These Vegan BLT Pitas are easy to make and perfect for a light and healthy summer lunch. You can keep them simple or get creative with your BLT toppings!
I feel like a BLT is a quintessential summer sandwich. There’s minimal ingredients, minimal preparation and they’re a good excuse to enjoy those fresh garden tomatoes you might have on hand. These Vegan BLT Pitas are made with a sweet and smoky marinated tofu and are so delicious!
Sandwiches are the food of the summer and these Vegan BLTs are just perfect! I like to make a big batch of the tofu to have on hand for really easy lunches and dinners this time of year.
What Is A BLT?
A BLT is a sandwich that has bacon, lettuce and tomato on it. It also usually has mayonnaise on it. I have no idea when it came about but it’s a really classic sandwich that you can find on a lot of restaurant menus.
I’ve seen other ingredients like avocado (BLAT), red onion and even cheese added to mix things up a little bit. For my Vegan BLT I decided to keep it very classic, except for my bread choice. I’ve been really loving pita bread these days and thought it would be a nice addition rather than using regular bread. I fried my pita, like I do in this recipe, and it was perfect!
What Makes This Vegan BLT Pita So Good?!
Definitely the tofu! I love tofu and cook with it a lot. If you think you don’t like it then you probably haven’t tried it marinated and then fried to perfection, because it’s so good! I did a very similar marinade to the one I used in my Homemade Veggie Dog Recipe.
Instead of using liquid smoke to make the tofu smoky, I use smoked paprika and it gives the tofu such great taste! I also add some pure maple syrup and you get the perfect balance of sweet and smoky.
Enjoy more easy pita sandwich recipes here:
Mediterranean Chopped Salad Pitas
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Vegan BLT Pitas
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Vegan BLT Pitas are sweet, smoky and so fresh!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz) package extra firm tofu, pressed
- 1/2 cup tamari, or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Pinch of salt
- 4 – 6 pieces pita bread
- Lettuce, tomato and vegan mayo,
Instructions
- Press the tofu for at least 20 minutes and then slice into pieces that are just a little smaller than 1/4 inch thick. Place in a shallow dish or Tupperware container and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl mix together the Tamari, water, maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic powder, curry powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and salt. Pour over the tofu slices and make sure that they are all covered with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, 1-2 hours is idea. If you want you can occasionally spoon the marinade over the tofu to make sure every part gets covered.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and coat with olive oil, about 2 teaspoons. Place the tofu slices in and let cook until one side is browned, about 5 minutes. Flip tofu over and cook another 5 or so minutes. I like to spoon some extra marinade onto the tofu while it’s cooking.
- Let tofu cool for a few minutes, and then assemble your pitas. Spread with vegan mayo and then stuff with lettuce, tomato and a few tofu slices. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Lunch, Vegan
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
I am concerned about the amount of sodium. Any suggestions to decrease that?
You don’t actually consume that amount of sodium, it’s in the marinade so not off it goes into the tofu, if that makes sense?
Another home run! This is a delicious recipe. I’ve made it twice and it is now my favorite way to eat tofu. Even the carnivores in the family like it!
Thank you, Izzy!
Awesome!! I’m so glad to hear that!
Just wanted to let everyone know that this is an excellent meal for vegans and non-vegans alike! I made this twice now for my husband who is not vegan, but would very much like to be. He has since decided that veganism is truly possible if all his meals taste this good 😉
Also, the second time I made this I decided to throw some cauliflower in the marinade with the tofu to for an added bonus and he actually liked THAT meal even better!
That is SO nice to hear!! and I love the idea of throwing some veggies in there too 🙂
Is there any possibility that you could list the nutritional value of each of your recipes? I’ve found that while eating a healthy vegan diet one can still gain weight!! Too much of a good thing!!!! LOL
That is on my to do list! I’m hoping to get around to updating old posts soon and adding it to all new posts as soon as their published!