This one-tray oven bake is a delicious Asian-inspired vegan friendly main meal with plenty of protein. Made with busy weeknights in mind, it is very easy and mostly hands-off.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- High protein, oil free and vegan – a nutritious and filling meal.
- Hands off cooking – pop it in the oven and walk away!
- Delicious sticky sweet and spicy flavors.
- Versatile. You can use the tofu as a protein on its own which makes it very handy for meal prep. Omit the broccoli and serve it as the protein in a salad – it would be very tasty with my Asian Baked Cabbage Salad. It’s delicious as a sandwich filling too. Try it in a Vietnamese
- Banh Mi – a crusty baguette, fresh salad veggies, mayo, hoisin sauce and coriander. Heaven!
Ingredients
Here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Extra firm tofu. Please make sure to buy extra firm (sometimes called “hard”) tofu. Classic, firm or silken will not work, they will be too soft.
- Orange juice
- Brown rice syrup (or agave syrup, or maple syrup)
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Lemongrass
- Long red chili
- Broccoli
- Cornstarch
- Rice (to serve)

Instructions
This Baked Lemongrass Tofu recipe is really easy. It’s critical to use extra firm tofu so it is hard enough to withstand being pressed and will absorb the marinade well. It’s also important to press the tofu to draw out any excess water – think of tofu like a sponge. We want to squeeze out any existing water within the block so it can soak up as much marinade as possible. After pressing, you just need to chop your veggies and tofu, mix the marinade and bake. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the detailed instructions with timings, temperatures etc. For visual learners, here’s a step-by-step photo guide on how to make this recipe:

Step one: Press the tofu for at least 20 minutes. To do this, wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel. Place a heavy object like some books on top and leave for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Step two: and slice the tofu into triangles.

Step three: Chop broccoli florets, lemongrass and sliced chili.

Step four: Combine marinade ingredients: orange juice, brown rice syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar.

Step five: Place broccoli, tofu, chili and lemongrass into a tray.

Step six: Pour the marinade into the tray. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the broccoli is well cooked and tender. Flip halfway through.

Step five: Remove the tofu and broccoli from the tray and set aside. Transfer the remaining marinade liquid to a small saucepan. Add cornstarch to the saucepan and whisk over low heat until the sauce has thickened.

Step six: Serve the tofu and broccoli over cooked rice. Pour the thickened sauce over the tofu and broccoli.
Substitutions and Varations
- Sweeteners: If you don’t have brown rice syrup, you can use agave syrup or maple syrup as a substitute.
- Soy Sauce: Tamari or coconut aminos can be used as a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce.
- Lemongrass: If you can’t find fresh lemongrass, try using 1-2 teaspoons of lemongrass paste.
- Chili: Adjust the amount of chili to suit your heat preference, or leave it out entirely. If you don’t have a fresh chili but still want a bit of heat, you could swap it for a tablespoon of sriracha or half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- Broccoli: Swap the broccoli for broccolini or green beans. You can also leave out the vegetables entirely and focus on the tofu (it’s really the star of the show). I will sometimes make only the tofu and use it as a protein for other meals throughout the week like salads or sandwiches.
- Rice: The recipe suggests serving this with plain white rice, but if you’re looking for something a little more flavorful I think it’s delicious with a creamy coconut rice. I like this easy coconut rice recipe from Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats.

Storage
The great thing about this baked tofu is that it is delicious cold as a protein in sandwiches or salads. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Now, on freezing. This recipe is perfectly safe to freeze, but unless you have tried frozen and thawed tofu before, I would say proceed with caution. Tofu’s texture changes a lot when frozen and thawed, it becomes quite spongey and stringy. It’s actually a technique used to make tofu more meaty (see my Tofu Chicken recipe if you’re curious). If you’re familiar with the consistency and don’t mind it, then of course, freeze away. It will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer.
I hope you enjoy this Baked Lemongrass Tofu recipe – it requires a little bit of prep upfront but then once it’s in the oven, it’s mostly hands off. Let me know what you thought of it by leaving a star rating and review in the comments section (scroll down below the recipe card). You can also tag me on Instagram (I’m @glowdiaries___ and I will reshare your post to stories – always love to see what you’re cooking up 🙂

Baked Lemongrass Tofu with Broccoli
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 600 g extra firm tofu pressed and sliced into triangles
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup or sub agave or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1 stalk lemongrass sliced in half, then into 1" (2.5cm) lengths
- 1 long red chilli thinly sliced
- 1 medium head of broccoli approx 350g
- 1 tsp cornstarch minced
To serve
- Cooked white rice
Instructions
- Press the tofu for a minimum of 20 minutes, or up to 1 hour. You can do this by wrapping the whole blocks of tofu in clean kitchen towel and weighting them under a heavy object, like some cookbooks. Once the tofu is pressed, slice into roughly 0.4"/1cm thick slices. Then slice into large triangles.
- Make the marinade by whisking orange juice, brown rice syrup, soy sauce and rice vinegar in a jug.
- Add tofu, broccolini, lemongrass and chili to a large baking tray. Pour the marinade over the top. Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour, or until broccoli is well cooked and tender.
- Remove the tofu and broccoli from the tray. Transfer remaining marinade liquid to a small saucepan and add cornstarch. Whisk over low heat until sauce has thickened.
- Serve tofu and broccoli onto cooked rice, pour the sauce over the top.
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