Published: Feb 7, 2017 · Modified: Mar 5, 2025 by Alissa Saenz · This post may contain affiliate links · 46 Comments

Sesame Sriracha Tofu

My sesame sriracha tofu is the vegan weeknight dinner you need in your life! It's made with tofu cubes that are pan-fried to a crisp, and then drenched in creamy maple-tahini-sriracha sauce. This scrumptious dish is loaded with flavor and comes together in minutes!

I stole the idea for this dish from Wegman's. It was a dish I had from their long gone vegetarian buffet, years ago. (Is anyone from Wegman's reading this? How about bringing that buffet back??). Fortunately, I reverse engineered the dish while it was still fresh in my memory. My dill pickle hummus idea was also thefted from Wegman's, and my vegan chocolate pudding from Whole Foods. Sometimes supermarkets have the best ideas!

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Ingredients You'll Need
How It's Made
Leftovers & Storage
Variations
Frequently Asked Questions
More Tofu Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

My sesame sriracha tofu turned out to be really easy to whip up — almost as easy as loading up a plate at the grocery store buffet! It's made from nothing more than pan-fried tofu and a super simple tahini sauce that takes like a minute to stir together. And it's SO GOOD. If you're a tahini-lover, like me, you've got to make this one.

Ingredients You'll Need

Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.

Tahini. Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. Most grocery stores sell it in the international aisle.
Maple syrup. Feel free to use another vegan liquid sweetener, if you've got one on hand. Agave and coconut nectar are great options.
Sriracha sauce. Make sure your sriracha is vegan. Many brands are not, as they're made with sugar that's been bleached with animal bone char. I've been making this dish with Sky Valley brand, which is vegan. Kitchen Garden Farm is another vegan brand to try.
Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
Toasted sesame oil. This oil is used to flavor the sauce. It's used in lots of Asian dishes and is available in the international section of most grocery stores.
Rice wine vinegar. You can also find this in the international aisle at the store.
Garlic.
Ginger.
Water.
Vegetable oil. Just about any neutral, high-heat oil will work.
Tofu. I love making this dish with super-firm tofu. It's got a great texture and requires minimal prep. Extra-firm or firm tofu will also work, but you will need to press your tofu before cooking it.
Rice.
Scallions.
Sesame seeds. I used a mix of white and black sesame seeds, but either variety alone is fine!

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!

Hand stirring tahini sauce together in a glass bowl.

Step 1: Make the sauce. Simply stir together tahini, maple syrup, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Thin the sauce with a few tablespoons of water, just to get it pourable.

Step 2: Pan-fry your tofu. Heat some oil in a skillet, then add diced tofu. Cook the tofu for a few minutes, flipping the pieces every few minutes, until they're browned and crispy on multiple sides.

Tip: You can cook your tofu in batches if you have trouble fitting it all into your skillet in one layer.

Tahini sauce being poured over tofu cubes in a skillet.

Step 3: Pour the tahini sauce over the tofu. Stir everything up to distribute the sauce and coat the tofu.

Tofu cubes simmering in tahini sauce in a skillet.

Step 4: Cook the tofu in the sauce for just about one minute, until it begins to bubble. Be careful not to overcook it.

Tip: If you overcook your tofu, the sauce will thicken too much and can get clumpy. Fortunately, there's an easy fix! Just take the skillet off of heat and start drizzling in water while stirring. Keep stirring until the sauce smooths out.

Bowl of Sesame Sriracha Tofu with a skillet and bunch of scallions in the background.

Your sesame sriracha tofu is ready to enjoy! Serve it over cooked rice with some chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds on top.

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover sesame sriracha tofu will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days. The sauce will get very thick in the fridge, and can get clumpy when you reheat it. It's still delicious this way, but if you'd like to smooth out the sauce, simply stir in a bit of water before reheating the tofu in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove.

Variations

Add veggies. This dish goes great with steamed, roasted, or stir-fried veggies. Personally, I like it best with steamed broccoli, but cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, snap peas, and bell peppers are also great options. Consider making some extra sauce if you decide to include some vegetables.
Sesame sriracha tofu sandwiches. No kidding, this is delicious. Just pile the tofu onto a crusty roll with your favorite sandwich fixings.
Nutty tofu. Instead of sesame seeds, top each bowl with some chopped roasted peanuts or cashews.
Crispy fried tofu. Instead of pan-frying your tofu, make my crispy four-ingredient fried tofu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this recipe be made gluten-free?

Yup! Just substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce.

How spicy is this dish?

This recipe is what I'd consider mild spicy. If you're concerned about the heat level, just add the sriracha a bit at a time, taste-testing between each addition. You can also add extra sriracha for more heat.

Can I make the sauce ahead of time?

You can, but it will probably thicken quite a bit in the fridge. If possible, take it out of the fridge an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature, then whisk it to loosen it up. You can add a bit more water if it still seems too thick.

More Tofu Recipes

📖 Recipe

Bowl of Sesame Sriracha Tofu and rice with scallions and sesame seeds on top.

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