Last Updated on March 16, 2023

Crispy Panko Tofu Steak is a fantastic vegan dinner centerpiece. I love my Panko-crusted tofu steak paired with curry sauce or garlic soy dipping sauce.

The crispy, crunchy golden Panko breadcrumb with the soft, slightly bouncy texture of the firm tofu. I’d said this is a recipe that will make you fall in love with tofu!

Crispy-Panko-crusted-tofu-steak — How can you not be excited by the gloriousness featured in crispy tofu?

This crispy tofu goes so well with Japanese curry( Vegan Tofu Katsu Curry- How to Use Japanese Curry Packet)

Crispy Panko Tofu Steak

By cutting the firm tofu into steaks, coat it with spiced Panko-breadcrumb and then shallow-fry until golden brown.

Can you use normal breadcrumb for this recipe? The answer is yes and no. Normal breadcrumbs don’t give you that much crispness. Personally, I like to use Japanese Panko breadcrumbs, which will make it extra crispy, but if you are gluten-free, rice breadcrumbs work well too.

Different types of breadcrumbs will vary the end result in the texture of the crust.

Ingredients for Crispy Panko Tofu Steak

This recipe makes two large tofu steaks, but you can cut the tofu into smaller pieces to turn them into tofu sticks if you like, or feel free to multiple the recipe as required.

Firm Tofu (a type of bean curd)- Pat dry the surface of tofu with paper towels. I wouldn’t press the tofu as you still want the moisture from the tofu.

Panko Breadcrumbs – Panko Bread Crumbs are a key ingredient. Genuine panko breadcrumbs are made from a particular kind of crustless bread. Panko is lighter, it absorbs less oil and grease making breaded fried foods less heavy. They are never made from whole wheat bread. The word panko comes from Japanese, and panko is used a lot for light breading in Japanese cuisine. If you’re gluten-free, you can simply use rice breadcrumbs or gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.

Organic All-Purpose flour – This is for breading, as known as PANE. ( Pané ( French culinary term (pane) is a cooking method which means dipped or rolled in breadcrumbs before cooking.) For gluten-free substitutions, chickpea flour, gluten-free all-purpose flour, rice flour or cornflour both work out pretty well.

Vegan Mayonnaise and Water– Mix vegan mayonnaise and water for egg wash substitutions.

Spices – Cracked black pepper, paprika (sweet or smoked), onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.

Cooking Oil – any type of neutral-flavored oil with a high smoking point. Such as peanut oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil…etc.

How to make Crispy Tofu Steak

Pat dry the surface of tofu with paper towels. Then slice the tofu lengthwise into two large steaks
( approx. 1 cm thick).
Mix Vegan mayonnaise and water.
Add Cracked black pepper, Paprika (sweet or smoked it’s up to you. ) Onion powder, Garlic powder, Salt to the Panko breadcrumbs and mix well.
Dip tofu slices into flour( lightly- dusted), the vegan mayo mixture, and roll in breadcrumbs.
For the extra-crispy result, you can double-crumb the tofu by repeating step 4.
Heat up cooking oil to medium-high heat (around 160-170°C) in the frying pan, then shallow fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Take out and place them onto paper towels, then serve.