Oven-baked marinated tofu skewers served with tangy, sweet, rich, creamy and extremely delicious peanut sauce.
You guys, this recipe was made out of necessity. As a vegetarian family, we cannot count how many times we have been disappointed in Asian-style restaurants because they would only have Chicken Satay on their menu. We used to always try asking if they could make it with tofu instead but with the same lovely peanut sauce. Their answer was always no, so we stopped asking and started making it at home instead!
What is Satay?
Satay is a Southeast Asian dish that is made from seasoned, skewered, and grilled protein, which will normally be meat. When we traveled around Asia, we found some vegan options, but they were not that common. What makes Satay dishes so special is the lovely peanut sauce they are commonly served with.
The peanut sauce has to be rich, creamy, a little bit sour, sweet, and packed with Asian flavors such as ginger, soy sauce, or lime juice.
What our Readers Think Of This Recipe:
- Bridget: This recipe is so, so good. I made it with my 10-yr-old and he loved it too. Try it, you won’t regret it.
- Natalie: Tried it last night, really delicious! I left the tofu in the marinade all afternoon. Served it with some white rice and stir fry vegetables. Really great flavor and easy to follow instructions, thank you!!!
- Numa Ali: Tried this recipe today and loved it. Yummy and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Tofu Satay Cooking Method
Type of Tofu
For our tofu satay, we use firm tofu. Softer tofu will break when you try to put it through the skewers.
Cut the tofu into 5-6 strips crosswise. The strips need to be thick enough to place the stick after baking. Place them in the container where you are going to pour the marinade.
For our Tofu Satay, we marinate and bake the tofu. You can grill or fry the tofu as well, but baking it saves you time and energy.
The marinade
The key to preparing a delicious Tofu Satay is the tofu marinade. This plant-based protein is quite bland in taste and needs a bit of seasoning or marinating before serving. Our marinade is really simple to make, and it tastes delicious. You will need soy sauce, coconut milk, sriracha (which can be substituted by Sambal Oelek or chili flakes), maple syrup, garlic powder, and ginger powder.
Using a baking brush or a spoon, add the marinade to the tofu until all the tofu strips are completely coated. Leave marinating for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.
Baking the Tofu
When the tofu has been marinating for at least 20 minutes it will be ready for cooking. Place the tofu on a baking tray and bake at 200ºC or 400Fº for 10-12 minutes, flip the tofu pieces and bake for further 10-12 minutes. We place a silicone baking mat on our tray before placing the tofu so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Using this mat saves you from using oil when baking to avoid sticking.
Assembling the Satay Tofu
Once your tofu is completely cooked, leave it to cool before skewering them on the satay sticks.
Peanut Sauce
As we already mentioned, our favorite part of this Southeast Asian dish is the peanut sauce. When we lived in Berlin, we used to go to a Tibetan restaurant where they would serve the best peanut sauce with spring rolls. We could never get enough of that sauce; it was extremely delicious. We mastered that peanut sauce at home to enjoy with our dishes such as this Tofu Satay, a hearty Thai Noodle Salad, our Vegan Buddha Bowl, or as a dipping sauce for summer rolls.
Ingredients for the Peanut Sauce
Peanut Butter. For the peanut sauce, you will need to use smooth or creamy peanut butter. You can also make your own peanut butter. All you need to do is add roasted (unsalted) peanuts into a food processor with a pinch of salt. Blend until you get a creamy consistency. It may take a little bit to reach that consistency, and you may need to stop a few times to push the peanuts down the processor walls, but it's definitely worth it. Have a look at this amazing recipe by Culinary Hill.
Brown sugar. To give a bit of sweetness to the sauce, you can use maple syrup or honey.
Soy sauce. Dark or light soy sauce will both work for your peanut sauce. If you are using light soy sauce, as it's saltier, adjust the amount. Use tamari for a gluten-free option.
Lime juice. The freshly squeezed lime juice will give your peanut dip that lovely tanginess.
Rice vinegar. Optional. We love adding a little bit of rice vinegar as it's umami-rich and adds a lovely punch to the sauce.
Warm water. Adding warm water to your dip will bring the sauce together. You can adjust this ingredient depending on your taste or the use you want to give to the peanut sauce to make it thicker or more liquid.
Cooking Method
Once you have your ingredients prepared, all you need to do is combine them all! Leave the water for the very end and adjust to taste.
Garnish the sauce with some crushed peanuts. We recommend using unsalted roasted peanuts.
Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Tofu Satay
- 14 oz firm tofu
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- ½ tablespoon sriracha
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
Peanut Sauce
- ⅓ cup peanut butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder or freshly grated ginger
- ⅓ cup warm water
Instructions
- Drain any excess of water from the tofu by placing it in between two plates and adding something heavy like a can of tomatoes for example. Leave for at least 20 minutes.14 oz firm tofu
- While the tofu is draining, mix in a small bowl the ingredients for the marinade: Soy sauce, maple syrup, coconut milk, sriracha, garlic powder and ginger powder. Combine all the ingredients until you have a uniform mixture.2 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon maple syrup, ¼ cup coconut milk, ½ tablespoon sriracha, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC or 400Fº
- Once the tofu is ready, cut each block of tofu into 5-6 strips crosswise. They need to be thick enough to be able to place the stick after baking. Place them in the container where you are going to pour the marinade and using a baking brush or a spoon add the marinade on the tofu until all the tofu strips are completely coated. Leave marinating for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.
