutes on each side to get the tofu nice and crispy. Remove all of the tofu from the pan, place in a bowl.
- If there is any leftover oil in the pan, wipe it out. Then return the pan to the heat and add about half of the Korean BBQ sauce. Heat on low for a minute, then add all of the tofu back to the pan.
- Toss to coat the tofu, and cook for a minute. Then remove from heat. Serve immediately with rice and veggies if you want. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the top and garnish with scallions or chives!
Notes
It looks great! I wouldnt mind having it everyday!0
11/10. Thank you
This was amazing! I added broccoli. My kids loved it too. Not too spicy and full of flavor.
This recipe was soooo good!! Will definitely make this again 😍
I’m not finding the tofu guide link. Did I miss it? Thanks!
Just click where it says Tofu Cooking Guide in the recipe notes, under the directions. 🙂
This recipe looks soooooo delicious however I’m confused by the ‘canned’ tomato sauce.. Is that actually the tomato sauce that you say put on hotdogs and the like? I’m just a bit confused and if you could clarify that would be awesome.
By canned tomato sauce I mean canned tomato puree that is just plain pureed tomatoes with no seasoning. It probably depends on where you live but it should just say tomato sauce on the can. I don’t mean ketchup!
Hi! I was wondering if the tomato sauce was like ketchup, or more like plain puree tomatoes, like passata?
Ready to take this recipe to my kitchen ASAP!
Ps thanks for all your posts. It all looks amazing. Congrats.
Bless
It’s canned plain pureed tomatoes. Like for making a pasta sauce. I try to use that instead of ketchup to cut down on sugar a bit:)I really hope you enjoy!Thank you so much for your kind words!
I used this recipe to make my very first tofu dish, and it was so great!!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!!
this was so good. very saucy and mega flavor. a bit spicy for the kids so next time i will try adding the hot sauce to taste. thank you for sharing a quality recipe.
this was so good. very saucy and mega flavor. a bit spicy for the kids so next time i will try adding the hot sauce to taste. thank you for sharing a quality recipe.
oh & i didnt have an apple so i used a single serving container of apple sauce. worked great.
I never comment on recipes but WOW this is absolutely amazing soooo full of flavour and a great way to make tofu taste great 🙂 yum!
This recipe turned out amazing! Even my non vegan boyfriend loved it. I added veg and topped it all with the spicy mayo from your Korean tacos and it was so so yummy!
I really want to try this, but I dislike pan frying anything…Is there a way to make this by baking the tofu instead of pan frying? Thanks!
You can definitely bake the tofu instead. I would just spray the baking sheet with some canola oil, olive oil or whatever kind of oil spray you like to use. Then spray the tops of the tofu as well to help brown the tofu.
I would also like to suggest using an air fryer in place of pan frying. The air fryer food gets crispy without the oil.
Your recipes are always on point! What oil do use for pan frying? Thanks in advance!
Thank you! I usually use olive oil, but any kind of oil you like will work. Olive oil has a high smoking point, so I use that when I want to get the pan really hot!
What apple would you suggest?
I like to use sweet apples, I usually do honey crisp or anything like that.
Made this last night and it was a huge hit! Since part of my family doesn’t like tofu (non-vegetarian), I took some of the sauce and stir fried it with some chicken separately and it was also good. I think it would work beautifully with virtually any type of protein. I did use less cornstarch (about 1/4 cup instead of the 1/2 cup listed) to dust the tofu which was fine. I used mostly liquid aminos (less sodium) but found it needed a little traditional soy sauce/tamari to punch up the flavor. I served it with rice and/or asian salad greens (cabbage, lettuce, carrot, kale, sugar snap peas) and there was nothing left. I love the idea of adding broccoli as another person mentioned. It is a very versatile sauce–I could see it used as a dipping sauce after reducing it down or thickening it with some cornstarch.
This came out wonderful!! The only thing I added was a tbsp of siracha for extra spice. We served it with rice and kimchi, so perfect!
I made it with Jasmine rice and added a few chilli pieces and it tasted so good. Had the Korean flavours but the vegan version, a hit with the whole family! Definitely making again!
You could probably air fry the tofu instead of pan frying it right? Looks great!
Absolutely! I think that would work great!
One of my favorite recipes. I used what I had on hand. Tomato paste with Apple sauce -watered down the paste- and maple syrup instead of agave, it’s amazing. My non vegan husband, also picky was jealous of the smell. Simple and delicious.
