This vegan Tofu Ham with Raisin Glaze is the perfect centerpiece for your holiday meal. Sweet and smokey, and loaded with flavor, it’s sure to become a tradition for your family too!
Veganizing the Holidays
My mom has always had very specific dishes that she would serve for different holidays. She kept to the traditional Stuffing and turkey for Thanksgiving, Mashed Potatoes and a roast at Christmas, and Jello Salad and ham for Easter. I’ve worked to veganize my favorite holiday dishes so that my kids can experience some of the traditions that I grew up with. One staple that my mom made every Easter was her Raisin Glaze. It’s naturally vegan, and I’ve made a vegan tofu ham to go with it! Totally delicious, and brings me right back to my childhood holidays!
How do you Make Vegan Tofu Ham?
Making a tofu ham is pretty simple. I used similar flavors as my Baked Tofu, giving it a little more sweetness with pineapple juice, and some smokey paprika and liquid smoke to mimic a ham flavor. I think this recipe would also be perfect for a summer bbq, with skewers of tofu and pineapple chunks to throw on the grill! It’s important to marinate overnight to get the best flavor. Irving grabbed a slice right off the cutting board the other night and said “whoa, this actually has a lot of flavor!” Yep, yes it does! I also score the tofu to look like the classic ham, and stud it with whole cloves. This step isn’t totally necessary, but it makes for a fun presentation!
Raisin Glaze
My Mom’s raisin glaze couldn’t be easier. She starts with brown sugar, adds a whole bunch of spices, and finishes it off with apple cider vinegar. I had some leftover pineapple juice from the tofu, so I did half and half and it was sweet and delicious. Once the sauce simmers and the sugar dissolves you add the raisins, which absorb the liquid and plump right up. Whisk in a cornstarch slurry and the glaze thickens right up.
More Holiday Dishes You Will Love!
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Maple Dinner Rolls with Aquafaba
- Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
- Vegan Classic Mashed Potatoes — Dairy Free!
- Dairy Free Onion Gravy for the Holidays
- Traditional Vegan Stuffing for the Holidays
- Vegan Red Wine Gravy
- Spinach Salad with Bacon and Smokey Vinaigrette
- Carrot Cake with Lemon Glaze
- Aunt Betty’s Vegan Apple Pie
Let’s Make Tofu Ham with Raisin Glaze
Are you ready? You’re just a few steps away from a delicious tofu ham with raisin glaze! Remember to leave yourself enough time to marinate the tofu overnight for the best flavor. And don’t forget to leave me a note in the comments below letting me know how you like it!
Vegan Tofu Ham with Raisin Glaze
Ingredients
For the Tofu:
- 2 blocks firm tofu
- 20 ounces canned pineapple rings in juice (you will use both)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (choose gluten free if necessary)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 42 whole cloves
For the Raisin Glaze:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice (reserved from can above)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or more as needed to make 1/2 cup of liquid with the leftover pineapple juice)
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 Tablespoon of cold water into a slurry)
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- Press the tofu using a tofu press or by wrapping in paper towels, placing between 2 plates, and weighing them down for about 30 minutes to remove excess water.
- While the tofu presses mix the marinade ingredients: 1/2 cup of pineapple juice from the canned pineapple (reserve the remaining juice), soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard, liquid smoke, paprika, and ground cloves.
- Remove the tofu from the tofu press. Score the tofu about 1/4" deep (do not cut all the way) in the pattern pictured above, basically making a large X through the tofu, and then scoring additional lines to each side of the X.
- Place the tofu in a container that will hold the tofu and marinade. Cover the tofu bricks with the marinade, gently pressing open the score marks so that the marinade can soak in. Stud the tofu with the cloves at each "intersection" of the scoring.
- Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 48 hours.
- Once the tofu has marinated, prepare a baking sheet by covering with parchment paper. Arrange a few pineapple slices on the parchment paper. Remove the tofu from the container and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 375º for 60 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, serve with Raisin Glaze (below) and enjoy!
For the Raisin Glaze:
- In a small saucepan add the brown sugar, pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, water, mustard, cinnamon, salt, pepper, cloves, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Over medium heat whisk the ingredients together and bring to a simmer.
- Mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon cold water to make a slurry. Pour it into the glaze mixture and whisk to combine. Allow to simmer a little longer until the glaze thickens.
- Once thickened slightly, add the raisins to the sauce. Allow the mixture to simmer on low heat while the raisins plump up.
- Remove from heat and serve.
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