Delicious, crispy oven baked crunchy tofu that is soft and chewy from the inside and coated with sweet and spicy sticky sesame sauce - perfect to serve with rice or to enjoy as appetizer.
Inspired by this recipe for crispy sticky sesame cauliflower that is tried, tested and loved by SO many, specially on Pinterest, this version with Tofu is my absolute favorite way to enjoy a little extra protein in my diet on days when I like to have something vegan or vegetarian. Served with some simple cooked rice or no-fuss sesame noodles, or added on top of my favorite 10-min peanut sauce noodles, these crispy bites of tofu are absolutely lip smacking and so easy to make.
RECIPE DETAILS >> Crunchy tofu thats cooked in the oven... so crispy that you wouldn't stop munching on these directly off the baking sheet. A delicious sauce that has SO much flavor. Sweet, spicy, garlicky and sesame seeds for that extra crunch in the sauce. Very easy to make and perfect for a busy week night when you want a delicious vegan meal ready in less than 30 minutes.
RECIPE PLANNING >> Start by baking your tofu and that takes about 20-25 minutes in the oven. While thats baking, prepare your rice or noodles (all options included in the bottom of the blog post). Your rice and tofu should be ready by the same time. Now quickly prepare the sauce (takes a minute or two to mix everything) and thicken the sauce in the pan. Add your crispy tofu blocks or pour the thick sweet and spicy vegan Asian sauce over the cooked tofu on the baking sheet. Mix well and serve.
How to cook tofu for sticky sesame crispy tofu recipe
I love cooking tofu in different ways, but baking is my absolute favorite! If you are a tofu newbie, you might wanna check out this detailed blog post on how to make the perfect crispy tofu in the oven. For this recipe, you can cook tofu however you like- you could either pan fry the cubes (remember these basil rice?) or get inspired by this recipe to pan fry huge chunks of tofu and cut them in strips - you do you.
- VARIATION 1: PAN FRIED - Simply cut tofu block into cubes and add it to a pan that heated with some oil. Add salt and pepper and let cook on medium flame until crispy from all side. This is how its going to look, when its PAN FRIED: Here is the detailed method (adapted by my recipe for basil mushroom and tofu rice)
- VARIATION 2: CRISPY TOFU STRIPS - Adapted by this recipe for rice noodles, this variation is good if you want best of both worlds >> crunchy edges (really really crispy!) and soft chewy centre. