
Delicious Vegan 'Salmon' glazed with homemade authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce. Serve this teriyaki tofu 'fish', with rice, miso soup and vegetables for a easy & healthy protein packed meal!

Teriyaki salmon, another one of Japan's classic popular dish loved by everyone. It's a dish my mom would make for us at least once a week and I look forward to it every time. It's something I definitely have missed since going vegan so when choosing what seafood dishes I wasnted to veganize, I knew I wanted to tackle a 'fish' fillet glazed with teriyaki.

How to Make Vegan Salmon
Ingredients (+substitutions)
When coming up with this recipe, I knew I wanted to use tofu and bean curds since it has that 'shredded' look and texture. Next, I needed to think of a way to combine it all together so turned to my new favourite binder / egg replacer, nagaimo. I used this yam in my kaki fry recipe and it was the perfect binder– it worked perfectly in this recipe too! I also used a bit of potato starch to ensure it sticks together and to absorb any unwanted excess moisture.
For flavour, I used kombu dashi granules which has a slightly sea-scented flavour. I've also made this with mushroom broth powder and dulse flakes which also gives a similar umami fishy flavour. Instead of regular salt, I used smoked salt for a boost of flavour.
Directions
- Prepare the tofu: Wrap the tofu with a lint-free kitchen cloth and place a heavy object on top to press out the tofu for at least 20 minutes. It's okay if the tofu looks like it's going to break a little since we are crumbling later on. Alternatively, wrap the tofu with a paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes (one minute intervals). Once cool enough to handle, press the tofu between your hands to remove excess liquid.
- Prepare the yuba: Use kitchen scissors to cut the yuba into shreds.
- Make the 'fish': Mash the tofu into a paste-like consistency. Grate the nagaimo into the bowl. Add the bean curd sticks, kombu dashi granules, potato starch and smoked salt. Mix everything together until well combined. Cut two pieces of nori out into roughly 2.75 x 4 inch rectangles. Lightly coat with potato starch and then divide the mixture by two. Add one portion to one piece of nori and spread it with the back of a fork.
- Cook the 'fish': Over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl it around the pan. Place the two fillets on the pan tofu side down and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan.
- Make the teriyaki sauce: Over medium heat, add the sake, mirin and sugar to the pan. Let the sugar dissolve and then add in the soy sauce and ginger juice. Once it starts to bubble and slightly thicken, turn down the heat to medium low to low and add the fish back in. Spoon the sauce over the fillets and once the sauce thickens up turn off the heat. Brush with remaining sauce to coat the entire fillet. Serve over a bed of rice or on a plate and enjoy!
Homemade Authentic Teriyaki Sauce
'Teriyaki' sauce is made up of just 4 ingredients: sake, mirin, soy sauce and sugar. These are staple ingredients for Japanese cooking so you should already have these on hand if you cook a lot of Japanese food! You can find these ingredients sold at any well stocked asian grocery store. As a baseline, a 1:1:1:1 ratio of all the ingredients. From there, you can adjust the ratio to your liking. Below, I've shared my golden ratio teriyaki sauce that I find to be the perfect balance of sweet and salty.
What to Serve with Teriyaki Tofu 'Salmon'
The sweet and savory flavour of teriyaki sauce pairs really well with many different side dishes! My mom would often make teriyaki salmon donburi (rice bowl) with a side of miso soup and steamed or grilled vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus or eggplants. Here are some more ideas that pair perfectly with teriyaki 'salmon':
- Spinach Sesame Salad (or another vegetable with the same dressing)
- Vegan Miso Soup (3 ways)
- Kinpira Gobo (Braised burdock root)
- Kinpira Renkon (Braised lotus root)
- Miso Glazed Root Vegetables
- Miso Butter Daikon Steak
- Korean Spinach Side Dish
More Vegan Seafood Recipes to Love!
- Vegan Poke Bowl with Crispy Tofu
- Vegan Kaki Fry (Japanese Fried Oysters)
- Vegan Unagi Don (Grilled 'Eel' Rice Bowl)
- Vegetarian Oyster Sauce – coming soon!
- Spicy Vegan Stir Fried Chili Shrimp (Ebi Chili) – coming soon!
- Spicy Korean Stir Fried Squid – coming soon!
- Vegan Dashi – coming soon!
