If you have ever found yourself on the hunt for the crispiest, crunchiest tofu, look no further. The tofu katsu in these vegan tofu katsu bowls is so unbelievably crunchy. There is no comparison. This is my new favorite way to eat tofu, and it is so simple, it will blow your mind. Fry up some tofu katsu, serve with jasmine rice, pickled veggies and an easy sweet, spicy, umami sauce inspired by Tonkatsu sauce. I can’t stop dreaming about this meal, and I’m pretty sure it will haunt your dreams as well.
So, let’s talk about katsu. Generally made using chicken, this Japanese dish is basically fried chicken. The breading is made with panko, then the chicken is fried until super brown and crispy. Well, of course there is pretty much nothing tofu can’t do, and I promise you will never miss the chicken!
Tonakatsu sauce is traditionally made to dip the katsu in. So, I made my own vegan version to drizzle over the entire bowl of tofu, rice and picked veggies. It is all so freaking delicious. There is something so perfect about the combination of fried food and vinegary pickles that I can’t get enough of. So it seemed only natural to pair this tofu with pickles.
I used red onions and carrots for the pickles, but there are a lot of vegetables that would work. You could use cucumber for a traditional pickle. Pickled green beans are amazing. However, I do love the combination I used. This meal is so simple, but get a bite of tofu, rice, pickled veggies and sauce all together and your life will forever be changed. This is a great recipe to make right now, since it uses a lot of pantry ingredients and only a few items from the fridge. These vegan tofu katsu bowls are on serious repeat at my house, I can’t get enough!
Crispy Japanese style fried tofu, pickled veggies and sauce served over rice.
- 1/2 a Red onion, sliced
- 2 Large Carrots, sliced
- 1 Cup White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 Cup Water
- 3 Fresh chives
- 2 Cloves Garlic, smashed
- 1 Tablespoon Organic cane sugar
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Block(15oz.) Extra firm tofu, drained and pressed*
- 3/4 Cup Almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 Cup All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Panko bread crumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 Cup Organic Ketchup
- 2 teaspoon Chili sauce, I used Asian Chili Garlic sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Agave syrup
- Jasmine rice
- Chives for topping
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First, make the pickled veggies. Add the sliced red onions and carrots to a large heat safe bowl.
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Add the vinegar, water, chives, garlic, sugar and salt to a small sauce pan. Heat the sauce pan on medium high, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a minute until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over the onions and carrots. Make sure the onions and carrots are submerged in the liquid and set aside. Let pickle while you make the rest.
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Now, make the tofu. After the tofu has been pressed, slice the block of tofu into about 1/4-1/2 inch slices.
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Now, take three medium sized bowls. Add the non-dairy milk and Dijon to one bowl, whisk to combine. Add the flour and salt to the second bowl, stir to combine. Add the panko to the third bowl.
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Put one slice of tofu into the flour, coat completely, then into the milk coat completely, then back in the flour, then back into the milk, then into the panko. Make sure the tofu is totally coated in panko. Repeat with all the tofu. Placing on a plate as you go.
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Now, heat about 1/2 an inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium high. Heat to about 350 degrees(F). There should be tiny bubbles forming in the oil.
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Fry a few pieces of tofu at a time for 2-4 minutes per side, or until they are super brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Repeat until all the tofu is done.
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Now make the sauce, whisk the ketchup, chili sauce, soy sauce and agave in a small bowl.
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Serve with rice, tofu and pickled veggies on top, then drizzle with the sauce. Top with chives.
If you prefer not to fry the tofu, you can bake it. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place the tofu on the baking sheet and spray the tops of the tofu with more non-stick spray. Bake at 400 degrees(F). For about 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the tofu is brown and crispy.
*If you need more information on pressing tofu, check out my TOFU COOKING GUIDE.
Absolutely incredible and versatile! I modified a bit based on what I had-Japanese Panko instead of regular, and I baked instead of fried them. Brushed with olive oil and flipped halfway through. I added avocado and bok Choy at the end and it is just so incredible! That sauce makes the dish! Thank you thank you!
That sounds good I will have to give your twist a try. I love Katsu so much and tofu even more.
Yummy! 😊 I had tried this (stuck in quarantine) and it is wonderful. The pickled veggies compliment this meal so well. However, how do you cut these into strips so neatly? The crispy Panko layer falls off on me. I want to cook this again. Props to the Katsu sauce, tastes better than store bought.
