Grilled tofu over an open fire – pressed, marinated and grilled over embers

Pressed at home, marinated in the cool box and ready in ten minutes

4 servings
Difficulty: Easy
22 ingredients
7 steps

Photo: Joi, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Time: 30 min at home + marinating + 30 min for the fire + 15 min at the grill

The box of tofu has been in the cool box since this morning, and the marinade has had time to soak in while you were walking. At the fire pit the brown slices are lifted out one at a time and laid on the grill, where they sizzle. Then nothing happens for several minutes. Nobody prods, nobody turns. When the spatula finally slides under the first slice, it comes away cleanly, with dark stripes and a surface that crackles.

Tofu has a reputation for being pale and sticking to the grill. That's almost always down to water and impatience, not the tofu. A block of firm tofu is largely water, and water makes steam instead of a crust. If you get the water out at home, tofu becomes one of the easiest things to grill – and it's already cooked, so it only needs to heat up and get some colour. The rule to remember is out, in, leave it.

Out, in, leave it

Out: press out the water at home. Dry tofu soaks up the marinade and gets a brown surface on the grill.
In: marinate on the way. The flavour mostly sits on the surface, so flat slices and small cubes taste best.
Leave it: don't touch the tofu until it comes free by itself. If it's stuck, it isn't ready.

Have you made this recipe? Rate it

Be the first to rate this recipe.

More recipes to try

All recipes →

🔥 Over fire

Grilled fruit over an open fire – firm fruit, gentle embers and the sugar last

🍽️ 4 servings 🥕 13 ingredients 👣 15 steps
🔥 Over fire

Candied almonds over an open fire – syrup, sand and gloss

🍽️ about 300 g 🥕 7 ingredients 👣 12 steps
🔥 Over fire

Sockerkaka in a cast-iron pot – air under the tin, embers on the lid

🍽️ 4 servings 🥕 9 ingredients 👣 20 steps
🔥 Over fire

Fläskpannkaka over an open fire – Swedish oven pancake with pork belly, baked in a pot with embers on the lid

🍽️ 4 servings 🥕 7 ingredients 👣 10 steps

At home and by the fire

Press: pour off the water from the pack. Put the block on a tea towel on a tray, fold the towel over and put a chopping board on top with a couple of heavy books or a cast-iron pan. Leave it for 20–30 minutes. The block gets noticeably flatter and the edges feel firm when you press them.

Cut: slice the block lengthways into slices about one and a half centimetres thick. Thinner slices break when they're turned, and thicker ones burn on the outside before they're hot in the middle. If you're making skewers: cut into cubes of about three centimetres.

Marinate: stir the marinade together in the box and set aside a tablespoon for the glaze in a small jar. Add the tofu, put the lid on and turn the box over so everything is covered. Leave it in the fridge for at least half an hour, preferably a few hours or overnight. The maple syrup or honey isn't in the marinade, because sugar burns on the grill long before the tofu has formed a crust.

The satay sauce: stir the peanut butter with the coconut milk, soy sauce and lime until smooth, season with maple syrup and chilli and pour into a tub.

In the cool box: the tofu in its box, the satay sauce and any leftover coconut milk should be kept cold next to the ice packs. Don't leave them out in summer heat for more than two hours, and never in the sun. How to pack the cool box is covered in hygiene and washing up outdoors.

By the fire: light it in good time and let the fire burn down to even embers, about half an hour. The basics are in lighting a fire. Put wooden roasting sticks in water while you wait.

When the tofu sticks or goes wrong

It's stuck. Wait. Tofu that has formed a crust comes free by itself. If you pull too early, the crust stays on the grill and the slice breaks. Next batch: heat the grill longer, oil it again and press the tofu longer at home.

It breaks when it's turned. The slice is too thin, the tofu too soft or the spatula too narrow. Switch to a wide spatula and slide it under the whole slice. Crumbs that have fallen apart can become a scramble in a pan with a little oil and the rest of the marinade.

It's pale and soggy. The grill was too cool or the tofu too wet. Move it to the hottest part and give it a few more minutes per side.

