Sesame tofu, a way of making tofu taste amazing. It turns out super flavorful and delicious and is easy to make. Only 25 minutes required!

Here's another wonderful way of cooking tofu. I know this ingredient can be tricky sometimes, but once you know how to handle it, it really is a life-saver! I just know you're going to adore sesame tofu. However, if you want to know some other easy tofu recipes, keep reading!
It is ready in less than 30 minutes and made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Besides, I do believe it actually is one of the best tofu recipes I've ever tried. Enjoy!
How to make sesame tofu
- Press the tofu. This step is optional, but highly recommended.
- Cube the tofu and place the tofu cubes in a bowl.
- Add the soy sauce, stir, and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, add all the sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix until well combined.
- Whisk the slurry ingredients in a small bowl and pour them into the sauce bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Drain the tofu and transfer â…“ of the tofu cubes into a freezer bag with 1 or 2 tablespoon of cornstarch and toss to coat. Repeat this step with the remaining tofu and cornstarch.
- If you don’t want to use a freezer or plastic bag, just add the cornstarch to a shallow dish, then the tofu cubes, and toss to coat.
- Once the tofu cubes are coated with the cornstarch, heat the oil in a skillet and incorporate the tofu cubes.
- Cook the tofu over medium-high heat until all sides are golden brown. Then pour the sauce into the skillet and cook until it thickens.
- Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve your sesame tofu immediately.
Sesame tofu ingredients and tips
- Firm tofu: firm or extra firm tofu work best for this sesame tofu recipe. Soft or silken tofu is not a good choice, as it will fall apart easily.
- Soy sauce or tamari: to make my sesame tofu I used soy sauce, but tamari is a good gluten-free alternative. If you don't consume soy, coconut aminos is a great substitute.
- Cornstarch: I’ve only made this recipe using cornstarch, but I guess any type of starch can work.
- Oil: I used canola oil, but this sesame tofu recipe will turn out well with any type of oil.
- Sesame seeds: any type will do.
- Maple or agave syrup: feel free to use any type of sweetener.
- Vinegar: to make my sesame tofu I used rice vinegar, but any other kind of vinegar will work as well.
- Sesame oil.
- Garlic.
- Water.
- Feel free to serve your sesame tofu with some greens, such as vegetable tempura, veggie stir fry, roasted carrots, or even vegetable soup.
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📖 Recipe
Sesame Tofu
Ingredients
For the sesame tofu:
- 12 oz firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 3-6 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oil, I used canola oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, to garnish
For the sauce:
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoon maple or agave syrup
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, I used rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
For the slurry:
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Press the tofu (just wrap the tofu in a clean towel and apply a steady weight to squeeze out moisture). This step is optional but highly recommended.
- Cube the tofu and place the tofu cubes in a bowl or shallow dish.
- Add the soy sauce, stir, and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, add all the sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside.
- Whisk the slurry ingredients in a small bowl and pour them into the sauce bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
- Drain the tofu and transfer â…“ of the tofu cubes into a freezer bag with 1 or 2 tablespoon of cornstarch and toss to coat. Repeat this step with the remaining tofu and cornstarch. Add more cornstarch if needed.
- If you don’t want to use a freezer or plastic bag, just add the cornstarch to a shallow dish, then the tofu cubes, and toss to coat.
- Once the tofu cubes are coated with the cornstarch, heat the oil in a skillet and add the tofu cubes.Â
- Cook the tofu cubes over medium-high heat until all sides are golden brown. Then pour the sauce into the skillet and cook until it thickens.
- Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve your sesame tofu immediately with some greens, such as vegetable tempura, veggie stir fry, roasted carrots, or even vegetable soup.
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.Â
Notes
- Feel free to customize this sesame tofu recipe with any type of oil, sweetener, vinegar, or starch you have on hand.
- Maple or agave syrup can be replaced by pretty much any sweetener.
JoAnn Byrne says
Best.Tofu.Ever that I have made! Thank you for this amazing, easy to follow and absolutely delicious recipe! Trying the general tso's next
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Arifa says
This turned out delicious! Will definitely be making again (and will have to make double the amount cause it’s gone quick!) I used honey as my sweetener.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Arifa! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂 I encourage you to use a plant-based sweetener next time!
Delea says
Super yummy, I wish I would have made more than one block!! Haha thank you!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Delea! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Abyelle C says
Was very delicious.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Abyelle! So glad you liked it 🙂
Duncan says
I often add more spice, either hot pepper or other to the sauce, but main thing I wanted to note:
is that putting the tofu in air fryer, then doing the sauce in skillet and adding the crisped Tofu to it to coat and thicken a little... Often also add some veg like cauliflower, peas, broccoli, or peppers...
thanks for the recipe
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Sounds so good 🙂