How to Make Vegan Poached Tofu Egg Sandwiches

These Vegan Poached Tofu “Egg” Sandwich have saucy eggy centers, with tender poached medium-firm or soft tofu, sandwiched between slices of buttery, toasty bread. Just the thing to satisfy a poached egg sandwich craving! 

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Video Tutorial for Vegan Poached Tofu “Egg” Sandwiches

How to Make Vegan Poached Tofu “Egg” Sandwiches

These poached tofu “egg” sandwiches are super simple to make but you can follow these steps for the most efficient way to quickly get your vegan breakfast on the table! Or lunch or dinner; there are no rules!)

Here’s the quick rundown to make these non-fried vegan egg banjos:

• Before starting, start a kettle or pot of water to boil.
• Make the vegan egg yolk sauce first; either on the stove top or microwave.
• Poach the tofu slices in boiling water for a few minutes to heat through.
• Crisp your bread slices in a pan using vegan butter or oil.
• Sandwich the lot and enjoy!

Step 1: How to Make Vegan Yolk Sauce

Before starting the Vegan Yolk Sauce, set a kettle or pot of water to boil; it will be for poaching the tofu.

Then, mix the first phase of the vegan egg yolk sauce ingredients together: ¼ cup water, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and up to ⅛ tsp of ground turmeric. Be sure not to add too much turmeric; we want the colour but not so much of the flavour.

Once thoroughly combined, heat this mixture up on the stove or microwave to create a thick bright yellow but translucent sauce.

If you are cooking on stove top, choose a small pot and heat the ingredients while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. It will take only a few minutes to thicken. At that point, immediately remove your pot from the stove. 

Cooking this phase in the microwave is easier though. Use a microwave safe container and heat using 15 to 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until it’s thick.

After you’ve thickened the first phase, you can add 1 tsp or vegan butter, vegan mayo, or both. I like to use one of each but you can use any combination you like.

Finally, add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of regular salt (any type you like) and ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of black salt (also known as kala namak). Adjust these two salts for the saltiness level you like balanced with the pungent sulfurous properties that comes from the black salt.

Then you can set your finished vegan egg yolk sauce aside while you prepare the tofu.

Step 2: How to Poach Tofu “Egg Whites”

Depending on the size of your bread slices and the dimensions of the pound of medium-firm tofu, make appropriately sized slices of tofu.

In the video, I make only two half-pound slices from the package of medium-firm organic tofu that I had that day. That makes for very hearty sandwiches. But, the variety I usually buy is a thicker block that can be sliced easily into four pieces (as demonstrated in my vegan fried egg sandwich tutorial). Depending on the dimensions of your tofu or  your hunger level, you decide!

Fill a small saucepan with your just-boiled water and place it on the stove over high heat. Add a teaspoon or two of salt. You want the saltiness level to be similar to seawater (like with cooking pasta).

Then, carefully immerse your tofu slices right away. Let the water come to a simmer and heat your tofu through; about 3 to 5 minutes.

Afterwards, use a spatula to transfer the poached tofu to a clean, absorbent kitchen towel and dry off all the sides. Let the tofu stay warm in the towel while you toast your bread.

Step 3: How to Toast Bread in a Pan on the Stove

Sure you can just use your toaster but bread that’s been toasted in a pan with vegan butter just hits different! Here’s my method of making buttery toasts that are nice and crispy on the outside surfaces but still soft on the inside.

Heat up a wide pan over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of vegan butter. At the same time, have another tablespoon or so of vegan butter chopped up into little pieces on the side.

When the first round of vegan butter is melted, add your bread slices. The sides that will become the inside of the sandwiches should go down first. Move the slices around the pan to absorb the melted butter. Then let the pieces brown to your desired toastiness level.

While you wait, distribute the reserved butter pieces on to the tops of the toasting bread slices.

When the bottoms are as brown as you like, flip and let the other sides toast to your liking as well. Then you can transfer them to your serving plates, keeping in mind to keep the extra buttery side on the outside of your sandwich.

Step 4: Assemble the Vegan Poached Tofu “Egg” Sandwiches

With the extra buttery, crispy sides of your toasted bread slices on the bottom, layer a slice of warm, poached tofu on to each base. Use a spoon to scoop out some of the tofu from the middle of each.

If your yolk sauce has cooled, you can warm it up again in the microwave or stove. Then distribute the yolk sauce into the little tofu bowls that you’ve made.

Sprinkle the top of your assembled vegan poached egg with extra black salt. And add white pepper, dried parsley or other seasonings as you like.

Then add mayo to the remaining toast and top off your vegan poached tofu “egg” sandwiches! Cut them in half if you like, take a pic for instagram and tag me in your post, and enjoy!

Details on Ingredients for Vegan Poached Tofu “Egg” Sandwiches

If you have a fully stocked vegan pantry, you probably don’t need any explanations. But if you are a little newer to this world, welcome! Here are details for some of the ingredients for my delicious Vegan Poached Tofu “Egg” Sandwiches.

The Best Tofu for Poached Tofu “Eggs”

I use medium-firm tofu because its tender texture is reminiscent of soft cooked egg whites. But at the same time, it is firm enough to poach, pat dry, and not fall apart while you are assembling or eating your sandwich.

Also, medium-firm tofu’s high water content gives it a mild flavour which really takes on the taste of eggs when you add the right amount of salt and black salt (kala namak, which you can scroll down and read about).

Soft tofu is also nice for similar reasons but it is more delicate to work with.

I avoid using firm or extra firm tofu in a recipe like this because they have a stronger soybean flavour just because of their density.

Black Salt

Black salt, AKA Kala Namak, is a type of salt that has an egg-y, sulfur-y aroma. And even though it’s called black salt, it’s actually pinkish grey. It’s strong so a little goes a long way. 

You can buy Black Salt at Indian grocery stores in the spice section. I got a big hand-sized bag for only a few dollars at a local Indian grocery store here in Calgary. Also, if you are in Canada, I have found black salt at Superstore – in the spice aisle! If you can’t seem to find black salt near you, you can get black salt online.

Printable Recipe for Vegan Poached Tofu “Egg” Sandwiches