Publised on 07/04/2026. Last Updated on 07/04/2026 by Richard
My game-changing Marry Me Tofu, made with a rich, creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. It's the vegan marry me chicken recipe you've been waiting for.
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Why You’ll Love Marry Me Tofu
Marry Me Tofu is rich, creamy, savoury and exactly the sort of easy plant-based dinner that makes everyone at the table go suspiciously quiet for a few minutes. The tofu is golden and crisp around the edges, the sauce is glossy from blended silken tofu and every spoonful is packed with sweet little nuggets of sun-dried tomato, garlic and thyme.
It’s basically the vegan answer to that famous “marry me chicken” viral moment, except in my opinion this version is far more likely to inspire an actual proposal. Or at least a dramatic declaration of love over mashed potatoes.
I'm normally averse to writing recipes in response to food trends, but something about that glossy, tomato-studded sauce just called to me. And here we are I guess! With a whole pan of marry me tofu in front of me!
This recipe is so simple to make, it's an ideal mid-week dinner for the whole family. And you know what? I'm willing to bet it'll convince some tofu-phobes along the way!
Difficulty Level: 🥑🥑
This Marry Me Tofu is definitely an easy weeknight situation. There’s no baking, no marinading and no standing in the kitchen whisking something while whispering “please don’t split” under your breath. If you can fry tofu and blitz a sauce in a blender, you’re gonna absolutely smash this.
The only thing to keep an eye on is the garlic. You want it fragrant and soft, not dark brown and bitter. Other than that, this recipe is gloriously forgiving.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I wanted this Marry Me Tofu to feel luxurious without requiring a trip to seventeen different specialist shops. Most of the ingredients are easy to find in a normal supermarket and they all work together to create a sauce that tastes like it took hours, even though it’s ready in about 30 minutes. As usual, the full recipe card is waiting at the bottom of the page, so if you’re in a hurry, scroll on down there.
- Extra firm tofu
I use extra firm tofu because it holds its shape beautifully in the pan and develops lovely golden edges. It also slices easily into chunky cutlets that look a bit like little chicken breasts. - Corn starch
A light coating of corn starch helps the tofu crisp up and brown properly. It also gives the outside a slightly delicate crunch which is very satisfying indeed. - Sun-dried tomato oil and sun-dried tomatoes
The oil from the jar adds loads of flavour right from the start, so please don’t throw it away. The sun-dried tomatoes bring sweetness, tang and a bit of chewiness to the finished dish.
- Silken tofu
Silken tofu is the secret to the creamy sauce. I like to use it because it blends into something unbelievably smooth and rich without needing any dairy-free cream. - Nutritional yeast
This gives the sauce a savoury, slightly cheesy flavour. It makes everything taste richer and more comforting. - White miso paste
White miso adds a deep savoury flavour that makes the sauce taste like it’s been simmering away all day. If you’ve never used miso before, it’s one of those ingredients that quietly works magic in the background. - Garlic, thyme and chilli flakes
These are the flavour backbone of the whole dish. The garlic keeps things cosy, the thyme adds a lovely herby note and the chilli flakes bring just enough warmth to stop things getting too rich. - Vegetable stock
A little vegetable stock helps loosen the sauce and adds extra savoury flavour. - Fresh basil and black pepper
Right at the end, I like to add some torn basil and a crack of black pepper. It makes the whole thing smell fancy.
How to Make Tofu Cutlets
One of my favourite things about this Marry Me Tofu is that the tofu actually looks a bit like chicken cutlets. I know, I know, we’re not trying to fool anyone here, but it does make the whole thing feel a bit more authentic. Obviously you can make this recipe using my Vegan Chicken too, but sometimes tofu is more convenient for a mid-week dinner.
Start by slicing your block of tofu into roughly 1cm thick squares. Then take a knife and trim away two opposite corners from each square so the tofu ends up looking a bit more like a chicken breast shape. And don't worry, we'll blend the offcuts with the silken tofu so there's no waste.
Once your tofu cutlets are shaped, pat them dry and season them with salt and black pepper. Then sprinkle over the corn starch and turn the tofu so both sides are lightly coated. This step is important because the corn starch helps the tofu go crisp around the edges and brown properly in the pan. Without it, the tofu can stay a bit pale and shy, and this recipe deserves full golden-main-character energy.
