Let’s talk about tofu! Even as a vegetarian, I don’t eat a ton of it. When I do, however, I want it crispy, and crispy tofu is an elusive beast. I’ve shared this method here and here, but I’ve gotten such fantastic feedback that I wanted to highlight it.
Even tofu skeptics love this tofu. Try it, and you will see!
Tips for Irresistibly Crispy Tofu
1) Choose the right kind of tofu.
Extra-firm tofu is the only way to go, and I’ve found that the Trader Joe’s brand is the most firm of them all (plus, it’s only two dollars). It’s organic, too, which is important when you’re buying tofu because soy is conventionally treated with fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. Look for tofu in the refrigerated section by the produce.
2) Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Water-logged tofu never gets super crispy. The key here is to slice the tofu into pieces before pressing it. Have you ever tried pressing a whole block, or even two halves? They just sit in soggy puddles. Slice them into smaller pieces to maximize the surface area. Press those, and you’ll extract more moisture—faster, too.
3) Toss your tofu in oil, soy sauce and starch.
Now, you just need to toss your tofu in a little oil (just 1 tablespoon for the full batch), tamari or soy sauce (for some flavor) and cornstarch or arrowroot starch. The starch makes the edges extra crispy and irresistible (I got this idea from The Kitchn).
Cornstarch vs. arrowroot: You might be wondering which starch is better. Cornstarch is a more processed ingredient, but it yields the crispiest results. Arrowroot is less processed and works well, but the outer covering can turn a little slippery and strange if you’re adding the tofu to a dish containing a lot of moisture (like curry).
4) Bake it.
Spread your prepared tofu in an even layer across a sheet pan. Don’t worry if your tofu fell apart a bit as you tossed it. Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Boom! Perfect tofu.
Why Bake Your Tofu?
Some people swear by cooking their tofu in a skillet, but it never turns out well in my cast iron skillets. It sticks, and the crispy bits end up sticking to the pan, which is a tofu tragedy. Plus, it requires more oil, and you don’t need to use a lot of oil to get crispy tofu.
When you bake your tofu, you give it time to develop crispy edges and warm, pillowy insides. It’s simply the best.
Uses for Crispy Baked Tofu
If you want to infuse your tofu with more flavor, I recommend adding sauce after it’s baked, rather than marinating it. Why? Water-logged tofu isn’t actually very good at absorbing flavor (something that I always suspected, which was confirmed by Deborah Madison, via Serious Eats).
So, bake your tofu in the oven to crispy perfection, then cook it in sauce, or drizzle sauce on top. This tofu is perfect for tossing into any recipe with Asian flavors, or any recipe that could benefit from some hearty vegetarian protein. It would be great in my Thai red curry or green curry.
You could replace the eggs in my kale and coconut fried rice and Thai pineapple fried rice with this tofu. It is amazing with peanut sauce drizzled on top, in any form. (Fun fact: my crispy tofu and peanut sauce collide in my cookbook!)
Please let me know how your tofu turns out in the comments! I want to hear how you put it to use.
Watch How to Make Crispy Baked Tofu
How to Make Crispy Baked Tofu
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Protein, side
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Asian
Here is how to make super crispy tofu in the oven. Recipe yields 4 servings of tofu, as a complement to a larger meal.
Ingredients
- 1 block (12 to 15 ounces) organic extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tamari* or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot starch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the tofu from sticking.
- To prepare the tofu: Drain the tofu and use your palms to gently squeeze out some of the water. Slice the tofu into thirds lengthwise so you have 3 even slabs. Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice through them lengthwise to make 3 even columns, then slice across to make 5 even rows (see photos).
- Line a cutting board with a lint-free tea towel or paper towels, then arrange the tofu in an even layer on the towel(s). Fold the towel(s) over the cubed tofu, then place something heavy on top (like another cutting board, topped with a cast iron pan or large cans of tomatoes) to help the tofu drain. Let the tofu rest for at least 10 minutes (preferably more like 30 minutes, if you have the time).
- Transfer the pressed tofu to a medium mixing bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and tamari. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the starch over the tofu, and toss the tofu until the starch is evenly coated, so there are no powdery spots remaining.
