Crispy Gochujang Korean Tofu
This baked Gochujang Korean tofu is crispy, packed with flavor and perfectly spiced. Serve it with your favorite veggies and fresh white rice for a quick and nutritious vegan dinner.
I go through major tofu phases. One week I’ll be eating my teriyaki tofu or orange tofu on repeat, then months will pass and I won’t want anything to do with the stuff.
Currently in one of those I can eat tofu all day phases, and this gochujang Korean tofu is next level good. It’s spicy, subtly sweet, oh so crispy and so easy to make.
It’s coated in some gluten free breadcrumbs, baked until crispy, then tossed in a simple gochujang sauce with a mixture of soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and gochujang for lots of delicious flavor.
I love to serve it buddha bowl style with rice and tons of veggies but it’s also delicious with my veggie stir fry noodles.
If you aren’t familiar with Gochujang, it is a savory, sweet and spicy fermented condiment also known as red chili paste.
It is not the same as Sriracha, but does have a spicy flavor. It has a slightly salty and sweet flavor with a meaty depth and pairs really well with the soy sauce and honey found in this recipe. Try my Korean gochujang noodles or crispy garlic tofu next!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make
- Vegan & gluten free
- Crispy
- Packed with flavor
How to make Korean tofu
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the tofu from the package and drain off the excess liquid. Wrap in a towel and lightly press to absorb the liquid.
Cut into about 1 inch cubes and add to a bowl. Toss with the soy sauce, then cornstarch, then breadcrumbs until well coated.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and try to ensure no pieces of tofu touch each other. This helps it get crispier.
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Bake for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven and let sit an additional 5 minutes to get really crispy.
Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients aside from the water/cornstarch for the sauce in a small pot.
Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to the pot. Whisk, then heat over low/medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken. Remove from the heat to let it thicken further.
When the tofu is done, let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Toss with half of the sauce (reserve the rest for serving) until well coated.
I served mine with rice, cucumber, carrot, avocado and sesame seeds. Also delicious with broccoli or just as is!
Air fryer instructions
You can air fry this tofu at 375 Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 or so minutes. Remove from the air fryer, then toss with the sauce. You can also tried my honey garlic air fried tofu!
Do I need to marinate tofu?
It totally depends on the recipe! For this Korean tofu, no marinating is required.
We’ll be tossing it in a bit of soy sauce to give it flavor before baking, then tossing it again in a final sauce to give it lots of flavor.
Does it keep?
Yes and no. Tofu really loses its crispiness after just a few hours, so prepping this recipe in advance is not recommended.
You can definitely prepare the sauce ahead of time and just make the tofu when you’re ready to serve.
If you love this recipe, try these next!
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation! Leave a comment and rating below and let me know how it turns out!
Crispy Gochujang Korean Tofu
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons gluten free breadcrumbs can sub regular breadcrumbs
Sauce
- ¼ cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- ¼ cup gochujang/red chili paste be sure to check if GF!
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
- 3 tablespoons honey sub maple syrup for vegan
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the tofu from the package and drain off the excess liquid. Wrap in a towel and lightly press to absorb the liquid.
- Cut into about 1 inch cubes and add to a bowl.
- Toss with the soy sauce, then cornstarch, then breadcrumbs until well coated.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and try to ensure no pieces of tofu touch each other. This helps it get crispier.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven and let sit an additional 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients aside from the water/cornstarch for the sauce in a small pot.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to the pot. Whisk, then heat over low/medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken. Remove from the heat to let it thicken further.
- When the tofu is done, let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Toss with half of the sauce (reserve the rest for serving) until well coated.
- I served mine with rice, cucumber, carrot, avocado and sesame seeds. Also delicious with broccoli or just as is!
Notes
Comments
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We really enjoyed this recipe. I skipped the bread crumbs because that’s how I like my tofu. Definitely adding this to my rotation!
