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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Good, but tofu was stuck to parchment paper. This was a user error.
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So delicious and easy to make!
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I cut the garlic in half, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T and served it with rice and roasted broccoli. The whole family loved it and we will be making it again soon. This was my very first tofu recipe, so I’m so glad that it worked out well!
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Thank you, Heather! So glad it was a success.
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I love your recipe… it’s easy to prepare and delicious! I’m so grateful for this dish since I have recently been diagnosed with a rare GI condition that limits my selection of foods. I must be gluten free (not celiac), dairy free, high protein, low sugar, low fat, mostly Low-Fodmap, avoiding many carbs that produce methane in the small intestine. Thank you!!
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Yum! Just made this and absolutely loved it. So delicious, full of flavour and easy as well. I served mine with hokkien noodles, and added thinly sliced carrot and baby spinach into the sauce. Will definitely be making this one again!
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This recipe was delicious. I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce so I used 1 tbsp for the tofu then one for the sauce with the water. We added some chili paste. This was our first time and will def have again.
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Family who isn’t a fan of tofu all called it a pass which is a big win. Thanks for the recipe and the tofu cooking instructions.
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bro idk what I did wrong but the breadcrumbs wouldn’t stick to the tofu
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Make sure you are adding them with the cornstarch, not after!
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Sooooo delicious!! I crave this every day lol it’s that good!
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Love to hear that! Thanks, Nicole!
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soy sauce is NOT gluten free as it has wheat. You can buy gluten free soy or teriyaki sauce, but you should mention that in the recipe because if someone is truly allergic they can get VERY SICK
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I have Celiac disease and all recipes on the site are gluten free. The recipe calls for “tamari or soy sauce” – tamari is gluten free soy sauce. I have to state soy sauce because those who are not gluten free may not know what tamari is. Anyone like me who is severely allergic to gluten will know that soy sauce is not gluten free.
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Exactly ❤️
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This was delicious, crispy and perfectly balanced. Plated it with coconut rice. My fiancee thought it was chicken at first, he loved it even after finding out it was tofu. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
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Directions are confusing because the ingredients are not listed in the order that they are used. I am a recipe writer and developer and you always put the ingredients exactly how they are used.
Also 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey is a very large difference. It should be just one of the other.-
Just updated those ingredients! Saying 2-3 is simply because everyone has a different sweet preference. I advise starting with 2 and adding more as needed.
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Was pretty yummy. A little bit too salty and getting the tofu wet in the sauce after baking made it not crispy at all 🙁
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You can use 50% reduced sodium tamari/soy sauce to help that, and let the tofu cool for a bit before adding the sauce.
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Delicious! The whole family loves it. Served it with jasmine rice, kimchi, poached eggs, and sigeumchi namul (Korean spinach dish).
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Really good recipe! I used the low sodium soy sauce (kikkoman 38%less sodium), and it still was a little too salty for my taste! What would you recommend for adjusting the ratio? Maybe slightly less soy sauce, more rice vinegar?
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Yes you can just decrease the soy sauce next time! Or if you can find one that is 50% reduced sodium.
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