Easy Braised Tofu Recipe (Ready in 30 Minutes)

Incredibly flavorful Braised Tofu is a super easy tofu recipe that is seriously next level. Pan-fried tofu is simmered in a delicious sauce and develops an amazing flavor, giving you fancy dinner quality even on an average weeknight.

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Hey Internet, if you're new to ZardyPlants, you might not know this, but all of our regular readers do... we are obsessed with tofu. But what none of you know (because even we didn't know till a few weeks ago): braised tofu is the BEST tofu we've ever had! 

I'm telling you, maybe we were just getting a little sick of our Crispy Tofu (which is downright sacrilegious to say...) or who knows, but we had the idea to try this recipe and... um... wow. It's just... wow.

Now, as I mentioned, we're pretty big fans of tofu in this house (we've even got Liz's omnivorous mom eating our tofu!). We've got a whole big list of our best Tofu Recipes because we make it it into meals, desserts, sauces, and we've even made a bunch of Tofu Cheese Recipes! If you want to be mean and make me pick my favorites (fine twist my arm, will you?), I'd have to say our Vegan Cordon Bleu, Vegan Brie, Tofu Steak, Sticky Tofu, Tofu Ground Beef, and Tofu Meatballs.

Anyway, this easy braised tofu recipe is really ready in just 30 minutes. There's almost no prep. We chop some onions, some garlic, and slice the tofu. That's it!

We'll have you pan fry tofu before we add our braising liquid. Golden brown tofu just tastes better. 

Now, for the savory sauce, we could have gone with Korean cuisine (like in a dubu jorim recipe, which is Korean braised tofu) or Chinese cuisine (wu siu tofu, hongshao dofu or hong shao tofu, or mapo tofu are common braised tofu dishes) and either of those sound fantastic. But we don't have any Asian markets near us and it can be hard for those of us in small towns (raises hand) to find certain ingredients like dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine,  vegan oyster sauce, shiitake mushrooms, gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes), chili garlic sauce (great if you want spicy braised tofu), or vegan fish sauce. If you do have Asian grocery stores in your area, lucky you!

So, we went kind of neutral with the flavors in our braising sauce because they're ingredients we figure most people should be able to find: Olive oil, regular (or as we use, reduced sodium) soy sauce, onions, garlic, and tofu. You don't even need a tofu press if you've got extra firm tofu (or super firm tofu, both will work great).

This recipe is excellent served with Sautéed Cabbage and Mashed Potatoes as we have here, but it would also be delicious with bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or any other veggies you like.

And if you're new to cooking tofu and you're a little bit nervous, this simple recipe and method of cooking are really quite easy. We really hope you'll give this delicious tofu recipe a try!

Why You'll Love This Braised Tofu Recipe

• Simple Recipe: This recipe uses just 5 ingredients. You can dress it up with toppings or different flavors (see ideas below), but we wanted to come up with a simple recipe that anyone could cook. And the best part is, even if you make no changes (which we always recommend the first time you make a recipe...), this recipe is delicious.
• Feels Fancy: This recipe feels kinda fancy, but that's the beauty of braising. It feels like you're getting restaurant quality food but doesn't carry the price tag. Plus, YOU control the ingredients! This recipe is also perfect for serving to someone you're looking to impress, such as at a dinner party or for a date! 
• Family-Friendly: This particular braised tofu recipe is not spicy (but you can easily make it spicy if you want!) and the texture of the tofu is incredible, so even picky eaters may like it and it's neutral but delicious savory flavor makes it appealing to most.
• Budget-Friendly: Tofu isn't nearly as expensive as some meat, and we get our tofu in bulk from Costco for a great deal. In general, tofu is usually quite affordable and the rest of the ingredients are household staples. Perfect for the wallet-conscious cook!

Ingredients

Pick up the following basic ingredients for this delicious saucy tofu the next time you're at your local grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet certain daily values of any nutrient). we give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You need just enough olive oil to pan fry the tofu. We only use enough to get the pan covered with a layer of oil so the tofu doesn't directly touch the pan. There's no need to have the oil even ¼-inch deep, but you don't want to use so little that you have to swirl the oil around the pan to get coverage. For us, this was just under a half cup of oil but our pan was very large. We use Caraway pans if you are interested in excellent cookware!
• 16 Ounces Extra Firm Tofu (or Super Firm Tofu), cut in triangles, rectangles, or cubes: This recipe is best with extra-firm tofu or super firm tofu, but it will work with firm tofu. If using firm tofu, we recommend a tofu press to get out extra water. You can also make your own tofu press with layers of paper towel or a clean kitchen towel, two  small cutting boards or plates, and a heavy object. Pressing tofu takes about 30-60 minutes because it just has a little too much water but if you press it out, it will be fine!
• 1 Medium Sweet or Yellow Onion, Thinly Sliced: You can use a medium or large onion here. The onions get super soft and full of flavor during the braising so we highly recommend not skipping this step.
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic, Thinly Sliced: If you want more garlic, go for it! This dish can support a lot of garlic, and more garlic just means more flavor.
• 2 Cups Vegetable Broth (or more if needed): We highly recommend using a vegetable broth with a lot of flavor, such as a bouillon paste like Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Broth Base. The more flavor your broth, the better flavor your braised tofu will have. If you only have veggie stock or something that doesn't taste like a delicious soup all on its own, you will need to add salt to this recipe.
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce: This is necessary with the vegetable broth for extra depth of flavor. You might want to add even more if your vegetable broth isn't super flavorful. You could also consider using a tablespoon or two of dark soy sauce which has a much richer flavor.
• 4-6 Green Onions, Optional Garnish: You could also use sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, etc. but we kept it simple with some scallions.

