Balsamic Tomato Tofu Cutlets
These Balsamic Tomato Tofu Cutlets are massively meaty, full of balsamic-tomato-garlic-y flavor thanks to a delicious tofu marinade, and very easy to make! Our easy balsamic tofu recipe is meal-prep and freezer-friendly and pairs beautifully with pasta, on a sandwich, or straight off the baking sheet.
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[This is the 3rd recipe in our tofu cutlet series. Click here to see all of them!]
Way back in May, I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar with dreams of creating all types of summery balsamic delights for the blog (and, you know, my mouth).
And then, what always happens happened. Summer arrived in all its beach-bronzed (haha, jk, I don’t do sun) and cocktail-by-the-pool (ok, guilty on that one) glory and suddenly, it’s Labor Day Weekend, and I’m like…WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!
If this situation doesn’t sound familiar to you, who are you and will you please teach me your ways?
Anyway, getting back to the point, I realized in this moment that my forgotten bottle of balsamic vinegar would be a heavenly addition to a tofu marinade for our cutlet series.
And here we are…
Just look at all that gorgeous crispy-on-the-outside / meaty-on-the-inside + PACKED with so much flavor decadence. Pin this one to the “meal prep staples” board, my friends. I have a feeling it’s going to become a regular in your house!
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Ingredients for Balsamic Tomato Tofu
Obviously, the main ingredient in this recipe is extra-firm tofu (Note: not silken tofu).
These Balsamic Tomato Tofu Cutlets are made with the exact same freeze / press / marinate / bake method as our other tofu cutlet recipes, just with different ingredients for the garlicky balsamic marinade.
Here, we’ll walk you through the ingredients you need along with some notes to ensure you achieve the best results. The full recipe with ingredient amounts can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
The simple ingredients you’ll need for the marinade are:
- Balsamic vinegar – In a pinch, you can use balsamic vinaigrette if needed.
- Tomato paste
- Fresh garlic – Feel free to load it up with garlic if you’re a big fan (we are!). You could potentially replace this with garlic powder if needed, but you’d have to play around with the amounts.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Use the good quality stuff here! This adds a deep savory flavor to your cutlets.
- Vegan chicken bouillon powder – You can use store-bought bouillon, but we HIGHLY recommend trying our homemade bouillon powder because it will actually change your life and is stupid-easy.
- Spice Cabinet – Salt, pepper, and dried (or fresh) basil to round it all out!
With this combo of flavors, how can you go wrong?
Oil-Free Note: You can sub water for the olive oil in the marinade, but be aware this will change the texture of the tofu. You also may need to cook the tofu a little longer, as the water adds excess liquid.
How to Make Balsamic Tomato Tofu Cutlets
If this is the first tofu cutlet recipe you’ve made from our site or your first time using the “freeze + press” method for preparing tofu, you may want to check out some of the awesome info in our first two posts of the series: lemon pepper tofu cutlets // sweet chili tofu cutlets.
Step 1: Prep your tofu.
You’ll prep the tofu to start. This part is super important to the texture of the final product! We have a full explanation of this method (and why it works so well!) in our How to Make Tofu Taste Like Chicken post, but we’ll summarize the process for you here!
Place the whole tofu container (do not open it) in the freezer overnight. In the morning, remove it from the freezer and set it in a shallow dish on your counter to thaw. This will take several hours.
When the tofu is thawed, squeeze it gently over the sink and press tofu with a tofu press or on paper towels with a heavy object on top to remove any excess water.
Step 2: Marinate the tofu.
Place your block of tofu on a cutting board and slice it into 8 equal “cutlets”. I do this by slicing it in half, then slicing those halves in half, then cutting each of those slices in half.
Alternatively, you can turn this recipe into crispy cubes of tofu, but making tofu cubes will affect the cooking time.
Mix up all the ingredients for the simple marinade in a small bowl with a whisk or large fork. Pour the marinade over your tofu cutlets, making sure they are all nice and coated. Place them in your fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
Step 3: Bake the tofu.
When you’re ready to bake your marinated tofu, preheat your oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cutlets on this baking sheet, about an inch or so apart. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
Depending on the thickness / brand of extra firm tofu you’re using, you may want to flip and cook them another 10 – 20 minutes until they are browned and meaty. We end up cooking ours an extra 10 most times.
