These are essentially vegan ribs. Tofu slabs marinated until flavorful all the way through, cooked until chewy at the edges, then doused with homemade BBQ sauce that caramelizes against the heat into burnt-end territory: dark, glossy, smoky, and sticky. Eat it straight off the baking tray while you pretend you’re letting it cool.

The secret here is a two-stage flavor attack. A marinade of peanut oil, tamari, and vegetable broth gets flavor deep into the tofu so it’s not just a slab waiting for sauce. Then the sauce goes on later. Inside flavor, outside flavor. It sets this BBQ tofu apart from the pack.

I first learned a version of baked bbq tofu from Tofu Cookery back in the 80s, and over the years I adapted it for the grill. Here, I am giving you three options: grill it outside for smoky char, grill it indoors with a cast iron grill pan, or bake it for the old-school version, with the chewiest bite of the three. The grilled version is what shows up in all my July food memories now. The baked version is what shows up in February. Same marinade, same sauce, three roads to the same delicious place. Bring your spatula.

Word to the wise: I definitely like to press my tofu for this. I’ll get into this below, but it’s what gets you BBQ tofu that’s chewy like ribs versus BBQ tofu that’s just fine. You can skip it. The recipe still works. It just stops short of ribs territory.

Why This Recipe Rocks

Three methods, one recipe. Outdoor grill for cookout char, cast iron grill pan indoors for the same effect any season, or bake for the original chewy-edged version.
Pressed tofu, rib texture. A good press gets you the dense, chewy bite that you gotta rip into.
Marinade does the flavor work. Peanut oil, tamari, and broth infuse the tofu so the BBQ sauce isn’t doing everything alone.
Year-round food. Switch sides with the season. Sweet potatoes and roasted root vegetables in winter, corn and potato salad in summer. Same plate, different season.

BBQ Tofu Tips

Get the grill or pan hot before the tofu goes on. Lukewarm grates equal stuck tofu. Preheat for at least 5 minutes, oil well, and don’t try to flip until the tofu releases on its own.
Sauce after the char. Sugar in BBQ sauce burns on direct heat. Wait until you’ve got your grill marks before you start coating it in sauce.
Use a thin metal spatula to flip. Make sure you’re scraping against the grates when you flip that tofu, so that you lift the grill marks with the tofu and don’t leave the pretty part behind on the grates.

Should I Make My Own BBQ Sauce?

Yes. Make the sauce while your tofu is marinating, it’s so easy and the ingredients are simple. Almost Bottled BBQ Sauce is what I use, and it’s what makes this recipe next level. Thick, dark, smoky from smoked paprika, sweet from molasses, sharp from white vinegar and mustard. Built to caramelize into burnt-end territory against the heat. One pot, simple pantry ingredients, makes 4 cups so you’ve got plenty for the tofu plus extra for sandwiches all week.

If you’re going store-bought instead, you can still doctor a bottled sauce: a tablespoon of molasses, a teaspoon each of smoked paprika and garlic powder, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Just enough to make it taste closer to homemade.

How to Press Tofu

Pressing pulls water out of the tofu so it can absorb marinade and hold up on heat. But you know that already. In case you don’t, here’s how to do it:

Wrap the tofu in paper towels and then a clean kitchen towel. Set it on a cutting board. Place another cutting board on top, then weigh it down with a cast-iron skillet or a few heavy cans of beans or (my favorite) a lot of heavy cookbooks. Preferably by me. Press 30 minutes minimum, flip in the towel, and press another 30. Pour off any water that pools on the board halfway through.

The longer you press, the chewier the result. If you can press overnight in the fridge, do that.

How to Serve BBQ Tofu in Hot Girl Summer Weather

Smoky, caramelized tofu plays well with the crisp, tangy, juicy sides of a real cookout spread.

