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.
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.
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.
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.
Smother your tofu steaks with gravy and devour!
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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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.
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
Instructions
To Make the Caramelized Onion Gravy
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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.
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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.
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Stir in the flour to form a paste coating the onion. Cook the onion and flour for about a minute.
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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.
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Remove the skillet from heat. Taste test the gravy and add more soy sauce if you'd like.
Make the Crispy Tofu Steaks
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In a shallow dish, whisk together the batter ingredients. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes, until it thickens up.
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In a separate dish, stir together the ingredients for the breading.
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Cut the tofu in half width-wise, then cut each piece in half thickness wise, creating 4 rectangular slabs.
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Very generously coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat. You want at least â…› inch of oil.
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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.
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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.
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Cook any remaining tofu slabs in a second batch, following the method above.
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Divide the tofu steaks onto plates and top with caramelized onion gravy. Serve.
Recipe 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.
Jean says
How do you think the tofu steaks would do in an air fryer? I bought one so I can make crispy tofu without the oil.
Alissa Saenz says
I wish I could say! I've never used an air-fryer, but I'm dying to give one a try. I have heard from readers who have gotten similar recipes to work in an air-fryer, so based on that I think it could work. I'd love to hear how it works if you do give it a try!
Jean says
Thanks for your response, and I will let you know!
Janine says
Made these last night for dinner and they were great (and my meat loving partner agreed)! I love learning new ways to use tofu. Thanks for the recipe!
Alissa Saenz says
I'm glad you both enjoyed them! :)
Cornell Zubritsky says
Made these tonight - everyone around the table were amazed they could enjoy tofu so much! Two eleven year-old boys insist this be on our regular menu of meals!
Alissa Saenz says
I'm glad they were a hit!! Thanks so much for stopping back to let me know! :)
Chris says
I made these tonight with mashed potatoes like you suggested and they were excellent! Thanks for a great recipe!
Alissa Saenz says
You are so welcome! These go great with mashed!
Kate Senger says
Thank you for posting this recipe! We have a guest coming for Thanksgiving who is vegan AND does not consume gluten or alcohol. I want to make him something delicious, so I’ve been scouring the inter-webs for recipes. Yours fits the bill. I set up a test run substituting gluten-free flour and gluten-free Panko crumbs, and then used white grape juice with a splash of lemon as a substitute for the wine in the gravy. Turned out very nicely! I was a little skeptical the tofu would hold onto the batter when dipped, so I dredged it in gluten-free flour first. Looking forward to making this again in November.
Alissa Saenz says
Yay!! I'm glad to hear it worked out! Thanks Kate!!
Frances Thompson says
Gluten free flour is fine, but you can also use potato starch if you don't have the flour on hand. I rarely have to cook gluten free, but when I do, potato (NOT corn) starch to the rescue
Alissa Saenz says
Thanks for the tip! I'll have to give it a try!
Kirsten says
We have made this recipe a lot -- and I mean A LOT.
The tofu steak itself has become a staple in our house. It's great on its own, it's great with the gravy and mashed, it's great in a sandwich, it's great in smaller sizes as sweet and sour tofu... There's really no limit to what you can do with it. It was a game changer for us, so THANK YOU!
Alissa Saenz says
Yay!! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I LOVE the idea of putting it on a sandwich - definitely trying that next time I make these. :)
Scot says
Instead of mashed potatoes, steam a head of cauliflower with a few garlic cloves. Mash with some vegan butter. Minimal carbs but awesome. I make a red pepper sauce to tie it all up.
Alissa Saenz says
Sounds delicious!
Lindsey Roach says
Looks delish! What could I substitute for the white wine?
Alissa Saenz says
Thanks! You can simply leave the wine out if you prefer!
Tamar says
Hi Alissa,
Do you think that if I oven bake it the end result will be crispy?
Alissa Saenz says
Hi Tamar! They might, but probably not as crispy as the fried version. I also don't recommend making them totally oil-free if you bake them - otherwise the flour might make the coating a bit chalky. I'd spray or brush them with a bit of oil before baking. Alternatively, you could try leaving the flour out of the coating and using extra panko - something like I did in this recipe: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/tofu-nuggets/
Coe says
This is one of the tastiest tofu preparations I've ever made: crispy, crunchy on the outside, tender and creamy on the inside. I wish I'd made two batches---it tasted so good I could have eaten this entire meal twice. Thanks for the great recipe!
Shelby Luckey says
made this as a sandwich- absolutely delicious :)