Make this ridiculously good Crispy Sesame Tofu for dinner tonight! Extra crispy baked tofu is tossed in a sweet and savory sesame sauce for a crowd-pleasing meal that’s just as good as takeout.
For more perfectly saucy tofu recipes, check out this Easy Teriyaki Tofu, this General Tso’s Tofu, and this Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Tofu!
We’re huge tofu fans in our house and make it at least once a week. I have endless tofu recipes to choose from, like my Peanut Tofu with Coconut Rice and my Shredded Tofu Tacos, but this Crispy Sesame Tofu is still one of our all-time favorites. It’s perfectly saucy, savory, and sweet—AKA everything we want in a delicious tofu dinner!
Even if you think you don’t like tofu, this recipe will change your mind. It’s baked in a unique way to make it extra crispy, and then drenched in the easy sesame sauce and piled on top of rice. One bite and you’ll forget that you wanted delivery in the first place.
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“Made this for dinner tonight and oh man was it freakin’ delicious! I’ll definitely be making this again. Sauce is fantastic.” – Rebecca
Why you’ll love this sticky sesame tofu
- Takeout copycat – Just think of this sesame tofu recipe as a classic Chinese-American sesame chicken dupe, but veganized!
- Finger-licking good – You don’t have to be a tofu fan to enjoy this. Between the crispy baked tofu and savory-sweet vegan sesame sauce, this recipe will be a hit with the whole family.
- Quick & easy – Forget about waiting for delivery; this recipe is incredibly easy to whip up in about 1 hour using basic pantry staples.
How to make sesame tofu
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Slice the pressed tofu block into cubes and add them to a ziplock bag along with the sesame oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Close the bag and toss until the cubes are well-coated.
Arrange the tofu on a baking sheet and bake until it’s golden and crispy.
Meanwhile, cook the rice and make the sesame sauce. Sauté the garlic in the vegetable oil, then add the rest of the ingredients except the cornstarch/water and sesame oil. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the sesame oil and turn off the heat.
Once the tofu is done baking, add it to the pan with the sauce and stir to coat the pieces.
Divide the sesame tofu into bowls with the cooked rice and serve with sesame seeds, green onions, and steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can air fry or pan fry the tofu if you’d prefer. Make my Air Fryer Tofu or my Perfect Fried Tofu, then mix it with the sauce.
I used low-sodium soy sauce in the sesame sauce and loved the balance of sweet and umami flavors. If the sauce is a little too salty for your taste or you’re making it with regular soy sauce, then I’d recommend reducing the soy sauce/tamari to 1/4 cup and increasing the water to 1/2 cup.
I like serving the tofu over a bed of fluffy basmati rice, but quinoa, brown rice, or noodles would be just as good! Finish up the bowl with steamed broccoli or swap it for steamed edamame, cauliflower, or bok choy.
Once the sesame tofu is cool, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3 to 4 days. If you’re making this for your meal prep, I’d recommend dividing the rice, sesame tofu, and broccoli between separate containers.
Sesame Tofu
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 2 (16 ounce) blocks firm or extra-firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the sesame sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup agave
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For serving
- 4 cups cooked rice
- chopped green onions
- sesame seeds
- steamed broccoli
Instructions
- Press the tofu: Wrap each block of tofu in paper towels. Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books on top of that. Let the tofu press for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a large baking sheet with oil or line with parchment paper.
- Slice the pressed tofu into cubes, then add them to a large ziplock bag (or large bowl), along with the sesame oil, soy sauce and cornstarch. Close the bag, and shake gently to coat. Arrange the tofu evenly on the prepared pan, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
- While the tofu bakes, make the sauce. In a large pan, sauté the garlic in the vegetable oil for a minute over medium heat. To the pan, add the soy sauce, agave, brown sugar, seasoned rice vinegar and Sriracha hot sauce. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together until smooth, then pour into the pan. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens, then turn off the heat. Stir in the sesame oil.
- When the tofu is done baking, add it to the sauce and stir to coat the pieces. Serve with rice, sesame seeds, chopped green onions and some steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition information is for the tofu only, and does not include rice or broccoli. To make it lower sodium replace some of the low-sodium soy sauce with water.
- Pan Fry or Air Fry Tofu: Follow the instructions for my Perfect Fried Tofu or Air Fried Tofu, then make the sauce and mix it together before serving.
- How to store leftovers: Store in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3-4 days. Re-warm in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. You could also meal prep the dish for the week by dividing it into containers with a serving of rice and steamed broccoli.
This is far too much rice wine vinegar that ending up ruining the sauce. I ended up using a bottle of General Tso sauce in its place. I also added sesame seeds since it is “sesame tofu.”
The prep and baking of the tofu was great. I just did not care for the sauce.
Sadly this recipe did not turn out great for us. The tofu didn’t crisp up in the oven, so I ended up pan-frying to add some crisp. The sauce was ok, but not our favorite. Typically your recipes are a big hit – the stars just didn’t line up for this one!
I’m sorry to hear that Emily! Make sure to press your tofu well before baking, if not it will take a long time for it to get crispy.
Dinner tonight! I made this as a repeat–I was actually craving tofu because of this recipe–who would have thought?! Your recipes are helping me cook healthy meals for my family, much appreciated!
I love it! I’m glad you are loving the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review and comments!
