What is satay?
Satay is a dish of marinated pieces of meat skewered, barbecued, and served with a dipping sauce. It’s a popular Southeast Asian food, with roots in Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai cuisine.
Traditionally made with chicken, this vegan version of Thai satay uses tofu that’s soaked in a marinade, threaded onto skewers and baked to a deep-golden crisp. Serve with a luscious, tangy peanut sauce.
The key to the texture is freezing the tofu beforehand.
This is a magical trick I discovered online a few weeks ago. When you freeze tofu, the ice crystals expand and push apart the protein network, creating craggy holes and transforming the tofu into a highly absorbent, spongy texture when thawed, perfect for soaking up the flavors of any sauce its marinated in. After baking or frying, the tofu takes on a chewy, resilient texture that’s firmer and “meatier” than fresh tofu.
How to Freeze Tofu:
Slice a 14-oz block of tofu vertically into ¾-inch thick slabs, and freeze on a plate overnight. Thaw tofu at room temperature (or run under hot water) to melt all the ice crystals, then gently squeeze to remove excess liquid.
To make the marinade, combine coconut milk, ginger, garlic, maple syrup, Thai curry paste, curry powder, and soy sauce in a large bowl. Add the tofu pieces and gently stir until they’re soaked through. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
You can grill the skewers over an open flame, but the no-fuss method is baking them in the oven at 400F for 30-35 minutes. After they’ve firmed up and browned, turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end to get those crispy charred edges.
To make the peanut sauce, combine peanut butter, minced garlic, soy sauce, red curry paste, maple syrup, rice vinegar and lime juice, Sriracha, and sesame oil and whisk until smooth. This sauce is lip-smacking good; so delicious I could DRINK it.
Serve skewers drizzled with the sauce and garnished with chopped peanuts and cilantro.
Meal suggestion: plate with steamed rice and a veggie dish like steamed bok choy and green beans.
More Thai Recipes to Try:
If you made these thai satay skewers or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and a rating below! Also be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for all the deliciousness.
Print📖 Recipe
Baked Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce
Flavor-packed vegan satay made with skewered tofu cubes that are frozen and then soaked in a marinade to achieve a meaty, chewy consistency. Baked to crispy perfection and served with a luscious Thai peanut sauce. Vegan and gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
Skewers & Marinade
- 1 14oz block extra-firm or firm tofu, frozen and thawed (see notes)
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp Masaman curry paste*
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (sub tamari for gluten-free)
- 10 bamboo skewers, pre-soaked in water (to prevent burning)
- cilantro for garnish
- lime for garnish
- chopped peanuts for garnish
Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp Masaman curry paste
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or light brown sugar
- ½ tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
- ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ½ tbsp Sriracha
Instructions
- To freeze tofu: slice tofu block vertically into 6-8 rectangles, about ¾-inch thick. Freeze on a plate overnight. Thaw at room temperature (or run under hot water) until ice crystals have melted, then gently squeeze to remove all liquid. Cut into smaller pieces.
- Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add thawed tofu and gently stir until all pieces are coated. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (the longer you let the tofu marinate the more flavorful it will be).
- Preheat oven to 400F. Tear marinated tofu into bite-sized pieces and thread onto the prepared bamboo skewers. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping once halfway. At the end, turn on the broiler and cook for 4-5 minutes, allowing skewers to crisp and develop charred edges (keep a close eye so they don’t burn!). Remove from oven.
- Combine peanut sauce ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add additional water until sauce reaches desired consistency, and season with additional salt if needed. Serve satay drizzled with peanut sauce and chopped cilantro and peanuts for garnish.
Notes
- Prep time does not include freezing time.
- *I use Maesri Thai Masaman curry paste for authentic flavor (found in Asian grocery stores or online), but feel free to substitute any brand of red curry paste.
- You can store frozen tofu in the freezer for several months. It’s great to have on hand for soups and stir-fry dishes as well.
Megan says
I made the tofu skewers, marinade, and peanut sauce. It was tasty but I must have done something wrong because the tofu was soft and falling apart, so I wasn’t able to make skewers. I grilled on gas grill with tin foil. The flavors were delicious I forgot to add the tasty peanut sauce! I ran the tofu under hot water after removing from freezer but maybe it was not completely thawed in the middle. I am not sure if that is the reason for them falling apart. I also let marinate for 24 hours.
★★★★
Hannah says
Hi Megan, so glad to hear you loved the flavors! Did you use extra-firm or firm tofu? Some kinds of tofu are more porous than others so that might have been the problem!
Sophie says
The peanut sauce and marinade in this recipe were simply amazing, thanks for the recipe!! Really loved it 🙂
★★★★★
Hannah says
yay I’m so glad to hear! thanks for sharing 🙂
Jane says
Wonderful recipe! The flavor and texture is amazing! I used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste since I already had it in my pantry. When I tasted the peanut sauce, it brought me back to eating beef satay poolside in Singapore when I was a child. Now I get to enjoy it plant based. Thanks so much!
★★★★★