Tofu is baked in a smoky chipotle barbecue sauce and served with sweet and smoky flash fried collard greens and your choice of grain for an easy and delicious dinner! It’s vegan and gluten free, so perfect for everyone!
Everyone needs a go to baked tofu recipe to feed our inner hippie. It really doesn’t matter if you’re vegan or just trying to eat a bit more plant based! Good baked tofu is for everyone!
And this might just be my favorite stand alone baked tofu meal. Tofu, baked with a delicious homemade chipotle barbecue sauce and served with rice (or potatoes or vegan mac and cheese) and smoky collard greens.. it’s just so delicious!
We’ve been making some version of this recipe for years, but this is the barbecue baked tofu to end all barbecue baked tofus! And it starts with the barbecue sauce–the easiest barbecue sauce there ever was!
It is such a delicious barbecue sauce, I had to give it its own recipe post. But I’ve also left the recipe at the bottom of this post so keep scrolling to find it!
While you certainly could use a store bought barbecue sauce to make this recipe, the homemade version is easier and tastier, so I implore you to try it! It’s zippy and tangy, and oh so flavorful! And pantry friendly, so easy to throw together as a last minute meal.
Tofu pairs so well with barbecue sauce, because it lets the bold BBQ flavor shine. When tofu is baked, it gets nice and chewy, and thickly coated with the flavorful sauce.
Making the baked chipotle barbecue tofu:
To get a delicious baked tofu first choose the firmest tofu available to you. Typically that’s going to be extra firm or super firm tofu.
If using extra firm or a firm tofu then press out extra water from the tofu. If using super firm tofu there is no need to press the tofu as it already has more of the liquid pressed out of it.
To press the tofu, cut it into 8 slices and wrap it in either paper towels or a lint free kitchen towel. Then place something heavy on top, like a cast iron pan, or a cutting board with some cookbooks or canned goods placed on top.
Pressing the extra water out of the tofu makes for a firmer tofu and improves the texture. It also opens up space for some of the flavors to soak into the tofu.
Once pressed, the recipe couldn’t be simpler. Layer some barbecue sauce in the bottom of the pan, add the tofu, and pour sauce over to cover the tofu. Then bake the tofu until the sauce is thickly coating the tofu and glossy, flipping the tofu halfway through.
While the tofu is baking is a great time to make a veggie side to go with it.
My favorite pairing is my smoky collard greens (recipe also posted at the bottom of this page). But if you’d rather have some steamed or roasted broccoli, or brussels sprouts, or whatever else go ahead and make it!
But assuming you follow suit and make the smoky collard greens, they take about 15 minutes from start to finish so it’s can be casually taken cooked while the tofu bakes!
It’s also a good time to prepare any carbs or grains you want to serve alongside the tofu. Unless you’re making brown rice or another slow cooking grain, and in that case you’ll want to get that started while you’re pressing the tofu.
I love this recipe because of how hands off it is! The barbecue sauce is no cook and comes together in minutes. Your oven does all the work cooking the tofu, and the collard greens are so quick and easy to make.
It makes for a delicious summer barbecue plate, or will warm you up on a cold winter day. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
If you make this chipotle barbecue baked tofu, leave a comment below and rate the recipe on the recipe card. And please share your photos with me on Instagram, tag @thecuriouschickpea and #thecuriouschickpea. I love seeing your recreations!
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Chipotle Barbecue Baked Tofu
Tofu is baked in a spicy, smoky barbecue sauce and served with smoky flash fried collard greens for a delicious vegan and gluten free barbecue plate!
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra firm tofu
- Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, below
- 1/2 cup water
- Smoky Collard Greens, below
To serve
- Rice, quinoa, or mashed potatoes
- herbs for garnish, e.g. cilantro or scallions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 ºF. While the oven is preheating, press the tofu. Cut the tofu into 8 slices widthwise. Arrange the slices on a lint free kitchen towel, or paper towel. Wrap the towel around the tofu to cover and then place a heavy skillet, pot, or a baking sheet and some books on top. Leave to drain for around 30 minutes.
- Mix the chipotle barbecue sauce with 1/2 cup of water. In a square baking dish or small baking tray, spread some barbecue sauce to coat the bottom. Arrange the pressed tofu on the sauce and brush the rest of sauce over top the tofu to coat.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the tofu and bake an additional 10 minutes. The barbecue sauce should be thick and bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve the tofu with collard greens with some rice or mashed potatoes and sprinkle herbs on top for garnish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 540Total Fat: 8gFiber: 8gProtein: 18g
Nutrition is calculated automatically so should be used as an estimate.
Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
An easy and delicious smoky chipotle barbecue sauce. Better ingredients and better flavor than any store bought sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 6oz can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 chipotles in adobo, seeds and membrane removed
- 1 tbsp adobo from the chipotle in adobo
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt, if needed
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (or whisk or use immersion blender). Add water to thin as needed.
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for a week or two, or longer in the freezer.
Notes
You can substitute a different sweetener but if using a dry sugar then may need to add more water to thin.
For gluten free, use a gluten free Worcestershire sauce and tamari for the soy sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 33Total Fat: 0gSodium: 195mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
Nutrition is calculated automatically so should be used as an estimate.
Smoky Collard Greens
This is an easy and delicious way to prepare collard greens, as well as other dark leafy greens! They're garlicky, smoky, and with a touch of sweet. Vegan and gluten free!
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch (~1 lb) collard greens
- 3 tsp oil, divided
- pinch of salt, or more to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp low sodium tamari soy sauce
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp tabasco or hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- Wash the collard greens thoroughly and cut away the tough stem. Taking several leaves at once, stack them and then roll the stack into a tight cigar shape. Slice the rolled collard greens into thin strips. Repeat until you've cut all the greens.
- In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup, hot sauce, and liquid smoke.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of oil, and then add the collard greens and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the collard greens are wilted, tender, and bright green.
- Move the collards over so they only cover about half the pan. In the empty space, add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and the sliced garlic. Cook the garlic in oil, stirring, for about 60 - 90 seconds or until it is lightly golden. Then stir everything together.
- Add the soy sauce mixture to the greens and cook for another minute or so, until the sauce is thick and absorbed. Taste, and add salt if desired. Remove from heat.
Notes
If using regular soy sauce (not low sodium), start with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and add more to taste to keep the greens from being too salty.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 84Total Fat: 4gSodium: 585mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g
Nutrition is calculated automatically so should be used as an estimate.
This recipe was originally posted on April 25, 2017. A photo from the original post is below!
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[…] 23. Chipotle BBQ Tofu […]
Scarlett
Sunday 28th of July 2019
If I use store bought bbq sauce do I still need to add water to it?
Eva Agha
Monday 5th of August 2019
That depends a lot on the barbecue sauce, I would add some water, you want it about the consistency of ketchup, perhaps a bit thinner. If it's too thin you can always bake it longer and the water will bake off and the sauce will thicken (and the tofu can totally handle it)!