Chinese BBQ Tofu Burger

Sweet, savory and aromatic are the three words I would use to describe this delicious tofu burger. The marinade was inspired by Char Siu aka Chinese BBQ dishes, which goes perfectly with a light coleslaw salad and a dollop of sriracha mayonnaise.

You might think it is not easy to enjoy a flavorful tofu dish, but on the contrary we have some super yummy recipes you can try. One of the most flavorful tofu dish we have ever made are these Copycat Chipotle Sofritas. We also spiced up our Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls with a delicious shredded Hoisin tofu. Oh, and you must try these Grilled Buffalo Tofu Skewers. Check out all of our vegan tofu recipes.

What to expect from a Chinese BBQ marinade?

Chinese BBQ marinade is a lot different from the classic BBQ sauce you might know. Char Siu Pork is a quite popular Cantonese dish you might have come across. Pork neck is marinated in whole in Chinese BBQ sauce and fork roasted until tender. Then it is sliced and usually served with steamed rice. It is a sticky, aromatic meat dish, which was the inspiration to turn this tofu burger into a fragrant, sweet, and savory meal.

So what do you need for the marinade?

• Chinese five spice mix (anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and ginger)
• Molasses
• Maple syrup
• Hoisin sauce
• Soy sauce (or use any of these gluten-free soy sauce alternatives)
• Sesame oil

As I was saying Char Siu Pork was only an inspiration as we didn’t add any red bean curd or red food coloring. We also made sure we use vegan and gluten-free ingredients. Molasses is not really an authentic thing to use here, but we like this additional dark, sticky, smoky flavor which reminds us of charcoal grill flavors.

How to make a Tofu Burger?

Marinating tofu

1. After you pressed the tofu cut them into 1-inch thick slices (approx. 2 cm). If you use a 12 oz block (approx. 360g) then cut in half horizontally.
2. Take an oven-safe shallow glass bowl and layer the tofu slices in one layer.
3. Pour Chinese BBQ marinade on them and gentle mix them. We use a silicone brush or a spoon to make sure it is throughly covered.
4. Let the tofu to marinate for 15 minutes.

Reduce the marinade into a thick sauce

1. When the time is up, use a slotted turner to take the marinated tofu slices out.
2. Pour the leftover marinade into a small saucepan.
3. Cook it over medium heat on a stove top until it is reduced to a thick sauce. It has to be syrupy thick.

Baking the tofu burgers

1. Pre-heat the oven on 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
2. Place the marinated tofu slices back to the oven-safe glass bowl they were marinated in.
3. Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Take it out and spread the reduced marinade generously over both sides using a silicone brush or spoon.
5. Place the bowl back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
6. Take it out and brush it again with the remaining marinade.
7. Reduce the heat of the oven to 320 Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius) and place the bowl back for the final 10 minutes. See the result in the below image.

Let’s build a Chinese BBQ Tofu Burger!

The best part of the whole recipe is building your yummy burger. You can absolutely add other ingredients, but we recommend trying this combination. They are absolutely amazing and delicious together!

• We started off with a toasted bun.
• First, we spread a generous layer of sriracha mayo on it.
• Then, we added green leaf lettuce because the ruffles look so pretty. 
• Now, here comes the star of this recipe, the Chinese BBQ Tofu Burger patties.
• Next up, a light and easy Vegan Coleslaw salad.

What else can you add? 

This recipe is all about Chinese flavors. So what goes great with this aromatic, sweet and savory burger patty? Steamed Chinese greens like pak choy or Chinese broccoli, Asian Coleslaw, pickled carrots or pickled cucumber. What is your favorite combination? 

What to serve with it?

If you add many layers to your burger, they will be rich and filling on their own. However, if you need some inspiration for burger side dishes, here are our usual choices:

• roasted potato or sweet potato wedges
• French fries from potatoes or other root veggies like carrots, parsnip…
• brown rice, quinoa or other cooked grains
• light salad on the side

Let us know in the comments what is your favorite side dish!

This Tofu Burger recipe is vegan so meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. It is suitable for a vegetarian, gluten-free, and nut-free diet. This recipe is WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) if you skip the sesame oil.

More vegan grilling recipes

• Grilled Vegetable Kabobs (with 3 marinades)
• Grilled Buffalo Tofu Skewers
• Fajitas Portobello Mushroom Burger
• Smoky Vegan Beet Burger
• The Meatiest Vegan Burger