If you recreate this Vegan Teriyaki Salmon recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Vegan Teriyaki 'Salmon'
Delicious Vegan 'Salmon' glazed with homemade authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce. Serve this teriyaki tofu 'fish', with rice, miso soup and vegetables for a easy & healthy protein packed meal!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 fillets 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: japanese, vegan
Ingredients
'Fish' Fillets
- 180g Medium Firm Tofu, water pressed out
- 12g bean curd sticks or dried yuba, rehydrated (approx.30g rehydrated net weight)
- 25g nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam / Chinese yam)
- ½ tsp kombu dashi granules, optional (or shiitake mushroom powder or dulse flakes)
- ⅛ tsp smoked salt
- 2-3 teaspoon potato starch (10g)
- ½ sheet of nori
Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 tbsp + 1 teaspoon mirin (35ml)
- 2 tbsp + 1 teaspoon sake (35ml)
- 1 tbsp cane sugar (13g)
- 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (45ml // gluten free as needed)
- ½ tsp ginger juice
To Serve
- cooked rice
- toasted sesame seeds
- spring onion
Instructions
- Prepare the tofu: Wrap the tofu with a lint-free kitchen cloth and place a heavy object on top to press out the tofu for at least 20 minutes. It's okay if the tofu looks like it's going to break a little since we are crumbling later on. Alternatively, wrap the tofu with a paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes (one minute intervals). Once cool enough to handle, press the tofu between your hands to remove excess liquid.
- Prepare the yuba: Use kitchen scissors to cut the yuba into shreds.
- Make the 'fish': Mash the tofu into a paste-like consistency. Grate the nagaimo into the bowl. Add the bean curd sticks, kombu dashi granules, potato starch and smoked salt. Mix everything together until well combined. Cut two pieces of nori out into roughly 2.75 x 4 inch rectangles. Lightly coat with potato starch and then divide the mixture by two. Add one portion to one piece of nori and spread it with the back of a fork.
- Cook the 'fish': Over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl it around the pan. Place the two fillets on the pan tofu side down and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan.
- Make the teriyaki sauce: Over medium heat, add the sake, mirin and sugar to the pan. Let the sugar dissolve and then add in the soy sauce and ginger juice. Once it starts to bubble and slightly thicken, turn down the heat to medium low to low and add the fish back in. Spoon the sauce over the fillets and once the sauce thickens up turn off the heat. Brush with remaining sauce to coat the entire fillet. Serve over a bed of rice or on a plate and enjoy!
Notes
- Helpful Equipment: turner, non-stick frying pan, oroshi grater
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- *Prep time does not include tofu pressing time
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 fillets
- Calories: 523
- Sugar: 24.9g
- Sodium: 3000mg
- Fat: 20.8g
- Saturated Fat: 2.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.7g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 49.9g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 25.6g
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: vegan fish, teriyaki tofu
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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Natalie says
Hi Lisa!
Thanks for sharing another amazing recipe! I’m so excited to try this, but wondering if you have a substitution for nagaimo? I can’t seem to find it my grocery store. Would another kind of yam work?
Thanks!
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Natalie!
I had some people say corn starch slurry works really well! I think add a bit of corn starch or more potato starch as you go to hold it together 🙂
Taylor George says
Can I use something else besides the Chinese yam?
Lisa Kitahara says
Hey Taylor!
I haven't tested this for myself, but I think you can just omit it and add a bit more tofu + starch to bind it. Please use your best judgement, though. Goodluck!! 🙂
Taylor George says
It turned out! Sooo delicious! I added an extra tsp of the potato starched and subbed the smoked sea salt for smoked paprika...boy it’s good. Also I was worried it would taste too much like salmon, but it was the perfect flavor...the dashi probably is what really gives it the nice umami flavor to it...so try not to skip that ingredient...
★★★★★
WoonHeng says
I know this is going to be sooo good, Lisa. Amazing recipe. xoxo
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
Thank you so much woonjeng, love you and all of your recipes <3
Emily says
I have made this two nights in a row! As a daughter of commercial fishermenI have missed salmon so so much and this honestly hit the spot 1000 times over. The nori skin is so perfect and adds just the right flavour of fishy sea taste. I highly recommend making this as it is so easy to put together in a short amount of time. Lisa has done it again!