How to make Marry Me Tofu
Before you start, there are two little method notes worth remembering. First, don’t let the garlic brown when you fry it or the sauce can turn bitter. Second, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer rather than a furious volcanic bubble-fest. Silken tofu likes things calm and civilised.
- Fry the tofu. Heat some of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar in a frying pan. Add the tofu cutlets and fry until golden and crisp on both sides, then transfer them to a plate.
- Add the rest of the sun-dried tomato oil to the pan, then fry the garlic, thyme, chilli flakes and chopped sun-dried tomatoes for a minute or two.
- In a blender, combine the water, vegetable stock, silken tofu, nutritional yeast and white miso. Blend until completely smooth. Add it to the pan with the garlic.
- Return the tofu to the pan and let everything simmer gently until the sauce thickens and darkens in colour slightly. Spoon the sauce over the tofu every now and then so it gets all cosy and covered. Finish with basil and black pepper, then serve immediately.
How to serve Marry Me Tofu
This Marry Me Tofu has quite a lot going on already, so I like to serve it with something simple that’ll soak up all that lovely sauce. Here are a few favourites from School Night Vegan:
Personally, I’m very much a mashed potato person. There’s something deeply comforting about a pile of fluffy mash with Marry Me Tofu spooned all over the top. It ain’t glamorous, but blimey is it good.
Got Leftovers?
If you’ve got leftover Marry Me Tofu, first of all, congratulations on your self control because that could never be me.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken a little as it sits, which is completely normal. When you reheat it, just add a splash of water or plant milk to loosen everything up again.
I like to reheat Marry Me Tofu gently in a frying pan over a low heat, spooning the sauce over the tofu as it warms through. You can also use the microwave if you’re in a hurry. Just make sure everything is piping hot before serving.
Leftover Marry Me Tofu is brilliant spooned over toast the next day or stirred through hot pasta for an extremely low-effort lunch.
Marry Me Tofu FAQs
Yes. You can make the sauce a day ahead and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, fry the tofu and warm the sauce together in the pan.
You can, but extra firm tofu works best because it keeps its shape and goes crisp more easily. If you only have firm tofu, press it well first.
If you don’t have white miso, you can use a small splash of soy sauce or tamari. The flavour won’t be exactly the same, but it’ll still be delicious.
Marry Me Tofu is one of those recipes that feels far fancier than it actually is. It’s easy enough for a Wednesday night, impressive enough for friends coming over and cosy enough to make on a rainy Sunday when you’re wearing socks and sandals. If you give this Marry Me Tofu a go, I reckon it might end up becoming one of those recipes you make on repeat.
If you do make it, please take a photo and tag me on Instagram at @schoolnightvegan. I absolutely love seeing your versions. And if you’d like more cosy vegan recipes, come and follow me over on Substack too. I also have my very own cook book called Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan, which you should definitely buy and cook from!
Marry Me Tofu
Equipment
- 1 Large frying pan or sauté pan
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes divided
- 450 g extra firm tofu sliced into 1cm thick squares
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus extra to serve
- 180 ml water
- 1 vegetable stock cube or 1 tablespoon vegan bouillon
- 100 g silken tofu
- 20 g nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 120 g sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
- fresh basil to serve
Instructions
- Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato oil.2 tablespoon oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- If you'd like tofu cutlets, trim off the corners of each square of tofu and reserve the trimmings. Alternatively slice into cubes. Season the tofu all over with the salt and black pepper then sprinkle all over with the corn starch, making sure all sides are covered.450 g extra firm tofu, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoon corn starch
- Once the oil is hot, add the tofu in a single layer and fry for 3–4 minutes per side, or until golden and lightly crisp. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In a blender, combine the water, vegetable stock cube, silken tofu, nutritional yeast and white miso paste (plus any of the trimmings from the extra firm tofu cutlets). Blend until completely smooth then set aside.180 ml water, 1 vegetable stock cube, 100 g silken tofu, 20 g nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- Return the frying pan to a medium-low heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato oil.2 tablespoon oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- Add the garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes and sun-dried tomatoes. Fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to brown.3 cloves garlic, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 120 g sun-dried tomatoes
- Pour the blended sauce into the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Return the tofu to the pan and simmer uncovered for 6–8 minutes, spooning the sauce over the tofu occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve topped with fresh basil and a little extra black pepper alongside rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.fresh basil
Nutrition
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