This vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu) Rice or 素叉烧饭 (Sù Chā shāo fàn) is a must-try dish! It has a drool-worthy BBQ Tofu made with homemade sauce and paired with fragrant ginger garlic rice.

Char Siu (a Cantonese word, also spelled as Char Siew) or 叉烧 (Chā shāo) in Mandarin translates to Fork Roast. Char Siu is a type of BBQ pork where the meat is marinated in a special sauce and then roasted to create that charred exterior. You can read more about the process online but today I’m sharing a simple vegan recipe that uses tofu and a homemade sauce.
This particular Char Siu Rice dish is inspired by the ones I grew up with. It’s usually served with cucumber slices, a side of ginger garlic chili sauce, and a big bowl of flavored rice.
Today, you can make this dish easily at home and I’ve broken it down into 2 parts for you; Part 1 – Fragrant Flavored Rice and Part 2 – Char Siu. This rice is best paired with a side of cucumber and fresh Ginger Garlic chili sauce.

Why you Need this Vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu) Rice
Char Siu Texture: The Char Siu in this recipe is made from firm tofu that I simply coated with cornstarch and then pan-fried until golden brown. This step creates a beautiful crispy outer layer and has a nice sheen when it’s coated with sauce.

Char Siu Sauce: This homemade sauce has a great balance of sweet and savory flavors with a touch of smokiness from the hoisin sauce.
Fragrant Rice: The rice is flavorful and can be served by itself. I sometimes make this rice instead of white plain rice for lunch or dinner.
How to make Vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu) Rice
I’ve broken the steps down into two parts so you can make the rice and Char Siu separately if preferred. The rice is cooked using a rice cooker so please use the same amount of water that you normally use to cook the rice.
Part 1: Fragrant Flavored Rice
Wash 3 cups of Jasmine rice three times with cold water. Drain the rice in a mesh sieve. Heat a large non-stick pan and add in a drizzle of oil. Sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant.

Then, add in the cleaned rice, salt, and vegan butter. Stir-fry for about a minute or two until aromatic over low medium heat. The grain should be dry by now.

Transfer the rice to the inner rice pot and add in the water. I also added a knotted pandan leaves to increase the rice’s aroma. Skip this ingredient if you can’t find it. Cook the rice using the ‘white rice’ settings.

When ready, remove the pandan leaves and fluff the rice with fork.

Part 2: Vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu)
First, combine all the sauces in a bowl and set aside.
If you are using boxed tofu, remove tofu from its package and drain out as much water as you can. You don’t want to make it too dry as you need some moisture to bind the cornstarch later.
Spread a layer of cornstarch on a plate. Cut tofu into 3 slabs, lengthwise. Rub all sides with cornstarch.

Heat up a non-stick pan and add in a drizzle oil. Pan-fry each tofu side until golden brown over medium-low heat. Tip: Do not flip until a crust is formed.

Once all the tofu sides are golden brown, turn the heat to low. Add in the sauce and slowly coat the sides with the sauce. The sauce will continue to thicken and stick to the tofu’s crust. Tip: Turn the tofu using a pair of tongs.

Once all the sauce has been absorbed, remove tofu from the pan and place it on a plate or chopping board. Let it cool down completely before slicing it.
Now, using the same pan with the remaining oil, make a simple sweet sauce for the Char Siu. This is an optional step.
How to serve: Serve the warm rice with the vegan Char Siu along with a side of cucumber and ginger-garlic chili sauce. Also, add a spoonful of sweet soy sauce mix for an extra flavor.
This Vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu) Rice is
- Vegan and Tasty
- Simple and Easy to make
- Easily customizable with allium-free options
- Gluten-free (use gluten-free sauces)
- served with a homemade Ginger garlic chili sauce
- a Must-Try recipe
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!

Vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu) Rice – 素叉烧饭
Equipment
- Rice cooker
Ingredients
- 16 oz firm tofu drained
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- oil for cooking
Ginger Rice (enough for 6 people)
- 3 cups rice
- a few slices of ginger [about 15g]
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pandan leaves knotted
- water (see notes)
Char Siu Sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan 'oyster' sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon dark soy sauce* for color (optional)
- white pepper
- ⅓ cup water
Sweet Sauce Mix (optional)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
Instructions
Prepare the Ginger Rice
- Wash and rinse Jasmine rice with cold water until the water turns clear (about three rinses). Drain out the water and set aside.
- Heat a large pan and add 3 teaspoons of cooking oil. Sauté ginger slices until aromatic and continue to do the same for garlic.
- Add the rice, salt, and butter then stir-fry all the mixture over medium low heat until fragrant. [This step is to dry up the rice as well.]
- Transfer rice to the inner rice pot. Add the pandan leaves and water.
- Cook the rice on 'white rice' settings. When ready, fluff the rice with fork before serving.
Prepare the vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu)
- Combine all the char siu sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Cut tofu into 3 slabs, lengthwise. Rub all sides with cornstarch.
- Heat a non-stick pan and add in a tablespoon of oil. Using low-medium heat, pan-fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides. Tip: Do not flip the tofu until a crust is formed.
- Once the tofu is ready, add in the sauce. Coat each side with the sauce until the tofu has a nice glossy sheen. This process takes a little bit of time as you need to turn and coat each side evenly.
- Remove the tofu from the pan and let them cool down completely before slicing it into slices.
- Now, make the sweet sauce by mixing maple syrup and soy sauce with toasted sesame oil in a bowl. Or you can simply cook the sauce in the pan with the remaining oil in the pan.
How to serve
- Place the flavored ginger rice and vegan Char Siu on a plate. Add a spoonful of sweet sauce mix on top of the Char Siu then pair it with a side of sliced cucumber and ginger garlic chili sauce. Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- How much water needed for 3 cups of rice? I used about 1¼ cup water to 1 cup of rice depending on the brand of rice. Usually, I measure my water needed using the first crease of my index finger as a guideline which is also known as the Knuckle Method.
- Check this recipe for homemade vegan ‘oyster’ sauce.
- Best served with homemade Ginger Garlic Chili sauce.
- Thick dark soy sauce such as kicap manis will work great. Some brands label it as Thick Caramel sauce.
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.

