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    You are here: Home / Entrees / 4 Ingredient Smoked Tofu

    LAST UPDATED: September 11, 2021 • FIRST PUBLISHED: September 11, 2021

    4 Ingredient Smoked Tofu

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Plate of Smoked Tofu with Text Overlay Reading "Smoked Tofu"

    Make your own smoked tofu at home! It's easy, delicious, and requires only 4 ingredients. This tofu is perfect for recipes, salads, sandwiches, and snacking.

    Plate of Smoked Tofu on a Wooden Surface with Chives

    When I'm browsing vegan recipes I often see ones that call for smoked tofu as an ingredient, which is awesome — smoky tofu is great! It's super flavorful and easy to work with. But I can rarely ever find it in stores where I live.

    So I decided to make my own, and you know what? It was easy! And also better than the stuff you buy at the store, in my opinion.

    Jump to:
    • What You'll Need
    • How to Make Baked Smoked Tofu
    • Shelf-Life & Storage
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Tofu Recipes
    • Smoked Tofu

    What You'll Need

    • Tofu. I like extra-firm tofu best for this recipe. You could use super firm, but it won't soak up as much marinade.
    • Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos could be substituted for this.
    • Rice vinegar. Just about any type of vinegar can be substituted — white, red wine, apple cider — just be aware that the flavor will vary slightly depending on what variety you use.
    • Liquid smoke. Look for this near the barbecue sauces at your supermarket.

    How to Make Baked Smoked Tofu

    The following is a summary of the process for making this dish, along with some tips. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe.

    Stack of Smoked Tofu with Chives and Skillet in the Background
    • If you're using extra-firm tofu (or anything less firm than that — which I don't recommend), you'll need to press it before getting started. Super firm tofu can simply be blotted after slicing.
    • Cut your tofu. You can really cut it into any size and shape you like, but keep in mind that the smaller the pieces, the more surface area you have to absorb your marinade, which means more flavorful tofu. I cut mine into thin slices (a bit les than ½-inch) for the batch shown in the photos.
    • Mix your soy sauce, vinegar and liquid smoke. Feel free to play around with additional seasonings as well, but these are the only three you need for a basic smoked tofu.
    • Place the tofu in a shallow dish, pour the marinade over it, and let it soak for anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Be sure to cover and chill it if you're soaking it for more than 2 hours.
    Tofu Marinating in a Glass Dish
    • Arrange your marinated tofu pieces on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them for about 20 minutes on each side, until darkened and shrunken a bit.

    Shelf-Life & Storage

    Store your smoked tofu in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

    Close Up of Smoked Tofu Slices Topped with Chives

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is this recipes gluten-free?

    It is if you use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce.

    How is smoked tofu served?

    There are lots of recipes that call for smoked tofu, such as this smoked tofu sushi, this ramen, this tofu katsu curry, this carbonara or these meal-prep bowls. You could also stuff it in a sandwich, use it as a salad topper, or snack on it!

    What does this tofu taste like?

    It's smoky! If there was ever a time in your life when you ate meat, you could probably compare the flavor to that of bacon, but a bit milder.

    More Tofu Recipes

    • Savory Lemon & Herb Baked Tofu
    • Sesame Ginger Marinated Tofu
    • Baked BBQ Tofu
    • Sesame Sriracha Tofu
    • Vegan Tofu Chilli Paneer
    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!
    Plate of Smoked Tofu Topped with Chives
    5 from 4 votes
    Print

    Smoked Tofu

    Make your own smoked tofu at home! It's easy, delicious, and requires only 4 ingredients. This tofu is perfect for recipes, salads, sandwiches, and snacking.

    Course Entree
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 40 minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 81 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
    • 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into ¼ to ½ thick slices
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    1. Stir the soy sauce, vinegar, and liquid smoke together in a small bowl or cup.

    2. Place the tofu slices in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over them.

    3. Marinate the tofu for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or covered and chilled for up to 24 hours.

    4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    5. Arrange the tofu slices on the baking sheet in a single layer.

    6. Bake the tofu for about 40 minutes, carefully turning the pieces halfway through, until they're darkened and slightly shrunken.

    7. Remove the tofu from the oven and serve or use immediately, or chill for later.

    Nutrition Facts
    Smoked Tofu
    Amount Per Serving (3.5 ounces (¼ of total recipe))
    Calories 81 Calories from Fat 37
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 4.1g6%
    Saturated Fat 0.9g5%
    Sodium 688mg29%
    Potassium 173mg5%
    Carbohydrates 2.6g1%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 0.8g1%
    Protein 8.9g18%
    Calcium 202mg20%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Flaky Vegan Biscuits
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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marg says

      January 30, 2022 at 6:56 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious-makes great sandwiches and lasts for ages in the fridge. Great now that it is almost impossible to buy smoked tofu here

      Reply
    2. heather says

      February 17, 2022 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      so simple and so very good. the only the i added was black pepper as i was using the tofu for vegan reubens. thanks for the recipe!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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