Marinated Grilled Tofu and Zucchini

Marinated in a flavorful soy-based marinade and grilled until perfectly smoky alongside tender zucchini, this marinated grilled tofu will quickly become a grill favorite!

Tofu is finally getting its time to shine on the grill! It’s been a grill-heavy summer so far around here but we’re giving the meat a rest for today.

And it’s all eyes on this absolutely dynamite soy-marinated tofu + a mess of smoky zucchini. What I like to call an absolute dinner queen.

This was my first time grilling tofu and while initially I was scared of how it would go, turns out these fears were completely unwarranted. Tofu is even easier and faster to grill up than most meats! Each recipe test went flawlessly and each batch was even better than the last.

My favorite part about this tofu is the prep-ahead aspect! You can marinate the tofu many hours in advance and when it comes time to cook all you’ll have to do is slice up some zucchini and throw the whole deal on the grill.

This Grilled Tofu features…

• Smoky grilled tofu slabs marinated in a soy sauce-based marinade
• Tender grilled zucchini
• Easy to prep ahead of time and minimal ingredients needed

Making the Grilled Tofu

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Soy sauce
• Honey
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Tofu
• Zucchini
• Vegetable oil
• Green onions
• Sesame seeds

How to Press Tofu

Prepare the tofu for pressing by cutting the tofu in half width-wise. Lay the two tofu slabs in a single layer on a kitchen towel, place another kitchen towel on top, arrange on a plate, and place a sheet pan on top.

Now place something heavy on top of the sheet pan (like a bowl of fruit or a medium-weight book) and allow to sit for 30-60 minutes. Once the tofu has been pressed, it’s ready for marinating.

Why press tofu? Even extra-firm tofu is packaged in liquid and removing some of this liquid ensures that the tofu will soak up more of the flavorful marinade.

Tips for Perfect Grilled Tofu

1. Use a resealable bag for marinating – I find that the marinade soaks into the tofu better when its in a bag versus a bowl.
2. Marinate tofu at least 2 hours – a good rule of thumb with marinating tofu is 2 hours if you’re in a hurry and up to 4 if you’ve got some extra time.
3. Save the marinade – don’t throw out the marinade after removing the tofu. Simmer marinade on the stove several minutes and save it for drizzling over tofu after grilling.
4. Grease grill grates – make sure you grease the grill grates very well with vegetable oil before preheating so the tofu doesn’t stick.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this tofu.

• Try more vegetables – replace the zucchini with broccoli, summer squash, green beans, or sweet pepper. You can also use a combination of vegetables.
• Make it spicy – add red pepper flakes or hot sauce to taste to the marinade for a spicy kick.

Serving Suggestions

This tofu and zucchini is great served alongside steamed white rice, fried rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa. I recommend cutting the tofu and zucchini into cubes for serving.

It’s almost insane to me how incredible this tofu grills up. The marinade soaks into every inch giving it amazing umami flavor that goes so well with a quick char on the grill alongside tender zucchini planks.

Grilled meat who??

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Try these other tofu favorites next!

• Tofu Peanut Satay Noodles
• Cashew Tofu Stir Fry
• Crispy Gochujang Tofu Bowls