Lemon Basil Tofu
This Lemon Basil Tofu recipe is quick, easy to make and only uses 10 ingredients. A perfect healthy dinner meal that is completely vegan.
For me, the combo of lemon and basil are just so refreshing and enjoyable this time of year. While there are many lemon basil recipes out there, most I have come across are not vegan. And this alone inspired me to try and fill that empty space with some Lemon Basil Tofu.
Ultimately, I wanted to make sure that this recipe used similar simple ingredients and could also be used for an easy vegan weeknight dinner.
Why you need to make this tofu dish
- Healthy Yet Indulgent. The sauce that coats this perfectly firm tofu tastes like spring time. Nice and light to taste, but has a lot of bold flavor from the combination of zingy lemon juice, garlic and fresh basil.
- Weeknight-friendly. This is an easy meal to prep on a busy work night. Most of the cooking is actually done in the oven and the sauce takes just 5 minutes to prepare and coat the tofu with.
- Only requires 10 ingredients. Nothing fancy is needed here. Just a few basic ingredients that you might already have on hand.
Key Ingredients
- Tofu: I used extra firm tofu that I pressed, but you can use super firm tofu that doesn’t require pressing to help save time
- Soy Sauce: We use this to flavor our tofu and to help amplify the flavors of the sauce
- Nutritional Yeast: Helps add umami flavor to the tofu and helps make your tofu more golden and crisp in the oven
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic really helps elevate all the star flavors in this dish, try not to skip on this
- Maple Syrup: To help sweeten and balance the lemon
- Lemon Juice: Fresh squeezed lemon juice makes a big difference and if you really want more intense lemon flavor, add some zest as well
- Basil: Fresh is best because it offers more of that intense flavor in this dish compared to dry
How to make this lemon basil tofu recipe
Start by prepping your tofu. Preheat your oven and then place your tofu in a container along with the marinade ingredients and toss it around until fully coated.
Once coated, spread your tofu pieces on a lined baking sheet, making sure they are not touching. Place in the oven to bake and prepare your sauce.
Combine your sauce ingredients making sure to reserve your fresh basil for the end. When tofu is done baking, sauté your onion with a little oil and a pinch of salt and cook until softened. Add in your tofu along with your sauce and sauté until fully coated and the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove your pan from the heat and add in your fresh basil and stir to combine before serving.
Tips for making the perfect tofu
- For the optimal texture, I do recommend pressing your tofu before getting started. Pressing your tofu will help to remove excess water and allow it to achieve optimal chewy texture while also baking to golden perfection. You can find out more about pressing tofu from my article, Tofu 101.
- Use super firm tofu as a short cut. This tofu is very chewy does not need to be pressed in advance, just pat dry with a clean cloth and you are good to go.
- The sauce is meant to be cooked quickly. Avoid overcooking your sauce as the lemon may become a little more bitter.
- Don’t skip on zesting your lemon. The natural oils in the zest provide extra lemon flavor in the dish. I recommend using a microplane for zesting, but in case you don’t have one, you can read this article on how to zest a lemon without a grater.
How long do you bake your tofu for?
When it comes to baking the tofu, we want to make sure that we bake it long enough until the edges of the tofu are nice and golden. If you’ve pressed your tofu well and removed as much excess liquid as you can, baking it should take about 20-25 minutes in a 400F oven.
How to make it in an air fryer
You may need to adjust your air fryer settings based on your particular air fryer. In general, set your air fryer to 375F. After marinating your tofu, place each piece of tofu in the basket making sure you avoid over crowding. Air fry your tofu for about 10-15 minutes or until golden, flipping is totally optional depending on the type of basket you have.
What to pair your tofu with
Once you make your tofu, you have quite a number of options for what to pair it with. Personally for me, I enjoy my tofu paired with rice. However, your tofu will also pair really well with pasta, quinoa or even couscous. You can always double the sauce and use it to flavor and coat some of your starches of choice. This tofu can be paired with many delicate spring vegetables like asparagus, zucchini and even sautéed spinach.
More tofu recipes
Lemon Basil Tofu
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Lemon Basil Tofu recipe is quick, easy to make and only uses 10 ingredients. A perfect healthy dinner meal that is completely vegan.
Ingredients
Baked Garlic Tofu
- 1 (450g) block extra firm tofu, pressed and drained
- 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic, minced finely
Lemon Sauce
- 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Juice and zest of one large lemon
- 1 tsp brown mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 medium red onion, diced
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 8–9 fresh basil leaves, rolled and cut into ribbons
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Set oven to 400F. After pressing your tofu, pat your tofu dry and cut into 16 even cube pieces. Place tofu pieces into a large tupperware container and add in soy sauce, white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast and garlic.
- Seal tupperware container tightly and gently shake to coat tofu evenly.
- Add tofu onto a line baking sheet, making sure each pieces is spread out and isn’t touching another piece of tofu.
- Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the edges become golden and set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the remaining soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, brown mustard, garlic, and cornstarch and mix well with a fork to combine making sure there are no additional clumps of cornstarch remaining.
- In a pan over medium heat, sauté your onion with a pinch of salt until softened. Add in your tofu and your lemon sauce and sauté for about a minute until sauce thickens.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in basil. Taste and adjust salt as desired.
Notes
For the optimal texture, I do recommend pressing your tofu before getting started. Pressing your tofu will help to remove excess water and allow it to achieve optimal chewy texture while also allowing it to bake to golden perfection.
Use super firm tofu as a short cut. This tofu is very chewy does not need to be pressed in advance, just pat dry with a clean cloth and you are good to go.
The sauce is meant to be cooked quickly. Avoid overcooking your sauce to avoid the lemon from becoming bitter.
Don’t skip on zesting your lemon. The natural oils in the zest provide extra lemon flavor in the dish.
Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought in the comments below! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats
★ Catherine
Thanks for the recipe! This turned out great. Really delicious! My kid doesn’t like onions so I left them out. I loved the combination of the lemon & basil.
So great to hear! Thank you so much for making this Annette! And super glad you were able to modify and still enjoy. 🙂
This turned out so well! Really enjoyed all the lemony flavor. 🙂 Definitely will make it again.
So glad to hear that Bethany! Thank you for giving this a try! 🙂
This looks great! I do not have brown mustard on hand- are there any substitutes? Thankyou!
I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond. Yes, you can either add a tiny splash of vinegar or leave it out.
Lemon and basil are such a delicious combination. Thank you for another fabulous family dinner recipe.