Finally, let your cutlets cool slightly before slicing them up for all your salads or pasta or bowls throughout the week. They will firm a bit as they cool.
How to Serve These Tofu Cutlets
My favorite way to eat these irresistible Balsamic Tomato Tofu Cutlets is straight off the pan, but they also make a great addition to:
- A giant bowl of pasta with marinara, creamy garlic sauce, or aglio e olio
- On a sandwich with crispy bread and vegan mozzarella
- With a big Caesar salad and hefty slice of garlic bread
- In a Vegan Chicken Bacon Ranch wrap or salad!
How to Store Leftover Crispy Tofu
Store leftover balsamic tomato tofu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freezer for up to 12 weeks.
Since these cutlets are such a staple in our kitchen, I will usually marinate a large batch of them at a time, separate them into several containers and freeze them in the marinade BEFORE baking.
This makes it easy for me to defrost and pop a batch in the oven for an easy meal when I need one. AND I’ve found it gives them an even better texture. Highly recommend this method!
More Tofu Recipes:
I have a feeling these cutlets are going to be the key to sooo many of the cozy fall dinners we plan to make in the coming months. We can’t wait to see what you do with them too!
When you make these balsamic tomato tofu cutlets, be sure to let us know! You can rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in your tofu-licious creations on Instagram. If you’re not already following along there, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
We hope you enjoy this one, friends. Until next time!
Balsamic Tomato Tofu Cutlets
Ingredients
- 16 oz extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup olive oil see notes for oil-free
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste + 1 Tbsp warm water
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp vegan chicken bouillon powder
- 2 – 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Prep the tofu
- First, freeze your tofu: Place the whole container (do not open it) in the freezer overnight.
- In the morning, remove it from the freezer and set it in a shallow dish on your counter to thaw. This will take several hours.
- When the tofu is thawed, squeeze it gently over the sink and press it with a tofu press or on paper towels to remove any excess liquid.
Marinate the tofu
- Place your pressed tofu on a cutting board and slice it into 8 equal “cutlets”. I do this by slicing it in half, then slicing those halves in half, then cutting each of those slices in half.
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade.
- Pour half the marinade in the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking dish and tilt the dish to create an even layer of marinade.
- Place each cutlet in the dish with the marinade.
- Then, pour the second half of the marinade over your tofu cutlets, making sure they are all nice and coated. I usually use a rubber spatula to spread everything over the cutlets evenly. The marinade is very thick, and that’s how we want it!
- Cover the dish and place them in your fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight for the best flavor results. You can also freeze them at this stage for a meal prep future-you will thank you for!
Bake the tofu
- When you’re ready to bake your cutlets, preheat your oven to 350F and get out a baking sheet.
- Place the cutlets on this baking sheet, about an inch or so apart.
- Brush the tops with excess marinade (you can add a little warm water to the marinade if it’s too thick).
- Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.
- Then, flip, brush the opposite side with marinade, and bake another 15-30 minutes. The time will vary depending on your oven and the brand of tofu you’re using. You want them to be crisp on the outside but still have give in the middle.
Serve/Store
- Finally, let your cutlets cool slightly before slicing them up for all your salads or pasta or bowls throughout the week. They will firm a bit as they cool and taste even better the next day.
- You can store them in an air-tight container in the fridge or freeze them for up to 8 weeks!
What a timely recipe! Our tomatoes are plentiful. Always looking for new ways to use them. These Balsamic tomato tofu cutlets are perfect for a main course or cut up smaller for snacks.
Gotta love tomato season. So happy you’re enjoying the recipe! 🙂
Thanks for sharing. It was delicious! I did air fry the cutlets for 10 min at 400F.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Paula! I totally want to try air frying them next week.
Can you explain again how to cut your tofu? Are you making thin slices or squares.
Hi, Beth! We’re going for 8 equal rectangles. You want to lie the tofu flat on its largest side (surface-area-wise) and cut it into eight slices from left to right. The slices are usually about 3/4 to 1 inch in thickness. I hope that helps! Let me know if I can clarify more. 🙂
THANK YOU for introducing me to tofu recipes I actually love! Your cutlets are delicious!!!