★★★★★
Charlie says
This recipe is amazing 🤩 Ive tried to make so many “fish” recipes since being vegan and this is by far the best, loved it 🔥
★★★★★
Suzy says
I made this yesterday and it was super easy to make and it genuinely smells and tastes like seafood and it tastes so so good. I didn't have yam nor potato starch so I used corn flour instead and it turned out brilliantly. Lisa is a genius! *heart eyes*
★★★★★
Patricia says
I tried it and I liked it so much. Easy and tasty. I want to try every recipe of this blog!!
★★★★★
Nina says
You know those vegan recipes that totally change the game once in a while, like aquafqbq meringues? Well, this is one of them. It's absolutely amazing! The texture is surprisingly close to the real thing and it really tastes like fish. The sauce is delicious, not too sweet. I had it with soba and sesame spinach salad and it was a really great meal !
★★★★★
Vanessa says
Best fake fish I ever had in my life. The only thing I needed was a good asian market to buy some ingredients but I have to say, it is a quite simple recipe and worth a try. I absolutely loved!
★★★★★
Nicole says
Just made this and it came out great! I grated raw potato into it instead of naigamo because my local Asian market didn’t have it. Worked fine!
Was actually way easier to make than I expected, will def make again!
★★★★★
Tyler says
Hi there!
This was the second recipe I tried making and it took a couple tries and my result was not as nice to look at but tasted AMAZING 🤩 I absolutely loved the use of nori and it added to the flavor! To keep the tofu together I tried using cornstarch and found it worked pretty well! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Vanessa Farmer says
Delicious and fairly easy to put together. I definitely need better pans but even with the steaks sticking at first they still came out good and stayed together well. Will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Marika says
I loved this recipe, it's really simple and delicious! 😍😍🖤🖤
★★★★★
EKN says
So good!!!! Since we have practically eliminated seafood from our diet, I was so excited that we could still have these vegan options. Thank you Lisa. You are a genius.
I didn’t have nagaimo that day and just added more potato starch. It was easy to make and everybody loved it. Kids and adults were so happy. Couldn’t believe it was tofu!
I made a lot! It tasted great the next day cold in onigirazu (sushi sandwich) for lunch.
I am in love with these recipes 😍 thank you.
★★★★★
Grampa Angie says
This recipe was soooo good I'll definitely be making it again!!
I was a little intimidated to make it at first because I imagined everything would just fall apart in my case. BUT it was so EASY and came together really well even all throughout the frying part!
I didn't have nagaimo or tofu skins but I added tapioca starch and some hijiki for an extra texture and "sea" flavor and it worked very well! It reminded me of all the different types of fish imitation tofu I used to eat in Taiwan, but it tasted more natural and DELICIOUS. Thank you for the awesome recipe!! ♡
★★★★★
Camila Gorozo says
Hi. I'm from Argentina. I am vegan and reacently i started experimenting by making exotic food. This recipe was so easy to do, and you can replace or omit a few ingredients, wich makes it more aprochable. It didn't came out totally correct, but it's okay it was my first try haha, the result was still great, amazing! Everybody loved it.
★★★★★
Julia says
The plant-based salmon came out delicious! Very, very tasty - I made a bowl of rice, sauteed broccoli and fried Yamaimo slices to go with it. I tripled the amounts for the Teriyaki sauce to have more for the rice and broccoli as well - Thank you for a fabulous recipe.
★★★★★
Jacklyn says
I absolutely loved this dish, and so did the vegans and non-vegans to whom I served it! A couple of notes: I used a firm tofu which is pretty dry to begin with and so the mixture didn’t hold as well as it might have with the medium tofu called for in the recipe. I could have used egg replacer to bind it better. The mountain yam I found was huge and I didn’t know what to do with the rest of it! I wonder if this ingredient is necessary. Also I used kelp granules since that was what I could find. I doubled the recipe but it made a ton! I will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Akari says
It was very delicious. The sauce tastes perfect. The texture is soft and easy for children to eat. I'm glad it was easy to make. If you use high-quality seaweed, the flavor of the beach will be even more delicious.
★★★★
Matt says
Amazing texture and flavours in this recipe! Perfect for when you're craving a classic donburi!
★★★★★
Wiwi Junita says
Hi Lisa! This recipe is super duper easy to make and very delicious. Even kids can do it! My children help with the prep 😉 I’m sure to recreate more from your recipes. You make it so simple to cook vegan food 💪🏻 Love you and keep doing the good work! All the best wishes for you! Thank you 😊
★★★★★
Lisa says
I made this recipe for lunch and it was so delicious. It took me a bit longer to prepare since I doubled the recipe, but it was totally worth the effort. Lisa was so helpful too because she answered my questions via DM. I’m not vegan, but her recipes often look so incredible/full of flavor and now I know they are!