- Tip the bowl of tofu over onto your prepared baking sheet and arrange the tofu in an even layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing the tofu halfway, until the tofu is deeply golden on the edges. Use as desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my roasted Brussels sprouts and crispy baked tofu with honey-sesame glaze.
*Make it gluten free: This dish is gluten free as long as you use gluten-free tamari, which is a variety of soy sauce that is usually (but not always, check the label) gluten free. I always use tamari instead of soy sauce because I prefer the flavor of it! Look for tamari next to the soy sauce in the Asian aisle of the grocery store.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Kelly K Rose
Wanting crispy tofu for my vegan tacos, I substituted the soy sauce with sriracha. Turned out beautifully with the squash, black bean, and corn tacos I made. Even my tofu averse boyfriend liked it!
★★★★★
Dr. J
I love this recipe as a good starting point. I’ve tried a dozen different baked tofu recipes, and all of them have all sorts of starch and oil; yuck! Never thought of using nutritional yeast before seeing this recipe, and now I’m wondering why, because it’s FABULOUS! Couple of important notes, though: First, you really don’t need the oil at all. I leave it off and still get a nice texture. Second, you don’t need to flip the pieces; they get plenty crispy on the bottom if you use parchment paper instead of foil.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Caitlyn
I don’t see the nutritional yeast that they are talking about in the recipe or in the description. Am I overlooking it?
Becki
I want to know the same thing. I read it three times, thinking I’d just missed because I don’t normally read all the chattery stuff and explanations. I just want the recipe! Didn’t see it either. I’d like to know, too, for measurements and if to add it prior to or after baking.
Jola
Easy to follow recipe. I sprinkled generously with sesame seeds before baking. This gave it a nutty flavor. My husband who previously didn’t like tofu said yum!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Jola! I appreciate your review.
Millie
I did the exact recipe and it did not work very disappointed
Ann
I made it! Liked it. Did one thing different and I think it worked better. I blended the olive oil, corn starch and soy sauce together into a paste in a large bowl. Then added to tofu pieces and tossed to coat. Worked a tad better. I’m using your tofu bits as croutons in a salad.
Fed them to my friend who “hates” tofu … told her they were “puffed Himalayan cheese.” … she bought it! Said they were wonderful!!
★★★★★
Tamahb
This is a game changer! So so good – I have never found a way to make tofu so delicious I could eat the whole recipe. Perfect for meal prep.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Tamahb!
Jessie A Georges
I always wondered how my favorite Thai and Vietnamese restaurants achieved the perfect tofu – crispy on the outside. This recipe is the answer. Perfect tofu! I served it with the Extra Vegetable Fried Rice. Delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Jessie.
Nikki
This recipe is the best to achieve the elusive [non-fried] crispy and flavorful tofu! I only had chickpea flour on hand which I subbed in for the corn starch, but even then it was still a slam dunk. Paired with the roasted brussel sprouts recipe + sauce linked above, it was absolutely perfect. I’m not ever going back to pan-cooked or fried tofu nor trying to unsuccessfully marinade it. Thank you, Kate!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Nikki! Thank you for your review.
Sheila Haynal
I liked your method of baking the tofu, mine turned out great! I do use a tofu press from Williams-Sonoma, that does a great job of removing the moisture, so I cut the tofu after being in the press for 15 or so minutes, stirred with oil, etc, then baked.
★★★★★
Kelly Scroggins
Mine came out just like your photo and tastes great on a romaine salad. I used coconut aminos in place of tamari and used more than 1 TBL of the oil, aminos and cornstarch. Thanks for the recipe I have eaten baked tofu but never made it.
★★★★
Annette
Did just what you said! I used garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and just a tiny bit salt. I have a salt issue! Came out crispy and flavored! Delicious! I think the cornstarch did the trick! Will definitely do this recipe again! Can tailor the flavor to whatever you want, cornstarch is key!
