Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Barbecue Tofu from Healthier Steps is a vegan, vegetarian American main made with Batter, extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, and creamy peanut butter or tahini paste in about 60 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • Batter
  • 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter or tahini paste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Pinch cumin
  • Barbecue Sauce
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil or 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup minced onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 28 ounces tomato puree or sauce
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
  • 2 tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos or coconut aminos
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
  • Sea salt to taste

Method

  1. For barbecue sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil or water on medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, molasses, parsley, Bragg’s liquid aminos, sesame oil and sea salt to taste. Reduce heat to simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened.
  2. For Tofu: Preheat oven 400ºF/200ºC. Drain water from tofu and squeezed excess water out between paper towels or a clean dishcloth. Cut tofu in long strips and set aside. Combine batter in a bowl and mix well. Coat individual tofu strips with batter mix and place on an oiled 9x13 casserole dish. Bake tofu for 20 minutes, or until tofu is golden brown.
  3. Evenly coat tofu with barbecue sauce and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Chef’s Tip: Unsulphured molasses can be used as substitute for pomegranate molasses

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.