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    Home > Vegan Entrees

    Grilled Buffalo Tofu Skewers

    By Nandor Barta on 06/07/2024 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    Experience buffalo tofu’s bold and spicy flavors combined with a crispy caramelized crust. The best way to do that is to pan-fry or grill marinated tofu on skewers. If you make this recipe, you will enjoy an easy but flavorful tofu dish.

    Yellow-brown tofu cubes on wooden skewers are criss cross over each other on a grilling rack placed on a black board. A small white bowl is next to them with a yellow dipping sauce.

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    You might think it is not easy to enjoy tofu dishes but on the contrary. We have the most flavorful tofu marinade recipes here, and this is one of them. We are positive you will also love harissa tofu, teriyaki tofu, chili miso tofu, or this tofu steak.

    Jump to:
    • What to expect from this recipe?
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Cooking tips
    • Variations
    • Serving ideas
    • Equipment
    • Storing tips
    • FAQs
    • More vegan tofu recipes
    • Grilled Buffalo Tofu Skewers

    What to expect from this recipe?

    We used a hot, piquant vegan buffalo sauce, which we have already perfected to make vegan buffalo chicken dip and vegan buffalo wings. But this time, we turned it into a buffalo tofu marinade.

    When you taste these buffalo tofu cubes, you can expect a combination of bold, spicy, and tangy flavors, and a crispy, caramelized texture from the grilling. It will be a satisfying and delicious vegan meal.

    Yellow-brown tofu cubes on wooden skewers are criss cross over each other on a grilling rack placed on a black board.
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    Ingredients

    Here is the list of ingredients we used to make this buffalo tofu recipe:

    • Tofu → We recommend using a firm or extra-firm tofu.
    • Frank’s Red Hot Sauce → It has only hot cayenne peppers, vinegar, water, salt, and garlic powder, which makes this sauce vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.
    • Soy sauce → or use tamari to make it gluten-free
    • Vegetable broth
    • Cashew nuts → if you don’t have a strong blender, use cashew butter or other nut or seed butter.
    • Maple syrup → You can use other liquid sweeteners. Honey is not vegan, but there are other honey substitutes to choose from.
    • White wine vinegar
    • Garlic powder
    • Onion powder

    🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Instructions

    Pressing tofu

    Use firm tofu and press it. I used my trusted TofuBud*, but you can choose any DIY method or tofu press. For more information, tips, and steps, read my complete guide on how to press tofu and my honest review of TofuBud.

    Making the marinade

    1. We have our trusted Vitamix to make an extra smooth sauce, but you can use a blender, immersion blender, or food processor. Add all ingredients: Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, soy sauce, vegetable broth, cashew nuts, maple syrup, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder.
    A blender from above with a reddish liquid.
    1. Blend all ingredients until you have a smooth and thick sauce.
    A blender from above with a thick orange sauce

    Making buffalo tofu

    1. After you pressed the tofu, cut them into cubes of approximately 0.5*1*1 inches (1*2*2 cm). If the cubes are too small, the skewer can split them. If the cubes are too large, they will remain too soft.
    2. Take a shallow bowl and layer the tofu cubes. Arrange it in one layer (if you can) since the marinade has to cover all cubes.
    White raw tofu cubes in a glass container.
    1. Pour the buffalo sauce on them and gently mix them. If you use a bowl with a lid, you can close the lid and shake the bowl gently. Or you use a freezer bag and shake it well. Let the tofu marinate for 15 minutes. You can use any remaining marinade for dipping sauce.
    White raw tofu cubes in a thick orange marinade in a glass container.
    1. Take your skewers and pierce the tofu cubes in the middle. Leave a bit of room between them, so that they can be grilled from all sides. They should not touch. Otherwise, the sides will not get crispy enough.
    A hand is placing the tofu cubes in thick orange marinade on thin wooden skewers.
    1. Heat the grill pan over medium heat and drizzle oil or vegan butter.
    2. Place the tofu skewers on it, leaving a small space between them.
    Tofu cubes covered in thick orange marinade on skewers.
    1. Grill both sides for approx. 2-3 minutes until they look just like in the below picture.
    Yellow-brown tofu cubes on 5 wooden skewers are placed lengthwise in a grill pan.

