Baked Smoky Tofu with Smoked Paprika

October 5, 2023

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This oven-baked, smoky tofu is made with a easy marinade of soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, and spices, together with smoked paprika. You don’t have to buy liquid smoke to be able to make it, and also you positively don’t want a house smoker! The tofu is tremendous versatile: use it in sandwiches or wraps, as a breakfast aspect, or as a protein element in salads and grain bowls.

Seven or eight years in the past, I discovered the SoyBoy model of smoked tofu in an area grocery retailer. It was a recreation changer.

This wasn’t my first time attempting a store-bought, marinated and baked tofu. Quite a few the foremost tofu manufacturers within the US additionally promote seasoned tofu, in flavors like teriyaki, sesame ginger, or lemon pepper.

Nevertheless it was the primary time I attempted a business seasoned tofu that I actually fell in love with—one that would rival my do-it-yourself favorites, together with baked balsamic tofu and baked teriyaki tofu cubes.

I began shopping for this model of tofu as usually as I may. I used it in bowls, pasta dishes, and toast; it even turned a part of the avocado toast recipe in my cookbook Energy Plates.

I’ll nonetheless choose up the SoyBoy smoked tofu each time I discover it, however I’ve had an more and more arduous time finding it in shops.

On high of this, not all of my readers can discover the SoyBoy merchandise of their native shops. Because of this, I really feel dangerous referencing the smoked tofu in my recipes.

A venture of the final two years has been making extra of my very own do-it-yourself vegan fundamentals and staple meals, like dressings, vegan cheeses, refried beans, vegan mayo, and marinara sauce. Making these things at dwelling is sweet for each my pockets and soul.

So it’s about time I created my very own smoky tofu recipe.

Why smoky tofu?

Now that I’ve waxed poetic just a little, I ought to say what precisely I really like a lot about smoky tofu.

Nicely, I’m a giant fan of smoky flavors normally. You’ll discover many recipes with that taste profile on this weblog, together with pasta dishes, do-it-yourself refried beans, stuffed candy potatoes, soup, and extra.

Additionally, I’m a longtime plant-based eater.

Typically, the flavour that meat contributes to is smokiness. Using smoky seasoning can add this dimension to vegan recipes, like vegan BLT sandwiches or candy potato black bean burgers.

Star ingredient: smoked paprika

Most smoky tofu recipes name for liquid smoke. Liquid smoke, a flavoring that’s extracted from burning wooden chips, may be very highly effective, and it positively imparts smokiness.

That mentioned, I’ve by no means been an enormous fan of liquid smoke. I style an excessive amount of of that burnt wooden taste once I use it as a seasoning; until I’m actually conservative with it, I discover that it’s a bit overpowering.

I discover that smoked paprika, alternatively, provides smoky taste in a balanced approach.

Smoked paprika is also called pimentón, or Spanish smoked paprika. It’s made when crimson peppers are smoked and charred over oak leaves or hearth, then dried.

The dried peppers are then floor right into a high quality powder, at which level they are often bought as a spice and utilized in cooking.

For me, smoked paprika has a softer, rounder, extra delicate smokiness than liquid smoke. But it’s nonetheless undeniably, splendidly smoky.

More and more, it’s not tough to search out smoked paprika in main grocery shops. Nonetheless, you may also order it on-line, both by way of specialty retailers or on main websites.

Is smoked paprika the identical as common paprika?

Pimentón is totally different from the Hungarian paprika—often simply labeled “paprika”—that you may also cook dinner with often.

Each sorts of paprika are produced from dried crimson peppers. However solely smoked paprika is produced from peppers which have been smoked earlier than drying, which is why it has such a novel taste.

Each common and smoked paprika can typically be labeled as both “candy” or “scorching.” In each instances, I are inclined to go for the candy model, since I’m delicate to warmth.

Most smoked paprika you’ll encounter in US grocery shops is the candy variety. Typically you would possibly see it labeled as pimentón dulce, to distinguish it from pimentón picante, the spicy/scorching selection.

The best way to make baked smoky tofu

This recipe is admittedly so simple as slicing, marinating, after which baking tofu. Listed here are the steps you’ll take.

Step 1: Slice your tofu

Reduce the tofu into slices, working parallel to the brief fringe of the tofu block.

Your tofu slices needs to be between 1/4-inch and three/8-inch thick, or 6mm to 1cm.

Step 2: Place the tofu right into a flat storage container with a lid

I spend a number of time marinating tofu and tempeh. I’ve discovered {that a} rectangular, hermetic storage container with a lid is the simplest vessel for doing this.

The flat backside means which you can marinate issues in a single or a pair even, flat layers.

Since I usually marinate proteins like tofu or tempeh for two hours or longer—sometimes, I marinate them in a single day whereas I sleep—the container additionally turns into a storage vessel.

As a bonus, it’s straightforward to disperse marinade by sealing the container with its lid and giving it a mild shake.

Step 3: Put together the marinade

The marinade for this recipe is easy: avocado oil (or one other impartial vegetable oil), soy sauce (or tamari), vinegar, maple syrup, onion powder, and smoked paprika.

It’s the smoked paprika, after all, that’s the star ingredient right here.

Step 4: Pour the marinade over the tofu slices

When you whisk that marinade collectively, you merely have to pour it over the tofu slices within the container.

