I really love Tofu as you have probably noticed! I am a big fan of Tofu’s clean taste and ability to absorb so many different flavors. I am always looking for different ways to prepare Grilled Tofu. I am a big fan of Balsamic Vinegar! I love everything about it, it’s a staple in my house. I always dress my salads with a simple Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil dressing. Salad dressing is not the only thing you can do with Balsamic Vinegar. It works really well for Tofu!
I use Balsamic Vinegar as a base for the tofu marinade which is then turned into a delicious glaze! This Tofu is really tasty. I have been playing around with the recipe for a few months and I think I finally got it right! This Balsamic Glazed Tofu has a slightly tangy taste with a touch of sweetness. It can be made grilled or baked, I tried both ways and both turn out really tasty! Like I said earlier the tofu marinade does not go to waste because it is reduced into a scrumptious glaze!
This Tofu is great served in a number of ways. I like to serve it with a grain and a vegetable side or chopped over a salad. This tofu recipe is great for the summer time when you are looking to fire up the grill even though it’s winter now! Here’s the recipe:
Balsamic Glazed Tofu
Grilled Version serves about 2-3 people, Baked Version serves about 3-4 people.
1 pound Extra-Firm Tofu, drained and pressed
For the Marinade/Glaze
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 – 1 Tablespoon Agave nectar (This depends on how sweet you like it, if you like it more sweeter use ! tablespoon or more.
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic smashed
A Pinch of Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, and Marjoram. (Feel free to use any of your favorite herbs or leave them out completely if you wish)
You can Cut the Tofu anyway you like, I like to cut it into triangles or slabs.
For Triangles
Cut the Tofu in half diagonally. Now take the two tofu triangles and cut them into three triangles each. For the baked Tofu, cut it into 4 triangles each. You should get 6 triangles for the grilled tofu and 8 for the baked tofu.
For Slabs
Cut the Tofu width-wise into 5-6 pieces for grilled tofu and 7-8 pieces for the baked tofu.
After you have the cut the tofu, mix all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. I like to marinade the tofu in an 8 by 8 baking pan. Pour the Marinade over the tofu. Marinade the tofu for at least an hour. Turn it halfway through. The longer you marinade it the better!
When the Tofu has marinated take the tofu out and set it aside. Strain the marinade to remove the garlic. Preheat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the Marinade mixture to the saucepan. Bring it to a boil. You want to keep it on a medium simmer. Cook the marinade for about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken and look like a glaze. Remember to keep stirring unless you have a non-stick saucepan. You want to keep an eye on it to prevent it from burning, it happened to me once so that’s why I bring it up. I actually burned a saucepan from doing this a while back!
For Grilled Tofu
Preheat a Cast-iron grill pan to medium-high heat. When it is hot, place the tofu on the cast iron grill pan. Grill the Tofu about 2-3 minutes per side. If your tofu is cut into slabs, grill the tofu 1-2 minutes per side and then turn it 90 degrees to form cross-hatch grill marks. As the Tofu is grilling, brush it with the Balsamic Glaze.
For Baked Tofu
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the tofu on a slightly greased baking sheet. Bake the tofu for about 20 minutes. Then flip it over and bake it for about 10 minutes. Brush it with the glaze towards the end because you don’t want the glaze to burn. If you like a chewier tofu place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, make sure to keep an eye for it!
Enjoy!



17 comments
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March 2, 2009 at 3:27 am
Cloudy
This tofu looks amazing!
Thank you so much for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it
March 2, 2009 at 9:35 am
DJ Karma (of VegSpinz)
I love tofu too! Usually when I’m tired or in a hurry, I just slice it up, toss it in salt and nutritional yeast, and pan fry it until crisp. I’ll have to give your marinade a try!
March 2, 2009 at 10:07 am
Kelly
That looks delicious. I appreciate the same characteristics about tofu which is why I eat it a lot even though I am not a vegetarian. Balsamic vinegar is also one of my favorite ingredients so I imagine that dish must be heavenly. I’ve been meaning to adapt a favorite chicken dish to tofu. It’s called vanilla balsamic chicken and the glaze involves broth, balsamic vinegar, shallots, brown sugar, orange rind, orange juice, and vanilla bean. It’s pretty darn heavenly and I imagine it would be even more amazing with tofu since the chicken doesn’t add much to the recipe. Mmmm. You are reminding me that I will have to try this.
Jay:This sounds really interesting. I’ll be looking forward to your recipe.
March 2, 2009 at 11:51 am
Ricki
Just look at the gloss on that triangle of tofu! The glaze sounds wonderful, and I love the idea of grilling it. I’d love a piece right now, in fact!
March 2, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Sophie
i looooove baked tofu. i could go on and on…
March 4, 2009 at 1:10 pm
VeganTickles
I agree your tofu looks picture perfect.
March 4, 2009 at 10:54 pm
dreaminitvegan
I made this and it was sooooo gooood!!! I had balsamic syrup and drizzled it over.
March 5, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Jay (The Vegan Foodie)
Thanks everyone!
March 9, 2009 at 6:47 pm
veganhomemade
The color on that tofu is fantastic! I have personally just discovered balsamic reduction, and think I’ll be using it a lot.
April 9, 2009 at 6:45 am
chiensetofurecipes
hello,your recipes are so cool,I hope it taste the way it looks I am a chinese food amateur and like cooking the dish myself,I’ll try it,I hope I could cook this dish as yours,thanks for sharing again.
November 17, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Beatrice
This sounds really good — I’ve been craving balsamic since having portobellos with a balsamic reduction…
March 5, 2010 at 5:10 pm
TheSpicyVeg
I made this last night and unfortunately it didnt come out that great. I am not giving up though, two of my favorite things are tofu and balsamic vinegar, I just suck at cooking tofu…
I just started a blog and your recipe is the first one I talk about
I also added you to my blog list
October 5, 2010 at 10:22 am
Bert
Made this a few days ago and it came out great, marinated it overnight which imparted a lot of flavor. Used lots of fresh herbs!
December 22, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Demara
I tried this recipe tonight… and had the tofu over a lettuce salad. It was SO good !! Thank-you And btw I think ALL your food pictures look yummy!! And your dog looks similiar to mine!!
December 29, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul
Hi!
I’m making a variation on this right now. I’ve added Pomegranate Juice and a little Dijon Mustard. It’s marinating now, but I’m sure it’ll turn out delicious.
Thanks for the inspiration : )
July 1, 2012 at 4:25 pm
CanadianMama
I made it yesterday for the fist time and loved it. My guests were very impressed and there were no leftovers :0(. Thank you!!!
September 29, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Haley Waldkoetter (@walruskiller)
Oh wow. I think I may have made it incorrectly, but it was tough to eat. It tasted like straight up vinegar.