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
Keywords: Crispy Tofu
I just used a very similar recipe yesterday (but with different spices more like fried chicken spices) to make a very delicious tofu (fake chicken parm.) sub with peppers, onions, marinara and vegan parmesan. It was delicious! Love this way of crisping up tofu with the arrowroot powder! Thanks for this recipe, I will be trying it soon….
That sounds delicious! I hope you enjoy my version! 🙂
I have not tried this yet but do you happen to have the nutritional information?
This looks delicious- I’ll be trying ASAP. I actually bought super firm tofu today at Walmart- the store I go to has never had it, but they didn’t have the one I normally get, so I don’t know if they just swapped it out or what.
Anyway, I can’t wait to make this- and I had no plans for the block I bought today, so lucky me. ?
Yah! I hope you like it! I’ve been making it so often lately and Eli really loves just snacking on it 🙂
This is delicious. I’ve never figured out how to get edges crispy. It needed a little salt, maybe because I used low sodium tamari.
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s my current favorite way to cook it 🙂
I skimped on the oil cause I’m trying to cook oil free? But i added more of the other ingredient and still delicious!!!
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad you like it!
Hey can I substitute the special vinegar somehow? Thanks! 🙂
You can just leave it out, it’s just for flavor and won’t affect the recipe 🙂
I just tried this and it was awesome! My 2 year ol granddaughter loved it too!
★★★★★
Yah!!
Finally, a way to cook tofu that hubby enjoyed! Stir fried vegetables to have on the side plus brown rice made us a very good meal! I added sesame seeds (white) to the tofu mixture before putting it in the oven and it added nice flavor and a little more crunch. THANKS for the recipe!
★★★★★
Yah!! So glad you both enjoyed it!
This is the best tofu recipe I’ve ever made! So light and crispy and delicious! I tossed it in a teriyaki sauce and added it to some veggie fried rice and it held its crispness. Most tofu recipes involve so much breading and pan frying and tons of veganaise or olive oil. This one is easy and not messy and most importantly- quick! I didn’t have some of the ingredients like the vinegar so I just omitted them. I added a little additional soy sauce since I was making an Asian dish anyways.
★★★★★
Yah! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
First time making tofu. Turned out perfect. Easy recipe and I thought it tasted like chicken.
★★★★★
Awesome!! So glad you liked it!
There’s a very good vegan mock chicken bouillon by Better Than Bouillon that is great used as a marinade for tofu when you’re imitating chicken. I think it’s called “no chicken bouillon”, and you can get it at Earth Fare and Amazon. I think it’s too salty to use as directed, but I usually just add extra hot water when making it.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for sharing this simple, delicious recipe. I have tried numerous approaches for baking tofu, and your method (which I followed to the letter) produced flavorful, perfectly crispy results.
I’m so glad you liked it and that it was easy to make!
Just made this recipe and it elevates tofu from a bland mushy plant product into a flavorful protein that actually feels like real food in your mouth! I baked for 20 min and stirred a couple of times, it crisped up even more while cooling on the stovetop. Also added some hot sauce to the mix as I like spice. Used it in a salad of fresh local greens with a vinaigrette. I can see including this in all sorts of recipes although I grab a couple of cubes everytime I walk past it and it won’t last long. Good for you and good for the planet. Keep up the good work!
That is so nice of you to say! I’m glad you enjoyed it!! It’s one of my favorite ways to eat tofu!
I finally made this today, and it was great! I have a wildly inconsistent oven (it is usually at least 75 degrees too hot, but it is sometimes low), so I set it for a much lower temperature and baked it for less time as well, so mine wasn’t quite as crispy as yours would have been, but it was perfect for what I was using it for! I was making a teriyaki dish, so I subbed mirin for the maple syrup.
I’m so glad you liked it!!
Oh. My. Goodness. SO good! Thank you for this, it is definitely my new go to method. I used soy sauce and olive oil and subbed a maple vinegar I had. Also went with corn starch as it was what I had in the cupboard and it turned out so well!!! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes. Yum!!
★★★★★
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it!!
I’ve had this going in the oven for 40 minutes and it looks nothing like your picture, it’s not crispy at all. 🙁
I’m assuming I didn’t get enough of the water out? Any other ideas what could have gone wrong?
hmmm, Even if you didn’t get all the water out the outside should still be crispy because of the corn starch. Did the cornstarch/arrowroot powder get mixed in enough? It also does crisp up more if you let it sit for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven.
I didn’t have the same results as you – followed the recipe to a T with cornstarch and high protein super firm tofu from Trader Joe’s. I baked it longer in an event to get it crunchier but it just became tough. There was no crunchy kinda-breaded outside like your photo. Perhaps I should use more cornstarch than 2t….
Hmmm, you can try adding more corn starch. Did you let it sit for a few minutes after it came out of the oven?
I made this with medium firm (sunrise brand) tofu because the firm was sold out EVERYWHERE. It still worked very well. I pressed it for 15 mins and baked it for 1 hour. Needed a bit of salt in the end but I used the tofu for a sweet and sour stir-fry. It was delicious.
That’s great to hear it will work with medium firm tofu!
How do you store this?
Honestly, it’s best when it’s eaten immediately but if I do store it I just use an air tight container in the refrigerator. It doesn’t stay super crisp but still has a nice texture.
So amazing! New vegan here- This was the first baked tofu recipe I tried. I cut the tofu into different sized cubes and the smaller the crispier 🙂 thank you!
★★★★★
Yah! So glad you liked it!!
Made this recipe last night but it was for tacos so I used hot sauce, lime juice and a taco spice blend plus the EVOO and corn starch.
I used more oil to equal the other liquids in the recipe but it was great! I’ll definitely be using this recipe as is at some point and experimenting with an Italian seasoning version too to replace meatballs.
★★★★
So nice to hear!!
I’m struggling with how to get all the tofu coated with such a small amount of liquid. I used the high protein super firm tofu from TJ’s, pressed it for about 20 minutes, and cubed it. When I added it to the bowl with the oil mixture, the cubes on the bottom got coated, but no matter how much I stirred and turned, it seemed like only about 1/3 of the tofu was coated on all sides. The tofu started breaking apart with all the stirring, so I transferred to a larger bowl (which at least shifted what had been on the bottom to the top, thus allowing gravity to do some of the work). When I added the cornstarch and stirred it did disappear, though I’m not confident I got it spread onto all pieces either. I baked 27 minutes – made sure the pieces weren’t touchiing, stirred several times, and let it sit a few minutes before serving. It tasted good, but the crispy layer was very thin – not at all like the bubbly crunchy coating in your photos. Any thoughts as to what I might have done wrong? TIA!
Hmm, the tofu doesn’t need to be coated a ton in order for the cornstarch to stick to it. How many ounces is the Trader Joe tofu? It might be a little bit more than a regular sized block so maybe there was just too much tofu?
I had the same problem. I think my tofu was 16 oz but there was no way I could coat all of it in the liquid specified in the recipe. I was thinking of doubling it?
in regards to super firm tofu from trader joe’s or wildwood, i find that it doesn’t do well with this kind of recipe. for this i would use extra firm tofu packed in water and press/squeeze. i save the super firm varieties for grilling or stir frying without much of a marinade. love this recipe
★★★★★
so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’ve gotten into the habit of using super firm tofu for most things and really enjoy it but firm would be a great choice too 🙂
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
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!
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!
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
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!
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!!
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
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!
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.
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!!
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!
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!!!