How to Make Crispy Baked Tofu
Learn the tricks to making amazing crispy tofu, without a ton of oil! This tofu is a fantastic addition to Asian dishes and recipes that need extra protein.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
It was so easy and really tasty too! My husband even likes tofu now because of this recipe!
That’s great! Tank you for sharing, Ellen.
What am I doing wrong? I have always done my tofu on stove top because I always have the problem of my tofu sticking to my baking sheet after. I have tried non stick, parchment paper, and aluminum foil, and without fail every time I take it out of the oven it looks soo good, and then my dreams are crushed when I go to scoop them off the pan and the crunchy part stays on the pan! What am I missing?
Hey Erin, that’s so strange! I can’t recall a single food sticking to parchment (and I’ve never successfully cooked tofu on the stovetop because it always sticks for me). Are you sure you’re using parchment, not wax paper? It’s an easy mistake to make. Otherwise, I’m not sure what to suggest, sorry!
Do you have a salad spinner? Cut up the tofu into chunks but instead of pressing it in paper towels, give it a thorough spin in your salad spinner.
That’s a cool idea! Thanks, Matthew, will give that a try next time.
Can I make it without the cornstarch/arrowroot ?
You can, it just won’t be *as* crispy.
I used to pan fry tofu until I discovered this recipe, now I am completely hooked on baking! I found that I can use medium tofu, I just triple the amount of cornstarch and it crisps up perfectly. I double the recipe because my family loves it. Thanks for rescuing me from the grease splatter that pan frying used to give me!
This crispy baked tofu is delicious! I made it exactly as written and it turned out perfectly. So yummy!
Thank you for posting your recipe! I cooked it tonight to go with Asian style salads. It was tasty, even though we had no corn starch on hand so I subbed with some packaged matzo ball mix I found in the cupboard, ha ha. Next time, corn starch! We ate the crispy baked tofu as a side dish, and when it cooled off enough, I dumped mine into my salad. In addition to the ingredients your recipe called for, I tossed the tofu w/ Chinese 5 Spice, ground ginger, and cayenne. The salad was the kind w/ seaweed, sesame oil & seeds, rice vinegar, soy sauce, daikon, etc.
Entire family of six loved this recipe. Love cookie+Kate. Best vegetarian recipes ever!
Wow this was my first time ever making my own tofu! I generally eat plant based, but am not a big tofu person. This was a game changer though! Pressing the water out did take some time, but the tofu came out so tasty. I didn’t have any parchment paper, so I put it directly on the baking sheet which did make it stick and not easy to toss half way through. I made this with your spring vegetable stir fry and ate with brown rice. I am excited to eat leftovers tonight and make this recipe again!
This tofu turned out perfect and crispy!! My new go to for making tofu.
Finally a tofu recipe that worked for me! Thank you
This recipe is a game changer for all future tofu recipes (if it makes it to the end recipe – these are so good, it’s hard not to just eat them as a snack). Easy and delicious – thank you!
I loved your crispy baked tofu, and so did my husband, who usually isn’t very fond of tofu, but will tolerate it. By far the best baked tofu that I’ve made so far. I liked your idea of cutting the tofu in small pieces before pressing it. I used it in a Vegan Pad Thai recipe that I had made in the past.
This turned out great, but I found that it required at least four times the amount of marinade as the recipe called for. I used a 14 oz package of extra firm tofu.
why do you add soy sauce and oil to the strarch? I added that to the cornstarch and it was all clumpy and wouldn’t stick to the tofu, not good advice.
Hi Craig, I’m sorry you didn’t have a great result. It shouldn’t clump. Did you do the oil and tamari, then sprinkle the starch once that was evenly over the tofu?
No, you know I put the oil and soy sauce in with the flour. This made for the disaster. I guess I should have added it to the tofu first and then rolled it around in the flour. There is so much reading with this recipe that I honestly skimmed over it and missed that, so my bad for not paying more attention. On the other hand, that is the danger of making recipe instructions so long. Your readers might be trying to skip some, or a good portion of the instructions.
Without a doubt, the best crispy tofu I’ve ever made. And so simple … only 3 ingredients in addition to the tofu. I’ll definitely make this one again!
