The BEST Crispy Tofu {Baked} (2024)

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Created On: May 5, 2019&nbsp|Updated: June 22, 2021| 70 Comments

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This is The BEST Crispy Tofu Recipe! It’s flavorful, uses minimal oil and is baked to perfection in the oven! It’s perfect for adding to stirfrys or just snacking on!

I’m so excited to share this Crispy Tofu Recipe with you today! I’ve been testing it for a while and can now say that it’s perfect! I know tofu can be somewhat of a controversial ingredient, but we eat a lot of it and this is my favorite way to prepare it. It really is The Best Crispy Tofu!

My two year old loves just snacking on this Crispy Baked Tofu and it’s so cute how he says “tofu” 🙂 We probably eat tofu once a week in our house

What Kind Of Tofu Should I Use for Crispy Baked Tofu?

You always want to use extra firm tofu when making this Crispy Tofu Recipe. The only time I ever use soft tofu is when I’m using it in vegan desserts, it does not sauté up well. There are a few brands of tofu out there and any of them will work as long as you get the extra firm variety. I’ve recently discovered high protein super firm tofu and it’s my favorite! So far I’ve seen it at Trader Joe’s and Sprouts. Just like its name, it’s super firm and it’s not packed in a ton of water so it doesn’t require any pressing.
That brings me to my next point, if you aren’t using pre-pressed tofu it’s important to pat your tofu dry and press it. I’m not usually one to take the time to press my tofu but it’s important to make sure your tofu gets extra crispy! You don’t need to press it for hours, just about 15-30 minutes will do to ensure that it’s not waterlogged.

What Makes This The Best Crispy Tofu Recipe?

It’s SO crispy! It’s seriously hard to believe that it’s not deep fried. And, the recipe only uses one tablespoon of oil, which really isn’t a lot if you compare it to deep fried tofu.
It’s really easy to make! There’s no complicated tricks to this Crispy Tofu Recipe. All you do is mix up the seasonings, coat the tofu and then mix in some arrowroot or corn starch. Then you spread out on a sheet pan and bake until crispy and perfect!
It’s made with healthy ingredients! There is no vegetable oil used in this recipe. I use toasted sesame oil because it gives it a nice flavor but you could also use olive oil or avocado oil. I choose to use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch, but cornstarch can be used too.

How To Use This Crispy Baked Tofu:

This Crispy Tofu is perfect for so many recipes. You can pretty much use his technique for any recipe that calls for tofu and it will make it so much tastier!
I honestly eat quite a bit of it plain, just off the baking tray after it comes out of the oven. My two year old really enjoys it that way too! It’s warm, crispy and has some good flavor thanks to the sesame oil, tamari and garlic powder.
The other way I love to eat this crispy tofu is to add it to stir fry sauce and enjoy it over cauliflower rice. I usually use my favorite Stir Fry Recipe, or I also love this Orange Sauce Recipe (that will be getting it’s own post soon!). You can either pour the sauce over your meal or mix the tofu right into the pan with the sauce.
This crispy tofu would be great in any stir fry recipe, over rice, mixed with veggies or noodles.

Recipe Tips For The BEST Crispy Tofu:

You want to make sure all of your tofu is coated evenly with the oil mixture and with the arrowroot powder. The arrowroot powder is what makes it crispy so it’s super important to make sure it gets on every piece of tofu.
I used arrowroot in my recipe because that is what I had on hand but you could also use the same amount of cornstarch. I’ve read that arrowroot powder will give the tofu a slightly slimy texture if you add it to a sauce, whereas the cornstarch will not. I personally don’t mind it, but it’s up to you which you want to use.
It’s really important to make sure the tofu cubes are not touching each other at all when you place them on the sheet pan. If the tofu is touching then the touching part will not get as crispy.
You also want to make sure you stir around the tofu a few times while it’s baking so that each side gets crispy.

Enjoy more tofu recipes here:

Vegan BLT Pitas

Crispy Tofu Sandwiches

Vegan Orange Tofu

Teriyaki Tofu Bowls