Crispy Baked Tofu - crispy, crunchy, plant-based protein and delicious!
If you follow The Crooked Carrot at all, you know my first experience with tofu was less than ideal. In fact, I mistook the tofu for feta cheese and sprinkled it over my salad. Needless to say, I was far from thrilled by this plain, flavorless, spongy cube on my salad.
As we started incorporating more plant-based proteins, I thought I should give tofu another try. And guess what? Now we absolutely love the stuff and use it all the time in the The Crooked Carrot kitchen! The preparation of tofu is the key to making it taste great....Here comes crispy baked tofu.
This crispy baked tofu is budget-friendly and is the perfect plant-based protein addition to so many meals like Honey Sesame Tofu with Roasted Asian Vegetables, Black Bean Tofu Bowl, or Spicy Cashew Zucchini Noodles.
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Ready to make Crispy Baked Tofu? Let’s do it!
1 - Press the tofu. It’s essential to get as much liquid out of the tofu block as possible. Wet tofu just won’t crisp up. Drain the liquid and press the tofu for at least ten minutes (I often let it press for closer to 30 minutes). You can press it out with a towel by hand, or simply wrap the tofu in a towel and place something flat and heavy on top (like a cookie sheet with jars on top), which will gradually press the tofu for you - my favorite method!
Check out our Tofu 101 post for more tips on making tofu!
2 - Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with reusable silicone baking mats.
3 - Cut the tofu into cubes. First cut the tofu into slabs, then cut each slab in half, and dice each half until you have ½-inch cubes. Transfer the tofu to a medium bowl.
4 - Drizzle olive oil over the tofu and stir to coat. This is where you’ll add in any other seasonings like spices or soy sauce or marinate the tofu. Then coat the tofu in cornstarch or arrowroot powder (this is the key to its crispiness).
5 - Arrange tofu in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Make sure to give them some room so they crisp up. After 15 minutes, flip the tofu and bake for another 15 minutes or until they reach your desired crispness.
Crispy Baked Tofu: Tips, Tricks and Tools
Tools needed: Quality baking sheet and a silicone baking mat so the tofu doesn’t stick and it makes clean-up a breeze.
Quality ingredients: I like to use organic tofu to ensure it’s not made with any GMO ingredients. Though the verdict is still out on the impacts of GMO foods, most non-organic soybeans are GMO so I like to purchase tofu organically. For Crispy Baked Tofu, I like to use firm or extra-firm. One block is usually sufficient for 4 servings.
Soy sauce is high in sodium, so it’s important to be mindful of how much you use. I like to use either aged soy sauce (so delicious), low-sodium soy sauce, or an alternative like amino acids or tamari.
Cornstarch/arrowroot powder is the secret ingredient that makes baked or sautéed tofu extra crispy!
Seasoning ideas: Salt, pepper and garlic powder are the basics, but I also like to marinate tofu in a soy sauce mixture like in our Black Bean Tofu Bowl. You can adjust the seasonings depending on what type of dish you’re making – curry powder, taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, etc.
Check out our Tofu 101 post for more information about tofu!
We hope you love this Crispy Baked Tofu!
- Packed with plant-based protein
- Crispy, crunchy and delicious
- Quick and easy for a great addition to your weeknight meal
Love this simple tofu recipe? Check out our other delicious tofu recipes like this Honey Sesame Tofu with Roasted Asian Vegetables, Black Bean Tofu Bowl, or Spicy Cashew Zucchini Noodles.
Did you enjoy this Crispy Baked Tofu as much as we do?
Comment below! And rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out! Not cooking today? Save this Crispy Baked Tofu for later by pinning it to your How-To Board and make sure to tag us at The Crooked Carrot Instagram to show us your Crispy Baked Tofu creations!
“The mind is like tofu. It tastes like whatever you marinate it in.” – Sylvia Boorstein
Crispy Baked Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) package tofu extra firm
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or alternative - coconut aminos or tamari
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper.
- Press Tofu: Drain the tofu and use your hands to squeeze out any liquid. Slice the tofu into ½-3/4 inch slabs and place side by side on a tea towel. Wrap the tofu in the towel and place a cutting board or baking sheet on top of the tofu. Now place something heavy (dutch oven, cans, etc.) on top to press the liquid out. Let it rest this way for at least 15-30 minutes.
- Cut the tofu slabs into cubes (or whatever shape you’d like) and transfer to a large bowl. The thinner the cube, the crispier the tofu.
- Season: Drizzle olive oil and seasonings over tofu and stir to coat. This is when you can add any other seasonings or marinate the tofu. Then coat the tofu cubes in cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
- Bake: Arrange tofu in a single layer on the lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip, then bake for another 15 minutes or until they reach your desired crispiness. Enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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