Substitutions

• Olive Oil: You don't HAVE to use olive oil here, but we think it produces the best results. Vegetable oil, avocado oil, etc. are fine but olive oil (especially extra virgin olive oil, which we buy in bulk at Costco) has better flavor. You can use something like sesame oil, but we do find that the flavor of sesame oil tends to take over the dish so keep that in mind.
• Extra Firm Tofu: You can use regular firm tofu or even medium-firm tofu but you may need to press out excess moisture with a tofu press (or two plates or cutting boards with a heavy weight and clean kitchen towel or paper towels wrapped around the tofu) before starting the recipe. Really soft tofu is very hard to pan fry, and we want the tofu pieces to get a nice crisp on them before we add the braising liquid.
• Onion: Feel free to swap out the onion for carrots (thinly sliced so they cook in time though) or bell pepper, but the onion does add a lot of flavor so we don't recommend omitting unless there's an allergy or intolerance.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is really quite necessary. The jarred minced stuff can work in a pinch but it really tastes different. Keep in mind if that this recipe just calls for you to slice the garlic, not mince it if that helps sway you in the right direction (fresh garlic is always a good direction... unless you're allergic). We wouldn't recommend garlic powder instead. If you can't have garlic, just omit it.
• Vegetable Broth: Another option (for a deep beefy flavor) is Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base or for a chicken-like flavor, Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. We've been using their products for nearly a decade because of how much good flavor they have (and a little goes a long way, so its more economical than prepared broths).
• Soy Sauce: You can omit this if you don't have it, but you will need to add more salt. If you're gluten-free, use some gluten-free tamari if you can. If neither, try a little white miso paste. Note that if you are using the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken or No Beef Base, you don't need the soy sauce.

How to Make Braised Tofu

1. Add the Oil: In a large, deep frying pan, add the olive oil until you have enough to cook with. This is subjective and also depends on the size of your pan. We used just about a half cup of olive oil but we have a pretty large pan. There's no need for it to be ¼-inch deep or anything like that, but we use just enough so that none of the tofu pieces are touching bare pan.
2. Heat the Oil: Heat the oil over medium heat until hot. The way we recommend testing it is to get your fingers wet and flick a droplet of water into the pan. If it sizzles, the oil is ready.
3. Add Tofu: Carefully add the tofu pieces to the hot oil (gently, to avoid splashing, you can do this with tongs if you prefer) and give them all a little breathing room.
4. Cook Tofu: Let the tofu cook for 4-5 minutes, and then flip and allow to cook for another 4-5 minutes. When the two larger sides are sufficiently light golden brown, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate. Do NOT adjust the burner heat yet.
5. Cook Aromatics: Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent, stirring often. Then add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
6. Add Back Tofu and Add Braising Liquid: Place the tofu pieces back in the pan, right on top of the translucent onion and garlic. Again, leave a little room in between each piece. Mix together the vegetable broth and soy sauce and add it to the pan, letting it splash onto each tofu piece. The 2 cups broth + 2 tablespoons soy sauce should be enough to come halfway up the sides of the tofu. But if not (maybe your pan is like REALLY big), you may need to add a little more broth. Similarly, if your pan is smaller than ours, you may not need all that broth. Do not submerge the tofu completely; you want the braising liquid to come halfway up the sides of the tofu.
7. Reduce Heat and Simmer: Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 20-30 minutes. 20 minutes is definitely sufficient for flavorful braised tofu, but you can go 30 minutes for a deeper flavor. We don't recommend going an hour (unless you're willing to risk the tofu getting too soft), though.
8. Serve: Serve immediately with plenty of the onions from the pan. We like to serve this with sautéed cabbage for a veggie and mashed potatoes which absorb a bit of that braising liquid and taste phenomenal.
9. Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days in an airtight container. You could also freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months (we recommend including as much of the braising liquid as possible).

More Delicious Tofu Recipes

• Vegan Cordon Bleu
• Tofu Meatballs
• Tofu Steak
• Harissa Tofu
• Tofu Adobo
• Tofu Poke Bowl
• Bang Bang Tofu
• Tofu Schnitzel
• Tofu Quesadillas featuring Shredded Tofu
• Spicy Tofu

Want more? Check out our big list of Tofu Recipes

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