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Sick of bland and mushy tofu!? This PERFECT Crispy Baked Tofu is going to change the way that you enjoy tofu AND it comes together with just FOUR simple ingredients. You seriously won’t believe how deliciously crispy this tofu is!
I have a WHOLE post that outlines MANY different ways that you can prepare tofu including grilled, fried and more! Check it out HERE!
I hope you’re ready because we are getting our TOFU ON over the next couple of months. LOTS of amazing tofu recipes are coming your way and I can’t WAIT :D
I did not eat a lot of tofu growing up. In fact, I don’t think that I had ever eaten tofu before I got to college. And even then I didn’t really eat that much of it. It’s only been in the past couple of years, as I started eating a lot more plant based recipes, that I have fallen in love with tofu. Examples of my recent obsession are HERE and HERE.
Today we’re diving into PERFECT Crispy Baked Tofu. It’s simple. It’s delicious. And it only requires a few simple ingredients!
I made this tofu every night for about a week and never got sick of it. And that’s saying something :D
The recipe is left plain so that you can season it as you see fit. For these photos, I used a little paprika and cumin which is part of what gave it that golden color. BUT you can season yours with whatever spices would work well with what you’re serving the tofu with.
What kind of tofu is best for baked tofu:
In my experience, the only tofu that bakes well if you want it to be crispy is EXTRA FIRM tofu. I haven’t had a lot of luck with other types.
The key is squeezing out AS MUCH of the moisture as you can before baking it. We’ll talk about that more in a minute.
How to Make This Perfect Crispy Baked Tofu:
To start, we’ll cut the block of tofu in half. You want to cut down through the sides that are around 1 1/2 inches. I have a FULL video below on how to do this if you’re confused at all. We’re aiming to make thinner pieces so that we can extract more of the liquid from the tofu.
Next, place the 2 tofu blocks on a plate lined with several paper towels or, like I usually do, use a lint free kitchen towel. Wrap the paper towel or kitchen towel around the top of the tofu (again, see video). Now, place a skillet on top of the tofu and then something heavy inside of the skillet. This weighs down the tofu and helps press out as much of the liquid as possible. I usually use some large cans or, as you see in the video, my massive tub of coconut oil.
Let the tofu sit for around 30 minutes before cutting it into bite sized pieces.
Those pieces then get tossed with olive oil, cornstarch, and any other spices that you might want. All of the tofu is then lined up on a baking tray and baked for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
THAT’S IT!
I sometimes bake mine a little longer than 30 minutes if I want it to EXTRA crispy. Because I’m often extra like that. I definitely encourage you to experiment with it to see how you like it best. But, 30 minutes is a good middle ground that gets you a nice gold brown, crispy piece of tofu!
More delicious Tofu recipes:
- How to Air Fry Tofu
- Tofu Stir Fry
- Copycat Chipotle Sofritas
- Sautéed Tofu with Tahini Sauce
- Tofu Tacos
- Tofu Kebabs
- Perfect Grilled Tofu
- Tofu Caprese Skewers
- Sheet Pan Baked Tofu & Veggies
- Cashew Tofu Stir Fry
See how to make the Perfect Crispy Baked Tofu here:
Perfect Crispy Baked Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block of EXTRA FIRM tofu, I do not recommend doing this with any other type of tofu
- 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- extra spices of choice**
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Take the tofu out of the packaging and discard the liquid. Cut the tofu lengthwise (see video for reference) so that you now have 2 thinner blocks. Place those blocks on a large plate that is lined with either paper towels or a lint free towel. Cover the top of the tofu with more paper towels/ a kitchen towel and place a skillet on top. Then place a few heavy objects inside of the skillet to weigh down the tofu and help squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Let sit for at least 15 minutes but preferably 30 minutes.
- Remove the skillet and cut the tofu into bite sized pieces. I have tried this with small pieces and rather large chunks and they all work great! So cut them according to your liking.
- Place the tofu in a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the cornstarch, salt & pepper, as well as any other spices that you might be using. GENTLY toss the tofu to coat in the cornstarch and spices. It can break easily so be careful.
- Line the tofu on a large baking tray with a small bit of space between each piece. Baking for 15 minutes, flip the tofu over, and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes. It should be done after a total time fo 30 minutes BUT you can leave it in a bit longer if you want it even crispier or if you chunks are extra large.
- Let cool slightly and ENJOY! Super easy and SO tasty!
Can you elaborate more on how to do this with marinated tofu? Do we include the marinade somehow or just remove the tofu from the liquid and then follow these instructions?
No, you do not include the marinade. HOWEVER, you could add a couple teaspoons of cornstarch to the marinade (once you’re removed the tofu) and cook it on the stove over medium heat until it thickens. Then drizzle that over the tofu. I do that often and it’s always delicious!
In what order would you prepare tofu if I were to use one of your marinades? Press, marinade, bake? Or best to bake without marinade?
yes i always press mine (unless I’m using extra firm which i often do) then marinate it and then cook it
This recipe is perfect! I was always intimidated when it came to cooking tofu at home, until I came across Brita’s guides and this recipe. This recipe is easy and gives you the best crispy base. It’s versatile as you can mix it up with different spices and sauces. I used garlic infused oil (low fodmap) and added Fody teriyaki sauce when it was done to add it to a stir fry. Also, if you’re from the Midwest and like Condados or Barrio’s thai chili tofu tacos, you could easily make your own with this recipe and by adding some Trader Joe’s Sweet Chili Sauce.
How long does this stay crispy? Like if I make it ahead of time for a get-together, will it stay awesomely crispy or will it get soggy after a while? Thank you!
If you made it day of to take to a get together later that same day, it’ll stay pretty crispy. It loses it’s crispiness in the fridge after a few hours though
OMG, these were so good I had to force myself to step away from the sheet pan when they came out of the oven. Seriously, the best tofu I’ve ever been able to make at home!
Thank you Brita! <3
aww yay! So glad that you liked it, Crystal! I hope you’re doing well and thanks for coming back to let me know you made this!
What was the sauce you used for dipping in your the video?
haha I just wanted something quick and easy for the video so I mixed vegan mayo and sriracha to make a spicy mayo. Surprisingly very tasty! But I really just threw that together for the video lol
Finally was able to perfect my crispy tofu with this recipe!!! So easy and I did leave them in for an extra five minutes for the extra crunch…thank you for posting…try this easy recipe for perfect crispy tofu. You won’t be disappointed!
aww yay!! so glad that you liked it! And thanks for coming back to let me know!