by Lauren Hartmann 39 Comments
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Cheesy, herby, crusty, yum, yum!
Vegan Parmesan herb crusted tofu is my new favorite thing. I have really been dying for a quick and easy protein that is super versatile, can be served with pasta, veggies or even alone with a squeeze of lemon on top. When I was a kid, I used to order Chicken Milanese frequently. Breaded, crunchy, with just a squeeze of lemon. I loved the simplicity of it. I would top it with peppery arugula. I was beginning to crave those flavors and textures.
So let me tell you, vegan Parmesan herb crusted tofu is better than I remembered the chicken Milanese being. It is so easy, takes no time to throw together, and so incredible with a squeeze of lemon on top or even a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
The crust for the tofu is made from Panko, nutritonal yeast, garlic and herbs. It tastes so cheesy and yummy. The tofu is baked, not fried, but stays crispy and crunchy for a long time. I have actually even made extra, reheated it in the oven later, and it remained crispy!
I also, always have issues with finding things my super picky daughter will eat. She has never eaten meat before, so I am constantly on a mission to find proteins that she likes(she ends up eating a lot of veggie “chicken” nuggets). She loves tofu, but is still really picky about it. So, we had a success in our house, when she discovered vegan Parmesan herb crusted tofu, because not only do my husband and I love it, but Lenore is totally into it as well.
I bet your entire house hold will be totally into it too! What’s not to love, delicious, nutritious, and goes well with pretty much everything!
Vegan Parmesan Herb Crusted Tofu
Print Recipe
Cheesy, herby, crunchy baked tofu. Easy and delicious!
Course Main Course
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Servings 4
Author Lauren Hartmann
Ingredients
- 1 Block(15oz.) Extra firm tofu, pressed
- 1 C. Almond milk or other non dairy milk
- 1 tsp. Lemon juice
- 1 C. All purpose flour
- 2 tsp. Salt, divided
- 1 1/2 C. Panko bread crumbs
- 3 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. Basil, dried
- 1/2 tsp. Oregano, dried
- 1/4 tsp. Black pepper
Instructions
You need to press your tofu before you bake it. Either in a tofu press, or by placing on some paper towels and placing something heavy on top. Press for at least 15 minutes, but the longer the better.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Then, get 3 mixing bowls. In one bowl, pour the almond milk and lemon juice. Whisk to combine, it should begin to curdle and thicken a bit.
In the second bowl, add the flour and 1 tsp. of salt. Whisk to combine.
In the third bowl, add the panko, nutritional yeast, garlic, basil, oregano, the remaining 1 tsp. of salt and the pepper. Whisk to combine.
When the tofu is ready, slice it through the side, making 4 wide "steaks".
Now, spray a baking sheet with non stick spray, or rub it with olive oil.
Then, taking one tofu steak, place it in the flour mixture. Coat and shake off the excess, then place into the almond milk, coating completely, then back into the flour, then back into the almond milk, then into the panko. Coat completely with the bread crumbs and herbs. Pressing it on to the tofu if need be, and up the sides.
Place the tofu on the baking sheet and repeat with the other slices of tofu. Spray the tops of the tofu with more non stick spray, or drizzle with olive oil.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Flipping the tofu halfway through baking. Bake until golden brown and crispy. Then I like to sprinkle with a little more salt and a squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately with sides of choice!
Notes
I like to sprinkle salt on my block of tofu before I press it, it helps draw more liquid out, while seasoning it at the same time.
Spraying the tofu with non stick spray or drizzling with oil helps brown the tofu. You can skip this step if you want, but the tofu will not get as golden brown.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
SamanthaI was hoping to make this whole recipe, pasta included, but I can’t tell what on the pasta? It looks delicious!
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- Lauren Hartmann
I just tossed my pasta in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast and Italian spices!
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- Debra Ann Truman
I’m not a very savvy cook so could you tell me how much olive oil, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast and Italian spices to use on the pasta. I’m making this for my very picky grandson.Reply
- Lauren Hartmann
I would say probably 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast and italian spices. I hope that helps!
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- Emily Holmes
Thank you so much for another fantastic recipe! We had this over vegan pasta with marinara and some melted vegan mozarella, like chicken parm. It was fabulous. Seriously, this blog is singlehandedly keeping me on the vegan wagon, lol. My husband and I look forward to each new post and I’m finally transitioning my kids as well! Keep up the insanely delicious work!
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- Lauren Hartmann
That sounds so good. I will have to try that! You just made my day. I’m so happy you like my recipes, it feels so wonderful to hear that!
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- Nancy Simoneau
I made this last night and it was delicious! Served with a side of broccoli & rabe pasta with lemon.Thank you for this recipe.
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- Lauren Hartmann
That sounds like an amazing side for this tofu, I definitely have to try that! I’m so glad you liked it, and you are so welcome!
