Crispy Baked Sesame Tofu
For an easy weeknight dinner, look no further than this crispy baked sesame tofu! It’s so easy to make, requires only 10 minutes of prep time and is completely vegan and gluten free.
It’s no secret around here that I’m a big, ok huge, fan of sesame anything. Sesame noodles, chickpeas, cauliflower, sesame chickpea meatballs, now sesame tofu?! Sesame salmon is next on my list but I’m always open to suggestions!
Easy dinners are my favorite kind of dinners. Easy dinners that are so flavorful are the absolute best. This baked tofu recipe is exactly that and I cannot wait for you to try it!
I love to serve it up with some rice and broccoli to make a sort of buddha bowl, but you can also serve it in a stir fry or with my vegan fried rice.
Tofu does not contain sesame as it is just made with soy beans, but this recipe contains sesame oil for a delicious sesame flavor. If you love this recipe, try my crispy garlic tofu, gochujang korean tofu or tofu burrito bowl next!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Vegan & gluten free
- Packed with flavor
- Crispy
- Easy to make
Tips for crispy tofu
I’ll admit, I totally understand why some people are so turned off by tofu. It doesn’t look all that great straight out of the package, and without any sauce, it doesn’t have much of a flavor.
However, (and a big however!), if you know how to cook tofu properly, then you can make it taste seriously delicious. Crispy, flavorful, easy to make, high in protein… basically everything you could want.
The key to baking tofu is to bake it plain and with some sort of flour or starch. Baking it without any sauce ensures the tofu on its own is able to crisp up and without burning the sauce.
The flour/starch works to absorb any excess moisture to give us a super crispy exterior and soft interior. We’ll then coat it in the sauce after it bakes so it stays crispy!
How to make sesame tofu
Cut tofu. Cut a slit in the side of the tofu container and drain out all of the excess liquid. Remove the tofu from the package and wrap it in a towel just to get off as much liquid as possible without having to press the tofu. Once it seems dry, cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes.
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Prep tofu. Once the tofu is cubed, add it to a large bowl and toss with the soy sauce. Next, toss in the cornstarch then the breadcrumbs.
I like to just shake the bowl so the tofu doesn’t break (sometimes it breaks if you use a spoon) and toss until every piece is well coated.
Bake. Add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and try to ensure none of the tofu pieces touch each other. I know that seems annoying, but the space between really helps it get crispy.
Make sauce. Add the tofu to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. While the tofu is baking, we’ll prepare the sauce on the stove.
Serve. Once the sauce and tofu are done, toss both together until well coated and enjoy! I like to serve it with brown or white rice and some steamed broccoli. Try my chipotle sofritas tofu next!
Do you need to press tofu?
Yes and no. You can absolutely get away with not pressing the tofu for this recipe. I don’t list it in the instructions because this recipe turns out really well without any pressing. Plus, it saves a lot of time!
Tofu is basically a sponge that sits in water and absorbs all of it. Pressing out the excess water does help make it more crispy and ensures it cooks evenly through the center.
If you’re trying to get flavors into the tofu, you do want to press it. In the case of this sesame tofu, we’re trying to get a crispy outside so the sauce will stick on the outside, so pressing isn’t necessary.
Moral of the story, nothing bad will happen if you don’t press tofu, but if you want the crispiest and most flavorful tofu around, press away!
How to store and reheat
Once prepared, this sesame tofu will keep in the fridge for 3 days. It is best served fresh, but you can pop everything back in the oven at 200 for 10 minutes to crisp it back up.
The microwave also works, but tends to make things a bit soft/soggy, but the flavor will still be delicious.
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Garlic Sesame Tofu
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoons gluten free breadcrumbs can sub for regular
Sauce
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil I used avocado oil
- ⅓ cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce MUST be low sodium!
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2-3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup depending on preference
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 4 tablespoons water divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit.
- Drain the excess liquid from the tofu and dry it off with a towel*.
- Cut into 1 inch cubes and add to a large bowl. Toss with the soy sauce.
- Toss with the cornstarch and the breadcrumbs until all pieces are evenly coated.
- Add to the baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
- During the final 10 minutes, prep the sauce.
