This easy teriyaki tofu is a delicious weeknight meal that takes just 15 minutes to make! Crispy, golden pieces of tofu are cooked with a sticky and savoury homemade teriyaki sauce that is packed with so much flavour, it’s better than anything store-bought. Serve it with rice and broccoli for an easy weeknight dinner that will satisfy that craving for takeaway.
This recipe is part of my budget-friendly meal series and comes in at approximately $2.45 per serve!
Tofu is such an easy and versatile protein to add into your diet. Not to mention it’s so cheap. It cost me just $2.80 for this block of tofu at my local grocery store which I think is actually even cheaper than it used to be, making this the perfect recipe when wanting to keep things budget-friendly.
But I know what you may be thinking. That tofu is boring and flavourless. But that’s just because you haven’t had it with the right sauce! Just like my honey garlic tofu recipe, this teriyaki tofu is all about the sweet and savoury sauce that smothers the chunks of tofu.
This is my OG teriyaki sauce recipe. It’s the one I use to make my all time fav salmon and avocado rice bowls, it also shows up in these teriyaki chicken bowls, and again in this air fryer teriyaki salmon recipe.
I keep coming back to it because it’s honestly just perfect for any occasion. And in this recipe you don’t even need to make the sauce first, it all just comes together in the pan with the tofu which means this is a crazy fast recipe to pull together.
Just start the timer AFTER you spend ages looking in the back of pantry trying to find that bottle of mirin you just know is in there somewhere…
Key Ingredients
If you cook a lot of Asian-style recipes at home (or you’ve made any of my teriyaki recipes before!), then you may have everything you need for this super simple tofu dish already to go.
Otherwise, everything can be easily found at your local grocery shop and these ingredients are staples in my kitchen, so you’ll be able to find a bunch of other recipes on the site to use them in.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Firm tofu – make sure to use firm or hard tofu, don’t buy silken tofu, as it won’t work the same.
- Cornflour – also known as corn starch, this is used to coat the tofu to give it a crispy texture, and also to thicken the teriyaki sauce.
- Soy sauce – the base of the teriyaki sauce providing that rich, umami taste.
- Brown sugar – adds sweetness and helps the sauce caramelise as it cooks.
- Mirin – this is a sweet rice wine that is low-alcohol so can be found at most supermarkets, and gives the main flavour to the teriyaki sauce. If you need to substitute, you can use a dry sherry instead.
- Ginger and garlic – adds depth of flavour to the sauce. You can use fresh or use jarred if you prefer. I usually keep a jar of minced ginger in the fridge as it lasts for ages and is an easy addition to a bunch of recipes.
- Honey – for sweetness and flavour in this sticky sauce. For a vegan alternative, just add additional brown sugar instead.
- Sesame oil – a little bit goes a long way in building flavour in this sauce without being overpowering.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To get started you’ll need to gather all of the sauce ingredients and prep your tofu. I’m also always going to pop my rice on in my rice cooker so it’s done by the time I am ready to serve.
Pressing the tofu: While I am guilty of not always doing this, I do recommend that you first press the tofu as this step is going to remove any extra moisture from the tofu so that we get nice crispy and not soggy pieces.
Do this by placing two paper towels on a chopping board, followed by the tofu, then another two paper towels and placing a heavy based saucepan or skillet on top. Let the tofu press to remove excess moisture for 10-30 minutes. If you’re short on time, then just pat out as much moisture as you can with paper towels.
From here you can cut the tofu into cubes, whatever size you like (I do about 2 cm) and add them to a bowl. Add the olive oil, cornflour and soy sauce, and gently toss to coat.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add the tofu and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy on all sides.
While the tofu cooks, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, ginger, garlic, honey and sesame oil in a small bowl.
Once the tofu is golden, reduce the heat slightly and pour in the sauce and stir to coat. Add the cornflour mixed with water and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions and then serve over rice with broccoli for a quick weeknight meal.
👉Take a shortcut! To make dinner come together super quick, you can use microwave pouches of rice and frozen broccoli.
Recipe FAQs
Yes you can! To bake the tofu, preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Spread the coated tofu on a lined baking tray and bake for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crispy. Add it to a frying pan with the sauce once cooked to finish it off.
Use firm or extra-firm tofu. This is what is going to hold it’s shape and get that golden, crispy texture. Do not make the mistake of picking up a pack of silken tofu as it’s too soft and won’t hold its shape therefore is not suitable for this recipe.
Yes, the tofu and sauce can be cooked and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Simply reheat in a pan or microwave and add a splash of water if the sauce thickens too much.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More delicious tofu recipes:
Healthy Kale Salad with Air Fried Tofu
Crispy Tofu and Zoodles with Peanut Sauce
Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Tofu Lettuce Cups with Peanut Sauce
15 Minute Teriyaki Tofu
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Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 450 grams firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornflour/cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
For the teriyaki sauce:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons mirin or dry sherry
- 1½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 teaspoons cornflour/cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water
To serve:
- Cooked white rice
- Steamed broccoli
- Sesame seeds
- Sliced spring onions
Instructions
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Pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Cut into cubes and place in a bowl. Add the olive oil, cornflour and soy sauce, and gently toss to coat.
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Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy on all sides.
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While the tofu cooks, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, ginger, garlic, honey and sesame oil in a small bowl.
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Once the tofu is golden, reduce the heat slightly. Pour in the sauce and stir to coat. Add the cornflour mixed with water and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
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Remove from heat. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions. Serve over rice with broccoli for a quick weeknight meal.
Video
Notes
Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari to make this recipe gluten-free.
Nutritional information is for the teriyaki tofu only, not including the sides of rice and broccoli.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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