This is The BEST Crispy Tofu Recipe! It’s flavorful, uses minimal oil and is baked to perfection in the oven! It’s perfect for adding to stirfrys or just snacking on!
I’m so excited to share this Crispy Tofu Recipe with you today! I’ve been testing it for a while and can now say that it’s perfect! I know tofu can be somewhat of a controversial ingredient, but we eat a lot of it and this is my favorite way to prepare it. It really is The Best Crispy Tofu!
My two year old loves just snacking on this Crispy Baked Tofu and it’s so cute how he says “tofu” 🙂 We probably eat tofu once a week in our house
What Kind Of Tofu Should I Use for Crispy Baked Tofu?
- You always want to use extra firm tofu when making this Crispy Tofu Recipe. The only time I ever use soft tofu is when I’m using it in vegan desserts, it does not sauté up well. There are a few brands of tofu out there and any of them will work as long as you get the extra firm variety. I’ve recently discovered high protein super firm tofu and it’s my favorite! So far I’ve seen it at Trader Joe’s and Sprouts. Just like its name, it’s super firm and it’s not packed in a ton of water so it doesn’t require any pressing.
- That brings me to my next point, if you aren’t using pre-pressed tofu it’s important to pat your tofu dry and press it. I’m not usually one to take the time to press my tofu but it’s important to make sure your tofu gets extra crispy! You don’t need to press it for hours, just about 15-30 minutes will do to ensure that it’s not waterlogged.
What Makes This The Best Crispy Tofu Recipe?
- It’s SO crispy! It’s seriously hard to believe that it’s not deep fried. And, the recipe only uses one tablespoon of oil, which really isn’t a lot if you compare it to deep fried tofu.
- It’s really easy to make! There’s no complicated tricks to this Crispy Tofu Recipe. All you do is mix up the seasonings, coat the tofu and then mix in some arrowroot or corn starch. Then you spread out on a sheet pan and bake until crispy and perfect!
- It’s made with healthy ingredients! There is no vegetable oil used in this recipe. I use toasted sesame oil because it gives it a nice flavor but you could also use olive oil or avocado oil. I choose to use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch, but cornstarch can be used too.
How To Use This Crispy Baked Tofu:
- This Crispy Tofu is perfect for so many recipes. You can pretty much use his technique for any recipe that calls for tofu and it will make it so much tastier!
- I honestly eat quite a bit of it plain, just off the baking tray after it comes out of the oven. My two year old really enjoys it that way too! It’s warm, crispy and has some good flavor thanks to the sesame oil, tamari and garlic powder.
- The other way I love to eat this crispy tofu is to add it to stir fry sauce and enjoy it over cauliflower rice. I usually use my favorite Stir Fry Recipe, or I also love this Orange Sauce Recipe (that will be getting it’s own post soon!). You can either pour the sauce over your meal or mix the tofu right into the pan with the sauce.
- This crispy tofu would be great in any stir fry recipe, over rice, mixed with veggies or noodles.
Recipe Tips For The BEST Crispy Tofu:
- You want to make sure all of your tofu is coated evenly with the oil mixture and with the arrowroot powder. The arrowroot powder is what makes it crispy so it’s super important to make sure it gets on every piece of tofu.
- I used arrowroot in my recipe because that is what I had on hand but you could also use the same amount of cornstarch. I’ve read that arrowroot powder will give the tofu a slightly slimy texture if you add it to a sauce, whereas the cornstarch will not. I personally don’t mind it, but it’s up to you which you want to use.
- It’s really important to make sure the tofu cubes are not touching each other at all when you place them on the sheet pan. If the tofu is touching then the touching part will not get as crispy.
- You also want to make sure you stir around the tofu a few times while it’s baking so that each side gets crispy.
Enjoy more tofu recipes here:
The BEST Crispy Tofu {Baked}
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is seriously the BEST Crispy Tofu Recipe! It’s baked in the oven and only uses 1 tablespoon of oil! It’s perfect for your next vegetarian stir fry!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (14 oz) container extra firm tofu, patted dry and pressed for at least 15 minutes
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, or your favorite oil
- 1 teaspoon tamari, or soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder, or corn starch
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, tamari, garlic powder, maple syrup and vinegar.
