Tofu satay with peanut sauce (air fryer, baked, or grilled)

Grilled tofu satay on plate with peanut & cilantro garnish.

5 from 13 votes

Tofu satay with peanut sauce (air fryer, baked, or grilled)

This mouthwatering appetizer is a guaranteed crowdpleaser. Tofu is marinated in a coconut curry sauce. Then it can be cooked on the grill, in the air fryer, or baked in the oven. Serve with peanut sauce for dipping. Garnish with optional cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Prep Time15

Cook Time8

Marinating time30

Total Time53

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Asian, Vegan

Keyword: air fryer recipe, grill recipe, tofu skewer

Servings: people

Calories: 88kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

Tofu satay

16 ounces vacuum packed super firm tofu
½ cup coconut milk light or full fat
2 Tablespoons tamari
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon maple syrup or your preferred liquid sweetener
1 clove garlic finely grated or minced
Oil spray for grilling only
Cilantro optional garnish
Chopped peanuts optional garnish

Creamy peanut sauce

¼ cup peanut butter crunchy or creamy
1 teaspoon tamari
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sriracha
¼ cup water
1 small garlic clove finely grated or minced
½ teaspoon ginger powder

Instructions

For the tofu satay

Remove tofu from packaging & blot dry with a clean kitchen towel.
Cut tofu into 6 even sized slabs across the longest part of the tofu. Then cut each of those slabs in half, so that you have 12 tofu pieces in total.
In a shallow baking dish, combine coconut milk, tamari, curry powder, lime juice, maple syrup, and minced garlic.
Lay the tofu slices in the marinade, coating each side. Cover the dish and refrigerate.
Marinate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Flip the tofu occasionally for even marinating.
When you're ready to cook, choose one cooking method below - air fry, bake, or grill.
TO AIR FRY: Remove the tofu pieces from the marinade, and put into the air fryer basket. (Don't overcrowd. If necessary, cook in batches.)
Air fry at 400 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes, stopping about halfway through to flip (once it has browned on one side). If you like, you can add a drizzle of marinade to each tofu slice after flipping.
Remove from air fryer. When the tofu is cool enough to handle, thread each piece of tofu onto a bamboo skewer. Serve with peanut sauce for dipping. Garnish with optional cilantro & chopped peanuts.
TO BAKE: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet (or two if needed) with parchment paper. Put the tofu pieces onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced.
Bake for 20 minutes, stopping once halfway through to flip. If you like, you can add a drizzle more of marinade onto each piece of tofu after flipping.
Remove from oven. When the tofu is cool enough to handle, thread each piece of tofu with a bamboo skewer. Serve with peanut sauce for dipping. Garnish with optional cilantro & chopped peanuts.
TO GRILL: Bring an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to a medium high heat. Spray with oil. (For an outdoor grill, I recommend using a grill basket, so that the tofu doesn't fall through the grates.)
Put the tofu across the grill basket or grill pan, being careful not to overcrowd. (You may need to cook in batches.)
Grill each side for 3 to 4 minutes, until the tofu easily moves from the grill and has dark grill marks. (If you move the tofu and it sticks, it’s not done yet.) If you like, you can drizzle a little marinade onto each tofu slice after flipping.
Once the tofu pieces are done, move them to a separate plate. When the tofu is cool enough to handle, thread each piece of tofu with a bamboo skewer. Serve with peanut sauce for dipping. Garnish with optional cilantro & chopped peanuts.
(If you'd prefer, you can grill the tofu on the skewers instead of threading them afterwards. But remember to soak bamboo skewers in water before outdoor grilling, so that they don't burn.)

For the creamy peanut sauce:

In a small bowl, use a fork or whisk to combine peanut butter, tamari, brown rice vinegar, hot sauce, and water until it is fully combined and has the texture of a creamy sauce. For the optimum texture & creaminess, be sure to get out any lumps.
Thickness of peanut butter varies. So if your sauce is too thick and pasty, add another teaspoon of water. If it's too thin, add another 1 to 2 teaspoons of peanut butter.
Add the garlic and ginger powder and fully combine.
Serve right away, or put in a covered container in the refrigerator. If you like, garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Notes

This recipe is for tofu in vacuum packaging. If you’re using water-packaged tofu, it will need to be pressed first. For help with that, read this post on how to press tofu.

I recommend using a Microplane zester on the garlic. It makes it very fine, which blends well with the marinade and peanut sauce.

If you'd prefer, you can blend the peanut sauce in a food processor or blender instead of using a fork or whisk.

Ground ginger can be replaced with ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger.

If you don't have short bamboo skewers, here's how to cut long skewers down to the right size. Use strong scissors to cut tall skewers right in the middle to score them. Then use your hands to break them in half. Be careful of any splinters & don't put that end into your food.

Store leftover tofu satay & peanut sauce in covered containers in the refrigerator. Tofu satay will last 3 or 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.

The peanut sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Add a teaspoon of water to thin it out, if needed, after refrigeration. Peanut sauce will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

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