This BBQ Tofu Bowl is full of Caribbean flavours and fresh veggies – it’s inspired by one of my favourite restaurants, One Love Vegetarian.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-firm tofu – firm or extra-firm tofu is best. Tempeh is a great plant-based alternative.
- Bell peppers – any colour of bell peppers will work great for this recipe.
- Red onion – white onion, shallots or yellow onion can also be used.
- Button mushrooms – cremini or sliced whole mushrooms (white or brown) can replace button mushrooms if you’re in a pinch.
- Plantain – unripe bananas, yuca roots or jackfruit can also be used if you can’t find plantains.
- Avocado – if you’re not a fan of avocado, feel free to leave this out or replace it with another vegetable of your choice.
BBQ sauce
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- Sweet onion – a white sweet onion is recommended but a yellow onion will work too.
- Olive oil – use any neutral oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil or sunflower oil.
- Soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos are great gluten-free replacements for soy sauce.
- BBQ sauce – hoisin sauce mixed with ketchup will provide a similar taste.
- Scotch bonnet pepper – habanero chiles, Serrano chiles or red chiles will also work.
- Thyme – oregano or marjoram will also work in place of thyme.
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic can both be used.
- Ginger – fresh grated ginger is preferred but ginger powder can also be used.
- Allspice – double the nutmeg or use cinnamon in place of allspice.
- Nutmeg – cinnamon, ginger powder or extra allspice are great alternatives to nutmeg.
Rice
- White rice – use any variety of white or brown rice that you prefer.
- Butter – you can also use a bit of olive oil or margarine to make the rice nice and moist.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make this recipe
- Make the BBQ sauce.
- Cut and marinate the tofu.
- Cook the rice.
- Sauté the tofu and veggies.
- Fry the plantain slices.
- Assemble your bowls and enjoy!
Homemade BBQ sauce
One of the best parts of this recipe is the homemade BBQ sauce. You can use a store-bought BBQ sauce to save time but it’ll contain way more preservatives and, in my opinion, doesn’t taste nearly as good as this version.
Making the BBQ sauce is easy. All you have to do is add the sweet onion, olive oil, soy sauce, BBQ sauce, Scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, garlic, ginger root, allspice and nutmeg to a blender or Magic Bullet and mix until smooth. Easy peasy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Tofu is a little sweet but slightly nutty on its own and will soak in whatever flavours you cook it with. In this case, the tofu picks up the delicious flavours of the BBQ sauce.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you serve your tofu with. For this recipe, I served my tofu with a range of other veggies, fried plantains, rice and a yummy homemade BBQ sauce.
Technically, you can microwave tofu if you’re in a pinch, but it won’t get that nice crispy texture. I like to sauté my tofu in a pan on the stovetop for this recipe so it gets a crispy texture and doesn’t taste soggy.
Storing and reheating
If you're making extra servings for the week, store your tofu bowls in individual serving sizes in airtight glass containers. These bowls will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days so you’ll have a whole week's worth of delicious lunches/dinners ready for you! The tofu doesn't stay very crispy but it will still have an amazing taste. I also recommend cutting the avocado the day of so it doesn’t brown.
Heat up the mixture in a pan over medium-high heat until heated through to maintain some of the crispiness. You can also microwave it for 1-2 minutes, but the tofu will lose its texture.
Freezing this recipe
Unfortunately, these tofu bowls don’t freeze very well but you can freeze the raw tofu and cooked rice separately for up to 3 months. Store them in airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags. When you’re ready to eat, let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Make sure you drain the tofu after it’s defrosted and before cooking so it still comes out nice and crispy.
More vegetarian recipes
- Roasted Vegetable Flatbread
- Vegetarian Mason Jar Salads – Two Ways
- Instant Pot Taco Soup {Vegetarian + Gluten-Free}
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Get your own square glass meal prep bowls here!
- Get a rice cooker for hands-off cooking time here (they're cheap!).
- This is the brand of tamari I like, and I love this low-sodium soy sauce!
Carribean Inspired BBQ Tofu Bowl {Vegetarian}
Ingredients
- 1 Package extra-firm tofu
- 1/2 red, yellow and green pepper, sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 cup small button mushrooms whole
- 1 plantain slightly overripe and sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 large sweet onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece gingeroot
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Brown rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Mix together ingredients under BBQ sauce heading in a Magic Bullet or blender.
- Pat tofu dry with paper towel squeezing out all excess liquid. Cut into 1/2 inch thick strips and place in plastic bag with marinade, and let sit for 30 min.
- Meanwhile, add all ingredients under the rice heading to a rice cooker or pot on the stove and cook until water is fully absorbed.
- Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add tofu and marinade, along with vegetables, sauteeing for 10 minutes until tofu is browned and heated through and veggies are softened.
- In a separate pan, heat remaining tbsp olive oil, then fry plaintain slices for 4-5 minutes per side over med-high heat.
- Serve tofu mixture over cooked rice, garnishing with sliced avocado and plaintain slices. Enjoy!
Curtis says
I’ve been there many times, never found the tofu to have a jerk flavour but hey, food and recipes are open to interpretation.
Nice try recreating her dish, I love it myself and hope this tastes close to the One Love original.
Melissa Cantrell says
Caribbean BBQ tofu looks pretty amazing and healthy.
http://askmelissaanything.blogspot.com/
Taylor Stinson says
Thank you!! It’s definitely a super healthy alternative