    Cooking tips

    • It is a thick marinade – It is a thick and heavy marinade that does not sweep into the tofu but rather sticks to it. Therefore, the marinating time is short. We recommend glazing the hot tofu again with the marinade after grilling and using the leftover as a dip for the full effect.
    • Don’t use high heat – The buffalo tofu marinade will burn easily if you use high heat. Even if you have a non-stick frying pan, we recommend spraying a bit of oil, so the buffalo tofu will get crispy instead of burning and sticking to the bottom.

    Variations

    • Without cashews → We think cashews give this marinade the right creaminess. If you don’t want them or can’t have them, you can substitute them for vegan yogurt.
    • Without skewers → You can pan-fry or bake the buffalo marinated tofu cubes if you don’t want to make tofu skewers. Don’t toss and turn them quickly and frequently in a frying pan. Use tongs to turn them one by one. The crust will not be caramelized and crispy if you bake them on a baking sheet.
    • Tofu cut into different shapes → We believe grilling on a skewer is the best way to cook these buffalo tofu bites. Since this tofu marinade is thick, we recommend cutting it into cubes or triangles (like we did in harissa tofu), or tearing it with your fingers (like we did in chili miso tofu). We don’t recommend making it as a tofu steak.

    Serving ideas

    • Appetizer: You can serve them as a savory party snack. Use the leftover marinade as a dip. Or pair it with your favorite vegan ranch dressing, vegan aioli, vegan sour cream, even vegan cream cheese, or something creamy and mild to counteract the spicy flavors of buffalo tofu. I would absolutely try it with our vegan tzatziki sauce.
    • Salad: Remove the buffalo tofu cubes from the skewer and toss them with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and maybe avocado for a fresh salad. Use your favorite dressings like vegan blue cheese dressing, or try our fresh lemon herb tahini dressing.
    • Sandwich: Pull down the grilled buffalo tofu from the skewers and serve them on a bun with simply lettuce and vegan mayo for a delicious sandwich.
    Yellow-brown tofu cubes on wooden skewers are criss cross over each other on a grilling rack placed on a black board. A small white bowl is next to them with a yellow dipping sauce.

    Equipment

    • Wooden skewers (or bamboo skewers) – You need to soak them in water for 10-20 minutes if you plan to use them on a gas grill. No soaking is needed for the oven or stovetop. 
    • Metal skewers (usually made of stainless steel) – Zero waste alternative. 
    • Grill pan and tongs – The raised ridges create characteristic grill marks on the tofu, giving it a more visually appealing appearance and mimicking the effect of grilling.

    Storing tips

    • Fridge: If you want to make the buffalo marinated tofu ahead of time, let it sit in the marinade overnight and grill it the next day. Once grilled, it can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
    • Reheat: We recommend reheating it in a grill pan or a simple frying pan, not in the microwave. That way they will be crispy again.
    • Freezer: We don’t recommend freezing tofu after grilling or frying as the texture will completely change. If you want to use frozen tofu to make this recipe you can expect it to have a more chewy, gummy texture. People who want the tofu to resemble meat freeze tofu before starting with any recipe.

    FAQs

    How to grill tofu skewers in the oven?

    Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit (ca. 204 °C). Use a baking tray with a grill rack and spray or spray the grids with oil. Place the tofu skewers on top. Leave some space in between. Place the tray close to the broiler. Grill them under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, turning them at half-time.

    How to grill tofu skewers on a gas grill?

    Our little trick is to use aluminum foil drip pans or grill mats. This way you can be sure they don’t fall even if you have large space between grids. Spray the drip pans with a bit of oil. Grill mats are supposed to be non-stick. Preheat your gas grill to 400 Fahrenheit (ca. 204 °C) and grill your tofu skewers for 8-10 minutes, turning them at half-time.

