
Perfectly grilled tofu comes to life when brushed with a tangy and slightly sweet peach almond butter sauce. Firm slabs of tofu develop a satisfying crust on the grill that gives way to a pleasant chewy texture. Combined with the sweet-sour peach sauce, it kind of gives a BBQ tofu vibe! The sauce features whole food ingredients like peaches, almond butter, miso, lemon juice, ginger, and dried chilis. Every bite has a bit of sweetness, a tart edge, and deep umami flavor. Folks who aren’t afraid to mix their tofu with seasonal fruit might also love my blackberry glazed tofu recipe.
This is a fun and admittedly unusual vegan grilled main to play with during peach season! I have you make a sauce from fresh peaches on the stove that we finish up in the blender. The dish has a fun sweet-savory duality that will remind you of traditional BBQ sauce-lacquered goodies! Shallots, chili, and white miso keep it all rooted in the typical dinner flavor zone.
Logan Petit Lot’s gorgeously roast-y almond butter makes the sauce’s texture extra luscious, and also helps to emphasize the golden crust of the finished tofu. Of course I am thrilled to be collaborating again with this Montreal-based business that is meticulous about their sourcing and process. Their almond butter is the freshest, most fully flavored version I’ve ever tried (including my own homemade attempts lol)! And it has the perfect enhancing edge of sea salt.
You can prep the sauce ahead of time and hold it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Hope you love this quirky little dinner number. It’s just the thing for these last couple weeks of summer. I would pair this with some roasted lemony potatoes and a summery salad. Garnishing the grilled tofu with some tiny dices of peach and fresh herbs really amps up the visual appeal!
Grilled Tofu with Peach, Almond Butter & Miso Sauce
Ingredients
Peach, Almond Butter & Miso Sauce
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground chilis
- 2 medium ripe peaches, pitted and chopped
- ½ cup water, plus extra
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 teaspoons white miso
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Tofu
- 2 lb (908 grams–2 blocks) firm or extra firm tofu, sliced into ¾-inch thick pieces
- oil spray
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
- Grill
Notes
- Chopped nectarines, apricots or plums would also work in the base of this sauce!
- It is really important that your grill grates are clean and well seasoned. Tofu loves to stick in non-ideal grill conditions!
Instructions
Make the peach almond butter sauce
- Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, pour in the oil and add the shallots. Sauté shallots until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the ginger and chilis, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the peaches. Continue to sauté and stir the peaches here and there until they’re starting to break down, about 5 minutes.
- Add the water and let it simmer for a couple minutes. Transfer all of the contents of the pan to an upright blender. Add the almond butter, miso, and maple syrup. Blend on high until completely smooth. Add more water if necessary to get the blades going. Pour the peach mixture back into the pan and return it to medium heat on the stove.
- Bring the peach sauce to a simmer and add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The consistency should be fluid, but the sauce should also coat the back of a spoon. Taste it for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Turn off the heat and set aside. You should have about 1 ½ cups of sauce total.
Prepare and grill the tofu
- Cut the tofu blocks into slabs about ¾ inch thick (you’ll get 4 per block) and lay them out on a clean kitchen towel. Press another clean kitchen towel on top and press excess moisture out.
- Place the dried tofu pieces on a plate and spray them with oil. Season tofu with the spices, salt, and pepper.
- Preheat your grill to high and clean it very well. Oil the grates on one side of the grill and place the tofu on the grates. Turn the heat to medium-low under the tofu and close the lid (but leave it high in other zones).
- Once the tofu has browning and a “crust” on the underside (after about 10 minutes), flip it over. Cook it for another 10 minutes to brown the other side.
- Brush the up facing side with the peace sauce and flip. Let it cook for a minute or two. Flip the tofu and repeat brushing on the other side.
- Serve the tofu hot with extra peach sauce and chopped fresh herbs on top if you like. Enjoy!
Would frozen peaches work?
Since you’re just cooking them down into a sauce, yes! I would thaw them before starting though.
-L
Made this last night for my husband and brother. We had BC nectarines in abundance so I subbed those for the peaches. All the components were very simple to put together. I didn’t have sumac so I used Za’atar spice along with the All Spice. We enjoyed with garden green beans and a fresh salad with diced nectarines. A lovely and different summer meal to enjoy!
This came out quite tasty. Though next time I will use a little less almond butter in the sauce because I lost the flavor of the peaches a bit. I will also reserve some chopped peaches for a garnish to make sure those flavors come through.
I really enjoyed this! I sliced my tofu a bit thinner and cooked it on my griddle grill (no grates or lid), and it worked really well! It was nice to have extra sauce – I served it with grilled cabbage & peppers and brown rice. Thanks, Laura!
This looks so good, l will be on the lookout for ripe peaches at the farm stand on Saturday! Thank you!
I love that you wrote ‚peace sauce‘ in step 5 and immediatly checked if I misread peach before
In my opinion, the world desperatly needs peace sauce!
I love your creative flavor combinations. This one is a showstopper!
Apologies for asking given that grilling seems so central here, but can the tofu be pan-fried or baked for those without a grill?
Yes definitely pan fried or baked! For both, I would probably dust the tofu with cornstarch along with the spices to get a slightly crunchy exterior.
-L