★★★★★
Bernie says
This was super tasty!! The texture was so much better than alot of the other fake fish recipes I have tried!It's hard to describe but it was soft and flakey, the yuba really stole the show! I decided to air-fry rather than fry to keep the recipe oil-free but it worked like a charm!
Will be using kabayaki sauce next for a "unagi" bowl!!
★★★★★
Mica says
Thank you so much for your recipe! I couldn’t get yam potatoes so I used normal potatoes instead 😅
I will try this again if I could get the specific ingredients 🧡
★★★★
Ryuko Miura says
Aloha Lisa!
Thank you so much for such a wonderful and creative recipe!
I love Tofu, of course, but sometimes I want to learn different ways of eating it!
I usually fly it or eat it raw with Soy sauce(hiyayakko)
This recipe is AMAZING!
I didn't have yuba, but still it was so delicious!
(I'm looking for yuba on amazon now! LOL)
Only warning of this recipe is that you WILL eat too much of rice!
Thank you so much for your inspirational recipes.
I will try other recipes too!
Love,
★★★★★
Shaimaa says
The recipe was simple and SUPER flavorful! One of the best things I’ve ever made!
★★★★★
Benedetta Mauro says
Before going vegan I used to eat a lot of fish, and this recipe brought me back that sea flavour! It's a very different way to eat tofu and definitely I will make it again. 😋😋
★★★★★
Hanna says
Texture and flavor are on point! Even my non vegan bf was like damn, that tastes good 😍 I’ll definitely make it again soon !!!
★★★★★
ToshaJihn says
This was seriously amazing! My boyfriend and I loved it and will definitely make this again and again. Thanks for another amazing recipe, we can’t wait to see what you do next <3
★★★★★
Maddie says
I made the teriyaki sauce only, to go with some panko crusted tofu and sushi rice. It was SO delicious and much more complex in flavour than any store-bought teriyaki I’ve tried; I’ve probably not even tasted authentic teriyaki until now. Highly recommend this recipe!
★★★★★
Alessandra Rotilio says
Hi Lisa! I tried this recipe and it came out fantastic! I had to substitute nagaimo with chickpea flour and the kombu dashi granules with a “fishy” marinade (pickle and caper brines, kombu seaweed, garlic powder and nutritional yeast), but the idea is fantastic and the mix of tofu and yuba creates and incredible texture!! Just awesome!
★★★★★
Chris says
Love this, so yummy! I can’t stop making it!
★★★★★
Belle says
Everyone who knows me knows that I HATE eating fish. So when I sent a picture of my meal to my mum she was shocked that I was eating teriyaki "salmon".
Although somewhat tedious to make, this dish is worth the effort. I found a cheat method of simple cutting the tofu into slice and layering it with the bean curd skin followed by seaweed. ALSO I'd recommend using 2 layers of seaweed as it is less likely to tear.
Belle says
I hate hate HATE eating fish of any kind so i was very excited for this recipe since i'll finally have something to eat during teriyaki dinner nights.
The process of making it was tedious but sooooo worth it. If you're lazy like me you can simply cut the tofu into thin slices then layer it with the bean curd skin followed by seaweed. Also I'd recommend using 2 layers of seaweed to avoid it tearing by accident!
★★★★
Nicola says
Absolutely love this recipe! It was so easy to do and incredibly delicious. I did have to sub a few ingredients but I don’t think that mattered too much.
I’ve really missed fish since going vegan and this definitely satisfied that craving. It’s also now on my husbands favourite meals list so I’ll be making this again for sure. Can’t wait to try something else from okonomi kitchen! So so glad I saw this on Instagram!!!
★★★★★
Grace says
If there was a difficulty rating on these id say this is intermediate purely because the timing on these really matters. I let my tofu mix sit on my sea weed too long and it made it soggy, and I had a hard time getting this crispy without burning the tofu. Otherwise I think this is a great meal, I just need to try again!
Veronica Lujano says
It was so tasty & super easy to make. We will definitely be making this weekly.
★★★★★
Clarissa Duarte says
I've loved this recipe! This is my first try on one of Lisa's recipes and it worked! I wasn´t sure if it would, since I have never cooked any kind of japanese food, imagine a vegan version? But it works, and it is yummy!