    Yellow-brown tofu cubes on wooden skewers are criss cross over each other on a grilling rack placed on a black board. A small white bowl is next to them with a yellow dipping sauce.

    More vegan tofu recipes

    Looking for more tofu marinade recipes or any other ways to enjoy tofu?

    • White frying pan with a darkbrown red sauce tofu cubes, sliced bell peppers, sliced green chilies, mint leaves, sliced spring onion, mushrooms slices.
      Thai Red Curry Tofu
    • 2 black bowls with yellow rice, red tomato slices, pineapple chunks, green peas and chopped green onion.
      Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice with Tofu
    • Large white frying pan with red pesto spaghetti topped with green-yellow tofu cubes, shredded cheese and basil leaves.
      Red Pesto Tofu Pasta
    • White rectangular plate full of large purple eggplant chunks, puffy brown glazed tofu and red peppers. Blue chopsticks are taking one tofu piece and holding it up in the air.
      Eggplant Tofu (Copycat Panda Express)
    • Sticky brown breaded tofu cubes are served on top of rice in a white bowl. It is sprinkled with chopped chives and sesame seeds. A hand is holding chopsticks to take one.
      Orange Tofu
    • A white plate with a slice of lasagna where you can see the layers of red sauce, pasta sheets and a white ricotto and chopped spinach leaves.
      Vegan Spinach Lasagna (Tofu Ricotta)

    THANK YOU so much for visiting our website. Please comment below if you have tried this recipe. We LOVE hearing from you! If you loved the recipe, please don’t forget to give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ RATING. We appreciate all of our readers.  

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    Yellow-brown tofu cubes on wooden skewers are criss cross over each other on a grilling rack placed on a black board. A small white bowl is next to them with a yellow dipping sauce.

    Grilled Buffalo Tofu Skewers

    Nandor Barta
    Experience buffalo tofu’s bold and spicy flavors combined with a crispy caramelized crust. The best way to do that is to pan-fry or grill marinated tofu on skewers. If you make this recipe, you will enjoy an easy but flavorful tofu dish.
    4.8 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Marinating time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 5 skewers
    Calories 153kcal

    Equipment

    • our Vitamix A2300
    • TofuBud (pressing tofu in 15 minutes)
    • Bamboo skewers
    • Metal skewers
    • Baking tray with grill rack
    • Grill pan

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 12 oz Firm tofu
    • 1 cup Frank’s Red Hot
    • ½ cup Cashew nuts
    • 1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
    • 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
    • 1 tsp Soy sauce
    • ½ tsp Garlic powder
    • ½ tsp Onion powder
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    Instructions
     

    Preparing the ingredients

    • Use a firm tofu and press it. 
    • Boil water in a kettle. Soak cashews in hot water for 5-10 minutes.

    Making marinade

    • Take your blender and blend all ingredients (Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, soaked cashew nuts, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, maple syrup, and soy sauce) until you get a smooth sauce.

    Marinating tofu

    • After you pressed the tofu cut them into cubes of approximately 0.5 * 1 * 1 inches (1 * 2 * 2 cm). If the cubes are too small, the skewer can split them. If the cubes are too large, they will remain too soft.
    • Take a shallow bowl and layer the tofu cubes in one layer.
    • Pour the buffalo sauce on them and gently mix them. If you use a bowl with a lid, you can close the lid and shake the bowl gently.
    • Let the tofu marinate for 15 minutes.
    • Take your skewers and pierce the tofu cubes in the middle. Leave a bit of room in between them so they can be grilled from all sides.