I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner tonight. I checked your site for inspiration and voila Tofu Katsu! I had all ingredients except for panko, used regular bread crumbs instead. This dish is amazing! Crunchy tofu, a sweet & spicy sauce and the pickled vegetables were a bonus. Thanks for your wonderful recipes! This is definitely a favorite!
Everything about this meal was SO GOOD. It was so easy to make and came together super easily and turned out perfectly. Will definitely repeat!
We don’t do ketchup so it was a little tricky to get the right consistency with the sauce but it was tasty! LOVED the tofu. Quick pickles were good too but too vinegar-y. My fault because we didn’t use sugar! Thanks and we love your blog.
I made this exactly as directed and this was such tasty, easy meal! I’ll definitely make it again!
Made this tonight and it was excellent. The tofu was super crisp and the ketchup had just enough kick to be interesting without offending the little people. Will definitely make again.
OMG! WTF! This was so good! I needed to make something for a quick 9 PM dinner with stuff we had on hand and this fit the bill. I didn’t have onions so I had to sub another veggie (I chose a red bell pepper) for the pickled veggies. I also only had about half the required panko but made it work with just scraps to spare. Still the recipe turned out AMAZING. The tofu was the crunchiest I have ever had. I am convinced it would turn anyone wary of tofu into a huge fan. The pickled veggies and delicious sweet but spicy sauce complimented it perfectly. It was an explosion of flavor. Thank you so much. I love your site.
Great recipe! I used tofu that had been previously frozen and it was incredible. Used about 5 frozen slices of bread and processed them in the food processor for the Panko bread crumbs. I loved the unique taste of the brined vegetable with the sauce. Thanks for all the work you do!
Another solid dish. The sauce is sweet and savory while the pickled vegetables add tang and the fried tofu adds mouth water fatty goodness. With the neutral rice pulling it all together, this is dish is flavorful yet well balanced. I thought their was a bit extra fixings in regards to the breading ingredients and you could use a little less than listed to avoid waste. Husband asked me to make it again so it’s a win!
This is absolutely my go to comfort food! Me and my kids are obsessed with pickles and as soon ad I saw this recipe I knew it would be a winner dinner for the whole family. We had it for dinner 2 nights in a row. The sauce is the BOMB though a little spicy for the kids. Dressed with a drizzle of vegan Kewpie mayo and you had me in heaven. Thank you so much xx
This was a real winner! So quick and easy. I think it will be making a regular appearance on the weeknight menu. I used cassava flour and Kikkoman gluten free panko.
Can I use almond/coconut flour instead of AP flour? Which do you recommend?
Tried this tonight! Super easy and fun meal. The sauce is BEAUTIFUL (:
These were super crispy and super delicious 😋
Really enjoyed this recipe! Made half the recipe but the full amount of sauce. Used twice frozen, then thawed tofu and that really makes the recipe shine. Instead of Jasmine rice used Trader Joe’s Brown Medley Rice. Definitely a make again!
My teenagers devoured this dinner tonight! Followed the recipe but added a squeeze of lime to the rice. I don’t use oil often but it was worth it here, the tofu was crispy perfection. I’ll probably convection bake next time to avoid the oil (just because we get enough of that elsewhere) but I’m confident it will turn out just as amazing! Thanks Lauren!
I made this for dinner last night…and OMG is this AMAZING! My friends and family more than approved. As per usual, I’ve fallen in love with another recipe of yours 🙂 The crunch on the tofu was ASMR worthy, the sauce was delicious, and the pickled veggies gave it the perfect touch.
This recipe is absolutely incredible!! So delicious. We make it all the time and bake the tofu, as you suggested as an option. Thank you! 🙂
This was fantastic! Instead of the pickled veggies I served it with kimchi and blistered shishito peppers. Thanks for a great recipe!
Sauce was excellent and the tofu was very crispy. Totally what I’ve been craving this whole time and didn’t know it!
Wondering if anyone or yourself has made these tofu katsu blocks in the air fryer?
This is the best tofu recipes I ever did! I used previously frozen tofu and it came out super crispy outside but still nicely soft outside. And it tasted great the sauce complimented it very well. I feel I finally nailed tofu with this recipe and cannot wait to do it again! My only comment would be to pickle more onions less carrots but that might be my personal preference
For the organic ketchup do you use unsweetened? Thanks!