★★★★★
Sarah
Perfect! I’ve been looking for a crispy tofu recipe and this is it! I did what one of the other people who commented did and mixed the cornstarch, olive oil and tamari (I used reduced sodium) into a bowl and THEN gently tossed the tofu to coat. I also added (maybe a tablespoon? I didn’t measure) of chili garlic sauce into the mixture because I like spice!!! I ate almost the whole block of tofu just by itself. :) Delicious.
Angel
So I like this recipie and used it to introduce my elderly father to tofu. He swears he doesnt like tofu every time. Third time making it for him and he raved about liking it so much and even snuck a couple extra pieces when he thought I wasnt looking,lol. I highly recomend this recipie even if you are unsure you’ll definately want more.
★★★★★
T
I made this – nice and crisp. Used sesame oil. Can’t stop nibbling. A tip: I freeze my tofu. Makes it a lot easier to remove the water.
suzanne
The longer it presses the better. An amazing technique. Served mine with an orange chickenesque sauce & sesame seeds atop. Yum.
Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Suzanne!
Eve Mokotoff
I love this recipe! I have used as written but wanted to adapt it to add to ratatouille and the tamari flavor wouldn’t work. The recipe I use for that has dried herbs so I omitted the soy sauce, ground them up and mixed them with cornstarch. Fabulous! I have shared with several friends. Thank you!
★★★★★
Stormy
I don’t usually make a habit of leaving reviews on recipes, even ones that I enjoy. But I figured this one deserved a comment. I like that the recipe is very simple and easy, and it doesn’t require fancy sauces/seasonings to taste good! A lot of recipes I saw were calling for rice vinegar- which I do not have so it was nice to find this recipe. I ended up having to pull it out before the 20-minute mark because they were crisping up faster than expected, and the insides were a bit bland (if anyone has any tips on how to make the inside of tofu taste less bland let me know). I ended up dipping the cubes in some store-bought sweet and sour sauce and it was delicious! Definitely better than some of my attempts at making vegan fried nuggets in the air fryer. Next time I think I would sprinkle some salt and pepper on top, I thought that since I used a seasoning that has a variety of different spices plus salt + pepper I wouldn’t need to add more on top. It didn’t turn out that salty.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you did! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Lizzi Day
Simmer of sit your tofu in brine (4 cups of hot water and 1 – 2 tablespoons of salt, depending how salty you like it), then drain and spread out on a plate to steam off. It opens up pockets of air in the tofu, which helps it to absorb the flavour of your sauce or marinade better, infuses the tofu with a salty flavour and removes some of the ‘beany’ flavour. x
★★★★★
Linda Lum
I made this for my daughter. Oh my gosh, I could eat the entire pan by myself. This is so good!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Linda! I appreciate your review.
Linda Lum
I made this for my daughter. Oh my gosh, I could eat the entire pan by myself. This is so good!
By the way, I used tofu that had been frozen. It seems there’s much less water to squeeze out that way, and as you know the tofu gets a more dense, “meatier” texture that way.
In the past I have always dry sauteed tofu. I’ll never cook it that way again. This is the best.
★★★★★
Jonelle DePetro
I’ve tried several times to watch your video. It only plays part of the way. Then it changes to something else. I’ve tried so many times. Please fix.
Kate
Hi Jonelle, I’m sorry to hear that. The videos aren’t usually any longer than a minute. Is it ending before then? Please send an email to hello@cookieandkate.com with your specific issue.
Tracy Belle Sulkin
Perhaps I put too much cornstarch and left it in too long. I’ll try again.
★★★
Kate
Sorry to hear this didn’t turn out for you, Tracy.
Annemarie
Haven’t you heard of a tofu press? I would recommend using that, to get the moisture out. Works very well. I use a press called Tofuture, but there’s lots of different brands. Also, to start your pressing adventure, you can also by press it between two cutting boards with a stack of heavy books on top. Leave it for a few hours. Ensure the water coming out can go somewhere.
Linda
I love these tips. I had a great idea while making this recipe! I’m going to try laying out the pieces and using a spray bottle to spritz them with tamari first, then spray with Pam baking spray that contains flour (and flip to prepare the other side)! This could cut down on the amount of oil used and prevent the pieces from breaking apart when tossing them to coat. I’ll let you know if it works.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Linda!