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- Hannah
I’m half way through my first pregnancy and have been eating horribly (mainly because sweets are the only thing that sound good to me! Though, don’t let me full you. I haven’t had any bit of morning sickness. I digress). I decided I needed to get my act together so I took to Pinterest to find some healthy foods that would be enticing enough to actually make me cook them. I came across this recipe and made it tonight! I put it on top of a bed of arugula and rotini dressed in olive oil and WHOA! So yum! Thanks so much for sharing! I felt really happy and healthy and excited to eat this again!
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I made this tonight and loved it! The tofu turned out so crispy and it wasn’t that complicated to make. Thank you!! 🙂
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- Supriya
Just discovered your amazing site and all these gorgeous, creative recipes—thank you for sharing them! I plan to try this dish out first. Could I ask how you prepared those drool-worthy grilled lemon wedges?
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- Lauren Hartmann
I’m glad you found me! I just put a tiny pit of olive oil in a hot pan, then sear the lemon on each side until is is brown. It is so flavorful and makes them super juicy!
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- Eb4n
Im making this for lunch today and was able to make 6 steaks…. I wanted mine thinner. Anyways, I was left with a lot of flour and the bread crumb mixture- I’d definitely cut those ingredients in half. Cant wait until they’re done baking … I’m making some bow tie pasta tossed in the same ingredients you used… sounds yummy and I’ve never thought to add balsamic to pasta !Reply
- JKTBBD
Just made this for my family and they loved it! Thinner tofu steaks are definitely better, especially if you want crispier texture. Served ours with jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk and spinach & topped with hemp hearts. Also lightly sprinkled red pepper flakes on top of tofu steak crust before baking it in oven. A WONDERFUL recipe – thank u!!Reply
- Valerie
Just made this for dinner tonight and i really loved the crunch on the tofu, but i think my tofu was to thick because it didn’t really have much flavor outside of what tofu tastes like (bland). Obviously with the way the tofu is breaded it cant be marinaded beforehand but we used a vegan ranch dipping sauce and that definitely helped. I will definitely be making this again with thinner tofu steaks! I just found your website and i think I have saved at least 20 recipes over the last day, cant wait to try them all!!
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- Mstevens
This was my kids first introduction to tofu and they said they would eat it again, if it weren’t so salty. I feel like this would be better with about a quarter the amount of salt. Overall, a great way to serve tofu.
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- Lidija B
First time I ever tried to make tofu this way and it’s delicious! Love this recipe, even my 4 year old loved it. I made a vegan avocado pesto for my pasta and it all paired beautifully together.Reply
- Janelle
We are not vegan or vegetarian and we loved this! My boys really like tofu, but had never had it baked. We’re adding this recipe to our meal rotation!Reply
- Emily
So tasty, and crunchy! Had heaps of panko left over so might have to make a second batch later this week 😉Reply
- Abby
About to make this. It looks/sounds great. Under your notes you said u spray the tofu, is that before or after you have started breading process?
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- Abby
Lol, I just saw where u said to spray with oil to help it brown. But what I didn’t see was the Parmesan.. is it kraft Parmesan or “real” Parmesan? Where do you add it?
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- Lauren Hartmann
All my recipes are vegan so there is no actual Parmesan. The ingredients create a Parmesan flavor. The nutritional yeast creates a vegan Parmesan. You can use real Parmesan in its place though, if you prefer.
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- Hannah
This is my husband’s favorite meal, and he is the pickiest eater I’ve ever met. My friends and family who are deathly afraid to try tofu, are shocked to learn that it can taste so amazing! It tastes like chicken! Everybody who tried this asks for the recipe immediately! So brilliant! We love eating it with pasta as shown in the picture!Reply
- Sarah
I made these tonight to go with a kale salad. I was really impressed. It was delicious and my kids love it. I would say that you want thinner cut, it seemed to crisp up a little more. My kids dipped them in a plum sauce. I will be making this again and again. Also, is it just me or is there no Parmesan in the ingredients list. I didn’t realize the name of the recipe and when I did I thought I forgot an ingredient, but it isn’t listed. Am I crazy?Reply
- Wendy
Can I use tofu that’s been frozen in this recipe? Thanks!
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- Julie Grace
You sure can!
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- Tania
Hi there!This was so simple and delicious, thank you!
I was wondering if the panko mix and flour can be reused for something else or do you just throw it out?Thanks so much 🙂
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- louise
how important is the yeast in this recipe?
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- Lauren Hartmann
You can leave it out if you want, it would still be delicious. The nutritional yeast is just what gives it a bit of a cheesy flavor.
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- Michelle
so excited to make this! all of your recipes i’ve tried so far have been winners! do you think violife parmesan would be good in place of the nutritional yeast?
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- Julie Grace
Yes we think that would work!
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This was so delicious. I think next time I make it I’ll add the nutritional yeast to the flour mixture though. I feel like it didn’t mix well with the panko so I didn’t get as much as I would’ve liked on my tofu. Otherwise this was amazing!!Reply
Looks fantastic! I’ll bet this is something my omni husband would enjoy. He LOVES parmesan so I think I’ll this to our meal plan.
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