THANK YOU for making them, Liz! We’re honored you dig our tofu recipes. 🙂
I made this recipe probably once every 2 or 3 weeks now, it has absolutely become a staple for me! The tofu comes out perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Extremely easy but very flavourful. Keeps great for meal-prep. Highly recommend 🙂
Right on, Michaela! I’m thrilled to hear you’re digging the recipe. Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi.. this recipe makes tofu taste amazing! Was wondering if you have tried this with tempeh as well? Would it pair good?
These were delicious! I left out the oil and just added 2 tsps of broth and these turned out great. I was so surprised at the chewy texture of these! I ate them on a salad with balsamic dijon dressing.
I’m so very glad you enjoyed them, Brittany! Thank you for reaching out to let us know!
Why do you freeze the tofu? Do you need to?
Hi, Issa. Freezing the tofu helps to change the texture of the tofu to help it mimic the texture of chicken more easily. We have a link about midway through this post to “the tofu freezer trick” that takes you to an article I wrote explaining how the process works and why. If you want to get the same meaty results you see here, you’ll definitely want to freeze the tofu. Hope this helps!
When you make these in batches to freeze before cooking, what’s your process? Freeze, thaw, press, slice, coat in marinade and then Re freeze? I’d love to have more ready made proteins or semi ready made in my freezer so I would appreciate details on this process! Thanks!
You’ve got it right, Melody! The only thing I would suggest is letting the sliced tofu sit in the marinade at least an hour before putting it back in the freezer so the flavors really settle in.
This looks promising. I am in the middle of making it right now. Pro tip:
Definitely double off the marinade. The recipe as it’s written is just not enough for a cutlets. I’m looking looking for This looks promising. I am in the middle of making it right now. Pro tip:
Definitely double the marinade. The recipe as written is just not enough for eight cutlets. I’m looking forward to tasting it tomorrow night.
Hope you enjoy it, Sadie! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
I have made tofu in every way possible in these last 50 years.
This is by far my very favorite way to make it from now on. It baked up as directed perfectly! The addition of tomato paste was a brilliant idea. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful, delicious and easy recipe.
Yay, so happy to hear that! This is a favorite in our house too. Thank you for the review! 🙂
THis is the best tofu recipe I’ve found! Clear instructions on how to prepare the tofu, DELICIOUS ingredients and prep!
Yay! So happy to hear that. Thanks for your review, Pamela! Hope you find lots of tofu recipes here you enjoy! 🙂
Tofu is one of my favorite foods! This recipe is the b*m*! We absolutely love it. I double the marinade because it doesn’t seem to cover all my tofu slices. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Love to hear that, Marie! Thank you! The marinade is definitely a very thick consistency, but I see zero issue in doubling it. We’re definitely a “more flavor the better” team over here!
One of my teenage sons loves these so much that he asks me to make a double recipe every week, and he makes sandwiches with them. Last night he was upset that there was no tofu, and I didn’t have any frozen/thawed. I ended up just making it with fresh tofu and I didn’t even have time to marinate them. They still came out very flavorful, though I definitely like them better when they are done properly.
Wow, when a teenager loves it, you KNOW it’s gotta be good! Thank you so much for sharing this and taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Sorry to say I wasn’t a fan. They definitely require more than 40 minutes of baking. I cut the recipe in half for just the two of us. The marinade needed to be kept at the full 8 servings because there really wasn’t enough. I froze and marinaded for the maximum time. They didn’t crisp up; I guess I should have left them in the oven longer. I’m not sure I’d make them again. They were good, but not wow.
I appreciate the feedback, Suzy! I took a look at the directions here, and since it’s one of the original tofu cutlets recipes we published many years ago, it was lacking more of the detail we add to our more recent recipes. I’ve updated it to be more clear, so hopefully that will help a future reader! You are correct about the baking time; we’ve learned over the years these tofu cutlets bake times vary GREATLY based on the type of oven you’re using. For larger ovens that run a little less hot, we recommend baking for a full 75 minutes. The marinade is intended to be very thick to pack in the flavor, but I’ve added more clear instructions on how we marinate the cutlets and make that thick marinade work. Anyway, thanks again for your feedback and helping make this recipe better!