This worked out great! I have never had much success pan frying tofu – your oven method resulted in prefect little cubes – with much less mess. Thank you Cookie and Kate!
We loved your recipe! Thank you so much.
This tofu recipe is terrific. It comes out deliciously crispy outside and soft inside, just as described.
I made 1 change which I’m doing with all my tofu recipes now. I open the package, squeeze out the water as best I can with my hands, trying to keep the block intact. I then freeze and thaw the tofu. The block is easier to slice and work with as well as better absorbs flavors. I pick up the crispy tofu recipe at the slicing stage.
I had my crispy tofu with veggie stems – broccoli, celery, Swiss chard, etc.- that I cooked in broth and then puréed. Yummy and nutritious.
Have never made crispy tofu before and it is awesome! Used it with a spaghetti squash pad thai as part of a weight watchers meal and the rest of the family, with rice noodles and chicken wanted mine! Will do again and share with friends! I did make two additions, sprinkled salt on tofu before I pressed it – both drew out more water and seasoned it, and added a bit of baking powder – also a great agent to crisp things up. Thank you!
I used to use a lot more oil and cornstarch over a cast iron and I’m never going back! This method made my tofu taste so much better!
Wow. I’ve never been a huge tofu fan but this recipe makes it crave worthy. Thanks Kate for helping me eat less meat products.
Bake at what temperature
Hi! I plan to make this tomorrow. I don’t have cornstarch or arrowroot. Getting to the store isn’t really an option right now, is whole wheat flour a good substitute?
Hi Lisa! I think your best bet would be to omit the starch altogether. They won’t be quite as crispy, but nice nonetheless.
I love this recipe!! I’ve been using it for a month or so now, and it’s opened up a whole new world for me of using tofu as a main protein more often. I love stir frying it with shiitake mushrooms or using it in pad Thai.
Great technique and fabulous results, thank you! I also marinated my tofu before going to work. I threw that in the oven once I got home and reused the marinade as my sauce base.I agree that the crispy bits are the best and it’s unacceptable to leave those in the bottom on the cats iron pan. I no longer have that problem! :)
Can we store this in freezer to use later? If so how can I use it
Hey Mansen, believe it or not, tofu texture changes significantly after being frozen/defrosted. It turns more chewy. This tofu is best when it’s freshly baked.
Just made this tofu for dinner this evening. My family loved it. This was my first time cooking tofu in my life. Kids think I’m a chef. Thanks for the recipe. I changed it a little. I did not use oil directly on tofu. Instead I used a baking sheet a sprayed with light vegetable oil. Came out awesome!!
I have used this method of making tofu 3 times now and I will NEVER do it another way. It is FANTASTIC and I’m telling everyone about it! Thank you. Mimi
Perfect, Mimi! I love this is such a hit for you. I appreciate your review.
This recipe is perfect, and so easy! Just the texture your looking for without frying. Thank you so much!
Scrumptious baked tofu over baked green cabbage, onions, garlic drizzled w/eco to bake+sautéed broccoli rabe sautés w/garlic topped w/homemade Asian Almond
butter lime sauce! Ty Gail Graf,NY
Can I use goya minced garlic And the liquid from the garlic jar to flavor the tofu while it’s baking?
Hi Luisa! You could try it. I’m afraid the garlic might burn while the tofu is baking, and I strongly dislike the flavor of burnt garlic. Perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder would be a safer bet, if you have that.
Hi Kate, I’m going to try this and wondering if it will work at 350 degrees? My oven temperature button won’t let me increase the temp! Lol so I could do 350 for a bit longer maybe or do you think broiling would work better? If so, what temperature? Thanks!
Uh oh! Sure, try baking at 350. They’ll just need longer time. If they really won’t turn golden at 350, try moving them to a rack higher up in the oven. I’m always hesitant to suggest broiling since oven broilers vary significantly and I don’t want your tofu to burn to a crisp!
Kate, please HELP. I like this recipe and plan to start using for a lot of different things. But when I made it last night, the tofu still stuck to the parchment paper. I had to scrape the tofu off and the crispy bottoms ended up staying stuck to the paper. I did 15 minutes at 400 degrees and then got them out to turn them. That’s when they were stuck, so I didn’t go any further. Just ate them as is. What did I do wrong? What could have caused this? What can I do differently?