Made this tonight and the taste is darn good! Had to go with Siracha sauce. I used half amino acids and soy sauce and will go with just soy sauce next time. I used a gala apple and want to try with Honeycrisp next time. Question : how do you get the tofu to be more crispy?
Will be making again soon!
I’m glad you enjoyed! I just make sure to fry the tofu long enough so it is super crispy, and then toss with the sauce right before eating so it remains crispy long enough.
delicious
This looks so good – do you think it could work as just a marinade too and not fry it?
Sure! I think using as just a marinade would be awesome!
I’m cooking vegan in India. You’d think that would be easy, right? But some of the ingredients you mention are not available here, or might be availahle here by another name. We call chickpeas dal, for example. I can’t locate Agave or Gochujang. Can you tell me what they contain? Thanks in advance!
Agave is just made from the agave plant, it’s like a vegan honey substitute. So any sweet syrup would work. Gochujang is a red chili paste, so you may be able to find some form of that. I hope that helps!
I found the Gochujang on Amazon.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESK1IU4/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Loved! Mine turned out to be pretty saucy and tofu didn’t crisp quite like your photo, but made no difference in taste. thank you!
I keep coming back to this dish! It’s so delicious and easy to make. Everybody loves it! I’m so glad I found you website.
To preserve crispyness without practically deepfrying the tofu, I serve sauce and tofu separate so that each guest can combine it on their plate. It keeps it crispy until last minute.
How would it work if I used silken tofu instead of extra firm tofu? Is it not advisable?
No definitely not soft. Firm or extra firm is best. Medium would be ok in a pinch.
OMG!!!! This was amazing!!!
My oh my, what a delicious and easy recipe! I have a 4 month old, so easy recipes are what I’m all about. I prepped the sauce in the morning, just left it on the counter and added the sesame seeds and shredded apple right before cooking. Next time I’ll add blanched broccoli to the sauce when I add in the tofu. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Due to health issues, any suggestions to replace cornstarch ? E.g. rice flour , tapioca or any other ingred to make tofu crispy. I can’t use any type of flours.
Thanks
I think rice flour would work well!
Hey, I fried the tofu without any coating and it was absolutely clean and delicious
Thanks!
So amazing and deliciously yummy!!! OMG 🙂
we just found your site and this recipe – it was one of the best things i have ever eaten (even though we did set off our smoke detectors at one point – haha)! thank you!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! My son loves it too and declared it the best tofu he has ever had. I used about half the chili paste and demera sugar because I didn’t have agave and it turned out fine. Served it with stir fried veggies and brown rice. Yum!!!
WOW! I was not sure what to expect and have recently been trying more plant based meals. This is by far my favorite yet! I won’t like I was intimidated by the sauce, but it is delicious! The apples?? Seemed crazy at first but it all works so well. The tofu fried up so perfectly, I will probably reheat it in the air fryer for left overs.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I honestly can’t wait to make it again!
I used brown sugar instead of agave and less cornstarch, but otherwise as written. We loved it! And it smells great!
Thanks for the recipe. It was
easy and layered with flavor! We ate it with asian slaw and it was perfect. Will definitely make again.
I followed the recipe exactly as written, but I added a head of broccoli at the very end when I was sautéing with the sauce. This was fantastic. I wanted to eat the whole thing. I served it with jasmine rice. It was amazing.
I was just wondering if you would say the tofu would have a smoky flavor. I don’t know why but smoky-flavored food really displeases me.
No, I don’t think it is smoky at all. Just kinda sweet and savory.
Great recipe! Can I use apple sauce instead of apple? If so, what’s the measurement?
Also, I should be able to sub white vinegar for rice vinegar correct?
This was amazing, and I’ve never liked tofu! Have made it three times since discovering this recipe early last week. Also made it for a picnic with a little extra sauce for the dressing and a hard boiled egg over lettuce. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe, it’s inspired me to be more creative and actually enjoy tofu!
This is some good stuff. The whole fam loved it!!
Seriously amazing! Made this for the second time tonight. I am sharing this recipe with everyone!
Love this recipe so much. Tried it with many different veggies – green onions, broccoli even peanuts.
The only definite reduction- instead of 1/4 cup soya sauce I use an eighth.
