Name: Reliable Crispy Baked Tofu on the Stove
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 block of EXTRA FIRM tofu (I do not recommend doing this with any other type of tofu); 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil; 2 tablespoons of cornstarch; ½ teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked black pepper; extra spices of choice**

Sick of bland and mushy tofu!? This DEPENDABLE Crispy Baked Tofu is going to change the way that you enjoy tofu AND it comes together with only FOUR simple ingredients. You seriously won’t believe how deliciously crispy this tofu is!

I have a WHOLE post that outlines MANY different ways that you can prepare tofu including grilled, fried and more! Check it out HERE!

crispy tofu cubes on a large plate with one being held up by a wooden pair of chopsticks

I hope you’re ready because we are getting our TOFU ON over the next couple of months. LOTS of standout tofu recipes are coming your way and I can’t WAIT:D

I did not eat a lot of tofu growing up. In fact, I don’t think that I had ever eaten tofu before I got to college. And even then I didn’t genuinely eat that much of it. It’s only been in the past couple of years, as I started eating a lot more plant based recipes, that I have fallen in love with tofu. Examples of my recent obsession are HERE and HERE.

crispy cubes of tofu lined up on a baking sheet that's lined with parchment paper

Today we’re diving into DEPENDABLE Crispy Baked Tofu. It’s simple. It’s satisfying. And it only requires a few simple ingredients!

I made this tofu every night for about a week and never got sick of it. And that’s saying something:D

The recipe is left plain so that you can season it as you see fit. For these photos, I used a little paprika and cumin which is part of what gave it that golden color. BUT you can season yours with whatever spices would work well with what you’re serving the tofu with.

large plate filled with crispy breaded tofu cubes and with a wooden bowl of sauce on the side

What kind of tofu is go-to for baked tofu:

In my experience, the only tofu that bakes well if you want it to be crispy is EXTRA FIRM tofu. I haven’t had a lot of luck with other types.

The key is squeezing out AS MUCH of the moisture as you can before baking it. We’ll talk about that more in a minute.

top down shot of crispy cubes of tofu lined up on a baking sheet that's lined with parchment paper

How to cook this Dependable Crispy Baked Tofu:

To start, we’ll cut the block of tofu in half. You want to cut down through the sides that are around 1 1/2 inches. I have a FULL video below on how to do this if you’re confused at all. We’re aiming to make thinner pieces so that we can extract more of the liquid from the tofu.

Next, place the 2 tofu blocks on a plate lined with several paper towels or, like I usually do, use a lint free kitchen towel. Wrap the paper towel or kitchen towel around the top of the tofu (again, see video). Now, place a skillet on top of the tofu and then something heavy inside of the skillet. This weighs down the tofu and helps press out as much of the liquid as possible. I usually use some large cans or, as you see in the video, my massive tub of coconut oil.

Let the tofu sit for around 30 minutes before cutting it into bite sized pieces.

Those pieces then get tossed with olive oil, cornstarch, and any other spices that you might want. All of the tofu is then lined up on a baking tray and baked for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

THAT’S IT!

I sometimes bake mine a little longer than 30 minutes if I want it to EXTRA crispy. Because I’m often extra like that. I certainly encourage you to experiment with it to see how you like it go-to. But, 30 minutes is a good middle ground that gets you a nice gold brown, crispy piece of tofu!