Vegan Breakfast Sandwich with Rich Tofu Salad and Glazed Mushrooms

Whether you’re vegan or not (like me), this vegan breakfast sandwich is a great way to start your day! The texture of the tofu is reminiscent of scrambled eggs but with a Japanese-inspired flavor of its own.

What Goes into This Vegan Breakfast Sandwich?

If, we’re honest vegan swaps can be a little underwhelming. That’s why this vegan breakfast sandwich is unique. It delivers some familiar textures and concepts but in a different and exciting light.

Here are the main components:

• Sourdough – Sourdough makes a flavorful and nutritious base for this sandwich. Following the sando theme, I cut the crust off the sourdough slices in this recipe. Larger, rounder sourdough slices are better suited for this sandwich.

Making sourdough is a labor I have come to relish and enjoy. If you want to learn, people like Claire Saffitz and Brian Lagerstorm are great resources. For more recipes using sourdough, check out this post.

• Creamy Tofu – This is an easy-to-make protein option that has a creamy texture and a salty, nutty, umami taste from a miso-sesame sauce.

• Nori – Seasoned seaweed acts as both a flavor enhancer and a protective barrier between the sourdough and tofu filling.

• Creamy Miso Sesame Sauce – This sauce is rich in both flavors and mouthfeel; the miso and freshly toasted sesame seeds provide a deep, earthy, nutty aroma, and the silken tofu gives a smooth consistency not unlike that of emulsification.

• Glazed Portobello – Glazed mushrooms provide a meaty texture and salty-sweet flavor to this breakfast sandwich. Its job isn’t unlike bacon, but I’m not going to try gaslighting you into believing they taste like bacon because they don’t. They taste like delicious mushrooms (duh).

This recipe is based on the sandos of Japan, almost as a vegan alternative to the popular tamago sando, substituting tofu for the eggs and a creamy silken tofu-based sauce for the mayo. But then again, it offers a completely new and different experience.

How to Make a Creamy Miso Sesame Sauce in 2 Steps

In the same way that kewpie mayo is mixed with egg to make a tamago sando, a homemade umami-packed sauce provides richness to the scrambled tofu.

Step 1 – Toast Sesame Seeds

Freshly toasted sesame seeds give this sauce an extremely bold, nutty flavor. Toasting the seeds is easy, so I highly recommend you don’t buy pr-toasted sesame seeds.

Add all the sesame seeds to a small pan, then turn the heat up to medium-high heat. Toast for about 3 minutes, until they reach a deep brown color, then immediately remove from heat.

While we don’t want burnt sesame seeds, we do want them to be pretty dark.

Step 2 – Blend

Place the silken tofu, miso, and toasted sesame seeds in a personal blender. Blend until smooth and your sauce is finished!

This sauce has a strong salty and umami taste with a nutty and heady aroma. Serve it with fried chicken and spread it on a sandwich; be creative!

How to Make Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches with Rich Tofu Salad and Glazed Mushrooms

Step 1 – Broil Mushrooms

The first step in making this sandwich is broiling the mushrooms. Turn on the broiler in your oven to 500.

Make a quick glaze for the mushrooms by combining the soy sauce and maple syrup. Place the sliced mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush half of the glaze onto the top side of the mushrooms.

Broil for 5 minutes about 6 inches away from the heat source, flip the mushrooms and brush the other side of the mushrooms with the remaining glaze.

Broil for 5 more minutes.

Step 2 – Mix Tofu and Miso Sesame Sauce

While the mushrooms are cooking, make the tofu mixture. It’s really like a tofu salad; with tofu playing the part of eggs and the creamy miso sesame sauce acting as mayonnaise.

Place the scrambled tofu in a bowl and add 5 tbsp. of the prepared miso sauce (instructions below). Use a spoon to mix thoroughly

Step 3 – Assemble Sandwich

Top each trimmed sourdough slice with a a strip of nori,

followed by a few slices of mushrooms,

and the tofu salad.

Repeat the following steps in backward order.

In the end. Your sandwiches should be assembled like this: bread, nori, mushrooms, tofu scramble, mushrooms, nori bread.

Ingredients

Tofu + Bread

• 1 block of firm tofu, crumbled
• 5 tbsp. of Creamy Miso Sesame Sauce
• 2 full-size sheets of nori, cut into thirds
• 6 slices of sourdough, crusts trimmed (and reserved for croutons)

Glazed Mushrooms

• 2 portobello mushrooms, cut into ½-inch thick slices
• 2 tsp. of soy sauce
• 2 tsp. of maple syrup

Creamy Miso Sesame Sauce

• 2/3 of a 14 oz. block of silken tofu
• 1 1/2 tbsp. of sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsp. of white miso

Directions

Mushrooms

1. Turn on the broiler in your oven to 500.
2. Combine the soy sauce and maple syrup in a small bowl.
3. Place the sliced mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush half of the glaze onto the top side of the mushrooms.
4. Broil for 5 minutes about 6 inches away from the heat source.
5. Flip the mushrooms, and brush the other side of the mushrooms with the remaining glaze. Broil for 5 more minutes.

Tofu Salad

1. Place the crumbled tofu in a bowl and add 5 tbsp. of the prepared miso sauce (instructions below). Use a spoon to mix thoroughly.

Assembly

1. Assemble the sandwiches in the following order: bread, nori, mushrooms, tofu, mushrooms, nori, bread.
2. Serve the vegan breakfast sandwiches (at room temperature), or cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.