Homestyle Tofu Sloppy Joes Recipe - Simply Plant Based Kitchen (2024)

I’ve been on a tofu kick recently, trying to learn new ways to cook it, yet making sure it has lots of flavor. Tofu doesn’t really have a flavor so you have to make sure to season it well & cook it in ways to give it flavor. This make tofu very versatile and it can be used in a variety of dishes that typically might call for meat.

Our favorite family tofu recipe is this Tofu Fingers Marinara!

Sloppy Joes used to be a staple in our house

Before going plant-based, our family used to love having sloppy joe’s a couple times a month. I would use beef or turkey and whatever canned sloppy joe mix I could find at the store. Not healthy at all and loaded with high fructose corn syrup.

I knew that I had to make sure this had lots of flavor and really resembled the savoriness of the original. My true test is my kids. While I like pretty much everything I make, my kids are very picky. Which is good, because it makes me try harder!

Both my kids & husband gave it rave reviews! Phew! It passed the taste test!

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Tofu Crumble Baking Technique

This recipe calls for crumbling the tofu in a spice marinade and then baking it for about 45 minutes. This gives the tofu so much extra flavor! I learned this technique from Sam Turnbull from It doesn’t take like Chicken. Her vegan blog has lots of great recipes, but I usually have to make adaptations to remove oil, sugar, salt, or processed ingredients. I adapted this recipe from her Tofu Bolognese & Tofu Taco Crumbles recipe and added my own spices.

I think the secret ingredient to giving it so much flavor is the baking technique & the vegan Worcestershire sauce – there are vegan brands available like this one here.

Smoked paprika is also better than regular paprika. It smells great!

Tofu is so easy to cook with

Working with tofu is really easy, so don’t be afraid if you haven’t! This recipe calls for extra firm tofu and I really recommend that instead of just firm tofu so it holds together more for a ground meat like texture. In the Tofu Scramble recipe I talk about freezing the tofu & then thawing to create a more meaty texture. This is not really necessary in this recipe because we are baking the tofu first, which helps it hold together and gives it a meaty texture.

After you bake the tofu, you mix it with the sautéed onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato sauce, & spices. Yum!

Make sure you use whole grain buns to keep it whole food plant based!

Related Reading –

• Tofu Scramble Breakfast Burritos
• 5 Easy Chia Seed Pudding Recipes
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchilada Bake
• The BEST Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

If you make this recipe, please comment below & let me know how it turned out!