Fresh, flavorful BBQ tofu salad with nut-free vegan ranch dressing is a filling meal that's so easy to make!
Jump to:
What I love most about the BBQ tofu salad is how flexible it is! You can really use any veggies you like in the salad, and you can omit the black beans or substitute pinto beans, if you prefer!
The salad starts with my sticky baked BBQ tofu. Then, you layer on black beans and lots of crunchy veggies along with creamy avocado. You finish off the salad with creamy vegan tahini ranch dressing and some crispy tortilla chips.
This salad is absolutely bursting with amazing flavors and textures. If you've never had warm BBQ sauce and cool, creamy ranch together before, you are in for such a treat!
Ingredients and substitutions
- extra firm tofu - Make sure to press your tofu for 10 minutes before slicing. While you prepare and bake the tofu, you have plenty of time to make the dressing and chop all of the veggies!
- vegan BBQ sauce - A lot of store-bough BBQ sauces are accidentally vegan! Just check the ingredients list for honey and anchovies.
- tahini - This is the base for your ranch dressing. If you don't have or don't want to use tahini, you can make my cashew ranch instead.
- dried spices - This is my easy ranch seasoning mix: dried dill, garlic powder, and onion powder. You can use dried parsley in place of some or all of the dill, if you prefer. You'll also season the dressing with salt and black pepper.
- water - To thin the tahini to a pourable consistency for the dressing. You may need less or more, depending on the tahini you use and the thickness you want.
- lemon juice - Adds tang to the ranch.
- lettuce - I'm using romaine, but you can use your lettuce of choice!
- corn - I love how corn's texture and slightly-sweet flavor combine with all of the other flavors in this BBQ tofu salad!
- black beans - You can use pinto beans instead, if needed. Or omit the beans, if beans aren't your thing.
- veggies - I'm using tomato, avocado, and red onion, but feel free to mix and match the veggies of your choice, as long as you end up with about the same total amount! Carrot, cucumber, green onion, etc all work well in this vegan dinner salad.
- tortilla chips - For crunch! You can omit, if you like.
How to make BBQ tofu salad
First, bake the BBQ tofu. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Pour ½ cup of the BBQ sauce into the bottom of an 8x8" glass pan. Arrange the tofu cubes in a single layer, then top with the remaining BBQ sauce. Bake for 40 minutes.
Make the tahini ranch and prep the rest of the ingredients while the tofu bakes.
To make the dressing, combine all of the tahini ranch ingredients in your blender, and puree until smooth.
Now, you're ready to assemble the BBQ tofu salad! Divide the lettuce between your bowls. Top each bowl with ¼ of the corn, beans, tomato, avocado, and BBQ baked tofu. Drizzle on the tahini ranch, then top each bowl off with tortilla chips and 2 tablespoons of chopped onion. Serve immediately.
Helpful tips
- If you can't find tahini or just don't want to use it, you can substitute cashew ranch or even store-bought vegan ranch dressing for the tahini ranch dressing.
- If you're not going to eat this all at once, store the veggies together but keep the BBQ tofu and tahini ranch separately. Warm the BBQ tofu and assemble just before serving.
Storage directions
Leftover veggies will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator; the tofu will keep for four to five days. The tahini ranch keeps for about a week in the fridge.
You can store all of the veggies mixed together, but keep the tofu and dressing separate, if possible, so the lettuce won't get mushy. Assemble the salad just before serving. You can warm the BBQ tofu before serving or serve it cold.
Frequently asked questions
BBQ tofu makes a great salad topping, and it's also a delicious main dish! I like to serve it in a mashed potato bowl or with a side of rice or cornbread muffins and my favorite green veggies.
More vegan dinner salads
📖 Recipe
BBQ Tofu Salad
Ingredients
For the Baked BBQ Tofu
- 1 block extra firm tofu pressed and cut into ½" cubes
- 1 ½ cups vegan BBQ sauce
For the Tahini Ranch
- ¾ cup tahini
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ cup water or more, as needed, to reach your desired consistency - How much you need will depend on the tahini you're using.
