Blackberry Glazed Tofu with Black Pepper & Chili

This crispy and sticky glazed tofu with blackberries, balsamic, black pepper, and ground chillies is flavourful, unique, and super satisfying. Ready in 30 minutes with 10 key ingredients.

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT20M

Total time: PT35M

Rating

5 stars (23 reviews)

Keywords

10 ingredients, 30 minutes, air fryer, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, blackberries, chili flakes, coconut aminos, firm tofu, ground chillies, ground ginger, olive oil, tamari, tofu, tofu recipes

Ingredients

1 block (14 oz/397 grams) firm tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
1 cup (heaped) fresh blackberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chili flakes or ground chillies ((I used Diaspora Co's ground Guntur Sannam chillies))
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
salt, to taste
1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary

Steps

Press the tofu for 10-15 minutes to get out excess moisture. Towel it off to dry and then cut into 1-inch cubes.
To Air Fry Tofu:
- In a medium bowl, toss the tofu cubes with the olive oil, coconut aminos, salt, and pepper. Once coated, sprinkle the arrowroot starch and keep tossing until you can't see any white, powdery bits anymore.
- Transfer the coated cubes of tofu to your air fryer, arranging the pieces so that each cube has a bit of space. Set your air fryer to 375°F and the timer for 15 minutes. Give the air fryer basket a little shake every 5 minutes to evenly brown and crisp up the tofu pieces. The tofu is done when it's evenly golden brown and super crispy.
To Pan Fry Tofu:
- In a medium bowl, toss the tofu cubes with the coconut aminos, salt, and pepper. Once coated, sprinkle the arrowroot starch and keep tossing until you can't see any white, powdery bits anymore.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan (or cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Once it's good and hot, add the tofu to the pan. Avoid adding any excess liquid pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Let the tofu sit until one side is deep golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir and flip the pieces and keep cooking until all sides are golden brown and crisp. Drizzle more olive oil into the pan if you notice the tofu sticking a bit.
Make the Blackberry Glaze:
- In a small-medium sauté pan over medium heat, combine the blackberries, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, black pepper, chili, ground ginger, and salt. Once the liquid starts simmering and the blackberries are softening, about 3-4 minutes, start smushing the berries down with a spatula.
- Keep smushing and stirring until you have a rustic, jammy texture. Give the glaze a taste and see if you'd like more pepper, more chili etc. At this point the mixture should be fluid enough to coat the tofu cubes. If it isn't, simply add a couple tablespoons of water and stir.
- Toss the crispy tofu cubes in the blackberry glaze and serve immediately. I like to garnish mine with some fresh herbs and extra black pepper.

Reviews

Miranda Eslick on 2024-11-13 (5 stars):
The recipe was very good. We decided to try another of yours because we enjoyed the first. We had it with yellow rice. We added thyme and parsley.
Hannah on 2024-04-15 (5 stars):
Made this twice and it’s a keeper! I ended up with a little more sauce than I needed, but goodness knows you can save the extra and use it again! I added a 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice since I found the sauce a little too sweet. Also used a bit more cornstarch (no arrowroot in pantry) to get that coating. The second time I made it, I threw in some coconut bacon… really complimented the dish! Served with rice and broccoli on the side. Spouse approved!
Jacquie on 2024-01-06 (5 stars):
Just so delicious!! I made this last night using frozen blueberries because that was what I had on hand. Served with coconut rice and stir fried veggies. Will make again and again.
Brenda on 2023-05-08 (5 stars):
This is my new favorite tofu recipe! It was so yummy!
KC on 2023-03-21 (5 stars):
One of the best tofu dishes I've ever made.....excellent recipe!
May on 2022-11-27 (5 stars):
This recipe is genius!! I made this for dinner with a friend and served as the protein for DIY bao buns, alongside spring onions, cucumber, grated carrot, chilli oil and some extra glaze sauce. Blackberries aren’t easily accessible for me, so I used whatever was in the fridge: half fresh and half frozen blueberries. It was an absolute hit, I’m going to try it with apricots this summer. Thank you!!
Erin on 2022-11-02 (5 stars):
I always get excited when I see "unusual" flavor combinations in your recipes, because you're SO good at putting ingredients together in such a way that the end result is so much more than the sum of its parts. This tofu is no exception! We loved it - I had extra berries so I doubled the sauce and served it over rice with a little broccoli - next time I'll try snow peas or sliced bell peppers, for a Chinese takeout-style situation. As an aside, I used the air fryer and this will now be my go-to method for cooking tofu. Thanks for another awesome dish to add to my rotation!
James on 2022-09-26 (5 stars):
I really hate tofu. There. I said it. But I did make the sauce and reduced it to pour over bread that I fried in olive oil and vegan butter that I topped with a tomato, peach, and basil salsa, and it was incredible. One of the best things I've made in a very long time.
Anna on 2022-09-02 (5 stars):
This tofu is great, with or without the glaze. I cut the tofu into slabs instead of cubes for making sandwiches. Once again, Laura, great recipe. 
Katherine on 2022-08-31 (5 stars):
Wow, this recipe rules!! Super easy prep and totally unique sweet/savory/peppery flavor. Baked tofu in the oven at 400F for 30 minutes and the texture was great. Served with white rice and greens sauteed in olive oil with thyme, a pinch of salt, and light squeeze of lemon. Will make this again and again! Thank you!
Jennie on 2022-08-22 (5 stars):
LOVE. THIS. So unique and flavorful and delicious. Made it with the blackberries growing outside, and will use frozen once the season is over!