Threaded onto skewers and broiled until browned, these tofu and potato kebabs taste like a summer cookout any night of the year. There's no grill required, and no marinating time to plan around — just three main ingredients and a hot broiler.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Red-skinned potatoes. Their thin skin cooks quickly and holds together well on a skewer. Yukon golds work too; avoid starchy russets, which fall apart more easily under the broiler.
- Extra-firm tofu. Press it well so it holds its shape and takes on the sauce instead of releasing water onto the baking sheet. Super-firm or high-protein tofu is a great swap if your store carries it, since it needs even less pressing.
- Barbecue sauce. Use a natural, all-fruit-sweetened brand for a genuinely 3-ingredient recipe, or make your own if you have a favorite — our Quick Vegan Barbecue Sauce works especially well here.
Variations
- Add vegetables. Bell pepper chunks, red onion wedges, or thick zucchini rounds thread onto the skewers beautifully alongside the tofu and potato.
- Swap the sauce. Try teriyaki, peanut sauce, or a smoky chipotle glaze in place of barbecue sauce for a completely different flavor direction.
- Grill instead of broil. These cook beautifully on an outdoor grill over medium heat — just watch them closely since the sauce can burn quickly over an open flame.
- Spice it up. Toss the potato and tofu chunks with smoked paprika and a little cayenne before skewering for extra flavor under the sauce.
- Make it a sheet pan meal. Skip the skewers entirely and roast everything together on a sheet pan for an even easier weeknight version.
Tips for the Best Tofu and Potato Skewers
- Press the tofu well. Extra moisture is the main thing standing between you and a nicely browned, sauce-coated skewer — 20 to 30 minutes under a weight makes a real difference.
- Pre-cook the potatoes just until firm-tender. They'll finish cooking under the broiler, so don't take them all the way to fork-tender on the stovetop or they'll turn mushy once skewered and broiled.
- Use metal skewers. They conduct heat and help the potato and tofu cook through faster than wooden skewers, and there's no need to soak them first.
- Watch closely under the broiler. Barbecue sauce has sugar in it, which can go from caramelized to burnt fast — stay near the oven for the last few minutes.
- Keep extra sauce nearby. Brush more on partway through broiling if the skewers start to look dry.
Make Ahead & Storage
The tofu and potatoes can be cut and the potatoes par-cooked up to a day ahead, stored separately in the fridge, so assembly on skewers takes just minutes. Leftovers keep for about 3 days and reheat well in a hot oven, though a microwave will make the tofu a bit softer than it was fresh from the broiler.
How to Serve
Serve straight off the baking sheet with extra barbecue sauce on the side. A simple green vegetable like broccoli or garlicky kale and a scoop of coleslaw turn this into a complete, easy dinner — no grill required.
Recipe
Oven-Barbecued Tofu and Potato Skewers
These simple broiled skewers of tofu and potato, slathered in barbecue sauce, taste like a summer cookout any time of year.
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Servings:
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large red-skinned potatoes
- 14 to 16-ounce tub extra-firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1 cup, or as needed natural barbecue sauce store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Bake, microwave, or boil the potatoes in their skins until they can be pierced through but are still firm. Plunge into cold water, then peel once cool enough to handle and cut into 1-inch chunks.
- Drain the tofu and blot very well between layers of paper towels, or press it in a tofu press for a few minutes. Cut into chunks roughly the same size as the potato.
- Preheat the oven's broiler. Thread the potato and tofu chunks onto metal skewers, alternating as you go, for about 8 skewers.
- Arrange the skewers on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet and spoon barbecue sauce generously over the potato and tofu.
- Broil for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the skewers (use a long oven mitt) and broil for another 5 minutes. Turn once more and broil a final 5 minutes if needed, until touched with brown spots. Add more sauce partway through if the skewers look dry.
- Remove from the oven and serve at once, with extra barbecue sauce on the side.
Notes
If you aren't using the oven for anything else, you can broil these in batches in a toaster oven — they'll just take a bit longer than the times above.
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