Toasted sandwich with eggy tofu & seitan bacon

I love a good breakfast sandwich.

Eggy tofu.

Seitan bacon.

Melty non-dairy cheese.

All on a toasted grilled cheese-style sandwich.

It gets so beautifully crisp and golden, you wonder why you ever make plain old toast in the toaster.

In this post:

I often make vegan breakfast sandwiches with bagels or vegan egg mcmuffins with English muffins.

But when I don’t feel like a special trip to the bakery or grocery store, bread is even more convenient!

Bread is something I always have on hand. That makes it easy for a delicious toasted sandwich, encasing all of those morning staples that I adore.

Toasted sandwiches don’t require a special machine, panini press, or sandwich maker. Just grab a couple of large skillets, and you’re good to go.

The vegan egg aspect of this sandwich comes by way of eggy tofu.

Eggy tofu is tofu that has been seasoned with kala namak, also known as black salt. It’s a sulfurous salt that gives off an eggy taste and scent. Just one sprinkle goes a long way!

You can find black salt at Indian grocery stores or online. In Indian grocery stores, one bag is usually just a couple of dollars. And it lasts forever in the cupboard without going stale or off.

To fill out the remainder of the eggy tofu seasonings, I like to use granulated onion and nutritional yeast flakes. Freshly ground black pepper is also welcome!

If you’re in a pinch, you can use just kala namak alone, and it will work!

Eggy tofu is a standard in my kitchen, and it shows up again and again in my recipes. It’s also terrific with toast, in a breakfast quesadilla, or piled on top of vegan shakshuka.

For eggy tofu, I recommend using vacuum-packed super firm tofu.

Because it isn’t packaged in water, you don’t have to press it first.

It also has a heft to it that makes it easy to slice and brown without falling apart.

You can find vacuum packaged tofu at most natural grocery stores.

I usually buy mine at Trader Joe’s. It’s one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products. Wildwood also makes vacuum-packed tofu.

You’ll only need about 2 ounces of tofu per sandwich. And super firm tofu comes in 10, 16, or 20 ounce packages usually.

So you’ll likely have tofu left over, unless you’re making a lot of sandwiches. You can keep the leftover tofu in a covered container in the refrigerator.

If you don’t have access to vacuum packed tofu, I recommend pressing water packed tofu for at least 30 minutes to an hour before making the sandwich. Here’s a primer on how to press tofu.

Although, if you really don’t have the time or inclination, it’s not a deal breaker. Water-packed tofu that hasn’t been pressed will just be on the softer side, and may not brown as nicely. Blot it with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to remove any excess liquid before putting it into the skillet.

Vegan cheese is the “glue” that holds this sandwich together.

There are so many non-dairy options out there. Be sure to use one that melts well!

For this toasted sandwich, I used two kinds of cheese – shredded cashew mozzarella from Trader Joe’s and Daiya cheddar block, which I shredded by hand.

You could also use a vegan pepper jack, smoked provolone, or whatever non-dairy cheese you like.

Finishing out the sandwich is chewy seitan bacon. So smoky and with wonderful texture and bite.

My favorite seitan bacon is from the Herbivorous Butcher.

The slices are really big, so you only need one slice per sandwich. Although, more is never a bad thing!

(Pro tip: It also makes a terrific fried green tomato BLT!)

I also like Upton’s Naturals seitan bacon. Keep in mind their slices are smaller, so you’ll want at least two or three per sandwich.

If you like tempeh, you could also do pre-made or homemade tempeh bacon instead.

Put on slices of seitan bacon, and thinly sliced super firm tofu. Allow everything to brown, then flip.

On the tofu slices, sprinkle the following:

• Kala namak (black salt)
• Granulated onion
• Nutritional yeast flakes

Then flip the tofu slices & sprinkle more on the other side. Flip one more time to set the seasonings.

On the second skillet, place four buttered slices of bread, butter side down. Top with shredded non-dairy cheese. Cover with a lid, so that it can melt.

Once the tofu & seitan bacon are browned to your liking, it’s time to move them to the melted cheesy bread.