- Mince the garlic and saute with 1 tbsp oil in a small saute pan for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Add in the soy sauce, honey or maple syrup, rice vinegar, 2 tbsp of water and sesame oil.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and other 2 tbsp of water in a bowl and add to the pan.
- Heat over low heat for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
- When the tofu is done, toss with the sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired and serve over rice with steamed broccoli or enjoy as is!
Notes
Comments
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soy sauce is not gluten free!!! for those with extreme sensitivities or allergies to gluten.
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This recipe states “tamari or soy sauce.” I have Celiac disease, all recipes on Eat With Clarity are gluten free. I add the part about soy sauce because many people do not know what tamari is.
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Loved the tofu baked this way! So good! Think it would be great to add to any salad! Thanks!
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Thanks, Donna!
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This was delicious!! Loved that I didn’t have to press the tofu – I had doubled the tofu so I doubled the sauce and ended up with way too much. Made some brown rice and roasted sweet potatoes to put together a delicious bowl! My husband thought it was amazing too
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Love a husband approved dinner! Thank you, Megan!
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How do you get it so the tofu doesn’t taste powdery after baking? I personally think stir frying the tofu in some healthy cooking oil while covered with cornstarch would taste better
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I’ve never had an issue with it tasting powdery, especially once the sauce is added. If you prefer to stir fry it, you definitely can!
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This dish is an absolutely delightful, delicious, and delectable! I made the sauce with coconut aminos as I ran out of tamari. I found 2 Tbl of maple syrup was perfect. Thank you!
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Love it! Thank you, Sharon!
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If I wanted to prep this a ahead of time, could I bake the tofu prior and then just make the sauce right before we eat?
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You can! The tofu won’t be quite as crispy once it sits out though.
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This tofu is so good! I’ve never made a tofu recipe that my whole family likes so much. It’s so easy and really crispy without having to fry in oil. I might try a version with coconut flakes.
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So glad you loved it! Thanks, Heather!
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I did this recipes a couple of months ago, and my friends, vegan and non v, just loved it. I didn’t add so much maple syrup and it was still sooo good. Sorry, I didn’t measure the exact quantity of maple syrup used, but it was less than the recipe required. I am attempting to avoid sugary things in my diet, but needless to say, it was still a HIT.
thank you so much for sharing. I cannot wait to try the one you were going to work on with the salmon.
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Yay! Can’t wait to see what else you make!
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Instead of using maple syrup, maybe try using sweet soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. It always seems to help in recipes where it calls for excess sugar.
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Loved this recipe, my fiancé is vegetarian so I’m always looking for ways to elevate tofu. I added some mushrooms, carrots and broccoli to the sauce and it’s amazing.
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Would give this 10 stars if I could! After many failed attempts at tofu, this one hit it out of the park. Ran out of tamari, so I used a combo of coconut aminos, sesame teriyaki sauce, and a splash of OJ. Thanks so much for this recipe! Going into the regular rotation.
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So glad you made it work for you! Thanks, Emily!
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Came out so great! This website made it hard to make as ads kept popping up, but besides that, I’d suggest a little extra water in the sauce and to make sure not to make it too early as it thickens quickly.
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Ads are how we are able to share our recipes free of charge! You can click print on the recipe card and it will open in a new window.
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You forgot to mention to sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds….
hence the photo you posted.I made it and it was SCRUMPTIOUS!
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That’s totally optional so I didn’t include it in there. Glad you loved it!
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I love tofu with steam white
rice and steam broccoli. So delicious. Also more delicious if the tofu is little bit spicy. -
First time in over 10 years cooking with tofu (not sure what happened there!) and this recipe was FANTASTIC!! In the past we tried so many techniques to get the tofu crispy and this one WORKED! So delicious and extremely easy. We will be making this again and again. Served with jasmine rice, steamed spinach and edamame. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
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Amazing! Thank you, Jen!
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Edamame sounds really good with it!
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I just found you and this and the teriyaki tofu looks GREAT!! I purchase tofu before finding this recipe and just have regular tofu. I guessing it may break apart more?? Next time I will buy firm. My question should I even try this recipe with regular tofu? or wait till I buy firm?
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By regular tofu do you mean medium? As long as you aren’t using silken tofu it should be fine!
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This recipe was easy to make and delicious. Will definitely make it again.
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So glad you loved it, thanks Liz!
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