Chinese BBQ Tofu Burger (Vegan)

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 dishes we have ever made is copycat Chipotle sofritas. We also spiced up our crispy rice paper spring rolls with 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 this recipe?

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 create this vegan tofu burger.

It tastes fragrant, sweet, and savory. The texture is pillowy on the inside and sticky on the outside. It matches perfectly with the crunchy coleslaw salad.

Ingredients

So what do you need to make this marinated tofu burger patty?

• Tofu -> We recommend using a firm or extra-firm tofu. Since it is a BBQ recipe, you can also use smoked tofu, it would give an additional charcoaled taste for sure.
• 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. You also don’t need extra salt, since soy sauce has already plenty of sodium.

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

Instructions

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 it 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 gently mix them. We use a silicone brush or a spoon to make sure it is thoroughly covered.
4. Let the tofu 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-high heat on a stovetop until it is reduced to a thick sauce. It has to be syrupy thick.

Baking the tofu

1. Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
2. Place the marinated tofu slices back in the oven-safe glass bowl they were marinated in. Don’t use a baking sheet or parchment paper as it is better if they are baked in the marinade.
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.

Building the burger

The best part of the whole recipe is building your yummy baked tofu 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 with vegan mayonnaise 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, is light and easy vegan coleslaw salad.
• Finish it with the top bun.

What else can you add? 

This recipe is all about Chinese flavors. So what goes great with these aromatic, sweet, and savory tofu burger patties? Steamed Chinese greens like Pak Choy or Chinese broccoli, Asian coleslaw, pickled carrots or cucumber, onion, tomatoes etc. 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!

FAQs and substitutions

How to store it?

When it comes to burger recipes, we recommend storing the filling separately. If you want to make the tofu burger ahead of time, let it sit in the marinade overnight and bake the next day. Baked marinated tofu can be stored in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 3-4 days at most.

Can you freeze it?

We don’t recommend freezing tofu after baking as the texture will completely change. If you want to use frozen tofu to make this recipe you can expect to be a more chewy, gummy texture. People who want the tofu to resemble a bit of chicken like to freeze tofu before starting with any recipe.

Allergen info

This tofu burger recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. 

• Vegan – All ingredients of the tofu patties are supposed to be vegan, but don’t forget to choose a vegan burger bun.
• Nut-free – All ingredients are supposed to be nut-free but check for cross-contamination info on all packaging you need to use.
• WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – You can skip sesame oil in the marinade if you really have to.
• Gluten-free – Soy sauce is not gluten-free, so you need to use tamari, liquid aminos, or other substitutes. Hoisin sauce is not always gluten-free as it may contain soy sauce. If you choose unseasoned tofu, then that should be gluten-free, but smoked and flavored tofu you should watch out for. You also need to use a gluten-free hamburger bun. All other ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free but always look for the certified label.
• Soy-free – Since tofu is the main ingredient in this burger recipe, you cannot really skip that to make it soy-free.

More vegan tofu recipes

For more inspiration check out the most flavorful tofu marinades or browse through all of our vegan tofu recipes or

More vegan burger recipes

UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted on June 2021. More tips, FAQs, and info were added and it was republished in July 2022.