Thnak you Lisa!
★★★★★
Karolina says
I really loved this recipe. Although I had to adapt the recipe because I don't have access to a few of the ingredients, it still turned out really nice. I used regular grated potato, cut up nori and cut up rice paper. I don't think the rice paper did much but I had to experiment. I also added a flax egg as a binder. When you live in a place where ingredients are limited, you have to get creative if you want to make delicious recipes like this one! Thank you for sharing this wonderful meal with us! Can't wait to make this again.
★★★★★
Jesalyn says
Tried this recipe for the first time Friday night and it was so good!! I used kombu + bonito dashi (so it wasn't entirely vegan) to give it more of a 'fish' flavor. But I loved the texture!! I might try crumbling the tofu more next time on my end so there isn't big chunks and I think maybe add a little yuzu juice to the teriyaki for a bit of citrus. I also used a little less oil in the pan when frying the filets to give a little more crisp/ caramelization to the top of the tofu mixture. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe and I will definitely be making it again in the future!! Thank you so much for sharing your creativity, Lisa!! 🙂
★★★★★
@spiceupyourplants says
Really enjoyed this recipe and thanks for opening my world to nagaimo. what a unique ingredient imo. One request is to add the quantity of teriyaki sauce if one is using your other independent recipe for teriyaki sauce. I had prepared that separately and have been using for other recipes too. for this recipe, i kinda guesstimated.
Please continue to add more "fish" recipes. i really miss eating it.
★★★★★
Clare M says
Once I had all the ingredients, it was easy to make. Good flavors.
★★★★★
Brit Lee says
I made this the other night on a whim because I saw I had enough of the ingredients in the cabinet and wanted to do something fun with my leftover rice. Oh my god absolutely amazing! I’m never making tofu fillets any other way!!! I sprinkled some fried garlic over the top for extra crunch but the recipe itself is amazing as is. Adding this to one of my regular back pocket recipes!! Thank you so much for sharing these incredible recipes making vegan life so much better!!
★★★★★
Amu says
I made this a few days ago and it was delicious !!
I was thinking I was making "unagi" so when I ate it,I was like "this is not unagi,but taste good!" lol.
But later,I realized that was salmon teriyaki,and I was surprised! That tasted actually salmon,I think because of nori!
I'm gonna make it again
★★★★★
Ja says
Love it!!
★★★★★
Ash says
Made this yesterday,
didn't have Chinese yam so I added some silken tofu and it worked well..
Such a good idea! I have been looking for a good recipe to use my bean curd sheets.
★★★★★
Jan says
Hi Lisa. This is amazingly delicious. My husband who is a meat eater claims this delicious. It is easy to make with simple ingredients. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Love it!
★★★★★
Hillary says
i was so shocked it tasted just like fish
★★★★★
Katie says
I am the only vegetarian of my family, and this recipe was so delish that I was able to get the rest of my family on board with eating tofu! It reminds me of eating teriyaki salmon bento boxes which used to be one of my favorite dishes before making the switch to being plant based. I am so happy to have awesome substitutes for my old favorites! I 100% recommend giving it a try 🙂
★★★★★
Nella says
I recently got a chance to try this! Love it! I can't wait to make it again! The texture was amazing, everything was delicious 😋. Highly recommend ❤️.
★★★★★
Mo says
Delicious recipe! There were some confusing parts, like do you peel the ngaimo before grating? Where do you pat the potato starch? After watching IG, I saw it was patted onto the nori.
We added Kelp Delight which really gave it a fishy taste. The sauce was perfect. Great savory dish. Paired it with "spinash,"
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with the leftover ingredients? What am I going to do with Yuba and Ngaimo?
★★★★
Jenifer says
Another amazing recipe! My fav food page on Instagram!
★★★★★
Angeline says
This is one of mine and my friend’s favorite dish!! Haha
I am a vegan so i dont eat fish and my friend doesnt eat fish too, when i made this , it became our most favorite dish heheh! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes Lisa !🥰
★★★★★
Angeline says
This is one of my favorite recipes! Both myself and my friend dont eat fish (i am vegan hehe) she just dont eat fish
And when i tried made your recipe, my friend and myself love it so so much! Thank you so so much Lisa 🥰
★★★★★
Roi says
I loved this one. Used too much potatoe starch though so was a bit too starchy
★★★★★