Hi Brian, I’m sorry to hear that! I have never experienced tofu sticking to parchment paper. Is there any chance you used waxed paper on accident? It’ll melt in the oven.
Amazing! It came out super similar to my favorite vegetarian Chinese place. I tossed it in some general tso’s sauce after it came out and enjoyed immediately. I’ve never made tofu before and enjoyed it so thank you for converting me into eating tofu!
Hooray! I’m glad it reminds you of your favorite, Hannah. Thanks for your review.
I will try this tonight. It sounds like a winner. And it’s cool here in Seattle today so the oven will warm up my tiny 425sq ft condo nicely. I plan to salt the squeezed tofu and add a generous amount of curry powder before baking. I think then it will be tasty and ready to eat when it’s done baking. I used to do something similar but I pan fried the tofu rather than baked it. Thanks for the recipe.
Absolutely perfect and delicious. An absolute keeper!
I have tried to make tofu so many different ways and it’s always turned out horrible. But your method is definitely a winner! Thank you!
I will never cook tofu any other way, ever again. So so good and easily adaptable to any recipe.
I love this recipe. I don’t eat a lot of tofu but I rarely made it because it’s such a pain. This recipe makes it way easier (and better). It’s a healthy snack or protein for other recipes.
We made this to go in a veggie stir-fry. My family and I have not liked tofu in the past, but everyone that tried it loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Laura! I’m happy you loved it.
Anxious to try because i too hate to fry but love crispy tofu. You might like to make your own tofu. It is called Burmese tofu made with chickpea flour. Very easy. Let set out for awhile before put in refrigerator and will be extra firm in day.
Perfect! Love crispy tofu and this method worked perfect for me. Thank you! Yum!
I’ve made this several times using Nasoya brand extra firm tofu, *always with very good results* – even that one time when I was drinking wine and forgot the cornstarch until the baking was halfway through. But today I made it with Trader Joe’s tofu. You’d think there isn’t that much difference between tofu brands. Surprisingly, there is. The Trader Joe’s version has much less liquid and requires very little pressing. You really can get away with a 10 minute press, compared to maybe 40 minutes to an hour for the Nasoya brand. Also, the Trader Joe’s version truly is about $2 compared to the about $4 Nasoya version. My last comments involve salt. I’m not a chemist and don’t know the faintest thing about salt. But I definitely know when I can taste it. And Trader Joe’s tofu doesn’t taste like it has any. That’s not to say it doesn’t have any, it just doesn’t taste like it does, so I wish I had dumped more soy sauce into my mix before baking.
Changed. My. Life. The crumbly parts came out the crispy-est! I’m considering doing the next batch with more crumbles on purpose. I left my tofu in for almost 30 min after checking after 20. So simple. Thank youuuuuu.
Oh my gosh! I just made this and it was incredible!! I’ve tried to pan fry tofu before and it came out terrible. This was SO easy and for me, it kinda tastes like French fries! The pieces are that crispy!! Thank you SO much!!
Oh my gosh! I just made this and it was incredible!! I’ve tried to pan fry tofu before and it came out terrible. This was SO easy and for me, it kinda tastes like French fries! The pieces are that crispy!! Thank you SO much!!
How might I make this without oil? Thanks in advance!
Hi Laura, You really need to oil here to help the starch stick and to help it bake in the oven.
Hi Kate,
My family really loved the crispy tofu! My kids were surprised it was baked and not fried!
Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Tried this recipe and thought it turned out great. Next time I will cut my pieces slightly larger but it still turned out crispy outside and creamy inside. Served with sweet soy sauce for dipping. Yummy
Hi. I am new to tofu and this was so simple and tasty! Thank you so much. I have a question, how to you “change” the flavor of the tofu? I am afraid to add anything like taco seasoning or any other sauces after it is baked because it already has the Asian flavor with the soy sauce. Is there any way to add flavor before putting it into the oven? Thanks so much for your help
Hi Amalia! If you want to infuse your tofu with more flavor, I recommend adding sauce after it’s baked, rather than marinating it. As for taco seasoning, you are right. It may be a mash of flavors. But, I do find the flavor subtle so it might be worth experimenting with.