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close up on a piece of crispy baked tofu on a metal fork.
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4.75 stars (12 ratings)

Crispy Baked Tofu

Tofu skeptics, this one's for you! The plain tofu pieces are seasoned and coated in cornstarch before they're baked to crunchy, meaty, and golden perfection. You'll be a tofu loving convert in no time!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Tofu pressing time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian-inspired
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 157kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

  • 14.5 ounce firm or extra-firm tofu
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • few shakes ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • Press the tofu: Wrap the 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 30 minutes, or up to an hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Slice the tofu into about 4 slices (see photos in post above for reference). Now, rip each slice into medium-large pieces.
  • Add the ripped tofu pieces to a large bowl, along with the olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Toss, gently with a rubber spatula or spoon, until the tofu is coated in the oil and spices. You have to be careful with tofu, because it's fragile and you don't want to turn it to crumbles.
  • Now sprinkle on the cornstarch and toss again to coat.
  • Arrange on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, not touching, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip the pieces and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden and crispy.
  • Remove from the oven and serve anywhere you like. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. If needed, you can use arrowroot instead of cornstarch, or leave it out entirely.
  2. Feel free to switch up the seasonings depending on what you plan on serving it in. For example, you can use taco seasoning, chili powder, nutritional yeast or Italian seasoning.
  3. Leave the oil out if needed. I'd recommend substituting the oil for low sodium soy sauce or tamari and leave out the salt.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 4 servings | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 7mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 1mg