I haven’t made roasted tofu cubes for awhile since I rarely turn on the oven in warm weather. But lately, it’s been unseasonably cool around here. So I broke out the baking pan and roasted up a batch using the method from Vegan Soul Kitchen.
Stick a little bamboo fork in a tofu cube, top it with a little pesto and you’re done. Easy peasy.
The pesto came out more walnutty than I had intended. I miscalculated the amount of usable fresh basil I had on hand so I ended up with a more-walnuts-than-basil ratio.
Because I was short on the basil, I kinda winged it on the recipe. I was trying to follow the basil mint pesto recipe from www.ppk.com. It still came out pretty tasty though.
Roasted Tofu Lollipops With Pesto
Makes about 24 lollipops
1 16-ounce block of extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons or more of pesto
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the oil, paprika and salt. Cut the tofu into cubes and gently toss to coat with the mixture. Place each tofu cube in single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast for 15 minutes on one side, flip over and roast for another 15 minutes for a total of 30 minutes.
Stick a bamboo fork into the side of each cube, top with about 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite pesto and serve.
Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase.
Related Posts
Honey Walnut Tofu
Buffalo Style Roasted Tofu
Roasted Tofu with Leeks and Black Bean Sauce
Roasted Tofu Cubes From Vegan Soul Kitchen
Morgan says
Dang! That looks so good, such a good picture too. Did I ever tell you that I made your Honey walnut tofu dish?? It was a little while ago and OH MY GOODNESS, it was awesome!
Andrea says
Those are some great looking tofu chunks — and so easy to make. The humidity is much too high for oven use around here but as soon as it cools down, I want some!
Sarah says
OMG YUM!! Can’t wait to try these! My 13 year old and I are both vegan and I am always trying to find new recipes to make for her. I think she will really love these! Thanks!
Jes says
I’m such a sucker for anything on a stick–those look great! Perfect for a dinner party. :) Thanks for the love, I didn’t quit the MFA, just started writing about food in addition to poetry. 1 more year, then I’m done, woot!
Sarah S. says
A-dorable
jodye @ 'scend food says
Those are the cutest little tofu cubes ever, hooray for pesto! Have you ever tried smoked paprika? I bet it would be delicious on these
DJ Karma (VegSpinz) says
Very cute presentation! What a great looking appetizer :)
lisaiscooking says
Your lollipops look delicious. I always hear such good things about that book–I should get a copy already!
Sandy says
When you roasted the tofu, did you include the rosemary?
JoLynn-dreaminitvegan says
Can you say appetizers for a dinner party! I love these.
Nora says
Insanely cute! What a great idea. Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolly lolly lolly…
Hannah says
Those look amazing, on so many levels! Crispy tofu = perfection, pesto works on everything, and everything tastes better on a stick!
crystal says
Like this :) yummy cheers
Veggie Belly says
I love how you made these into lollipops. Delicious!
ditsyquoin says
Wow! i just invited a new couple in town over for dinner 2 days from now. I was going to serve grilled lamb lollipops and a pesto pasta but at the last minute they said, “did you know that we are vegetarians, but we can eat around”. This looks fun and everything does taste better on sticks!
Candace says
These look fantastic! Can’t wait to try them! The pesto on them looks so delicious – do you have that recipe posted??
kathy says
Perfect tofu! Looks delish!! Love your photos. I hope you will submit this to http://www.FindingVegan.com ~Kathy
chow says
Thanks everyone for your comments!
jodye @ ‘scend food – Yes, I have tried smoked paprika before, it’s good too.
Sandy – No, I didn’t include the rosemary. I wanted the other flavors to come through.
Candace – Click on the link above for the basil mint pesto recipe that I was trying to make.
christina says
I wish you had a function to print out your recipe. I want to add this one to my recipe box!
chow says
christina – I will look into adding some sort of print function. :-)
Adrienne says
I would love to make this recipe for a party we are hosting in a couple of weeks. Do you need to serve the tofu hot or is it okay at room temperature?
chow says
Adrienne – Hot out of the oven, the texture of the tofu is creamier. As it cools, it becomes firmer. I personally like it either way. But you might want to try out the recipe before the party to see which way you prefer to serve it.
Syd says
Do you pat your tofu dry or squeeze it out before marinading and baking? Would that help make them crispier or not?
chow says
Syd – I don’t pat or squeeze the tofu before using. I think it’s the roasting that makes them crisp but they won’t ever be as crispy as frying. Hope that helps. :-)
Lori says
I’m thinking I should marinate the tofu in something to increase its flavor. Thoughts?
chow says
Lori – I haven’t tried marinating the tofu before roasting. It has plenty of flavor for me out of the oven and served with a dip or sauce. But if you give it a try, I would love to hear how it came out. :-)
Caroline says
I tried this recipe tonight and it was a big hit! Thanks for the recipe share!