These vegan grilled tofu skewers are an absolute delight, if I do say so myself. Featuring a flavour-packed marinade and with colourful veg in between each cube, they're ideal as a meat-free and gluten-free addition to your next barbecue or summer meal.
You'll get good results by marinating the tofu pieces for as little as 20-30 minutes, but I'd highly recommend doing it for several hours or overnight if possible. Either way, you'll be brushing the remaining marinade over the kebabs to add extra flavour as they sizzle away on the grill.
Looking for more delicious plant-based barbecue recipes? Check out these grilled king oyster mushrooms and this teriyaki grilled aubergine.
I create new content every single week. Subscribe to keep in touch and get a free download of The Vegan Kitchen – My Top 10 Tips.
Jump to:
- Why I love it 💚
- Test notes 📝
- Tofu variety 🌱
- Ingredients 📋
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Variations 🔀
- More ideas 💡
- Recipe 👨🍳
Why you'll love these skewers
- They have an amazing flavour
- They're high in plant-based protein
- You'll get a meaty texture with no animals in sight
- They'll be a hit with everyone – vegans and non-vegans alike
- Since all the ingredients could be eaten raw, there's no risk of undercooking these skewers
Recipe testing notes
- Garlic granules: Note that these are coarser than garlic powder. If using powder instead of granules, go with slightly less as it has a stronger flavour.
- Marinating time: As I've mentioned above, you'll get even better results if you have time to marinate the tofu for several hours or overnight.
- Grilling: The barbecue/grill you use will have an impact on the cooking time and how evenly done the skewers are. Don't be afraid to adjust the heat and move things around if necessary to find the best heat spots.
Which tofu is best?
It's important to use extra-firm tofu for these skewers (I used a large block by The Tofoo Co., which is widely available here in the UK). Extra-firm tofu will hold its shape well and doesn't usually require pressing to remove excess water.
Keen to try out more recipes with extra-firm tofu? Check out some of these: 👇
What you'll need
To make these moreish tofu kebabs, you'll need:
- Extra-firm tofu – the kind that's so firm you don't need to press it
- Red onion and pepper to add in between the cubes
- Liquid marinade ingredients in the form of sesame oil, agave syrup, and tamari (or soy sauce)
- Seasoning in the form of garlic granules and chilli powder
- Lime juice to add zing and bring the skewers to life
How to make grilled tofu skewers
To a wide bowl, add the garlic granules, chilli powder, tamari (or soy sauce), sesame oil, agave syrup, and lime juice.
Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
Slice the tofu block into 1-inch cubes.
The tofu I used was very firm, held its shape easily, and didn't require any pressing. For a block of this size, I ended up with 24 even cubes.
Add the tofu cubes to the bowl and coat in the marinade by gently tipping the bowl from side to side, turning the cubes over, and using a small spoon.
Marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, but ideally several hours or overnight. Continue to coat the cubes in the marinade from time to time.
When you're ready to make the skewers, chop the red onion and yellow pepper into similar-sized pieces (approx. 24 of each).
Take 6 skewers and add the tofu cubes (4 per skewer) and veg evenly to these, alternating between each ingredient.
Note: If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak these in water ahead of time to prevent burning.
Preheat the barbecue/grill to a medium heat.
Brush the bars with a little oil, then add the skewers and cook for around 3 minutes on each of the four sides (10-15 mins total) until the tofu has crisped up and the veg has softened.
Brush with extra marinade during cooking and be careful when turning them over (use tongs or oven gloves if necessary).
Once cooked, remove the skewers from the heat, brush once again with the remaining marinade, and serve.
Serving suggestions
Serve the skewers with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, and chopped coriander. For a little something extra, drizzle over homemade cashew lime crema or vegan raita.
Ideas for side dishes include:
- Rice noodle salad
- Vegan slaw
- Grilled asparagus in foil
- Vegan potato salad
- Courgette salad with peanut dressing
- Three-bean salad
- Chickpea salad
- Couscous salad
- Mushroom couscous
- Roasted pumpkin couscous
- Baked potato wedges
See my full list of vegan side dishes for more ideas.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! You just need to make sure you use good-quality, extra-firm tofu – the kind that will easily hold its shape and doesn't need to be pressed to remove excess water.
If using wooden or bamboo skewers, it's recommended to soak these in water ahead of time to prevent burning. If possible, try and soak them for at least 30 minutes.
This recipe is gluten-free provided you use tamari instead of soy sauce, or a GF soy sauce that is labelled as such.
Store the cooked tofu skewers in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezing cooked tofu can give it a porous texture and cause it to lose its flavour, so I wouldn't recommend it.