It turns black before it's hot. The glaze went on too early, or the embers under the grill are too thick. Move the tofu to the cool side and let it finish there. How to build a hot side and a cool side is explained in the guide to grills and fish baskets.

The grill is too widely spaced. Fixed grills at fire pits often have big gaps. Put the tofu in a fish basket, or put a pan or a griddle pan on the grill and fry the slices in a little oil. How to look after the griddle is covered in griddle and frying pan over a fire.

Tofu as a source of protein

Firm tofu often contains between twelve and fifteen grams of protein per hundred grams, and the exact figure is on the pack. A portion of about 130–150 grams therefore gives about 15–20 grams of protein, a good base for a dinner together with rice or bread. Tofu is made from soya beans and contains no meat, milk or eggs, so it suits both vegans and people who can't tolerate milk.

Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency) lists tofu, together with beans, lentils and peas, among the protein-rich foods that children on a vegan diet need at several of the day's meals. Children on a fully vegan diet also need vitamin B12 and vitamin D, as supplements or through fortified products, and Livsmedelsverket writes that it requires good knowledge of food and a bit of extra planning. An evening of grilled tofu is no problem for anyone, but if you're changing a child's whole diet, it needs planning.

Tofu instead of halloumi. If someone in the group is allergic to milk, tofu works on the same grill as halloumi burgers over an open fire. Grill the dairy-free tofu first, on a clean grill with its own spatula, and put it in the same bun with tomato salsa and vegetables.

Safety at the grill

Soya allergy. Tofu is soya, and soya is one of the foods that most often cause allergies. Anaphylactic shock is rare, but soya is one of the foods that can cause it. People who are allergic to peanuts can have a cross-allergy to other legumes, such as soya, because they contain similar proteins. So ask anyone with a peanut allergy whether they usually tolerate soya. People who are allergic to birch pollen can also react to soya, and the cross-allergy is usually most noticeable during the pollen season. So tofu isn't for everyone, even though it contains no milk or eggs.

Peanut in the satay sauce. The peanut butter makes the sauce a risk for anyone allergic to peanuts. The reaction usually comes within a few minutes. Always ask the group first, keep the satay sauce in its own tub with its own spoon and offer a nut-free sauce alongside, for example sweet chilli sauce or oat yoghurt with lime and coriander. Read the ingredients list on that sauce too, because ready-made sauces, especially Asian ones, can contain peanuts. If someone has difficulty breathing or feels faint: use their adrenaline pen first if they have one, and call 112 immediately.

Wheat in the soy sauce. Most ordinary soy sauces contain wheat. Anyone who can't tolerate gluten needs a tamari or soy sauce labelled gluten-free.

Raw meat on the same grill. If you're grilling meat or chicken at the same time, put the tofu on its own part of the grill and use separate tongs and a separate spatula for it. It's about hygiene, and also about keeping the tofu vegan for those who eat it for that reason.

Chilled foods. Opened tofu, the marinade and the satay sauce should be kept cold until they're used – no more than two hours out in summer heat, and never in the sun.

Hot and sharp. Tofu and metal skewers hold their heat for a long time, and the sauce can get hot in the pan. Let the children's portions rest for a minute and slide the tofu off the metal skewers for them. Anyone who burns themselves should cool the burn with cool water for about a quarter of an hour, no longer, and never with ice or snow. If you're frying in a pan and the oil catches fire: put a lid on it and never pour water on burning fat.

The fire. Make your fire at a permanent fire pit or on gravel and sand, never on bare rock, and put it out completely when you leave. If there's a fire ban, the decision of the county administrative board (länsstyrelsen) or the municipality applies. Read more in fire safety in nature and lighting fires outdoors – rules and responsibilities.

Allergens: soya (tofu and soy sauce), peanut (the satay sauce), wheat (ordinary soy sauce, noodles and tunnbröd) and sesame (sesame oil).

Grilled tofu with children

Tofu is a rewarding project for children, because most of the jobs are done at home. It's fun to build a press of books on top of the block and watch the water run out into the towel, and small hands get to shake the marinade box with the lid on. From five or six, children can cut tofu into cubes with an ordinary table knife, as it's soft.

