Holiday Glazed Tofu Roast

You have come to the right place if you're looking for a plant-based alternative to the usual holiday turkey roast. This tofu dish is so delicious and flavorful, even the meat-eaters might get in on this! It's so flavorful, with a touch of holiday spice and smoke.

I'm serving this for Thanksgiving with Vegan Scalloped Potatoes and Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread for dessert. 

If your oven is a little preoccupied with other dishes, you can cook the tofu in an air fryer, which is also the faster option. See the notes at the bottom for how to cook this in the oven. Let's get to it!

Photo credit: It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Holiday Glazed Tofu Roast

Makes 4 servings. You can double the recipe to serve more people.

Original recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs, It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Ingredients

For the tofu:

• 1 block (350g) extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke

For the glaze:

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves 

Instructions

1. Prepare the tofu by draining it, and then pressing it with a paper towel or clean dish towel. Use a heavy book or similar to place on top, which will help press more water out of it. This will make it so the tofu can suck up more of the marinade, which makes it more flavorful.
2. Once pressed, pat the tofu dry and cut the block in half, width-wise. Use a knife to score a diamond pattern across the surface of each piece of the tofu, cutting about ¼ inch deep. Add the soy sauce and liquid smoke to a sealable bag or container, then add the tofu pieces. Let the tofu marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge, flipping it every so often to ensure both sides get marinated.
3. When ready to roast the tofu, preheat your airfryer* to 350F on the "Roast" function. 
4. Remove the tofu from the marinade and place in the air fryer. Let it cook for 25-30 minutes, until the tofu is a dark golden brown. Be sure to check it halfway through to see how it’s doing.
5. While the tofu is roasting, make the glaze by adding the brown sugar, vegan butter, water, mustard, garlic, cloves and cinnamon to a small pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat, bringing the mixture to a simmer while whisking often, and cook for about two minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Once the tofu has cooked and is golden brown, use tongs or a spatula to carefully remove it from the air fryer and place onto a dish. Pour the prepared glaze on top. For easier clean up, you may want to line the air fryer with a piece of aluminum foil at this point.
7. Return the tofu to the air fyer and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the glaze is bubbling. Remove from the air fryer and let cool 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy hot or cold!

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (recipe makes 4 servings) | Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g |

*** If you don't have an air fryer, you can bake this in the oven at 375F for 50-60 minutes. Use a baking dish lined with parchment paper to roast it in.