Perfectly seasoned and grilled vegan tofu satay skewers are paired with a rich and creamy peanut sauce. This amazing Asian-inspired dish will impress even meat-eaters!
Another childhood favorite of mine veganized ! This vegan tofu satay is hugely influenced by the Malaysian version of satay, which is superior to any other kinds in my opinion. 😉 They are best served with a rich vegan satay peanut sauce, and the recipe for it is also provided below !
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Pack full of Asian flavors - The marinade of these vegan tofu satay make use of several Asian spices that gives tofu cubes tons of flavor! They are served with a peanut dipping sauce that is incredibly flavorsome and rich!
- Easy to make and fuss-free - You will be surprised by how easy it is to make this amazing dish! All you need to do it marinade your tofu, make the sauce and grill them up.
- High in protein and healthy - Tofu and peanut butter are both great sources of plant based protein, and a serving of 2 skewers provides almost 15g of protein.
- Family-friendly and meat-eaters approved!
🍢What is satay
Satay, or also sometimes known as sate in Malay, is a really popular street food in Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.
The ingredients used might differ slightly from places to places, but the gist of it is marinated meat grilled on charcoal. They are usually paired with a peanut based sauce and some freshly chopped veggies like cucumber and onion.
To make this dish vegan, tofu are used as a substitute for meat. And taste as good as, if not better than the non-vegan version !
🧄What you will need
📓Notes / Substitutions
- Lemongrass - You can substitute it with zest from a lemon, or 2 teaspoons of lemongrass paste.
- Coconut sugar - Feel free to use other granulated sweetener like brown or white sugar instead.
- Soy sauce - Can be substituted with tamari.
- Rice vinegar - You can use lemon or lime juice in place.
- Gluten-free - Make sure to use certified gluten-free soy sauce.
🔪How to make
Start by adding in garlic, shallots, lemongrass, coconut sugar and tamari into a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped and a watery paste forms.
In a large plate, add in tofu cubes along with the paste and toss until tofu is well coated. Let it marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. You can even let it marinate overnight in the fridge.
In the meantime, make your vegan satay sauce by combining all ingredients needed. Mix well and thin it out with more coconut milk, if needed.
Skewer about 4 cubes of tofu on each satay sticks and you should get about 12 skewers.
Now, you can choose to grill your vegan tofu satay on grill or a grill pan on stove for 2-3 minutes on each sides, until all sides are nicely browned. Alternatively, bake them in the oven preheated to 200C / 400F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Plate tofu satay up and serve them together with peanut sauce and some chopped raw veggies, if you like.
✔Helpful tips
- Use extra firm tofu that have been drained and pressed. You can either press them using a tofu press, or by stacking something heavy on top. Check out this blog post on how to press tofu if you are unsure on how to do it as it goes into so much more details!
- If possible, marinate tofu in the fridge overnight. The longer you marinate them, the more flavorful they will be!
- Use natural peanut butter. They should only contain peanuts and sometimes salt without oil. This is because they are bolder in flavor and thinner, which makes them a great option for making peanut sauce!
- If you decide on making tofu satay on grill, make sure to soak your bamboo skewers in water for a few hours before using to prevent them from burning.
- You can easily batch make a large batch of peanut sauce and store them in the fridge for other uses. They are great as a salad dressing, in stir fries, or to be toss into cooked noodles! You might have to thin it out with some water before using.
✨Variations
Feel free to skewer on some veggies before grilling. Some of my favorites include bell peppers, mushrooms and red onions. A great and delicious way to sneak in your 5 a day!
For a chewier and meatier tofu, freeze it overnight, then let it defrost completely. Squeeze out as much water as you can using your hands, before cubing and marinating it.
To make the process quicker, you can omit lemongrass, shallots and garlic or the marinate, and use 1 tablespoon of red curry paste in place. You can simply whisk up everything needed for the marinade by hand without a blender or food processor.
If you are not a fan of tofu, you can actually use seitan in place of it! Chop them into large chunks before marinating.
🍽How to serve
The most common way is to serve tofu satay as an appetizer, along with peanut sauce. It is also sometimes served with some raw chopped veggies on the side to balance out the richness of the dipping sauce.
You can also serve it as a main dish along with some rice and steamed or stir-fry veggies. Or, serve it alongside some flavorful Tom Yum fried rice or green curry fried rice.
If you are looking to pair it with something refreshing, give this Asian brown rice salad or this spicy red quinoa salad a try!
For a lower carb version, you can also choose to serve vegan satay over a bed of cauliflower or broccoli rice.
❔Commonly asked questions
This vegan tofu satay is naturally gluten-free as all ingredients used does not contain wheat. However, do make sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce or substitute it with tamari as some soy sauce may contain wheat.
Store leftover tofu satay in a sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge. As for peanut sauce, it can last up to a week refrigerated, and be frozen for up to a month.
Yes, this peanut satay sauce is actually freezable. Store leftovers in sealed containers or zip top bag and it can them be frozen for up to a month.
When ready to enjoy, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, or on countertop for a couple hours. Give it a good stir and add coconut milk or water to thin, if needed.
This satay peanut sauce is extremely versatile, and leftovers can be used as a dip for raw veggies, added into stir-fries, or toss into cooked noodles! You can even thin it out to be used as a dressing for salads.
Take note that sauce will thicken up after refrigeration, so feel free to thin it with more coconut milk or splash of water before using, if needed.
🍽More Asian tofu recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz block extra firm tofu drained and pressed*
For the marinade
- 4 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 stalk lemongrass **
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- ½ tablespoon coconut sugar or other granulated sugar
For the peanut sauce
- 3 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar (or lime/lemon juice)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-2 tablespoons water to thin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder optional, exclude to omit heat)
Instructions
- If you have yet to do so, press tofu by using a tofu press, or stack something heavy on top on tofu block for at least 20 minutes. Cut it into bite sized cubes.1 14 oz block extra firm tofu
- Start by adding in shallots, garlic, lemongrass, soy sauce and coconut sugar into a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped and a watery paste forms.4 shallots, 3 cloves garlic, 2 stalk lemongrass, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon coconut sugar
- In a large plate, add in tofu cubes along with the paste and toss until tofu is well coated. Let it marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. You can even let it marinate overnight in the fridge.
- In the meantime, make your vegan satay sauce by combining all ingredients needed. Mix well and thin it out with more coconut milk, if needed.3 tablespoon natural peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1-2 tablespoons water, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- Skewer about 4 cubes of tofu on each satay sticks and you should get about 12 skewers.
- To grill - Cook them on grill or a grill pan on stove for 2-3 minutes on each sides, until all sides are nicely browned. To bake - Bake them in the oven preheated to 200C / 400F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Plate them up and serve them together with peanut sauce and some chopped raw veggies, if you like.
Notes
- Use natural peanut butter. They should only contain peanuts and sometimes salt without oil. This is because they are bolder in flavor and thinner, which makes them a great option for making peanut sauce!
- If you decide on making tofu satay on grill, make sure to soak your bamboo skewers in water for a few hours before using to prevent them from burning.
- You can easily batch make a large batch of peanut sauce and store them in the fridge for other uses. They are great as a salad dressing, in stir fries, or to be toss into cooked noodles! You might have to thin it out with some water before using.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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