These balsamic tofu steaks are made with pan-fried slabs of tofu in a sweet and zippy balsamic reduction, then served with a smoky mix of sautéed bell peppers and fresh basil. Pair them up with rice or couscous for an absolutely delicious vegan meal that's also super easy to make!
Balsamic vinegar is one of my favorite seasonings for savory vegan dinner recipes. Most of the time I use it in small amounts — adding a dash here and there to turn up the flavor in my cherry tomato pasta or tempeh sandwiches.
In today's recipe though, balsamic is the star of the show. We're cooking up big slabs of balsamic tofu and topping them with smoky sautéed red bell peppers and fresh basil. If you enjoyed the balsamic tofu in my vegan wraps, you'll love this dish. It features similar flavors, but the tofu is the main dish itself.
These balsamic tofu steaks are also really easy to make, and lend themselves well to prepping in advance.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Balsamic vinegar. Choose a good quality aged balsamic vinegar. It should be thick, dark and a bit syrupy.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
- Dijon mustard.
- Salt & pepper.
- Olive oil.
- Red bell pepper. An orange or yellow bell pepper would also work, as these varieties have some sweetness to them, but I don't recommend using a green one.
- Shallot. Red onion can be substituted if needed.
- Garlic.
- Fresh basil.
- Tofu. Super-firm tofu is ideal, as this variety has a nice sturdy texture, making it perfect for pan-frying in large slabs like we're doing here. Extra-firm tofu will work in a pinch, but it will need to be pressed before cooking.
- Accompaniments. While not totally necessary, serving your balsamic tofu over some rice, couscous, or polenta will help to make it meal-worthy. It's also great on top of salad or in a sandwich!
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by whisking your sauce ingredients together: balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and some salt.
Do the rest of your prep steps before you begin cooking: cut the pepper and shallot, and slice the tofu into six slabs, as shown in the photo above.
Tip: This recipe could easily be stretched to serve four people. If you'd like to do this, slice the tofu into four slabs instead of six, cutting perpendicular to the direction shown in the photo above. Each serving will include one large tofu steak.
Heat some oil in a medium nonstick skillet then add your bell pepper and shallot. Cook them for a few minutes, until they start to soften and brown.
Now add the minced garlic and just a tablespoon of the balsamic sauce. Stir it up and continue cooking everything for about a minute.
Remove the mixture from the skillet, place it in a bowl, and stir in some chopped fresh basil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Add some more oil to the skillet, then arrange your tofu slabs in a single layer. Cook them for a few minutes on each side, until they're golden brown and a bit crispy.
Now add the remaining balsamic sauce to the skillet, pouring it evenly over each of the tofu slabs. Continue cooking everything until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy.
Tip: You can cook your tofu steaks in a couple of batches if they won't all fit in the skillet at once. Just make sure to reserve enough sauce for the second batch!
Take your balsamic tofu out of the skillet when it's done, then divide the tofu steaks onto plates with your accompaniments of choice. Top each one with some of the red pepper mixture and give it a sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover balsamic tofu will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. You can store the tofu and red pepper topping together or separately — it doesn't make much difference! I've found that this dish is best reheated in the microwave.
More Tofu Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Balsamic Tofu Steaks with Sautéed Red Peppers and Basil
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Red Pepper Topping
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Tofu Steaks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super firm tofu, drained and sliced into six slabs (Note 1)
Accompaniments
- Cooked rice, couscous or polenta
Instructions
- Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- To make the red pepper topping, first coat the bottom of a medium nonstick skillet with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and place it over medium-high heat.
- Give the skillet a minute to heat up, then add the bell pepper and shallot. Cook the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the pepper begins to soften and the shallot begins to brown.
- Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the balsamic sauce to the skillet. Continue cooking the mixture for about 1 minute, until the sauce dries up and the garlic becomes very fragrant.
- Remove the pepper mixture from the skillet and transfer it to a bowl. Stir in the basil and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
- To cook the tofu, lower the heat beneath the skillet to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the tofu slabs in a single layer (Note 2). Cook the tofu for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Carefully pour the balsamic sauce over the tofu. Bring it to a simmer and allow it to cook until it thickens and coats the tofu steaks, about 5 minutes. If you'd like, you can flip the tofu steaks and gently move them around the skillet as they cook, in order to encourage them to pick up more of the sauce.
- Remove the tofu from the skillet. Divide the tofu steaks onto plates along with accompaniments of choice. Top with the bell pepper mixture and give everything a sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Notes
- You can refer to the photo within the post to see how to slice the tofu. Optionally, if you'd like to get four servings out of this recipe, slice the tofu instead into four larger slabs so that each serving includes one large tofu steak.
- You can cook the tofu slabs in batches if you don't have room for them all in your skillet. Make sure to reserve enough sauce for the second batch when adding it in step 8.
- Nutrition information does not include accompaniments.
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We have made this two times and love it! Delicious and not too difficult to make on a worknight and also special. We freeze our tofu and thaw for the texture, otherwise, we followed the directions just as given. We have been vegan for at least 20 years and these are some of the very best recipes we have found. Thank you, Alissa!
This was an absolute homerun! So delicious and I followed the dire directions exactly as stated! My family loved it!