By the fire, children can thread skewers at a table some distance from the grill, with an adult beside them and sticks that are no sharper than they need to be. An adult looks after the grill itself, or an older child with fire gloves and a long spatula. If you whittle your own sticks, knife safety and types of wood are covered in whittling a roasting stick and a tripod, and more jobs for the children in cooking with children over a fire.

Salty and sweet. Soy sauce often contains between 14 and 18 per cent salt, so one tablespoon gives about two to three grams of salt. Livsmedelsverket recommends no more than 2.75 grams of salt a day for children aged one to three and 3.5 grams for children aged four to six. The tofu only absorbs some of the marinade, but scrape most of it off the youngest children's pieces, dilute the soy sauce with a little water or choose a reduced-salt variety. Never give honey to children under one year old, not even in a glaze. Use maple syrup when the youngest are eating too.

Tips for tofu over a fire

Freeze the tofu in advance. Put the unopened pack in the freezer a few days beforehand and thaw it in the fridge. The ice crystals make the tofu more porous and chewier, the water runs out almost by itself and the marinade goes in deeper.
Cubes take on more flavour than slices. The more surface, the more marinade stays on. For skewers, half an hour's marinating is enough.
Keep the tofu cold. Cold, firm tofu is easier to turn than tofu that has been standing in the sun.
Brown the surface on the griddle first. If you want an extra-crispy surface, the slices can have a few minutes in hot oil in a pan and then be finished on the grill for the smoky flavour.
Make double. Cold grilled tofu is good in a packed lunch or in a tunnbröd the next day, as long as it has been kept cold.

Common mistakes

Soft or silken tofu is used and falls apart on the grill.
The tofu isn't pressed and steams instead of forming a crust.
Honey or maple syrup goes into the marinade from the start and burns.
The slices are turned too early and the crust stays on the grill.
The marinade drips into the embers and blackens the tofu with soot.
The satay sauce goes on the table without anyone having asked about peanut allergies.

Grilled tofu variations

In tunnbröd: cut the grilled tofu into strips and roll it up in tunnbröd with cabbage, cucumber and sauce, as in kebab in tunnbröd over an open fire.
With vegetable skewers: grill the tofu next to grilled vegetable skewers with herb butter, and swap the butter for oil and herbs if everyone is eating vegan.
With fried cabbage: shredded cabbage fried in the pan while the tofu is on the grill – see fried cabbage over an open fire.
With a different marinade: swap the soy sauce for oil, lemon, oregano and garlic for a Mediterranean version, or for smoked paprika and a little tomato purée for a barbecue flavour.
In the pot: diced grilled tofu can be stirred into vegetarian chilli over an open fire instead of some of the beans.

Frequently asked questions

Which tofu should you grill?

Firm or extra-firm tofu. It has been pressed during production and holds together on the grill. Soft tofu and silken tofu contain much more water and fall apart.

Do you have to press tofu?

Firm tofu is much better if it's pressed for 20–30 minutes. Less water means the marinade takes better and the surface browns instead of steaming. Extra-firm tofu gets by with a shorter time.

How long should tofu marinate?

At least half an hour, but preferably a few hours or overnight in the fridge. The flavour mostly sits on the surface, so thin slices and small cubes are more flavourful than large blocks.

How long should tofu be grilled?

Slices about one and a half centimetres thick need three to five minutes on the first side and three to four on the second, over medium-high heat. Skewers need ten to twelve minutes and are turned a few times.

Why does tofu stick to the grill?

Usually because it's turned too early, because the grill isn't hot and oiled or because the tofu is wet. Leave it until it comes free by itself.

Can you eat tofu that isn't heated through?

Yes. Tofu is made from boiled soya milk and is already cooked, so it can be eaten cold. It's grilled for the flavour, the crust and the warmth.

Can children eat grilled tofu?

Yes, it's soft and easy to chew. Keep the salt in the soy sauce in mind, and never give honey to children under one year old. Anyone allergic to soya shouldn't eat the tofu, and anyone allergic to peanuts shouldn't eat the satay sauce.