Judy
Looks yummy, and I’m definitely going to try it. Please tell me how long this will keep in the fridge, or can I freeze it? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Judy, it is best right away or an keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Beth
This is my go to crispy tofu recipe. Last night I added a tablespoon of Sriracha sauce to the marinade for a hotter version.
★★★★★
Jen
I followed the recipe as written, except I forgot to turn halfway (I don’t think I will bother to going forward.) My boyfriend said it’s the best tofu he’s ever had. Thanks to this recipe, I’m adding tofu to our weekly dinner rotation. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jen! I’m glad it turned out well for you.
Mark Z.
I followed the recipe and have done it before . This time added Five spice powder and garlic powder. Wow!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Mark! Thank you for your review.
Lois
I’m not a fan of tofu. Someone told me about this recipe. I want to eat mor healthful foods so I made this. It came out great! I made an Asian salad with a peanut dressing and boy was it yummy! Love the comments as I can see how one could add spices or sesame seeds to change the flavor a bit of you wanted to. Best tofu I’ve ever had!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Lois! I’m glad you tried it and loved it.
Lisa
fabulous recipe Kate! i used 2 400 gram pkgs of tofu for my meal. i doubled the cornstarch, soy sauce and olive oil, and added a bit of maple syrup and sweet chili sauce for extra oomph. i mixed it all together in a small bowl and dipped each tofu piece in it. i got 36 pieces that all had enough coating. turned out fantastic! thanks again for another stellar recipe :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Lisa!
Victoria
I love this, great idea. It worked really well. The only thing I changed was using peanut oil instead of olive, and a small sprinkle of sesame seeds. I ate the first half of the tofu hot out of the oven with sweet chilli sauce (it needed little bit of salt over the tofu too). The second half I used the next day in a noodle and veg stirfry (it softened in the fridge but it didn’t matter for this recipe because I added sauce to it all anyway).
★★★★★
Nancy
Been making this for years. Love it!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Nancy!
Gunda Kube
Great recipe and great explanations of how and why the steps are important! I have seen many tofu recipes and yours is the best!
★★★★★
Shira
Looks great! I recently tried a very similar recipe, in which tofu and EGGPLANT were cooked together in the same way. The eggplant came out perfect so I recommend it. 25 minutes were enough for the eggplant so make sure not to overcook it.
★★★★★
Abby
★★★★★
Carmen
Hello,
Can this be stored and for how long?
Kate
Hi Carmen, I find it is best right away. But you can store it for a few days in the fridge.
Tiina
Crispy!! loved it. Made mine buffalo instead of tamari – same measurements. Bookmarked it – this will be my only tofu recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Tiina!
Heather
Delicious
I used coconut aminos, cornstarch, olive oil and a big scoop of chili oil/chili crisp.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Heather!
David Noel
Kate this was fantastic and so easy to make. I was looking for a basic recipe for making crispy tofu and came across your method for making it. Made it exactly how you had it posted. Your recipes never disappoint! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, David! I appreciate your review.
Jordan
The best! Crispy outside and soft inside. Any time I’m making a recipe that calls for cubed tofu, this is where I start. Sometimes I season the cornstarch with cumin, smoked paprika, fennel pollen, or some other spice to go with what I’m making. Thanks for this.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jordan!
Jamie
Delicious. I will never fry tofu again. So much easier and so crispy. We put it in stir fry. My husband loved it and he is not a tofu fan. He actually said we should make it all the time and put it in everything.
★★★★★
Jessica Pellegrino
★★★★★
Jessica Pellegrino
Tried and true. I always come back to this recipe… I should know it by heart by now. Goes with everything.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Jessica!
Amy
My go to recipe for tofu I add to Thai and Chinese dishes. Foolproof and tasty
★★★★★
Holly W
THE BEST crispy tofu recipe! And as it turns out, it’s the most simple crispy tofu recipe ever. It also works sooooooo well with many different flavors and cuisines: buffalo, curry, sweet, spicy, many Asian flavors, etc. Look no further you’ve found the best.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Holly! I appreciate your review.