Crispy Tofu Bowls with Basil Sauce
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These Crispy Tofu Bowls with Basil Sauce is super filling, delicious, and packed with nutrients. The tofu is baked in a chili-lime oil that makes it super tender and crispy. To make this a filling meal, bake some broccolini and radicchio with the tofu, serve over rice, and top with a delicious basil sauce. This tofu bowl is super easy to make, and y’all are going to love this plant-based dinner meal!
What we love about this recipe is the flavor. The tofu is super crispy and has a nice kick to it. The basil sauce is creamy, herby, and super delicious. You don’t want to skip out on it! It’s so good!
What’s in a Tofu Bowl?
- Tofu – We used Wildwood’s Organic Extra Firm Tofu in this recipe. It’s one of our favorite brands for buying quality tofu. We get it at Whole Foods, but their website lists other stores that you can buy it at.
- Chili Lime Oil: Lime Juice and Zest, Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Red Chili Flakes, Salt, and Black Pepper
- Brown Basmati Rice – We used Lotus Foods Brown Basmati Rice in this recipe, but white rice would also work here. We prefer brown rice in this recipe because it has more flavor.
- Veggies: We used Broccolini and Radicchio in this recipe but feel free to experiment with other veggies. We would recommend Bok Choy or Broccoli.
- Basil Sauce – ingredients noted below.
What Ingredients are in Basil Sauce?
- Fresh Basil Leaves
- Cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours or longer.
- Garlic
- Dijon Mustard – This adds a ton of flavor to the sauce, and you don’t even taste the mustard.
- Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Water
- Salt and Black Pepper
- Red Chili Flakes
This basil sauce is similar to the basil sauce we used for our Smoky Tempeh Pizza Recipe. It’s so good! The only difference is we used cashew butter instead of cashews. So, if you are in a rush to get dinner on the table, feel free to use cashew butter in place of soaked cashews. The only difference is the texture. The cashew butter makes the sauce more creamy and thinner than the cashews, but both are equally delicious!
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the cashews by soaking them in water for about 2 hours.
Step 2: Prepare the tofu by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel. Either use a tofu press or place a heavy plate on top of the tofu to press out all the extra liquid. This step can take up to 1-2 hours, depending on the water content and how dense it is. Check at the 1-hour mark to see if it’s ready. To do this, wrap a new clean towel around the tofu and see if it absorbs any additional liquid. If so, continue pressing for another hour.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 400°F and make 1/2 cup of rice per the instruction package. This will make about 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked rice.
Step 4: Prepare the chili lime oil by whisking together the lime juice and zest with the olive oil and seasoning. Chop up the veggies and cut the tofu into cubes. Carefully toss the chili lime oil with the tofu in a medium bowl and place the tofu on a baking sheet. Add veggies to the bowl to soak up the leftover oil and add it to the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the radicchio and give a good toss to the broccolini and tofu. Bake for 5-10 additional minutes and remove the broccolini. Toss the tofu one more time, and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until they become crispy.
Step 5: Make basil sauce: Rinse the soaked cashews with water and add to a high-speed blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
Step 6: Make the tofu bowls: Add 1/2 cup of cooked basmati rice, half of the veggies, and tofu to a bowl. Add the basil sauce on top before serving!
FAQs
Store leftover basil sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Store leftover tofu, veggies, and rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you have extra rice, store leftovers in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Reheat leftovers in the microwave.
These Crispy Tofu Bowls with Basil Sauce is super easy to make, packed with nutrients and flavor. It’s the perfect plant-based dinner to make any time of the year. We hope you all love it! Enjoy! ♡
Crispy Tofu Bowls with Basil Sauce
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- 1 cup cashews soaked for at least 2 hours
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup filtered water
- Pinch of salt black pepper, and red chili flakes, plus more to taste
- 7-8 oz tofu – We used Wildwood’s Organic Extra Firm Tofu
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 ½ cup cooked brown basmati rice – We used Lotus Foods Brown Basmati Rice
- Veggies: Broccolini and Radicchio or use Bok Choy or Broccoli.
- Prepare the cashews by soaking them in water for about 2 hours.
- Prepare the tofu by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel. Either use a tofu press or place a heavy plate on top of the tofu to press out all the extra liquid. This step can take up to 1-2 hours, depending on the water content and how dense it is. Check at the 1-hour mark to see if it's ready. To do this, wrap a new clean towel around the tofu and see if it absorbs any additional liquid. If so, continue pressing for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and make 1/2 cup of rice per the instruction package. This will make about 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked rice.
- Prepare the chili lime oil by whisking together the lime juice and zest with the olive oil and seasoning.
- Chop up the veggies and cut the tofu into cubes. Carefully toss the chili lime oil with the tofu in a medium bowl and place the tofu on a baking sheet.
- Add veggies to the bowl to soak up the leftover oil and add it to the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the radicchio and give a good toss to the broccolini and tofu.
- Bake for 5-10 additional minutes and remove the broccolini. Toss the tofu one more time, and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until they become crispy.
- Make the Basil Sauce:Rinse the soaked cashews with water and add to a high-speed blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Make the tofu bowls:Add 1/2 cup of cooked basmati rice, half of the veggies, and tofu to a bowl. Add the basil sauce on top before serving!
I really want to make this but I cannot pin it to Pinterest no matter what I do!
Hi Lindsay, the pins are working on the images in the post. I checked and they are working. Have you tried that?
Wow, this looks yummy.