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Delicious! So glad you enjoyed this.
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I followed the recipe EXACTLY and am not a new cook.
The sauce was a SALT BOMB! Inedible.
The tofu… good/average. But, the breadcrumbs did not stick at all. Had to individually press them into the tofu.
This looks delicious in your pictures, and the ingredients are good – maybe the proportions are off? Not sure. Regardless… the tofu is good… the sauce went into the garbage. What a waste. Oh well.
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Sorry it didn’t work out for you! Did you use low sodium soy sauce? Super important for the right amount of saltiness! I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and there has never been an issue with the salt level, so I’d definitely check your soy sauce!
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love it! would add more breadcrumbs next time for extra crunch
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This was heavenly!! I actually didn’t coat the tofu in the sauce. Instead I drizzled the sauce all over the bowl of rice and veggies and tofu so the tofu stayed really nice and crisp! OMG that crunch! And the sauce! To die for!!
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Made it for dinner tonight and it turned out amazing. Perfect amount of heat. Served it with brown rice, avocado, edamame, carrots and cucumber. Topped with furikake and everything was fantastic. Saved it on our rotation list.
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Amazing, thank you Lorna!
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Great recipe, thank you for sharing it.
It’s become a regular favorite. -
This is incredible! So so so good. I think the tofu was VERY spicy due to the Gochujang that I used, but I like spicy so I really enjoyed it. My husband really enjoyed it as well. I served the tofu with rice, cucumber sticks, carrot ribbons, sliced avocado, sprouts, and sesame seeds. Will definitely make again.
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Honey is NOT VEGAN! Please add a substitution notation list such as agave, simple syrup, maple syrup or sugar. I’ve included this on my vegan platform but I’m disappointed that you’ve made such an egregious error.
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HI Jillian, I very clearly state in the recipe card to sub maple syrup for honey. Most vegans are also aware that this is a typical substitution. Thanks.
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I’m not sure if you’re aware, but honey is amazing for the planet and for bees. If you were vegan for the right reasons then you would understand that. In your attempt to help nature you’re slowly ruining it. Delicious tofu by the way!
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I’m pretty sure bees existed long before humans began consuming their honey and I’m also pretty sure that the overuse of pesticides on crops are slowing killing the bees, not Jillian’s decision not to eat honey. Funny how even on a recipe website people have to get in disputes about stupid stuff.
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Easy and delicious!! This was my first ever attempt to use tofu. I will definitely make this Crispy Korean Tofu recipe again from @eatwithclarity. I had to use sriracha and crunchy garlic with chili oil instead of the gochujang sauce. It was very tasty. I also used veggies that I had on hand: cucumber, red onion, purple cabbage, red bell pepper and celery. Yum!!
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Which crunchy garlic with chili oil did you use?
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How do you get the breadcrumbs to stick after you have tossed the tofu in the cornflour?
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The tofu will still be pretty wet from the soy sauce and just the nature of tofu, the cornstarch won’t absorb it all, so the breadcrumbs will stick!
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just right amount of heat! delish!!
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Could I leave out the oil? Or maybe substitute with something else?
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You can leave it out, but toasted sesame oil adds a lot of flavor to the sauce!
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Can I skip tomato paste or replace it with something else?
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You can leave it out, but the flavor is best with it in!
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In many recipes I’ve subbed tomato paste with ketchup if I don’t have any paste on hand and it always works!
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Absolutely delicious! Extremely simple to make and just the right amount of spice. I’ve made it twice, swapping the honey for one tablespoon less of maple syrup, and the second time I used less soy sauce for the sauce and a bit more water, as the first time we made it, it was slightly too salty. Turned out perfectly the second time, and it’s my husband’s new favourite dish. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!
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Thank you Hera! So glad you made it work for your taste!
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This looks amazing! Would maple syrup work instead of honey to keep it vegan? Or would a vegan honey substitute be better?
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maple syrup should work just fine!
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