This tofu salad will be your new favorite salad! Made with gingery marinated tofu, crisp veggies, and creamy tahini dressing, it's totally meal-worthy and absolutely delicious.
We love having salad for dinner in my house. I know, I know. A lot of people think we're weird. I mean, how can you be satisfied with a salad as a meal?
But here's the thing: when I make salad for dinner, I make the kind of salad that will leave you really satisfied. Like, maybe more satisfied than if you ate a sandwich or a big plate of pasta. My salads are loaded with veggies and delicious dressings and plant proteins, like tofu!
This is our absolute favorite tofu salad. It's DELICIOUS and will not leave you hungry. It's also pretty healthy and excellent for meal prep. Having a busy week? Prep everything in advance and assemble your salads when you're ready for them.
Are you sold on salad for dinner yet? You need to make this one!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be used if you'd like to keep this recipe gluten-free.
- Maple syrup. Another liquid sweetener such as agave can be used if needed.
- Rice vinegar. Look for this in the international section at the grocery store.
- Sesame oil. You can also find this in the international aisle.
- Ginger.
- Tofu. I recommend using extra-firm tofu for this recipe. Super firm tofu will do in a pinch, but it doesn't marinate quite as well as extra-firm.
- Tahini. This is another ingredient you can find in the international aisle.
- Garlic.
- Salad greens. I like this salad best with a mix of romaine lettuce and spring mix, but you're welcome to use your favorites. Butter lettuce, baby spinach, and arugula would all work well!
- Cherry tomatoes.
- Cucumber.
- Avocado.
- Red bell pepper.
- Oranges or mandarins.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
- Sesame seeds.
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!
- Start by draining and pressing your tofu to remove any excess water.
- While the tofu presses, stir soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil and ginger together to make your marinade.
- Dice the tofu, place it in a dish, and let it marinade for a bit. A few minutes is fine if you're short on time, but about 30 minutes is ideal. This is plenty of time for the marinade to infuse your tofu with lots of flavor!
Tip: Make sure you place your tofu in an airtight container and refrigerate it if you plan to let it marinade for more than 2 hours.
- Place your marinated tofu pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper and pop them in the oven.
- Let your tofu bake for about 40 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through and spooning any excess marinade over them. The pieces should have darkened and shrunken a bit by the time they're done.
Tip: Save yourself some time! Prep your veggies and mix your dressing while the tofu bakes.
- Mix your dressing ingredients in a small container: tahini, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, and sesame oil.
- Thin the dressing with water, taste-test it, and adjust any of the seasonings to suit your taste.
- Arrange the salad ingredients in individual bowls: greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, bell pepper, orange or mandarin slices, scallions and sesame seeds.
- Pile the baked tofu on top, then drizzle with dressing. You can sprinkle your tofu salad with salt and pepper if you'd like, though I think it doesn't need them.
- Dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
I recommend only assembling as many individual tofu salads as you plan to eat. This will allow you to store the leftover ingredients separately, so they stay as fresh as possible! The veggies and citrus should keep for 3 or 4 days in sealed containers in the refrigerator. The avocado will probably turn brown, so I try to eat it all with the first round of salads and start fresh when I have leftovers.
The tahini dressing will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
The baked tofu will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Vegan Salad Recipes
- Vegan Cobb Salad
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Japanese Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Vegan Greek Salad
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Soy-Ginger Marinated Tofu Salad
Ingredients
For the Marinated Tofu
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into ½-inch pieces
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup water, or as needed
For the Salad
- 6 cups salad greens (I like a mix of romaine lettuce and spring mix)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ medium cucumber, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 small red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 orange (or 2 to 3 mandarins), divided and optionally chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the Baked Tofu
- Stir the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger together in a small container.
- Place the tofu in a shallow dish and pour the soy sauce mixture over it.
- Allow the tofu to marinate, preferably for about 30 minutes, but no less than 5 minutes, gently stirring occasionally do distribute the marinade. (Note 1)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the tofu cubes on the baking sheet and bake them for about 40 minutes, flipping halfway through and spooning any excess marinade over them. The tofu pieces should have darkened and shrunk slightly by the time they're done.
Make the Dressing
- While the tofu bakes, whisk the tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, and sesame oil together in a small bowl or container.
- Thin the mixture with water, adding enough to make the dressing creamy but pourable.
- Taste-test the dressing and adjust any seasonings to taste.
Assemble the Salad
- Divide the greens among bowls and top with cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, cucumber slices, peppers, oranges or mandarins, scallions and baked tofu.
- Drizzle the salads with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cover and chill the tofu if you're going to marinate it for more than 2 hours. The tofu can marinate for up to 24 hours this way.
- This recipe makes 4 large, meal-sized salads. You could add some extra greens and get 6 servings, or split it up into smaller, starter-sized salads.
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This was a really great salad. The only thing I wondered about was 40 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees. I cut the baking time by 5 minutes and it was baked well. The tofu and the dressing have great flavor.