These BBQ tofu sandwiches are made with slabs of crispy seasoned tofu slathered in sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. They're easy to make, loaded with flavor, and perfect for a lazy summer dinner!
I always find myself craving barbecue this time of year. And no, I don't mean meat barbecue. I've never really missed that!
I'm talking about pretty much anything vegan that gets slathered in sweet, smoky, tangy barbecue sauce. It's not just for meat! I've been known to douse everything from veggie burgers to tempeh "ribs" to polenta bowls in my homemade vegan barbecue sauce.
And of course, I love a good barbecue sandwich.
For this vegan barbecue sandwich, I used tofu as our barbecue sauce vessel...but not just any tofu! I adapted my barbecue tofu bites recipe, instead using slabs of tofu that get coated in a seasoned cornstarch crust and baked to crispy perfection.
The result was a barbecue tofu sandwich that's out of this world delicious!
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- Tofu. I like super-firm tofu for this recipe. It's easy to work with and has a great texture. Extra-firm tofu, which is a tad softer, can be used if needed — you'll need to press it before cooking though.
- Cornstarch.
- Vegetable oil. Any high heat oil will do here. You can use olive oil, avocado oil, corn oil or peanut oil, among many others!
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Liquid smoke. This is optional, but great to use if you love smoky flavor. You can find it near the barbecue sauce at most supermarkets.
- Chili powder.
- Ground cumin.
- Barbecue sauce. I love this recipe with my homemade vegan barbecue sauce, but store-bought sauce is fine too. Just check the ingredients to ensure that it's vegan.
- Burger buns. Or use kaiser rolls, sub rolls, sliced bread...basically whatever you like best for sandwiches!
- Toppings. The sky is the limit here. As you can see from the photos, I topped my sandwiches with some vegan coleslaw and dill pickle slices. You could also use lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts, avocado...whatever you like!
How They're 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 slicing your block of tofu into slabs. I like to make six slabs, so I can use two on each sandwich, but you could also do eight smaller slabs, or three or four larger slabs, putting just one slab on each sandwich.
Place your tofu slabs in a large bowl, along with the cornstarch, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, liquid smoke, chili powder, and cumin. Mix everything up using your hands. You want to get the slabs evenly coated with a mix of the other ingredients.
Arrange your tofu slabs on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven. Bake them for about 15 minutes per side, until they've darkened and formed a crispy coating.
Brush both sides of the tofu slices with some barbecue sauce, then return them to the oven for a few minutes. The sauce should thicken a bit and get bubbly.
Stuff your barbecue tofu into buns and pile on the toppings. Dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
These sandwiches are best served immediately, while the tofu is crispy. If you do have leftovers though, the barbecue tofu slabs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
What to Serve with BBQ Tofu Sandwiches
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📖 Recipe
Barbecue Tofu Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) package super-firm tofu, drained
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup vegan barbecue sauce
- 3 burger buns or sandwich rolls
- Toppings of choice (Note 1)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the tofu block into 6 slabs (Note 2).
- Place the tofu slabs into a large mixing bowl and add the cornstarch, oil, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke (if using), chili powder, and cumin.
- Use your hands to mix the ingredients, getting each tofu slab relatively evenly coated.
- Place the tofu slabs on the baking sheet.
- Bake the tofu for about 30 minutes, until crispy and browned, turning the pieces halfway through.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Brush both sides of each tofu piece with barbecue sauce, then return the baking sheet to the oven.
- Bake the tofu for 5 minutes more, until the sauce begins to bubble.
- Stuff the tofu pieces into buns, topping them with additional barbecue sauce and toppings of choice.
- Serve.
Notes
- Try vegan coleslaw, lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, pickle slices, or avocado.
- Six slabs will give you three sandwiches, with two slabs per sandwich. Feel free to adjust the number of slabs to make as few as two or as many as four sandwiches, placing one or two slabs on each sandwich.
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Made this for dinner last night and my husband said we need to add it to the regular rotation! So good!
This is my current favorite recipe for omnis who are curious about super firm tofu. It's so delicious and pleases even picky eaters! The barbecue sauce really makes or breaks the dish, so if you use storebought, splurge a little to get the good stuff! It's also important tomake sure you get it into the oven soon after adding the corn starch, or it won't get as crisp. I score the tofu slabs so there's more surface area for the marinade and sauce to cling to, and the flavor penetrates it a bit further.
This recipe looks so tasty! I think I know what ill be making this fathers day!
If you don't want to grill the tofu, cook the drained and pressed tofu in a waffle iron. Baste both sides first. It's amazing!
I heard about waffle iron tofu a while back and have been meaning to try it! Thank you for reminding me - I have some extra sauce so I might just give it a go this weekend.