Cookout Coleslaw. Vinegar-based, no mayo, holds up on the picnic table for hours. The crunch and tang against sticky tofu is exactly what you want.
Eggy Potato Salad. This needs no explanation. Creamy, classic, alongside or right on top.
Macaroni Salad. Brooklyn deli style with grated carrot and radish. Cookout law says you need it.
Cheater Baked Beans. Smoky, savory, baked low and slow. They go together like smoke and fire.
Grilled corn on the cob. Brushed with vegan butter, hit with chili flakes and lime, char marks on both.
My Favorite Ranch Dressing. Drizzle over slabs, salads, or anything else getting served.
Turn it into a BBQ Tofu Sandwich on a crusty roll slathered with mayo, mustard, lettuce and tomato or some coleslaw.
Make BBQ tofu kebabs. If you want to make kebabs, cube the tofu for the recipe and put some red pepper and red onion slices on the skewers. Maybe some thick mushroom slices, too.

How to Serve BBQ Tofu in Sweater Weather

The best BBQ tofu recipe baked and on a plate

_{Photos by Hannah Kaminsky}

Cold-weather sides to round out the show. Your slathered BBQ tofu is the star. I especially love drizzling extra warm sauce over any of this.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Buttery, fluffy, exactly where extra BBQ sauce wants to go. I would go to battle for the garlic variation specifically.
Sautéed Kale with Garlic and Tahini. Sliced garlic, olive oil, big drizzle of tahini dressing. Pile on the brown rice or quinoa and you’ve got yourself the best BBQ Tofu Bowl ever. Don’t forget the avocado.
Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Apples. Sweet, gingery, mash that makes the BBQ sauce reach across the plate.
Brussel Sprout Fried Rice. Fresh, herby, packed with scallions and pine nuts. Spoon a slab on top and you’re all set.
Vegan Mac and Cheese. Pick your mood from the roundup, drop some tofu on top, commence eyes rolling back in head.
Roasted root vegetables. Rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, beets roasted at high heat until caramelized at the edges.
Cornbread or cornbread muffins. Golden and buttered, for catching the sauce that pools on the plate. Use this Corn Muffin recipe, it’s so savory and buttery.

BBQ Tofu FAQ

Do I really need to press the tofu? Yes if you want chewy rib texture. No if you just want dinner. Pressed tofu is denser, takes more sauce, and grills without falling apart. Unpressed tofu makes a softer slab that’s still good, just not chewy.

Can I make this ahead? Yes, it’s yummy for meal prep for sure. Throw it on a salad or a sandwich or on top of mac and cheese. Just heat up with extra sauce.

Can I use a different oil instead of peanut? For sure. Avocado oil, olive oil, any oil, really. The peanut adds a little extra richness but isn’t critical.

Can I cube the tofu instead of slabbing it? For sure. Cube the pressed tofu, marinate the same way, and thread the cubes onto soaked wooden skewers for the grill or spread them out on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet for the oven. Cubes are great for grain bowls, salads, and skewered platters. In fact, you can cut this into any shape you like. Triangles even!

Can I make BBQ tofu in an air fryer? Yup yup yup. Cube the marinated tofu, air fry at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. Toss with BBQ sauce and air fry another 5 minutes until everything is sticky.

Is this gluten-free? Yes if you use tamari (which is naturally gluten-free). Most bottled BBQ sauces happen to be gluten-free, but check the label.

How long do leftovers last? About 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat in a 350°F oven, in a cast-iron skillet, or in the air fryer with a brush of extra sauce. Microwave works in a pinch but you lose the chewy edges. Leftover slabs make great wraps and grain bowls the next day, sometimes even better cold.

How did I end up here? You were looking for BBQ tofu, grilled BBQ tofu, baked BBQ tofu, easy vegan BBQ tofu, or some variation, and Google sent you my way. Welcome. This is the chewy, sticky, smoky BBQ tofu I’ve been making since the late 80s, now with three methods so you can cook it however you want. Bookmark this. You’re done looking.