Veggie Wraps with Grilled Tofu & Sesame Mayo

Cut the tofu into 12 slices. Brush everything—peppers, zucchini, the tofu—with oil and salt it now. Grill burns the outside and it takes 20 minutes total, mostly cooling. You’ll peel the pepper skin off after it steams, which sounds fussy but takes like two minutes.

Why You’ll Love These Veggie Wraps

Grilled tofu with sesame actually tastes like something—not like you’re eating air. The mayo mixture hits different. Takes 38 minutes start to finish. Not a weekend project. Cleanup is basically running your grill pan under water. Works cold the next day, maybe better. Vegan but doesn’t feel like you’re missing anything. You make the wraps, wrap them in parchment, grab one at lunch. Done.

What You Need for Grilled Veggie Wraps

Two red bell peppers halved and seeded. Not yellow. Red ones get sweeter. Firm tofu—318 grams, which is about 11 ounces, cut into 12 slices. Not silken. Firm or extra-firm. Two small zucchini sliced lengthwise, about 6 millimeters thick. That’s roughly a quarter inch. Three tablespoons olive oil. One and a third tablespoons lime juice. One and a third tablespoons rice vinegar. Five tablespoons mayo. One tablespoon toasted sesame oil—not regular sesame oil, it burns. Four 10-inch flour tortillas. Five hundred milliliters shredded iceberg lettuce. Salt. Pepper.

The mayo and sesame oil go together. That’s your spread. The lime and rice vinegar dress the tofu while it’s still warm—it soaks it in instead of sitting on top.

How to Make Grilled Veggie Wraps

Heat your grill or grill pan to high. Doesn’t matter which. Brush the peppers, tofu, and zucchini with olive oil. Season everything now—salt and pepper while the oil’s still wet so it sticks. Place the pepper halves skin-side down on the grill. They’ll char on that side. Eight to ten minutes. Don’t move them around. The char is supposed to happen.

When the peppers blacken enough, throw them in a sealed container—a bowl with plastic wrap works. They steam themselves as they cool. The skin pulls off after that like nothing. Set them aside in the fridge.

Grill the tofu three minutes a side. Watch for grill marks, not color—tofu doesn’t brown like meat does. The marks mean it’s holding together. Three minutes each side. Don’t flip it constantly. Then the zucchini. Three minutes each side. Same thing. You’re looking for soft inside and char lines on the outside.

Mix the lime juice and rice vinegar in a bowl. Add the tofu slices while they’re still warm. Toss gently so they don’t fall apart. Salt and pepper it. That’s it. It soaks in.

How to Get the Mayo Layer Right

Combine the mayo and toasted sesame oil in a small bowl. Mix until it’s smooth and there’s no streaks. This is what holds everything together. It’s also what makes these wraps taste good instead of just tasting like vegetables.

Lay your tortillas flat. Spread the mayo mixture evenly across the whole surface. Not thick. Just enough to see it. Then down the center to the right side, layer your tofu, the peppers, the zucchini, and lettuce. Don’t overstuff. It won’t roll tight. Roll each one tightly. Wrap it individually in parchment paper, fold the ends like a candy wrapper.

Cut in half to serve.

Veggie Wrap Tips and Common Mistakes

Your grill needs to be actually hot. Cold grill = steamed tofu, not grilled tofu. The char matters. Don’t peel the pepper skin while it’s hot or you’ll burn yourself and also it won’t peel clean. Wait until it’s cooled. Five minutes usually.

The tofu slices stay whole because you only flip once. If you keep poking at them they’ll crumble. Leave them alone. Three minutes is enough. Don’t go longer thinking it’ll get crispier. It won’t.

Zucchini gets soft fast. Don’t bake it. Three minutes each side is the limit. Some people like it barely cooked. That works too.

The parchment wrapping isn’t just presentation. It keeps the wraps from drying out and it keeps the parchment from sticking to the filling if you’re eating it later. Cold wraps stay better when wrapped.

If you don’t have a grill pan you can use a cast iron skillet on high heat. Works the same. Takes the same time.

Veggie Wraps with Grilled Tofu & Sesame Mayo

By Emma

Prep:

18 min

Cook:

20 min

Total:

38 min

Servings:

4 large or 6 small servings

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers halved and seeded
• 318 g (about 11 oz) firm tofu cut into 12 slices
• 2 small zucchini sliced lengthwise about 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
• 20 ml (1 1/3 tbsp) fresh lime juice
• 20 ml (1 1/3 tbsp) rice vinegar
• 75 ml (5 tbsp) mayonnaise
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) toasted sesame oil
• 4 flour tortillas 25 cm (10 in)
• 500 ml shredded iceberg lettuce
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. 1 Heat grill or grill pan on high.
2. 2 Brush peppers, tofu, and zucchini with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. 3 Place peppers on grill skin-side down. Cook until charred, 8-10 minutes. Place in sealed container to steam. Cool and peel off skin. Refrigerate.
4. 4 Grill tofu and zucchini 3 minutes each side. Cool zucchini.
5. 5 Mix lime juice and rice vinegar in bowl. Add tofu, toss gently. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. 6 Combine mayonnaise with toasted sesame oil in small bowl.
7. 7 Lay tortillas flat. Spread mayo mixture evenly.
8. 8 Down center to right side, layer tofu, peppers, zucchini, lettuce.
9. 9 Roll tightly. Wrap individually in parchment, fold ends like a candy wrapper.
10. 10 Cut wraps in half to serve.

Nutritional information

Calories

270

Protein

12g

Carbs

16g

Fat

18g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Veggie Wrap Recipes

Can you make these ahead? Yeah. Make them the morning of or the night before. Keep them wrapped in parchment in the fridge. They hold for about two days. The tofu gets softer but it’s still fine.

What if you don’t have sesame oil? Don’t use regular sesame oil. It burns and tastes different. Just use mayo straight. Not the same but it works.

Can you substitute the tofu with something else? Tempeh works. Chickpeas work. Grilled halloumi if you’re not vegan. The point is something with texture. Lettuce wraps vegetarian work cold, but grilled vegetables are better.

Do you have to grill it or can you bake? Bake works. 425 degrees, 15 minutes. You won’t get the char. The flavor’s different. Grilling’s better but baking’s faster.

How much does this make? Four wraps. Eight halves. Feeds two people as a meal or four as an appetizer. The sesame tofu part is pretty filling.

Can you use different vegetables? Zucchini and peppers are the main ones. You could add grilled eggplant. Grilled mushrooms. Keep them sliced thin so they cook in three minutes. Don’t add raw lettuce to the grill. That’s why it’s added after.