Gluten Free
Marinated Tofu and Vegetable Skewers
Prep
20 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
Yield
12 -15
🍢 These Tofu Veggie Skewers are summer grilling perfection! Marinated tofu and fresh vegetables ready in 30 minutes for your next BBQ!
The sun is shining and the weather is getting warmer, and let me tell you, I needed that vitamin D! One of the best parts of summer is the outdoor meals and barbecues, and these marinated tofu veggie skewers are the perfect vegan-friendly option to serve at your next barbecue or summer potluck. They are so easy to make, delicious for a summer meal, and can be customized to how you like them.
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Tofu Veggie Skewers
- Easy-to-Make: It won’t take rocket science to put these together, plus, they’ll be ready in just over 30-minutes. More time for you to get out in the sun versus slave in the kitchen!
- Versatile: Skewers are so versatile because you can add whatever protein or veggies you have on hand to them. They can also be a great way to get your kids in the kitchen to help or make an easy meal no matter what the picky eaters like in your house.
- Great for Meal Prep: You can make extras of these while you’re cooking them up and save them for meal prep for the week. They are great to eat on their own or take off the skewer to toss on top of a salad or a bed of rice or quinoa.
🍲 Ingredients
Tofu: Tofu is a staple protein in most vegan and vegetarian diets as it’s a great source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids. It’s also a good source of iron and calcium, plus minerals. The list of benefits for tofu seriously goes on and on. It’s such a good protein to have on hand.
Korean Style BBQ Sauce: For this recipe, I used Simply Organic Korean Style BBQ Summer Sauce. Their sauces seriously make summer meal planning so easy. This sauce has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy, and it’ll make everyone at your BBQ think you’re a chef. They have several different sauce mixes that take the thinking out of cooking such as Red Enchilada Sauce, and Green Enchilada Sauce. I personally love the Korean Style BBQ Sauce for these skewers though!
Vegetables: As mentioned before, you can really get creative here and use what you have on hand. Some ideas are sweet peppers, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, squash, onions, mushrooms, etc.
Spices: There is a handful of spices in these and you can totally get creative and add what you like, or more or less of what I put below. One of my must-haves though is smoked paprika as it adds a lot of flavors and a little kick.
👩🍳 How to Make Tofu Veggie Skewers
Step One: Remove tofu from the package and press to remove as much liquid as possible. Cut Tofu into desired sized squares, place in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
Step Two: Into a medium-sized bowl, combine all the spices (apart from the BBQ Sauce) and toss over the tofu and mix till all the tofu is well coated. To the bowl, add the BBQ sauce, combine and marinate in the fridge, covered for up to 1 hour.
Step Three: For the vegetables, prep them separately and soak your skewers in water to avoid burning.
Step Four: When your tofu is done marinating, begin threading the tofu and vegetables onto the skewers. Save any excess sauce for brushing/adding more sauce later.
Step Five: Heat grill or BBQ to medium-high heat and grill skewers for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and charred/crispy. Brush the skewers with any remaining sauce and continue to do so till the skewers are cooked.
Step Six: Serve the tofu with fresh cilantro and lime!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Tofu Type: You must use firm tofu or tempeh here. If you have a tofu press, definitely use it for the best results.
- Spice Creativity: Have fun with the spice rub and use whatever you have on hand, but stick to the ratios for balanced flavor.
- Soak Skewers: This is crucial to prevent wooden skewers from catching fire during grilling.
- Marination Time: The longer the better, but marinate for at least 1 hour for optimal flavor absorption.
🗒 Variations
- Vegetables: Sweet peppers, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, squash, onions, and mushrooms all work beautifully.
- Protein: Tempeh can be used as a substitute for tofu, or you can add both for variety and different textures.
- Sauce: Any Asian-inspired marinade or BBQ sauce will work if you don’t have a Korean-style sauce.
- Spices: Smoked paprika is essential for flavor and kick, but adjust other seasonings to your taste preferences.
🗒 Best served with
- Crispy Chickpeas with Whipped Yoghurt and Rice
- Fresh Peach Salad 🍑 (Panzanella Style)
- Asian-Inspired Broccoli Salad Recipe
- Maroulosalata aka my Mama’s Salad
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store cooked tofu veggie skewers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Remove from skewers and store in airtight containers. Reheat on the grill, in the oven, or enjoy cold over salads and grain bowls.
🤔 Common Questions
You must use firm or extra-firm tofu for skewers. Press out excess water using a tofu press or paper towels for the best texture.
At least 1 hour, but longer is better – even overnight marination will give you incredible flavor depth.
Soaking prevents the skewers from catching fire and burning during grilling, ensuring safe cooking and better results.
Yes! Use a grill pan, broiler, or even bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Firm vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms, hold up well to grilling and complement the tofu perfectly.
Press out excess water, use firm tofu, marinate to add binding flavors, and handle gently when threading onto skewers.
You can marinate tofu and prep vegetables up to 24 hours ahead, then thread and grill just before serving.
Look for golden brown color with slight charring, and the tofu should feel firm when gently pressed – usually 10 minutes total.
Tofu Veggie Skewers
Ingredients
For the Dry Rub:
- 2 tbsp. Simply Organic Original Umami Blend
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. cumin powder
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 packet of Korean Style BBQ Sauce
For the Skewers:
- 12-15 Skewers
- 1 large block of extra firm tofu
- 2 cups of button mushrooms washed
- 1 red pepper cut into 1-1/2 inch squares
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 red onion cut into cubes
- 2 medium-sized zucchini cut into 1/2 inch rounds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 fresh cracked pepper
- garnish with fresh cilantro and lime
Instructions
- Remove tofu from the package and press to remove as much liquid as possible. Cut Tofu into desired sized squares, place in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
- Into a medium-sized bowl, combine all the spices (apart from the BBQ Sauce) and toss over the tofu and mix till all the tofu is well coated. To the bowl, add the BBQ sauce, combine and marinate in the fridge, covered for up to 1 hour.
- For the vegetables, prep them separately and soak your skewers in water to avoid burning.
- When your tofu is done marinating, begin threading the tofu and vegetables onto the skewers. Save any excess sauce for brushing/adding more sauce later.
- Heat grill or BBQ to medium-high heat and grill skewers for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and charred/crispy. Brush the skewers with any remaining sauce and continue to do so till the skewers are cooked.
- Serve the tofu with fresh cilantro and lime!
Video
My girlfriend, Nicole, made these for me and they blew my mind!!!
so excited for you both!
This was so good!!!!!!!!
thank you nicole!!!!
Truuly deliciouss
thank you so much my friend!