This Maple Chili Glazed Tofu is easy to make and full of so much flavor! It’s spicy and sweet and has great texture. This tofu would make a wonderful vegan side dish for Christmas or Thanksgiving!
I am so excited to share this Maple Chili Glazed Tofu recipe with you today! There seems to be a common misconception among non-vegetarians/vegans that tofu is boring and bland. I think everyone will agree that’s not true after they eat this tofu!
As much as I love a good lentil based meatloaf for a vegan holiday main dish, I also feel that they’re a little heavy and can be a little much paired with all the other high carb holiday side dishes. I created this Maple Chili Glazed Tofu recipe as a high protein, low carb main dish that’s fancy enough for Christmas and easy enough for a weeknight dinner!
MAPLE CHILI GLAZED TOFU RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Tofu – You will need to use extra firm or super firm tofu for this recipe. Extra firm tofu is perfect because it holds it’s texture well and doesn’t break apart. I like to pat my tofu dry and press for at least 10 minutes to get as much water out of it as I can.
- Cornstarch and oil – I do a light coat of cornstarch on the tofu and then fry it in about 2 tablespoons of oil (you can use less if you like). This is a quick and easy way to get a nice crispy piece of tofu.
- Maple Syrup – It’s important that you use pure maple syrup for this recipe, rather than the pancake syrup that is usually made with artificial ingredients and flavors. You could also substitute honey if you like.
- Other glaze ingredients: Water, tamari, chili powder, smoked paprika, granulated garlic and cumin and red pepper flakes and cornstarch.
HOW TO MAKE GLAZED TOFU
This tofu looks kinda fancy but is actually really easy to make! There are only a few steps you will need to follow:
- You start by crisping the tofu. The tofu gets mixed up with a little bit of tamari and cornstarch and placed in a hot pan with about 2 tablespoons oil. Each side is cooked for 5-7 minutes to ensure a really crispy crust.
- The sauce gets mixed up while the tofu is cooking. All you do is add all sauce ingredients to a jar, or bowl, and whisk until combined.
- Once tofu is crisped up you can drain any excess oil from the pan and then pour in your maple chili glaze. Cook until sauce has thickened and forms a glaze on the tofu, about 5 minutes or so.
- I like to garnish with chili flakes and serve tofu while hot/warm.
VEGAN HOLIDAY MAIN DISH
I originally made this maple chili glazed tofu for our Thanksgiving main dish and will probably make it again for Christmas! I love it because it’s super quick and easy to make, the crispy tofu can even be made ahead of time. It’s also great because it’s low carb so it won’t feel extra heavy next to all your other rich side dishes. The maple and chili flavors also go so well with side dishes like mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and stuffing!
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Maple Chili Glazed Tofu
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Maple Chili Glazed Tofu is easy to make, full of flavor and perfect for a vegan holiday main dish!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz) package extra firm tofu, pressed
- 1 tablespoon tamari, or soy sauce
- 3 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Maple Chili Glaze:
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Press as much water out of the tofu as you can and cut it into pieces. You can do large pieces or small pieces. Place the tofu in a bowl and sprinkle with tamari and cornstarch. Carefully mix until each piece of tofu is coated.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once oil is heated, carefully place the tofu in and let cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Drain any excess oil of the pan.
- Make the glaze while the tofu is cooking. Add all glaze ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. Pour over the tofu and cook until the glaze has thickened and can coat the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes.
- Best when served hot but can also be reheated at a later time.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Vegan, Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Everyone loved this recipe x would love to know how I could make it a little less sweet and diabetic friendly too Thanks
That’s so great to hear! I think it would work to just reduce the amount of sweetener or try using a diabetic friendly sweetener?
Delicious. We had it for a weekday dinner with sweet potato, broccoli, and salad. I think I’ll make it for Christmas.
So glad you liked it!! I had it for Thanksgiving 🙂
JUST made this for my non-Vegan hubby this evening and it got the very highest rating possible… he said to add it to “the list.” This was exceptionally quick to put together. I press and freeze my tofu ahead of time so I just pulled it out of the freezer in the morning and prepped it with the tamari and cornstarch. I mixed up the sauce in the morning as well so I had everything ready to put together with some fresh veggies and rice when he got home from work.
THANK YOU for this lifesaving recipe!
Thank you!! That is SO nice to hear! And so happy it got a thumbs up from your husband!