A round, white ramekin is filled with a liquid mixture that's being whisked together. Smoked paprika is visible, turning the marinade a red color. — Smoked paprika is the important thing ingredient in a easy liquid marinade for the tofu.

A rectangular storage container holds slices of tofu that are being seasoned with a reddish brown marinade. — Smoked paprika is the important thing ingredient in a easy liquid marinade for the tofu.

Step 5: Marinate in a single day

A lot of my seasoned tofu and tempeh recipes name for marinating the protein for two or extra hours.

Within the case of this smoky tofu, although, I like to recommend marinating in a single day. The tofu will soak up much more taste that approach, and depth of taste is particularly essential on this recipe.

A a close-up image of a dark, liquid marinade, which is being used to season rectangular slices of tofu. — Marinating the tofu slices in a single day within the fridge will enable them to take in most smoky, salty taste.

Step 6: Bake low(ish) and sluggish(ish)

“Low and sluggish” refers to cooking something at a low temperature for a very long time. This could be a technique of reaching an excellent tender texture or a number of taste improvement.

The 325°F / 165°C bake temperature for these tofu slices isn’t very low, however it’s positively decrease than the oven temperature that I usually use for baked tofu.

I discover that cooking at a extra reasonable warmth for an extended time frame, is acceptable for this recipe. It seals within the smoky taste, and in addition, it provides the tofu slices a barely dehydrated, agency texture.

I like that texture for sandwiches and salads. Once I give it some thought, I truly eat a number of soft-textured meals—soups, dips, grains and beans—so I respect a protein that’s extra chewy occasionally.

The tofu slices will bake within the oven for about forty minutes whole. You should definitely flip them on their baking sheet midway by way of cooking.

A rectangular, metal baking sheet has been lined with white parchment and sliced, baked tofu slabs. — After 40 minutes of baking at a reasonable oven temperature, the tofu slabs can be agency, crisp on the edges, and darkened in colour.

Step 7: Take pleasure in!

Use the tofu wherever you’d like a smoky, savory vegan protein.

Methods to make use of baked smoky tofu

My favourite approach to make use of these chewy, savory slices is in sandwiches.

A slice of bread is topped with mayonnaise and dark brown slices of smoky tofu. — Smoky tofu provides a number of plant protein, in addition to savory taste and chewy texture, to a vegan sandwich.

I’ll share one such sandwich recipe with you quickly—I ate it loads this previous summer season.

The chances don’t finish there, although. I really like including the slices to a breakfast plate in the identical approach that you just would possibly add a aspect of plant-based sausage or bacon; it’s an particularly good accompaniment to my chickpea scramble.

I’ve added baked smoky tofu to many a grain bowl and salad, too.

A close up image of a round, white bowl, which is filled with farro, kale, artichokes, and tofu. The farro is dressed with herby pesto. — Baked smoky tofu provides a plant protein to grain salads, together with this nutritious combination of farro and child kale, seasoned with pesto.

For instance, in my pesto farro salad with kale, herby vegan pesto meets deeply savory, smoky tofu.

It’s the kind of ingredient combo that sounds just a little odd, on paper, however it actually works.

As one other instance, the smoky tofu contrasts with vibrant, citrusy flavors in my quinoa citrus salad with tofu.

Lastly, smoked tofu could be a enjoyable ingredient so as to add to both soup or porridge. Particularly, I really like to make use of it as a topping for my vegan savory oatmeal with greens and tofu.

A round white bowl, containing savory oatmeal and green vegetables, is resting on a white surface. A metal spoon is perched nearby.

You would additionally add the tofu to my savory metal lower oatmeal.

As you possibly can see, there are many prospects right here!

What kind of tofu ought to I take advantage of?

My tofu of selection for this recipe is “tremendous agency” tofu, which is usually labeled “excessive protein” tofu.

Tremendous agency tofu has had a number of its water content material pressed out previous to packaging. It has a denser, extra concentrated texture and firmer “chunk” than common further agency tofu.

As a result of the tofu is compressed, all of its vitamin turns into denser. This consists of its protein content material.

A few main manufacturers that make tofu, Nasoya and Wildwood, promote tremendous agency tofu throughout the US.

For those who can’t discover one of these tofu close to you, don’t fear. Common tofu labeled as “further agency” can even work nicely within the smoky tofu recipe.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the enjoyment of consuming do-it-yourself meals every single day with the hearty and healthful recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether or not you have got three, two, and even only one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will present you learn how to batch cook dinner diverse, colourful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Meal prep and storage

This tofu recipe is an efficient one so as to add to any weekly vegan meal prep routine.

As soon as baked, the tofu slices could be saved for as much as 5 days in an hermetic container within the fridge.

They’re additionally freezer-friendly! You could discover that the tofu slices change texture a bit after defrosting, however they’ll nonetheless be chewy, scrumptious, and a protein-rich element for meals.

A round, low white bowl is filled with chewy slices of marinated, baked bean curd. — Baked smoky tofu slices could be ready as a part of your weekend meal prep. Add them to bowls, salads, or sandwiches for protein all week lengthy.

For extra on meal prep and defrosting, you possibly can try my newbie’s information to vegan meal prep.

And, with the intention to begin including this savory goodness to your plates sooner, relatively than later, right here’s the recipe!