Baked tofu, a simple way to make tofu taste amazing, with just 5 easy to get ingredients. It’s crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.
baked tofu
baked tofuI couldn’t live without tofu. I actually don’t know how could I live 28 years without it. It can be pretty bland if you don’t know how to cook it, but also so delicious if you find a good recipe.
I NEVER press my tofu, I just drain it to remove the liquid and that’s all. I think it’s not necessary, I save some time and it works perfect, but it’s up to you.
There are so many ways you can cook tofu, but my favorite one was marinating it, coating it with cornstarch (or any other starch) and then sautéing it with some extra virgin oil. Until I discovered baked tofu.
Baked tofu is even better than sautéed tofu because you don’t need to use oil or you can add less and it also requires less cornstarch, so it’s a healthier alternative.
This version is even crispier and I’ve made a simpler marinade that works great. However, there are so many ingredients you can add to your marinade, like spices, dried herbs, lemon juice, vinegar, whatever you want!
Baked tofu can be eaten just by itself or with any sauce you have on hand. It can be used to make other tofu recipes as well, and it’s delicious in salads, soups and stews.
baked tofu ingredients
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this baked tofu recipe:
- Firm tofu – Firm or extra firm tofu are great for this recipe. Silken and other soft tofu types are not a good choice.
- Tamari or soy sauce – Use tamari if you’re gluten-free. Coconut aminos is also a good choice, or even some salt to taste.
- Extra virgin olive oil – It’s optional, but it will make your baked tofu crispier and more delicious. I’m Spanish, so I use extra virgin olive oil to cook most of my dishes. However, any type of oil is okay. I always use extra virgin oils when possible because they’re healthier.
- Garlic powder – This ingredient is also optional, but I love to add garlic powder to my baked tofu. Onion powder is also great.
- Cornstarch – Feel free to add any other starch you have on hand. I don’t think flour is going to work, though.
how to make baked tofu
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF or 200ºC.
- Add the cubed tofu, tamari/soy sauce, oil and garlic powder to a large bowl, mix until well combined and let the tofu marinade for at least 5 minutes.
- Drain the tofu, transfer 1/3 of the tofu cubes to a freezer bag with 1 or 2 tbsp of cornstarch and toss to coat. Repeat with the rest of the tofu cubesand cornstarch.
- Place the tofu cubes onto a lined baking sheet and then bake them for 30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the tofu cubes
halfway. - Serve immediately or keep leftovers for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
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Baked Tofu
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 1x
- Category: How-To
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Baked tofu, a simple way to make tofu taste amazing with just 5 easy-to-get ingredients. It’s crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces firm tofu (340 g), cubed
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 3–6 tbsp cornstarch, see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF or 200ºC.
- Add the tofu cubes, tamari or soy sauce, oil and garlic powder to a large bowl, mix until well combined and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Drain the tofu and transfer 1/3 of the tofu cubes into a freezer bag with 1 or 2 tbsp of cornstarch and toss to coat. Repeat this step with the remaining tofu and cornstarch. Add more cornstarch if needed.
- Place the tofu cubes onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip each of the tofu cubes so they can cook evenly on the other side. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve immediately. Baked tofu is delicious just by itself, but you can accompany it with any sauce you’d like or use it to make other tofu recipes. It’ll work amazingly with dishes like sweet and our tofu or general Tso’s tofu, and it’s also great to enjoy with stews, soups, salads, and more!
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Notes
- I prefer to add 6 tbsp of cornstarch because I like my tofu cubes super crispy, but you can use only 3 tbsp or even less quantity.
- Feel free to add any herbs and spices you want to.
- If you’re oil-free you can omit the oil, although the tofu will be crispier if you use it.
- You can also replace tamari or soy sauce with salt to taste.
- Firm or extra firm tofu are the best choices for this recipe, as silken or other soft tofu types wouldn’t work as good.
- Garlic powder is optional, but I like my baked tofu better with it. Onion powder will also work great.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 129
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 264 mg
- Fat: 5.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.1 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 8.7 g
I used flour, because it was all I had, still turned out really good
★★★★★
Hi Jen! So glad it worked for you 🙂
Turned out so well, golden crispy outside and soft inside. Tasted so good with plum sauce ❤️
★★★★★
I love baked tofu. This recipe helped me transition from carnivore to (mostly) vegetarian. Still working on it. I added nutritional yeast and panko bread crumbs before baking instead of the cornstarch but kept the olive oil, soy sauce and garlic powder. Sometimes I add a little heat with Cajun spices. So many ways to change it up and make it interesting.
★★★★★
Hi Brenda! So glad to read that 🙂 Sounds so good!
This is a simple and useful recipe. I take exception with a couple of your guidelines, though. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is first-pressed, and has lots of “contaminants”, which are the things that taste good. However, when heated to 400F, they burn faster than other oils. Oils like Grapeseed, Canola, even Corn or Peanut, are purified to leave out the sediments that burn easily.
Also, you suggest that regular wheat flour would not be a good starch, but there is nothing wrong with it. You can use wheat, cornstarch, potato flour, rice flour, and many others with equal success. It has mostly to do with how fine the flour is, not its origin.
★★★
Hi John! We’ve been using olive oil for centuries in the Mediterranean countries for cooking and baking and we’re pretty healthy people 🙂 Starches work best for this recipe, but flour is also okay. Have a nice day!
Thanks for this recipe. I haven’t made it yet but would like to suggest one minor change in the interests of reducing plastic waste: how about using a plastic tub with a tight-fitting lid for the starch-coating step? Easy to wash and save for another use. I’ve washed plastic bags to save for reuse but they have to be handwashed, they’re not real easy to get clean and never as nice as when they’re new, whereas a plastic tub with a snap-on or screw-on lid (I save good ones from frozen food purchases) can often be popped in the dishwasher, top rack, and can be reused indefinitely. Reducing plastic production and waste is crucial, and our individual efforts add up in a big way. Thanks again.
Hi Laurie! Thanks a lot for your comment 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This is an excellent, easy, low maintenance baked tofu!! Thanks so much for posting it! Looking forward to making it this week…
Hi Carol! You’re so welcome 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This is a great alternative to pan-frying and requires so much less oil. I altered the recipe to use potato starch because that is what I had on hand, and I ended up baking the tofu for 45 minutes to get it fully crisped on the outside. But all in all, I will definitely be using this recipe all the time!
Hi Julie! So glad it worked for you 🙂
This recipe is super easy and equally delicious. You can add any sauce or seasoning to change it up for a variety of dishes, though it’s fantastic as is. It’s a go to tofu. Yum!❤️
★★★★★
Hi Amanda! Thanks a lot 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
I just made these and the tofu tastes amazing! I have a lot leftover and I´m going to put it in the fridge, how do you recommend reheating? Or do you think better to eat cold once it´s cooled down?
Hi Hayley! I like it cold and I’ve also reheated in the oven and in a skillet with a little with of oil (I think it should also work without oil). However, I think the best way to reheat it is adding a sauce to the pan because when you reheat the baked tofu it dries a little bit. Hope it helps!
This looks delicious! I noticed in the copy of your post that you left out the step with the cornstarch (though it is in the recipe itself). Just thought you’d want to know. 🙂
Hi M! Thank you SO much 🙂 Have a beautiful day!!
Can you use arrowroot instead of corn starch?
Hi Lori! Yes, any starch will do 🙂