- Cut the pressed tofu into bite sized pieces and place in the oil mixture. Use a spoon or spatula to stir the tofu and make sure it’s completely coated. Next, sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of the arrowroot powder and mix well until all the tofu is coated. Then, sprinkle on the remaining teaspoon of arrowroot powder and give a gentle mix just until you can’t see the dry white powder anymore.
- Line a large baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper. Pour the tofu and and arrange it so that none of the pieces are touching each other. Bake tofu for about 25-30 minutes, until golden and crispy, stirring 2-3 times during the baking. Let tofu sit for a few minutes to crisp up even more before enjoying.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegan, Gluten Free
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian
I have pulled up this recipe again tonight for dinner…we have it once a week. It’s about time I left a review! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. I double the recipe as there are four of us and some with big appetites. This is so delicious, easy and versatile. We love it and highly recommend it. Thank you for sharing it!
Thank you so much!!!
I doubled everything except the oil and cornstarch. It came out very delicious. It is crunchy and tastes great. I put it in a spinach wrap. There are so many combinations to improvise on this. I am in love. Thanks for sharing!
That’s so nice to hear!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing!!!! It was an absolute winner especially with my 1 year old. So flavourful and crispy, perfect. Thank you so much for the recipe x
That’s so nice to hear!!
Hi, have you tried this in an air-fryer, and if so, what time and temperature settings did you use?
Hi Seana, unfortunately I haven’t tried it in the air-fryer.
Hi, I’m planning to make this soon and I was wondering if you can tell me which of your sauces you are dipping these crispy tofu cubes into, in the actual video. It looks so yummy and I would like to make it to go alongside the tofu.
It’s actually a store-bought peanut satay sauce!
In had searched for years for the perfect way to make crispy tofu. This is IT. I’ve made these at least 50 times and they always come out perfectly. The first time I made them, I made more-than enough for the one vegetarian in the house. Well she was a little late for dinner and she couldn’t believe how few we left for her. This recipe is foolproof and fantastic. Make more than you think you need!
That is SO nice to hear!! So glad you love this recipe! <3
I just made this today and it was great! We loved it. The crispy tofu was not very rich in flavor by itself, but once we tried it with your stir fry sauce recipe, it was perfect. Thanks!
That’s so nice to hear!!
Hi, dumb question but just to be sure, do you (a) leave the tofu in the bowl with the oil mixture and mix the cornstarch directly into that same bowl, or (b) mix the tofu in the oil mixture, take it out of that bowl and coat it with the cornstarch in a separate bowl? Thank you so much!
Leave it in the bowl with the oil and mix in the cornstarch!
What’s the sauce in your video???
Thank you!
Hi! It’s actually a store-bought Thai Kitchen brand of peanut satay sauce, it’s really good!
https://www.amazon.com/Thai-Kitchen-Gluten-Peanut-Satay/dp/B000WGEMXS/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Thai+kitchen+peanut+satay+sauce&qid=1598648308&sr=8-4
I LOVE this recipe. It’s become an almost weekly meal for my partner and me. It took me a couple tries to perfect the crispiness, but it’s so easy now that I know what to do. Thank you so much!! This makes eating tofu fun!
That is so nice to hear! Glad you both enjoy it!
Hi! I haven’t tried this yet, but wanted to ask if it’s possible to make it without adding any flavouring (maple/vinegar..) to it as I have a very flavourful spicy sauce I’d like to use as a dip afterwards. Would I just put oil and cornstarch, or would that be too dry to coat the tofu? Also, have you tried making it in a fan oven? Thank you.
Yes, that should work. You might just want to add extra oil in to make up for the loss of the other liquid. Is a fan oven a convection oven? If so, yes I have and it worked great!
Why is it that before I can get to the receipe, I have to read someone else’s autobiography?
This post has maybe one small personal paragraph at the very beginning and the rest is all about recipe tips. Also, you’re welcome for the free recipes
Just realized I’m replying to a comment from 2020… Oops. I stand by my reply, though.