    Grilling tofu 4 ways

    • In a grill pan: Heat the grill pan over medium heat and add a bit of oil or dairy-free butter. Place the tofu skewers on it leaving a small space in between them. Grill both sides for approx. 2-3 minutes.
    • Under the broiler: Pre-heat the oven on 400 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Take a baking tray with a grill rack and spray or sprinkle the grids with a bit of oil. Place the tofu kabobs on top. Leave some space in between. Place the tray close to the broiler. Grill them under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, turning them at half-time.
    • On a gas grill: Our little trick is to use aluminum foil drip pans or grill mats. This way you can be sure they don’t fall down even if you have large space between grids. Spray or sprinkle the drip pans with a bit of oil. Grill mats are supposed to be non-stick. Pre-heat your gas grill on 400 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) and grill your tofu kabobs for 8-10 minutes, turning them at half-time.
    • On a Blackstone or griddle: They can be super hot super quick as they have a completely flat surface, unlike the grill racks. So pre-heat your Blackstone on 300 Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius). Spray or sprinkle it with a bit of oil. If you have a non-stick griddle, you don’t need to do that. Grill your tofu kabobs for 4-5 minutes, turning them at half-time.
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Video

    [adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”LYQMgXtd” upload-date=”2021-06-18T11:51:11.000Z” name=”Buffalo Tofu Skewers” description=”Tofu cubes are marinated in homemade vegan buffalo sauce, thread on skewers, and grilled until they get a crispy caramelized crust. If you want to enjoy an easy-to-make flavorful tofu dish, try making these Buffalo Tofu Skewers. We give you tips on how to grill tofu 4 ways: grill pan, in the oven, on a gas grill and on a Blackstone. ” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”true”]

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Grilled Buffalo Tofu Skewers
    Amount Per Serving (1 skewers)
    Calories 153 Calories from Fat 81
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 9g14%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 4g
    Sodium 1544mg67%
    Potassium 112mg3%
    Carbohydrates 11g4%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 9g18%
    Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
    Calcium 100mg10%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in June 2021. More tips, info, and details have been added and it was republished in January 2023.

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      4.80 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    1. Robin Bruhn

      June 26, 2023 at 9:18 pm

      How would you serve this? In a salad or a wrap?

      Reply
      • Nandor

        June 27, 2023 at 9:41 am

        You can serve it as an appetizer with different dips. If you want them to be the main dish, we recommend serving them with a fresh salad or pull the tofu cubes down from the skewers and wrap them with fresh veggies and a light sauce.

        Reply

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    Portrait of Emese and Nandi My Pure Plants

    Hi, we are Emese Maczkó and Nándor Barta, the founders and recipe creators behind My Pure Plants. We are sharing our knowledge and expertise in vegan recipes and encourage you to try home-cooked meals using locally-sourced, organic, whole foods.

    More about us →

    Reader Favorites

    • A large white bowl with white rice and sticky brown battered strips on top sprinkled with sesame seeds, orange peels and chopped spring onion
      Crispy Vegan Orange Chicken (Copycat Panda Express)
    • Lots of spring rolls cut in half and arranged in a semi-circular dish facing upwards around a brown dipping sauce.
      Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls
    • A burger with layers of green ruffled lettuce, yellow sauce, thin cheese slices, dark brown burger patty twice, sliced pickles and white chopped onion.
      Meaty Vegan TVP Burger (Big Mac Style)
    • Copycat IKEA Veggie Balls

    Hearty stews

    • Vegetable stew in a red white enameled Dutch oven with lots of chopped vegetables like potatoes, carrots, mushroom, celery and red kidney beans. Topped with freshly chopped green herbs.
      The Best Hearty Vegetable Stew
    • 2 white bowls with thick brown stew, lentils, chopped veggies and a couple of dumplings. The remaining stew is in a red-white Dutch oven.
      Vegan Stew with Dumplings
    • Red Dutch oven from above with a stew where you can see chopped potatoes, spinach leaves, carrot slices, tomatoes, and mushroom slices. Slices of bread is next to it. A hand is holding a spoon taking some from the middle
      Jackfruit Stew (Vegan Beef Stew)
    • Cast iron skillet with veggie stew topped with puff pastry in a lattice pattern.
      Vegan Pot Pie

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