Put on two tofu slabs and one or more slices of seitan bacon for each sandwich. Top with the remaining toasted bread slices.

You can make this sandwich your own by varying the toppings and/or seasonings.

If you’re not a fan of eggy flavors, use your own preferred seasoning mix like Slap Ya Mama seasoning salt.

Instead of or in addition to non-dairy cheese, add avocado. Once the bread is toasted on one side, put fresh avocado onto the slices. Then top with seitan bacon and eggy tofu.

For more bite, add slices of red onion and/or arugula to the finished sandwich.

This is a really filling sandwich that is a full breakfast on its own.

But if you’d like to fill it out even more, here are some tasty side dish options:

• Hash browns
• Breakfast potatoes in the air fryer or oven
• Broccolini with kale
• Fresh fruit

Or finish it off with a very cherry smoothie, mango banana smoothie, or blueberry banana smoothie.

If you’re feeling some relaxed brunch vibes, have a Bloody Mary.

📖 Recipe

Toasted sandwich with eggy tofu and seitan bacon

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 3 votes

With this easy, handheld sandwich, you get all of your vegan breakfast favorites in one handheld dish. It's filled with savory seitan bacon, eggy tofu, and melted non-dairy cheese. It's plenty filling all on its own, or you can serve it with a side of fruit or hash browns.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: breakfast sandwich, brunch recipe, easy vegan

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 slices bread
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
• ▢ ¼ cup shredded vegan cheese
• ▢ 2 teaspoons avocado oil or your preferred cooking oil
• ▢ 2 slices seitan bacon or more if needed
• ▢ 4 ounces super firm vacuum-packed tofu  cut into thin slices about ¼ inch in thickness
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kala namak divided
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon granulated onion divided
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes divided

Instructions

• ▢
  Slather all of the slices of bread with vegan butter on one side.
• ▢
  Bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Put the buttered bread butter-side-down in the skillet. Top the bread with shredded vegan cheese. Cover with a lid, and allow the cheese to melt.
• ▢
  Bring another large non-stick skillet to a medium heat. Drizzle with avocado oil (or your preferred high heat oil). Put the seitan bacon and tofu slices into the skillet. Don't move any of it for a couple of minutes, so that everything can get nice and brown. Then flip with a spatula.
• ▢
  Sprinkle the tofu slices with half of the kala namak, nutritional yeast flakes, and granulated onion (about ⅛ teaspoon over all of them on that side). 
• ▢
  Once the other side of the tofu is brown, flip again, and sprinkle that side with the remaining kala namak, nutritional yeast flakes, and granulated onion (again about ⅛ teaspoon across all of them). 
• ▢
  Flip the tofu slices one last time to seal in the spices, cooking for just about a minute more. Turn the heat off the skillet and set aside.
• ▢
  Now it's time to compile the sandwiches. On one melted cheese bread slice, top with two slabs of eggy tofu and a strip of bacon (or more if using). Finish the sandwich with a toasted bread slice.

  Then compile the second sandwich the same way.
• ▢
  Cut the sandwiches on a diagonal and serve hot.

Notes

I recommend using super firm tofu in vacuum packaging that doesn’t need to be pressed. Super firm tofu usually comes in 10, 16, or 20 ounce packages. You won’t need the full amount for this recipe. Just cut off four thin slices for the sandwiches. Then put the rest of the tofu in a covered container in the refrigerator for other uses.

If you’re using water-packed tofu, you can either press the tofu first or just blot the tofu quickly with a towel. I like a firmer texture, but it will be fine softer too. Just make sure the tofu slices are fully dry before putting them in the skillet for optimum browning. Here are more details on how to press tofu.

I recommend Herbivorous Butcher seitan bacon for the sandwiches, but any seitan bacon will work. Keep in mind that seitan bacon varies greatly in size from one brand to the next. If you’re using Upton’s Naturals seitan bacon, you’ll want to use at least two or three slices per sandwich. 

Use the shredded vegan cheese of your choice, or shred your own by hand from a block. I used Trader Joe’s shredded cashew-based mozzarella, and Daiya cheddar block, shredded by hand. 

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Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 561mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 3mg