- When the tofu has been marinating for at least 20 minutes, place it on a baking tray and bake at 200ºC or 400Fº for 10-12 minutes. Flip them and bake for further 10-12 minutes.
- When your tofu is completely cooked, leave it to cool before skewering them on the satay sticks. Once they are on the stick, place them on a plate to serve.
- To prepare the peanut sauce, add into a medium-size bowl peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, ginger powder and the warm water. Mix well all the ingredients until everything is completely combined and the sauce looks homogeneous. If your sauce is too thick, add some extra water and if it looks too liquidy, add some more peanut sauce.⅓ cup peanut butter, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, ½ tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons lime juice, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon ginger powder, ⅓ cup warm water
- Transfer the peanut sauce into a small serving bowl and add crushed peanuts on the top. Add to the place together with the tofu skewers.
- Sprinkle some fresh chopped coriander and sesame seeds on the top for better presentation.
Newsletter
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Place the tofu skewers on one side of the plate. Pour the peanut sauce into a small bowl, add some crushed peanuts on top, and place it on the same plate. Sprinkle some fresh coriander and squeeze a little bit of lime on the top of the tofu skewers. You can also pour some of the peanut sauce on top, but the presentation will be better if you keep the sauce in the bowl.
This dish is normally served as an appetizer. The peanut sauce is quite filling and it may be too much to be served as a main. Save any peanut sauce leftovers as you can use them the next days and make a delicious stir fry or Noddle Salad.
Our favorite way to serve this dish is with a lovely homemade Thai Curry: Massaman Tofu, Green Curry with Tofu, Red Tofu Curry, or Panang Curry. You can also serve it as a side with a Vegan Pad Thai or the famous Indonesian fried rice Nasi Goreng.
FAQ and Tips
Yes, you can cook the tofu by frying it or air frying it.
You can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar or simply add more lime juice.
Have the leftover marinade for a noodle salad or a stir fry. You can also add it to the dipping sauce!
Yes, you can make the tofu skewers ahead of time and serve them at room temperature. Save the peanut sauce in the fridge and mix before serving.
Charlotte says
Cannot wait to try this!!
Laura says
Have you ever tried doing the tofu in the air fryer? Wondering if that will work.
Laura says
Hi Laura! Sorry we haven’t try but I imagine it would work good!
Judee says
I very seldom follow recipes as I am a creative cook and make it up as I go. But I have tried to make something like this and have not been happy with the outcome. I am going to follow your recipe exactly. It looks amazing!!!
Somer Parker says
Peanut sauce is amazing!!!
Laura says
Thank you Somer!
Priss Maduro says
Hi. Could I fry them instead?
Laura says
Hi Priss, yes sure, that will work too!
GerMae says
Is there something O can use if I don’t have rice vinegar?
Laura says
Hello! you can use apple cider vinegar, I hope that helps!
Ruth says
I tried this recipe tonight! It was very easy to follow and delicious. The marinade was perfect and really flavoured the Tofu. Many thanks
Laura says
Thank you Ruth!
Laura says
Love this recipe. I have made it at least 3 times. Delicious!
Laura says
Thank you Laura!
CAROL says
So this makes 12 skewers. Is each skewer one serving? So, 258mg sodium per skewer... Two is 516mg sodium... 774mg sodium for 3.
Laura says
Hi Carol, if you think it would be too much (still lower than the recommended amount per day) you can buy low sodium soy sauce as this is the main ingredient containing high sodium levels. Thank you! https://amzn.to/3jlY1Gn
Yvonne says
I am making this for a friends get together soon. One of them has a peanut allergy so I need to come up with an alternative dip. Do you have any ideas?
Laura says
Hi Yvonne, some other great dips would be sweet and sour sauce or sriracha mayo.
Mariah says
I used soynut butter (usually called wow butter in stores) in place of peanut butter😊
Shannon says
This was just lovely and so easy to prepare. Thanks for sharing this with us. I crisped mine up in a nonstick skillet with a little bit of oil.
Laura says
Thank you Shannon!
Emmy says
I found this to be incredibly bland. It also took about 4x as long to bake to the right texture. The peanut sauce was good though.
Laura says
Sorry to hear that Emmy, for this recipe we use firm tofu, can you tell us which type of tofu did you use?
Numa Ali says
Tried this recipe today and loved it. Yummy and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Laura says
Thank you!
Stephanie says
Just wondering if you have any recommendations for using the marinade for another dish instead of discarding it.
Laura says
Hi Stephanie, you can use it as a dressing for a noodle salad, or even to add to your stirfries.
Saucy says
Add it to the peanut sauce, then adjust seasonings to taste. (We always had coconut milk in our peanut sauce.)
Nicole says
Is it the canned coconut milk?
Laura says
Hi Nicole, yes, we use canned coconut milk.
Natalie says
Tried it last night, really delicious! I left the tofu in the marinade all afternoon. Served it with some white rice and stir fry vegetables. Really great flavor and easy to follow instructions, thank you!!!
Julie says
Hi. Would this be good to make ahead and serve cool or room temperature at a party?
Laura says
Hi Julie. Tofu can be eaten warm or chilled so I am sure it will be perfect served later. Keep the sauce in the fridge 🙂
Bridget Davidson says
This recipe is so, so good. I made it with my 10-yr-old and he loved it too. Try it, you won’t regret it.
Laura says
Thank you Bridget, really glad your son loved it too!