Hello WoonHeng- I love all your recipes- they look so good and I am just now trying to make some myself! I love learning the techniques that are new to me. I made this yummy dish last night however, it didn’t really get a crispy outside. Should I have cooked it longer? Or maybe turned up the heat? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! Happy Vegan cooking!! Love, Tulsi
Hello Tulsi, hope all is well. Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback. The crisp comes from the cornstarch when pan-frying. It should be too crispy like fried food, just a thin crisp outer layer. When you baste the pan-fried tofu with sauce, the reduced sauce will slowly coat the tofu making it crispier and crispier as you cook. I would turn them while basting so all areas are coated. The end product should look well coated with a thin layer of crisp. If you need it crispier, you may go for frying. Hope that helps and have a beautiful weekend. Best, WoonHeng
thank you so much for your reply. I can’t wait to try this yummy recipe again. I think I may have gotten impatient and didn’t let them cook long enough in the sauce!
happy cooking!
tulsi
I love this vegan char siu so much. The taste is so flavorful and it is healthy meatless plant-based diet. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
so delicious! made it and will definitely make again!
This is the most delicious tofu recipe ever! So many big bold flavours. I like to slice the tofu up, freeze it for 24 hours, then defrost it and press it before cooking it in the sauce.
Amazing recipe! I’ve made this a few times now and it turned out great every time. Highly recommend trying this recipe with Woon Heng’s garlic chilli sauce- its an amazing combination
I am definitely not a cook. Let’s start with that. But this recipe was described so clearly and the pictures were so helpful. It was so easy to prepare and SO delicious! This is definitely one of the recipes that I will be incorporating into my cooking rotation. Thank you for turning some of my favourite Asian dishes into vegan creations!!
Hello! I follow you on IG (where I first saw this recipe). This was so delicious on top of glass noodles! Thank you for making such easy to follow and delicious recipes! Much like the other commenters, I am going to make more of your recipes!
Thanks a lot, May. Hope you like them. 🙂
Omg WoonHeng…thanks so so much for sharing this recipe. So si so super yummy…son was like omg when he had his first bite…again thank you so so much..will def make again .. ❤
I wish I could upload the photo of it here..
yay, Jenny! thank YOU SOO much. That made my day when family loves it too. woohoo. I need to check out how to allow photo, good suggestion. Thanks again! Best, WoonHeng
I didn’t make the rice with this one as I just had some jasmine rice with it instead. But this recipe is so good. The sauce on the tofu is so yummy. I have been loving all of your recipes and this one was so tasty. Thank you x
Thanks so much Susan! I’m so glad you like my recipes. 🙂 Best, WoonHeng
Do you have any recommendations for preparing the rice without a rice cooker? I was planning on just boiling it in a pot (after frying) but figured I’d ask just incase! I have a steamer if that works? Can’t wait to make this either way!
Hello Joe,
Thanks so much for reaching out. Yes, you can use a pot after you fry the ingredients, just like how you would prepare rice in a pot. Hope you like it. Thanks, WoonHeng
I ended up using a steamer in the end and it was delicious! Making it again today. Thank you!
ah, I see. Thanks so much for sharing, Joe. 🙂
This was so delicious. I absolutely love the texture that the tofu gets with the corn starch coating and a the sticky sauce- and then the garlic ginger rice was just the perfect complement! Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s definitely a new favorite!
Yay, thanks so much Alex! So happy to hear this and you are right, the texture is awesome with the cornstarch. I’m so glad this recipe is your new favorite. That makes my day. 🙂 Have an awesome weekend. best, WoonHeng
My husband said it was one of the best dinners I have ever made 😂 Thank you!!!
Thanks so much, Tip. I’m so happy you both loved this recipe, your message made my day! ❤️ Hope you get to try other recipes soon. Best, WoonHeng
Made this. Ate in all in one sitting. Incredible!
woohoo! thanks so much Nicole. So glad you loved this recipe! YAY.
This was delish! Will definitely be making it again.
woohoo, so glad you loved it, Alison. Thank you so much! Best, WoonHeng
Another wonderful tofu recipe. I made it last night and my whole family loved it. The sweet and tangy sauce was a huge hit. Thank you Woon Heng🙏🏼 You have truly made my family’s transition into veganism so delicious 😋
oh my, Juanita. Many thanks for sharing your feedback with me. I’m really happy to hear that your whole family enjoyed it. It’s the best when family approves, right? Thanks so much Juanita. I hope you get to try other recipes soon. Best, WoonHeng
I did it two days ago without the ginger chili sauce for my wife and I, with a 500g piece of tofu cut in three pieces. I had two of them. I ate way too much really, man was I full… but I regret nothing ! It was amazing, and amazingly simple.
So now we’re browsing through the whole blog looking for stuff to bake. Thanks for this amazing content, it’s brilliant.
Hello Joss, thanks a lot. I’m glad you have tried this recipe and loved it. Hope you get to try some other recipes soon. Have a great day. Sincerely, WoonHeng
I made this and it’s one of my all time favorite dishes now! Each component is perfect on its own, and combined is like flavor fireworks.
I also made the chili ginger garlic sauce pictured with it, and it will now be a household staple I’ll put on everything. It’s packed with flavor and tastes so fresh.
I was also impressed by the simplicity and delicious of the toasted ginger garlic rice. I will be making all my rice this way from now on.
Now for the main part of the dish, the tofu itself. I make tofu multiple times per week and this recipe is the best it has ever come out! My boyfriend and I ate it so fast we had to stop ourselves for a minute before going for seconds. The barbecue sauce is much more flavorful than a typical barbecue sauce, and packs a sweet and tangy punch.
In case you can’t tell, I was impressed with this recipe. I can’t wait to make more Woon Heng dishes!
Awww.. Charlotte. Thanks SOO much for sharing your feedback and this super sweet message just melts my heart.❤️ Thank you. It’s really a keeper recipe as I often make the rice this way instead of plain rice. It’s also great for fried rice. 🙂 Super appreciative of you for trying out the recipe and thank YOU. Can’t wait for you to try other recipes soon. Have a beautiful day. Much love, WoonHeng
This was delicious! Who knew tofu could be so tasty and satisfying. My family really enjoyed it and we’ll be coming back to this recipe regularly!
Super thankful, Tracy! Thank you so much and it’s really one of my go-to recipes to make tofu too. 🙂 Wishing you and family a wonderful one. Best, WoonHeng
Love it love it love it!!!
So easy to prepare and tasty.
I could not believe I am eating vegan meal and I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Love Kimmy
Oh my, thanks soo much Kimmy! I’m really happy to hear that you loved this recipe. It’s one of the best ways to make tofu. 🙂 Hope you like other recipes too. Best, WoonHeng