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Sesame Tofu with Broccoli Recipe

July 19, 2019 By florentina 20 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you.

Easy and healthy sesame tofu recipe, air fry or bake it before coating in an oil free sticky garlic ginger sesame sauce. Crispy golden around the edges using maple syrup instead of honey, gluten free and vegan!

Healthy sesame tofu recipe with garlic ginger sesame sauce.

Crispy saucy tofu and steamed broccoli  – the perfect weeknight meal!

How to Make Sesame Tofu:

  1. Start with firm or extra firm tofu, remove from the package and drain the water.
  2. Press Tofu: place the drained tofu block on a lint free kitchen towel, fold the sides over and cover with another towel. Place a heavy object on top like an enameled cast iron pot or something that is easy to balance. Allow to press for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
  3. Once pressed tear the tofu into bite size pieces and toss with tapioca or corn starch.
  4. Air fry or bake until golden crips around the edges following the instructions in the recipe card.

Garlic ginger sesame sauce.

The Sesame Sauce:

Simply whisk together tamari with water, vinegar, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds.  Balance with a drizzle of maple syrup for both taste and stickiness. Thicken as it simmers for a quick minute with tapioca or cornstarch. How easy is that ?!

What to Serve With:

  • steamed broccoli or green beans
  • sauteed spinach or bok choy
  • peanut noodles
  • stir fried veggies & brown rice
  • olive oil mashed potatoes
  • pineapple fried rice
  • mango avocado noodles

Healthy sesame tofu recipe with garlic ginger sesame sauce and broccoli.

What is Tofu Made Of ?

Tofu blocks are made from whole soy beans in a process similar to making cheese. The soy milk curd is used and pressed into blocks of different textures, from soft to extra firm. The flavor is very mild to non existent which makes it the perfect vehicle to absorb any kind of flavor just like a sponge. In our case that luscious sesame sauce!

How Much Protein is in Tofu ?

Tofu delivers a whopping 20 grams of protein in one cup and zero cholesterol. Now that’s some real high quality healthy clean protein.

Is Tofu Healthy ?

I created this recipe as healthy as possible! The tofu is cooked in my toaster air fryer without any oil, plus I also made the sauce oil free and refined sugar free. The oven baked alternative is not quite as healthy as it requires a little oil to keep the tofu from drying out. For the benefits of tofu consumption and the scientific research on the subject please visit nutritionfacts.org

Air fried tofu with broccoli and garlic ginger sesame sauce.

P.S. If you make this recipe please come back here to rate it, snap a photo and tag me with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it totally makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s

Air fried sesame tofu with broccoli and garlic ginger sesame sauce.
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Sesame Tofu

Healthy sesame tofu recipe, air fry or bake it before coating in an oil-free sticky garlic ginger sesame sauce. Crispy golden around the edges using maple syrup instead of honey, gluten free and vegan!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword plant based, sesame tofu, tofu, vegan,
Prep Time 5 minutes
Pressing Time: 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 207kcal
Author Florentina

Ingredients

  • 15 oz block firm tofu ~organic
  • 2 tbsp tapioca
  • 1 lime ~for serving

Sesame Sauce:

  • 3 tbsp tamari sauce
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or lime juice)
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar)
  • 2 cloves grated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger root ~grated
  • 6 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp tapioca or corn starch
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Press the Tofu:

  • Remove tofu from the package and drain the water. Slice in half lengthwise so you end up with 2 thinner slices. Place on a lint free towel lined plate and fold the sides over. Cover with another lint free towel and place a heavy item on top, something with good balance. Allow the tofu to press for at least 35 minutes or overnight. (If pressing overnight make sure to transfer to the refrigerator and keep cool)
  • Use your hands and roughly tear the tofu into bite size pieces. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of sea salt and two tablespoons of tapioca. Gently toss to coat well.

Air Fryer Method:

  • Place the tofu on a parchment lined air fryer tray and air fry at 375" for 15 to 17 minutes until golden around the edges. (I do this in my Cuisinart Toaster Air Fryer, if you are using something different you might need to adjust the timing as it could take a little longer)

Oven Baked Method:

  • Spray the pressed tofu pieces with a light coat of sesame oil. Dust with 2 tablespoons of tapioca and toss to coat well. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet preferably without touching each other. Bake at 400"F for 25 to 30 minutes until golden around the edges.