This was the first time I cooked tofu, but it turned out so great!! Like Ellie, I also pan-fried the tofu, and they got super crispy on the outside. I was worried about the cubes sticking to the pan, but they seemed to magically become un-stuck when they reached a certain level of crispiness. Next time, I might try pouring the sauce over the tofu right before serving instead of mixing it all together—that might help retain that crispiness. Thanks for the great recipe!! 🙂
I’m so glad you loved the tofu! Thank you for sharing your great review!
So good! Made for my parents and family last week and everyone loved it/requested that I share the recipe! Making again tonight … thank you!
Also wanted to note I pan fried the tofu and still worked great. Serves the sauce on the side for kids to use as a dip, let the adults pour it over their rice/tofu/veggies!
I’m glad the tofu was loved by all! Thank you for taking time to share your review!
I made this recipe tonight & it came out so good! I cooked the tofu in a pan rather than the oven and it came out great!
My husband was impressed with the flavor of the sesame sauce!
No leftovers to store! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful review, Rose! I’m glad you guys enjoyed the sesame tofu!
Wow, this is incredible! I have been having trouble getting that beef/broccoli type taste as a vegan, and this is just delicious and really hits the spot. Whenever I look for a new recipe I always come to this website and am never disappointed. I substitute Sriracha for chili garlic sauce to taste and it’s perfect.
Hi Breanna! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review! I am thrilled that you trust and love my recipes! Thank you!
My 13 yo daughter has been asking for a more plant-based diet. This is my first foray into the tofu cooking world a
I made this and it turned out quite nicely. Better than the stuff from our local quickie Chinese place and quite easy to make.
The only thing I changed was using less soy sauce (1/4 instead of 1/2 cup) and I’m glad I did. I think more soy sauce would have overpowered the sesame flavor.
Next time I might try it with rice flour instead of cornstarch, just to see how it differs.
Thank you for sharing your review, Karl. I’m glad you like the tofu!
Fast and delicious!! Gonna throw some ginger in there somewhere next time, but inly bc Im a ginger lover?my finicky 7yr old loves this!!
We really loved this one! My name is also Nora and I’m 9 and loving learning to cook with your recipes.
Thank you! -Nora
Hi Nora! I love it! I’m so glad you are having fun learning to cook! Thank you for using my recipes, and thank you for sharing!
This was absolutey AMAZING. 10 out of 10
This was hands down the best way to cook tofu! I will never pan fry again.The sauce was a bit salty and may change that up but still a great recipe.
Glad you love the tofu, Judy! Thank you for sharing!
The tofu sauce didn’t turn out so good for me, came out really clumped together but it was a proportion issue. Overall it was absolutely amazing. Delicious my whole family ate it and they loved it, wonderful way to incorporate tofu slowly. Had it with some homemade jasmine tea and it tasted like victory. 5 starts from a beginner cook.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Next time, make sure you have a large enough pan, or use two, so that none of the tofu pieces touch. It helps a ton!
The tofu baking technique with this specific coating comes out way better than other baked tofu that I’ve tried! Definitely a keeper. Unfortunately, I realized too late that I was out of rice vinegar, and tried subbing chinkiang vinegar. I don’t wholeheartedly recommend this sub — it was a little too sour for me, and I really like sour! Otherwise, the sauce was excellent, not too sweet, not too soupy. I can’t wait to make it again the right way!
Hi Jen. I’m glad that you like the recipe! Thank you for sharing!
It is very good. My granddaughter loves it, too, and she is a picky eater. We like ALL of your tofu recipes!
I subbed half of the low sodium soy sauce for coconut aminos and it was still much too salty for my taste – would it be possible to sub water for some of the soy sauce or would that affect consistency? Definitely going to try again!
Sure, just up the water and add less soy sauce, you could cut way back if you want. Thanks!
I made with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch and the sauce came out more like gelatin then a sauce… I used 2 tablespoons tapioca to corn…. it tasted delicious though but consistency was off for me. Any tips?
I’ve tried using tapioca starch before in this sort of recipe and it does not work well. I feel like it makes sauces like this gooey and off instead of just thickened like cornstarch does. I’d avoid it. Arrowroot works much better if you don’t want to use cornstarch. Hope that helps!
Thank you! I will try 🙂
Has anyone else made this with full sodium soy sauce, I’m wondering how big of a difference it would make since mine came out SUPER salty. I’m sure it would have been wonderful if I had just followed the directions…
If using regular soy sauce, I would use probably half as much and sub water for the rest.
I can’t believe how nice this was! I only had one block of tofu so just halved everything and it turned out great. I used rice flour instead of corn flour as that was all I had and it seemed to work just fine. Will definitely do this one again. Thanks!
I really enjoyed this recipe! I loved doing the tofu in the oven. Less mess! Thank you.
You’re welcome!!
Best tofu recipe I’ve ever made! Will be repeated regularly. Thanks again Nora
What a great recipe. The tofu was crispy and the sauce was wonderful. I didn’t have leftovers, so the great information on how to store wasn’t needed this time. This is a keeper.
I’m so glad to hear that!!
Delicious! The baked tofu was more chewy than crispy, but the flavors are amazing. I think this is my new favorite sauce. I served it on buckwheat soba noodles.
So glad it was delicious!!
Best ever tofu eaten.
Can this be done in an air fryer?
Yes, you could just make my Air Fryer Tofu and then mix it with the sauce if you prefer.
Tried this recipe tonight, it’s lovely. Perfect timing!
My 16 year old enjoyed it too.
I was looking for something new to cook today, thank you for a great recipe, will definitely cook it again. Tx
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
What leftovers? 🙂 Thank you, this looks delicious.
I know, right!? Thank you!