Tofu Benedict with Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

Tofu Benedict is the ultimate vegan brunch dish! It’s made with tofu, greens, tomato slices, and tempeh bacon and then drenched in a dairy-free hollandaise sauce. It's terrific on those days when you're craving breakfast for dinner, too! This easy recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.

Tofu Benedict

Going out for brunch one of my favorite weekend activities. (I’m easy to please!) I’m not really sure what it is about brunch food that I like so much. I love tofu scrambles, veggie sausages, tempeh bacon, and hash browns, and I really love when someone else makes it for me. I cook most of our meals throughout the week, so it’s a nice to treat to have a meal that requires no work on my part, other than chewing.

I’ve spotted vegan tofu benedict on brunch menus at different restaurants more and more over the years. While my instinct is to order tofu scrambles, I like to mix things up. I’ve never had an omnivore benedict, but I loved the vegan versions that I’ve tried.

Each restaurant has made it differently – one had slices of veggie ham with tofu and asparagus, and another had tempeh bacon and spinach. A third restaurant served their tofu benedict with sweet potatoes and avocado. The one thing they all have had in common is savory tofu and a deliciously creamy dairy-free hollandaise sauce.

Traditional Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict traditionally consists of two English muffin halves topped with bacon or ham, poached eggs, and a dairy-laden hollandaise sauce. The dish originated in New York City in the late 1800s.

Vegan Benedict

Even though it’s full of very non-vegan components, this dish is easily veganized. Tofu is a great stand-in for eggs. Here, I’ve used baked tofu, a cashew-based hollandaise, and tempeh bacon. I’ve added greens and tomatoes, because why not?

Vegan Hollandaise

Hollandaise sauce is considered one of the five “mother sauces” in French cuisine. (The other being béchamel, velouté, espagnole, and tomato.) It’s an emulsion of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice that has a tangy, buttery flavor.

I can't remember ever having the dairy version, but I've had several vegan versions. Creamy sauces are my jam, so I was easily hooked. I've used cashews as the base, turmeric for color, and dijon mustard for the tangy flavor. 

To make Tofu Benedict:

While the multiple steps in this recipe may give it a daunting look, it’s actually rather simple to make. There are just a few steps.

1. First you marinate the tofu. While it’s marinating, you mix together the nutritional yeast and spices.
2. You dip the tofu in the noochy mixture, and then bake it at 400°F for 20 minutes. If you’d like to cook it in your air fryer instead of your oven, it only takes about 10 minutes.
3. While the tofu is baking, mix up the sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor, warm it on the stove, and toast the English muffins. The tofu should be ready around the same time the sauce is warm and the English muffins are toasted.
4. Finally, you pile the greens, tomatoes, tempeh bacon, and tofu on a muffin half and then pour on the hollandaise sauce and serve!

Recipe Notes

If you don’t want to do all of the work in the morning, you can make the tofu and hollandaise sauce ahead of time and heat them up just before breakfast. The sauce might thicken a little in the fridge, but you can easily fix that with a little bit of water.

Instead of cutting your tofu into rectangular slices, you use a round cookie cutter to make tofu circles. 

I’ve used my homemade tempeh bacon here, but you can use store-bought to speed things up, if you like. You can also use store-bought baked tofu, if you're really pressed for time.

I like to use Ezekiel Multi-Grain English Muffins in this recipe. They also make a gluten-free variety for those with gluten sensitivities.

The Ultimate Vegan Brunch Dish

Tofu Benedict with Vegan Hollandaise Sauce is the perfect brunch dish special occasions likes New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, and Mother’s Day. It’s also great for any random Sunday! I also love having it when I’m craving breakfast for dinner. Serve it with roasted potatoes and mixed greens for the ultimate meal.

Tofu Benedict with Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

Dianne

Tofu Benedict is the ultimate vegan brunch dish. It’s made with tofu greens, tomato slices, and tempeh bacon and then drenched in a dairy-free hollandaise sauce.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 390 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Tofu

• 1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu drained and pressed
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Hollandaise Sauce

• ½ cup raw cashews soaked in water for 2 hours, drained, and rinsed
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the Benedicts

• 4 whole grain English muffins cut in half
• 1 large tomato sliced into 8 thin slices
• 4 cups baby spinach, baby kale, or arugula
• 8 slices tempeh bacon cooked

Instructions

 

To Make the Tofu

• If you’re cooking the tofu in your oven, preheat it to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the tofu in half, then cut each half into four slices. Place the slices in a shallow dish.
• Mix the tamari and apple cider vinegar together and pour it over the tofu. Make sure the pieces are totally submerged. Allow the tofu to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the nutritional yeast, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
• Dip a tofu slice into the nutritional mixture and make sure it’s fully coated. Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the tofu.
• Oven instructions: Bake the tofu for 20 minutes, flipping the slabs over after 10 minutes.
• Air fryer instructions: Bake the tofu on 400° for 10 minutes, flipping after 5 minutes. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the tofu in batches.

To Make the Hollandaise Sauce

• Mix all of the ingredients together in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time.
• Heat the sauce in a small sauce pan to warm it up. If it gets too thick, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time.

To Make the Benedicts

• Toast the English muffins.
• Place two English muffin halves on a plate.
• Place about half a cup of greens on each half, then follow with a tomato slice and two slices of tempeh bacon.
• Place a tofu slice on each muffin half, and then drizzle on the hollandaise sauce. Serve hot.

Calories: 390kcal

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More brunch recipes you might enjoy include:

• Vegan Greek Frittata
• Broccoli Quiche Cups
• Hoppin' John Tofu Scramble 
• Vegan Quiche Lorraine from Baconish by Leinana Two Moons