Make the Sesame Sauce:

  • In a small bowl whisk together all the sauce ingredients until combined. Transfer to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Cook a minute or so until the sauce has thickened.
  • Transfer the cooked tofu into the sesame sauce and toss to coat well all over. Serve over steamed broccoli with brown rice or noodles.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 762mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 204mg | Iron: 3mg

Air Fryer Tofu Recipes:

Orange Tofu

Orange Tofu

Peanut Tofu

Peanut Tofu

Crispy Tofu Nuggets

Crispy Tofu Nuggets

 

Filed Under: Beans, Broccoli, Entrees, Gluten Free, Plant-Based, Tofu, Vegan Recipes

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Hi, I'm Florentina! I'm the voice behind the easy Plant-Based recipes here at the Veggie Society. Peluci is our COO and taste tester in chief! Continue reading…

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shannon

    August 4, 2019 at 11:20 pm

    Finally got the toaster air fryer and it has changed my life. This was so easy to make and finger licking good, we fought over the last piece so I think that says a lot. Enjoying all your Plant Based recipes and not missing meat even one bit. Thank you for inspiring me to keep going with this lifestyle!!!

    Reply
  2. Nizee Roldan

    January 3, 2020 at 3:22 am

    Can I use other flours besides tapioca? What would you recommend to use? Thanks!

    Reply
    • florentina

      January 4, 2020 at 10:20 pm

      I’d go for rice flour if you want a gluten free option!

      Reply
    • Angel

      January 4, 2021 at 7:20 pm

      I used arrowroot powder and it was perfect!

      Reply
  3. Tammy

    January 20, 2020 at 6:17 am

    What did I do wrong? My tofu was tough and tasted like cornstarch. The sauce was fantastic but the tofu was not edible.

    Reply
    • florentina

      January 20, 2020 at 10:37 pm

      Hi Tammy, it sounds like the tofu might have been overcooked. Did you use a toaster air-fryer or baked it in the oven ? It’s really important to keep an eye on it if using the oven as the temperatures can vary. I also recommend using Tapioca and shaking off any excess instead of cornstarch. I have never been able to taste the tapioca at all, the coating has always turned out really light and airy. If you tear the tofu into smaller pieces that will also require less cooking time so timing needs to be adjusted depending on size and air-fryer model or oven. Hope you give it another go and enjoy it, it’s a really delicious recipe.

      Reply
  4. Marlen

    April 19, 2020 at 1:54 am

    This is soooo good! I’m doing this the second time now! My partner and I love it!

    Reply
  5. Skc

    May 26, 2020 at 10:33 pm

    I made for lunch today. I didn’t have tapioca so I used cornstarch. Only problem is the tofu was a little tough which means I probably over cooked a bit. It is great! I roasted kale since I was out of broccoli. I will make again!

    Reply
  6. Christina

    June 23, 2020 at 2:44 am

    This was delicious! I had a 350 g pack of tofu (just under 13 ounces) and I think there’s enough sauce for double the amount of tofu if you’re not using rice. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂

    Reply
  7. Samantha

    June 23, 2020 at 3:44 am

    Made this and loved it!! It definitely satisfies my unhealthy Chinese food craving. Happy to finally have a healthy and yummy alternative!

    Reply
  8. Melissa

    July 21, 2020 at 11:01 pm

    No sesame oil in the recipe ?? That seems strange but I’m ready to try it!

    Reply
    • florentina

      July 22, 2020 at 8:46 pm

      Hey Melissa, this is an oil-free recipe, you are free to add some sesame oil if you like 🙂

      Reply
  9. Elisabeth Spring

    July 22, 2020 at 5:11 am

    So yummy! I forgot to put cornstarch on the baked tofu, but it was still good! Husband said it was like a restaurant!

    Reply
  10. Lindsay

    November 17, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    Hi 🙂 Can you make the sauce in advance do you think? Also, the first time I made this, the tofu was definitely overdone! So now I know to airfry mine for like 10 minutes on a lower heat. Still, deeelicious!

    Reply
    • florentina

      November 19, 2020 at 6:11 pm

      Yes you can definitely make the sauce in advance. Depending on the air fryer you’ll need to adjust the cooking times, they all yield different results and it also depends on the exact size of the tofu and the moisture content. Glad you found your sweet spot 🙂

      Reply
  11. Tracy

    December 21, 2020 at 7:29 am

    Excellent. Recent vegetarian lifestyle change. This was by far my best recipe so far. Thanks

    Reply
  12. Angel

    January 4, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    This was so yummy! I substituted arrowroot powder for the tapioca. And I don’t have an air fryer, so I just used the oven. It was so crispy and perfect! Can’t wait to make it again.

    Reply
  13. Summer Yule

    January 5, 2021 at 3:17 am

    Excellent easy weeknight recipe! I made the tofu in the oven with cornstarch (since I was out of tapioca flour). Yummy 🙂

    Reply
  14. Tyiesha

    January 9, 2021 at 7:46 pm

    What can I use in place of cornstarch and tapioca? Tryna lower the starch / carbs

    Reply
    • florentina

      January 11, 2021 at 4:11 am

      For the sauce you can use a little agar agar instead and just omit coating the tofu, just toss it in the sauce.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Florentina! I'm the voice behind the easy Plant-Based recipes here at the Veggie Society. Peluci is the taste tester in chief! About Veggie Society…

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