Description
This vegan souvlaki recipe is packed with flavour and is the perfect Greek dish to take along to a barbecue or gathering when you want to impress your family and friends. Juicy pieces of marinated tofu on a skewer with creamy tzatziki finished with fresh tomato, onion, and herbs on homemade flatbread or rice.
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 400g / 14.10 ounces extra firm tofu*
Vegan tzatziki:
- Use this recipe or store-bought
Flatbread: (or use store-bought)
- 1 cup / 235g Greek-style vegan yoghurt* (I love Coyo)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons / 280g all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Toppings:
- 1 tomato, sliced into thin wedges
- ½ a small red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- Mint leaves, thinly sliced
- Dill
- Vegan feta, crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- For the marinade: Add all the ingredients to a large container and give it a really good mix. Slice up the tofu into rectangular pieces making sure that they are all the same size and shape. This will help them to grill evenly. Depending on the size of your tofu block, your shape might be slightly different. It just needs to be thick enough for the skewer to pierce through without it splitting in half.
- Add the tofu to the marinade laying the pieces down side by side, so you can cover as much of the tofu as possible. Tilt the container from side to side to cover the pieces with more of the marinade and place it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days.
- If you’re making your own tzatziki, make it the day before as well. It will give the flavours to develop overnight.
- Once you’re ready to grill the tofu, run your skewers underwater* and start putting the tofu pieces onto the skewer by piercing each piece in the middle. Leave a couple of inches at both the top and bottom. If you’ve cut them evenly, they should line up relatively well and create a flat surface for the grill to touch the tofu evenly.
- Grill the tofu pieces on a hot flame until they’ve charred well on both sides. For best results, use a barbeque. Rotate them every couple of minutes and reapply some of the marinate by brushing it on to give it a flavour boost. You want as much char on the outside as possible. This is key for flavour and texture. Once they’re done, set them aside in the oven on a low heat setting to keep them warm while you make the flatbread. If you’re using store-bought flatbread, you’re ready to start assembling.*
- For the flatbread: In a bowl, add the yoghurt and olive oil and mix. Follow in with the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until you start to form a dough. Mix well until it comes together, I like to use my hands for this part.
- Bring the dough over to a lightly floured surface and knead it for a couple of minutes until the dough is a cohesive ball and springs back a little when you poke it. If it’s too wet and sticky, add more flour gradually until it comes together. The amount of flour will vary slightly depending on the yoghurt you use. Please make sure that it’s a Greek-style yoghurt because it’s thicker and has less liquid in it.
- Cut the dough into four equal portions and sprinkle some flour on your working bench again. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape to a relatively thin flatbread (see images earlier in the post for reference).
- Heat your skillet or frypan on medium-high heat and brush one side with water to create a non-stick surface and place that side facing down on the skillet. Cover with a lid to trap the heat and cook for 1-2 minutes until the bread has created bubbles and is cooked on one side. Flip with a spatula and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute on the other side. The first one may not be that great, just like when you make crepes or pancakes.
- Place it in a tea towel-lined plate and wrap it up to keep it warm while you make the others. Repeat the process for the rest of the flatbreads.
- Once done, it’s time to plate up. Top the flatbread with a tofu souvlaki skewer, followed by a generous amount of tzatiki, tomato wedges, onion and herbs. If you’re prefer to keep this gluten-free, you can serve it with rice instead. If you have any of the marinade left over, you can pour some over the top for added flavour. I would highly recommend it!
- Any leftover tofu skewers, you can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and warm up again before eating.
Notes
Tofu: How firm the tofu is will vary from brand to brand. You want firm tofu that will keep together well. The one I use is firm tofu, but I’ve tried others that state are firm but would be too soft if I put a skewer through it and wanted to grill it.
Skewers: I use bamboo ones that just need to be run under water before use. With metal ones, they’re ready to go. If you want to get fancy, you can use rosemary branches (see instructions earlier in the post for this option).
Greek-style yoghurt: If you don’t have access to Greek-style yoghurt, place the yoghurt in a muslin cloth that’s sitting in a sieve over a bowl. Leave it overnight to drain. This is the same method as the vegan tzatziki, which makes it thick and creamy.
Store-bought flatbread: Place the flatbread over the skewers about a minute before you remove them from the grill so that the bread soaks up some of the flavours and softens.
Total time: This does not include marinating time as it will vary for every person. It can be up to 3 days. The total time is for making the souvlaki only. If you’re making the flatbread, it will take an additional 15 minutes. See linked recipe for the tzatziki.
See more tips and tricks earlier in the post.
- Diet: Vegan