Today, I did not have rofu so i made it with home made paneer. And brown rice.
Thank you for the delicious recipe!! This was SO good! I used honey in place of agave syrup because I didn’t have any and chili-garlic sauce because it was all I could find at the store. This was so good, will definitely make again!
This was delicious. While family liked it!
Delicious! Vegans and meat-eaters loved it. Will definitely be making again.
HI Lauran et al
You have great stuff
Is there any way that I can copy/paste your recipes to my personal files for purely personal use please?
That seems impossible given your present policy. Unless I am missing something. So different that other creators who share.
Please advise.
Thank You
-paul
Hi Paul! If you go to the recipe card at the bottom of that blog post, there is a print button!
Absolutely phenomenal!
Absolutely delicious! Even my incredibly carnivorous husband was happy (although he still wants to try the sauce with various meats, we reckon pork and chicken thigh will be the best) he even put some of the sauce in his sandwiches for the next day! I made enough sauce for 4 portions so I’ve frozen half of it for next time. Quick and super tasty, definitely adding this to our favourites.
We just made this for the third time in two weeks. We chose this recipe to get out of our spaghetti and Beyond Burger slump and it’s so good, we just keep the ingredients on hand now. I don’t see that changing anytime soon! We’ve enjoyed this recipe so much, we’ve decided to choose our next “try something new” recipe from Rabbit & Wolves!
This recipe was really tasty. I used arrowroot flour instead of because I didn’t have any, and it turned from crispy to soft as soon as I poured the sauce on. Since I didn’t follow the instructions it’s my own error. The food was delicious anyway. I plan on making it again, with corn starch next time.
I love this recipe! I always have a block of tofu in my fridge for this very dish! I use chili garlic sauce instead of gochujang paste and honey instead of agave. Very easy, very quick, and very tasty!!!
My sons (20s) are vegetarian and tough critics. We are huge Korean and Japanese food fans. I made this tonight and while they hardly ever use adjectives, they were like “this is incredible mum. Best tofu dish you’ve ever done! Thank you. Wonderful loved it.
Yay! Thank you!
Looks really nice indeed.. is there any option to get the measurements in metric as well?
Hi. In step 6 you write “add about half of the Korean BBQ sauce”. What do I do with the other half??
The rest is for drizzling over the top of the rice and tofu!
Awesome, as usual! I made rice and air fried the tofu plain at 375 deg F for 15 min (periodically tossed tofu) while making the sauce. As there is a lot of sauce, I’d recommend either another block of tofu + veggies like broccoli and/or zucchini or to halve the sauce initially. Yum! Thanks for another great recipe. 🙂
Hi! I’m allergic to apples and I was wondering if you know of any kind of substitute I can use?
Thank you,
MEEP
This was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again.
This dish was a hit! My 16 said he didn’t miss the meat at all. It satisfied our Korean take out cravings.
Made this tonight, it was absolutely amazing!! I didn’t have agave so I just substituted brown sugar. The flavor was dynamite, tangy/spicy/full of depth and the texture of the tofu was perfect. I’m sad I have to save half of it for my husband! Lol
Best tofu ever, sauce was AMAZING! Entire family loved it and will definitely make again. Thanks so much.
This has to be the best tofu recipe ever. Easy to make and tasted great and was great cold the next day. I served with cauliflower rice and sautéed veg. My hubby wasn’t too keen when I told him what was for dinner but afterwards he. raved how great this was. This is my first recipe from your blog but won’t be my last.
Thanks so much
Made this tonight! I love ALL your recipes. First time to comment but not first recipe! Thank you for all the amazing food!
As my partner said — “probably the best tofu we’ve ever had!” And that’s from frequent tofu eaters! This is so delicious and simple to make. We had to make a couple of swaps based on what we had – applesauce instead of grated apples and some tomato paste thinned out with water instead of tomato sauce. Such a great dish! Can’t wait to make again.
I made this today and it turned out great! The sauce came together nicely. I added a bit of liquid smoke and I used chili oil. It’s really delicious!
This recipe was absolutely delicious. My husband who is a real meat eater and doesn’t like tofu loved it! High praise indeed. Thanks we will be making this again.
Delicious! The tofu never made it back to the pan. The Korean bbq sauce was so good that I just started dipping the tofu into the sauce. Question: How long can I keep this sauce in the fridge?