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Veggies
- 10 cups chopped lettuce romaine, red lettuce, salad greens, or your favorite lettuce
- 1 ½ cup corn fresh, frozen, or canned is fine
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomato any kind you like!
- 1 Haas avocado chopped or sliced
- 1 ½ cup tortilla chips
- ¾ cup minced red onion or use green onion
Instructions
Bake the BBQ tofu.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Pour ½ cup of the BBQ sauce into the bottom of an 8x8" glass pan. Arrange the tofu cubes in a single layer, then top with the remaining BBQ sauce. Bake for 40 minutes.
Make the tahini ranch while the tofu bakes.
- Combine all of the tahini ranch ingredients in your blender, and puree until smooth.
Assemble the BBQ tofu salad.
- Divide the lettuce between your bowls. Top each bowl with ¼ of the corn, beans, tomato, avocado, and BBQ baked tofu. Drizzle on the tahini ranch, then top each bowl off with tortilla chips and 2 tablespoons of chopped onion. Serve immediately.
Jon
Hey has anyone tried the Tahini Ranch from this recipe?
It turned out a big bowl of white water.
1 1/4 cups of water might've been a bit much.
Looking for some ratio suggestions
Becky Striepe
Oh no! I wonder why this happened. I’d start with less if that’s what’s happening with your tahini. Sometimes it can be thin - I’ll add a water range to the directions.
Jon
Less water you mean? For the second attempt I started with a third cup of water and added splashes until it started mixing. So, I'm not sure the total amount of water I used just now. But the total amount of dressing seems like a little over a cup and a half. The blender somehow warmed it up so it's chilling in the fridge. The color and texture looks good though. Will be giving it a taste in about a half an hour.
Becky Striepe
Keep me posted! Yes less water for sure if it’s as thin as you first described. I’m glad it’s working out now!
Jon
LOL well it's SUPER THICK now! I'm just going to start all over on Wednesday and follow your original recipe again. I must have done something wrong the first time. Well, thanks for the responses! I'll definitely keep you posted.
Becky Striepe
Oh don’t start over!! Try adding water 1-2 tablespoons at a time. It does thicken in the fridge for sure tho. I’m happy to help. I want my recipes to be successful for everyone! Was this a new jar of tahini by any chance?
Jon
Okay will do!
Yes, it was a new jar of the Wholefoods brand organic tahini. I usually keep it upside down and I do make sure it's mixed well.
We go through about a jar every two weeks. We normally use it with chickpea miso paste to make a noodle sauce.
Oh, and the dressing was delicious. Since it was so thick it reminded me of a thick ranch dip which gives me some more ideas ;)
Becky Striepe
I’m glad it worked out in the end! Maybe it was extra separated or something like this. I’ve def has jars that seemed impossible to mix. It would explain the super thin then super thick batches of dressing!
Jen @ Keto Recipes
This salad sounds absolutely refreshing! So excited to try this. Glad you shared this.
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, Jen!
Sarah De la Cruz
This salad looks awesome, of course, because it uses my fave bbq tofu! Yum!!!
Becky Striepe
Aw yay!
Dianne
I miss salads during the cold winter months, too. This looks like a great healthy meal for January, though!
Becky Striepe
Thank you!
Kristina
I LOVE this one! I always love a warm salad over crisp greens. we haven't had tofu in a while and I just bought one - I think THIS is what we're doing with it! :)
Becky Striepe
Hooray! Enjoy it, Kristina!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I love BBQ and Ranch together! This salad is a winner!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Amy!
Sarah
Yum! That salad has all my favorite things. Thanks for the recipe!
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, Sarah!
Mary Ellen | VNutrition
Oooh yes! I love warm salads and I know this one is going to be amazing (as are all of your tofu recipes!). :)
Becky Striepe
Thank you so much!