Appetizer, Pantry-Friendly, Recipes

Spicy Peanut Tofu Skewers

A quick and easy grill recipe that you can make with simple pantry ingredients you have in your home. Crispy Spicy Peanut Tofu Skewers, perfect for your long weekend grill party.

Summer is on its way (we think…), so we know you’ll need a lot of delicious grill recipes to get you through the season. Plus any excuse to put peanut sauce on another recipe, we’ll take. This super simple recipe, uses only a handful of ingredients that you more than likely have in your kitchen already. Tofu is marinated in a smoky, sesame soy marinade for at least thirty minutes, allowing the tofu to soak up the flavour. Then grilled until crispy and golden, so each bite is a medley of textures. Then smothered in a creamy, spicy peanut sauce and served with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

summer grilled spicy peanut tofu

What’s the key to flavourful tofu?

One of the biggest complaints we get about tofu is that the texture and flavour simply isn’t good. To be honest, that’s fair. Tofu isn’t for everyone. However for most people it’s not that tofu is gross, it’s that they haven’t have properly cooked, delicious tofu.

  • Type of Tofu – For a tofu newbie, we recommend extra firm tofu (especially for this recipe) because the texture is a little meatier. Plus then you can press it a little bit so that it absorbs even more flavour. To press extra firm tofu, wrap in a kitchen towel (or paper towel) and place a couple heavy cookbooks or a cast iron pan on top.
  • Marinade Time – To infuse as much flavour into the tofu it’s not just about seasoning the outside, but you should also season the inside. Just like you would marinate chicken, you should marinate tofu. The longer the tofu marinates, the more flavour it will have – we recommend a minimum 30 minutes, but if you have the time a couple hours is ideal.
  • Cooking Method – How you cook your tofu affects the end result. There are a few different ways you can get great tofu, but for this recipe we’re grilling it! When grilling tofu, you want to wait until you get some char on the edges, The crispy edges gives you that familiar texture you’re used to from non-vegan proteins.

spicy peanut tofu satay

Why do I need to soak wood skewers?

For this recipe we specifically tell you to soak your wood skewers (if you’re using wood). This is for a very important reason. If you’re using wood skewers and you don’t soak them, you’ll quickly realize that they’ll burn up. To prevent your skewers from burning, you can either not use wood or soak them for at least 30 minutes in cold water prior to cooking.

spicy peanut tofu skewers

spicy peanut tofu kebabs

Can substitutions be made?

Certain ingredients are hard to come by right now, so don’t worry if you don’t have everything. See below for the a list of substitutions that should be okay for this recipe. Keep in mind that this recipe was only tested the way its been posted so we cannot guarantee that the flavour and texture of your Spicy peanut Tofu Satay will be the same.

  • Tofu – Instead of tofu, you could use a mock meat or tempeh.
  • Peanut Butter – You can swap this for any other nut or seed butter.
  • Soy Sauce – Tamari or coconut aminos would work here as well.
  • Chili Flakes – Instead of chili flakes you can use hot chili powder, chipotle powder or any other spicy powder.
  • Ginger Powder – Instead of ginger powder, you can opt for fresh ginger grated.
  • Garlic Powder – Instead of garlic powder, you can opt for fresh garlic grated.
  • Sriracha – Any hot sauce will do (or leave it out if you don’t like spice)

Spicy Peanut Tofu Skewers

A quick and easy grill recipe that you can make with simple pantry ingredients you have in your home. Crispy Spicy Peanut Tofu Skewers, perfect for your long weekend grill party.
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Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 900 g (2 blocks) extra firm tofu

Marinade:

  • 1 tsp bouillon paste
  • 30 mL (2 tbsp) sesame oil
  • 30 mL (2 tbsp) soy sauce
  • 60 mL (4 tbsp) water
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp chili flakes
  • 8 g (1 clove) minced garlic

Peanut Sauce

  • 80 g (1/3 cup) peanut butter
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 45 mL (3 tbsp) soy sauce
  • 45 mL (3 tbsp) water
  • 45 mL (3 tbsp) sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp sriracha

Instructions

  • If using wooden skewers, place in water and soak for at least 30 minutes. The longer the soak the better. This will help keep your skewers from burning.
  • Cut tofu in 3/4" cubes, set aside.
  • To a bowl combine marinade ingredients. Add tofu and toss to coat. Allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
  • While the tofu marinates combine all the peanut sauce ingredients whisk until smooth. Set aside.
  • Divide tofu between the skewers and place on grill. Barbecue each skewer until crispy and golden. Brush with extra marinade halfway through cooking to infuse with more flavour.
  • Drizzle with peanut sauce and serve.

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