Variations and tips for tofu skewers
- Griddle pan: You could also cook these in a griddle pan on the stovetop. Try and make sure as many tofu cubes as possible are making contact with the pan and use a little extra oil if needed.
- Other additions: Try other skewer ingredients such as courgette, tomatoes, mushrooms, or different peppers.
- Cajun seasoning: For a slightly different marinade, try replacing the garlic granules and chilli powder in this recipe with a similar amount of homemade Cajun seasoning.
Keep in touch
Subscribe below to get your free download of The Vegan Kitchen – My Top 10 Tips, featuring 10+ pages of personal experience and advice to set you up for success with your plant-based cooking. 👇
More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
You can also check out my full list of vegan barbecue recipes.
Full recipe
Grilled Tofu Kebabs (Vegan Skewers)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules (or slightly less garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce if not GF)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup (or maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 16 oz (450 g) extra-firm tofu (I used The Tofoo Co. large block)
- ½ red onion
- 1 yellow bell pepper
Instructions
- To a wide bowl, add the garlic granules, chilli powder, tamari (or soy sauce), sesame oil, agave syrup, and lime juice. Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
- Slice the tofu block into 1-inch cubes. The tofu I used was very firm, held its shape easily, and didn't require any pressing. For a block of this size, I ended up with 24 even cubes.
- Add the tofu cubes to the bowl and coat in the marinade by gently tipping the bowl from side to side, turning the cubes over, and using a small spoon. Marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, but ideally several hours or overnight. Continue to coat the cubes in the marinade from time to time.
- When you're ready to make the skewers, chop the red onion and yellow pepper into similar-sized pieces (approx. 24 of each).
- Take 6 skewers and add the tofu cubes (4 per skewer) and veg evenly to these, alternating between each ingredient.Note: If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak these in water ahead of time to prevent burning.
- Preheat the barbecue/grill to a medium heat. Brush the bars with a little oil, then add the skewers and cook for around 3 minutes on each of the four sides (10-15 mins total) until the tofu has crisped up and the veg has softened. Brush with extra marinade during cooking and be careful when turning them over (use tongs or oven gloves if necessary).
- Once cooked, remove the skewers from the heat, brush once again with the remaining marinade, and serve (see serving suggestions above). The great thing about these vegan skewers is that you can't really undercook anything, so simply remove from the heat whenever they're done to your liking.📸 See recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
Nutrition
Social follow
🌱 Follow along @thepeskyvegan on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Further reading
📩 Fancy keeping in touch? Subscribe to my weekly newsletter.
📖 Find out more about my story.
🍽️ Want to get straight to the food? Hop aboard the recipe train.
🌿 Got a question about veganism? You might find the answer in these vegan FAQs.
Mrs Terri Fenwick
Love, love 💞 tofu 🥰
I pressed my tofu, cubed and marinated it in a glass jar overnight.
Remembering to turn it each time I looked in the fridge 😂
Great recipe.
Thank you 🐝
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Terri, that's a good idea using a jar to marinate the tofu. Thanks for the review!
Adrienne Stocks
Love tofu and love this recipe. I used one pack of tofoo as it was just for me. Gave me 4 huge kebabs so 2 meals for me. I soaked the tofu for a few hours but will do it overnight next time.
Keep them coming !!
The Pesky Vegan
Great stuff, thanks for the review!
Terri
Absolutely gorgeous and so easy to make 🥳
I keep a large jar to marinate my tofu in, it sits in the fridge and I
twist it a 1/4 turn each time I open the fridge door. I try and leave it for about 24 hours to get all that delicious rich flavour ☺️
Cheers by the way 🍺 🍺 🍺
😊
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Terri, sounds great! Cheers again for your support, much appreciated 🙂 🍺🍺🍺
Maria
I've given this 5 although I've only just read the recipe, but I can tell in advance that it will be excellent! When I first became vegan I really thought that I didn't like tofu, but I persevered and now eat it a couple of times a week, so different recipe ideas are always welcome. By the way, here in the UK, Aldi have recently started stocking their own brand Plant Menu Organic Super Firm Tofu. It's very good and for people who live alone like me, it's particularly useful as it's sold in smaller packs than most - 200g for 99p.
The Pesky Vegan
Ha well do let me know if you give it a go! Yes I've tried the Aldi tofu and quite liked it!
Dawn
Dear Pesky Vegan. Thank you for your tasty easy recipes. More to the point, thank you for being a compassionate caring human who puts the prevention of suffering ahead of self.
Oh and the recipes are so yummy… xx
Cheers
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the kind words and interest in the blog!