Whip up this easy teriyaki tofu recipe as a super fast weeknight dinner or delicious snack. It’s full of flavour and ready in just 5 minutes! Try these delicious teriyaki tofu bites on your next sushi bowl or as a filling for hand rolled sushi.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
Teriyaki tofu is our go-to recipe for a quick and easy dinner after a busy day. It’s full of protein and heaps of flavour, and ready in 5 minutes – no marinating time required!
Our delicious homemade teriyaki sauce adds the perfect sweet and savoury flavour, but it’s also easy to substitute with other delicious sauce recipes to mix it up each time!
Firm tofu is so easy to cook and won’t fall apart like soft tofu. It’s satisfying and will fill you up whether you enjoy it on its own or as part of a larger meal.
Related: Spicy Braised Tofu / Crispy Air Fried Tofu
How is this recipe so fast?
To make this is a super quick teriyaki tofu recipe, we’ve taken out the fiddly steps of coating the tofu bites in cornstarch or batter and simply pour the sauce over the tofu while it’s cooking.Â
You really can get it on the table in 5 minutes!
What is Teriyaki Tofu?
Teriyaki tofu is simply small cubes of extra firm tofu pieces stir fried in teriyaki sauce.
The bites can be eaten by themselves, served over rice, or with a few extra yummy additions as a flavour packed rice bowl.
What You’ll Need
- Tofu – Firm or extra firm tofu is key to this recipe, as it will hold its shape while cooking. Soft tofu will just end up as mush. Sub with other proteins if you prefer – you might like teriyaki chicken instead!
- Teriyaki Sauce – We love keeping a bottle of sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce in the fridge for quick meals like this. Sub with soy sauce sweetened with a little brown sugar, or sub with homemade yakitori sauce. More ideas below!
How to Make Teriyaki Tofu
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the extra firm tofu pieces and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping and browning all sides as you go.
- Once the tofu is lightly browned on all edges, pour in the teriyaki sauce. It will start to thicken and cling to the tofu almost immediately, so use a spatula to flip and coat each piece evenly. Once the sauce has reduced (around 30 secs – 1 minute) switch off the heat. Transfer your teriyaki tofu onto a sushi bowl, eat as is or serve over rice.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Get Your Wok Hot – A hot wok, frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat will crisp up the edges of your tofu nicely, leaving you with browned sides that are perfect for coating in your delicious homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Press Out The Moisture – This is an optional step for crispier tofu bites. Before slicing the tofu, wrap it up in a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Place a heavy plate or bowl on top and set aside for a few minutes to squeeze out any extra water.
- Leftover Tofu? – Get more delicious ideas in our easy tofu recipes guide.
FAQs
You can, but it’s not necessary for this super quick version. In fact, we love frying it first to get it crispy and THEN adding the sauce to it. If you really want to marinate it first, do so for around 15-30 minutes (or overnight) before cooking.
Tofu only needs a few minutes to cook when frying. This is enough time to brown the edges and seal in any leftover liquid so it stays crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Unlike meat, you don’t have to ensure tofu is ‘cooked all the way through’ as it can also be eaten raw.
Tofu is such a versatile ingredient! You can use it in any recipe that calls for protein, like curries and salads, or in classic tofu dishes like mapo tofu or miso soup. See more amazing ideas in our list of easy tofu recipes.
For maximum flavour we love serving teriyaki tofu with lots of delicious side dishes like seasoned spinach or seasoned bean sprouts, crunchy daikon pickles and kimchi. Otherwise, finely sliced lettuce, carrot, cucumber, avocado and cherry tomatoes makes it a refreshing and satisfying meal!
Variations
- Switch up the Flavour – Try it with bulgogi sauce, mentsuyu, eel sauce, or for something completely different – spicy bibimbap sauce!
- Add Vegetables – Add any of your favourite veggies (it’s a great way to use up leftover veggies out of the fridge). Serve it kinpira style with stir fried burdock and carrot, broccoli or beans.
- Garnishes – Top with sesame dressing, furikake rice seasoning, toasted sesame seeds or shichimi togarashi. Drizzle with any leftover sauce then sprinkle with bonito flakes and finely sliced spring onion.
- Protein – Feel free to swap out the tofu for chicken, fish, pork or beef.
- Save Even More Time – Keep frozen sushi rice on hand that you can reheat just before serving.
- Baked Teriyaki Tofu – Coat the tofu pieces in teriyaki sauce, then spread them out evenly on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C / 400°F for 30 minutes, flipping over half way through cooking.
Try these amazing recipes next:
- Hiyayakko – Japanese Cold Tofu Recipe
- Japanese Fried Tofu Patties – Ganmodoki
- Yudofu – Japanese Boiled Tofu Recipe
- Miso Nikomi Udon • Miso Udon Soup
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 250 g extra firm tofu 8.8oz, drained, patted dry with paper towel and chopped
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the extra firm tofu pieces and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping and browning all sides as you go.1 tbsp vegetable oil, 250 g extra firm tofu
- Once the tofu is lightly browned on all edges, pour in the teriyaki sauce. It will start to thicken and cling to the tofu almost immediately, so use a spatula to flip and coat each piece evenly. Once the sauce has reduced (around 30 secs – 1 minute) switch off the heat. Transfer your teriyaki tofu onto a sushi bowl, eat as is or serve over rice.1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
Video
Recipe Notes
- Tofu – Firm or extra firm tofu is key to this recipe, as it will hold its shape while cooking. Soft tofu will just end up as mush. Sub with other proteins if you prefer – you might like teriyaki chicken instead!
- Teriyaki Sauce – We love keeping a bottle of sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce in the fridge for quick meals like this. Sub with soy sauce sweetened with a little brown sugar, or sub with homemade yakitori sauce. More ideas below!
- Get Your Wok Hot – A hot wok, frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat will crisp up the edges of your tofu nicely, leaving you with browned sides that are perfect for coating in your delicious homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Press Out The Moisture – This is an optional step for crispier tofu bites. Before slicing the tofu, wrap it up in a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Place a heavy plate or bowl on top and set aside for a few minutes to squeeze out any extra water.
- Switch up the Flavour – Try it with bulgogi sauce, mentsuyu, eel sauce, or for something completely different – spicy bibimbap sauce!
- Add Vegetables – Add any of your favourite veggies (it’s a great way to use up leftover veggies out of the fridge). Serve it kinpira style with stir fried burdock and carrot, broccoli or beans.
- Garnishes – Top with sesame dressing, furikake rice seasoning, toasted sesame seeds or shichimi togarashi. Drizzle with any leftover sauce then sprinkle with bonito flakes and finely sliced spring onion.
- Save Even More Time – Keep frozen sushi rice on hand that you can reheat just before serving.
- Baked Teriyaki Tofu – Coat the tofu pieces in teriyaki sauce, then spread them out evenly on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C / 400°F for 30 minutes, flipping over half way through cooking.
Nutrition
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