These tofu steaks will satisfy your comfort food cravings! Covered in a crispy panko coating and topped with savory caramelized onion gravy, they make a great vegan main course for special dinners.

A Sliced Up Tofu Steak and Asparagus on a Plate

Does the idea of tofu steaks sound kind of bad to you? It does to me, and I created this recipe!

But don't be fooled. These suckers are absolutely delicious and super indulgent.

Do tofu steaks taste like actual steak (as in the meat kind)? Not at all! I'm calling them "steaks" simply because they're cooked up in big slab form and served smothered in gravy. Feeling like some comfort food? These steaks are exactly what you need!

How It's Made

The Gravy

This component of the recipe takes longer, so I recommend you get started on it first!

You'll need to caramelize some onion. Slice your onion super thin, then add it to a skillet with some oil, thyme, and a pinch of sugar. Set the skillet over medium-low heat and let the onions slowly cook, giving them a stir every so often. Make sure the heat stays pretty low — you don't want the onions to start sizzling.

Collage Showing 4 Stages of Caramelizing an Onion

After about a half hour the onions should be super soft and browned.

Now raise the heat a bit and add some white wine. Let it simmer until most of the liquid has cooked off, then start sprinkling in a bit of flour, stirring all the while to coat the onions. slowly whisk in some broth and soy sauce, bring the liquid to a simmer, and let it cook until the gravy is thick and rich.

Collage Showing 4 Steps for Making Caramelized Onion Gravy: Add Wine to Onions, Add Flour, Add Broth, and Simmer

Tip: For a quick and easy alternative to the caramelized onion gravy, try my super simple vegan gravy.

The Tofu Steaks

Start with a block of extra-firm tofu. Cut it into 4 equal-sized rectangular slabs.

In one small bowl, whisk together a batter from some non-dairy milk, flour, flaxseed, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. In another bowl, whisk together a breading from some panko breadcrumbs, flour, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper.

Heat up some oil in a skillet. Grab one of your tofu slabs and dip in in the batter, followed by the breading. Place the slab into the skillet and cook it for a few minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. You can cook a few steaks at once if you can fit them in the skillet without crowding.

Collage Showing 4 Steps for Making Tofu Steaks, Dip Tofu in Batter, Dip Tofu in Breading, and Fry on Each Side

Smother your tofu steaks with gravy and devour!

Tofu Steak on a Plate with Asparagus, Napkin, and Water Glass in the Background

Tofu Steak Tips & FAQ

Be very gentle with the tofu steaks when frying and serving them. The coating is very delicate, although it should stay in place if handled with care.
Storage and reheating: Store your leftover tofu steaks and gravy in separate sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. The gravy can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove. The steaks are best reheated for a few minutes in a 400°F oven, followed by briefly placing them under a broiler to recrisp the coating.
Can these be made gluten-free? Possibly, but I haven't tried making a gluten-free version, so I'm not sure. I think your best bet would be to use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce, gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, and an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Can these be baked instead of fried? I'm sure they can, but I haven't tried it. I'd try lightly brushing the steaks with oil and baking them on each side at around 400°F on each side until crispy. Keep in mind that they're not likely to get as crispy as if you fried them though.
Is there a substitute for the wine? You can leave it out if you prefer.
If you do use the wine, check with Barnivore to ensure the brand you use is vegan.
To switch things up, try serving these tofu steaks stuffed into rolls as sandwiches! I haven't tried this, but it occurred to me that it would be delicious. Please let me know how it is!

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📖 Recipe

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5 from 6 votes

Crispy Tofu Steaks with Caramelized Onion Gravy

These tofu steaks will satisfy your comfort food cravings! Covered in a crispy panko coating and topped with savory caramelized onion gravy, they make a great vegan main course for special dinners.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 373kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

For the Caramelized Onion Gravy

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch organic granulated sugar
¼ cup dry white wine
1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup low sodium vegetable broth, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the Batter

½ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 large garlic clove, very finely minced

For the Breading

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Tofu Steaks

1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
Olive oil, for frying

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To Make the Caramelized Onion Gravy

Place the olive oil, onion, thyme, and sugar into a medium skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Allow everything to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 30 minutes.
Add the wine, raise the heat to medium, bring it to a simmer, and allow it to cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the flour to form a paste coating the onion. Cook the onion and flour for about a minute.
Slowly stir in the broth and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to cook until it becomes nice and thick, about 5 minutes. The gravy thickens quickly, so add in some additional broth or water if it becomes too thick.
Remove the skillet from heat. Taste test the gravy and add more soy sauce if you'd like.

Make the Crispy Tofu Steaks

In a shallow dish, whisk together the batter ingredients. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes, until it thickens up.
In a separate dish, stir together the ingredients for the breading.
Cut the tofu in half width-wise, then cut each piece in half thickness wise, creating 4 rectangular slabs.
Very generously coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat. You want at least ⅛ inch of oil.
When the oil is hot, place one of the tofu slabs into the batter, flipping to coat each side, then transfer it to the panko mixture and coat each side. Place it into the skillet, and repeat for the remaining tofu slabs, cooking as many as you can fit at a time without crowding.
Cook the tofu steaks for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown, very carefully flipping between sides so as not to remove the coating.
Cook any remaining tofu slabs in a second batch, following the method above.
Divide the tofu steaks onto plates and top with caramelized onion gravy. Serve.

Notes

This recipe only makes a small amount of gravy, but like I said above, you only need a little. If you're a serious gravy monster, make a double batch.

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5 from 6 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Crispy Tofu Steaks with Caramelized Onion Gravy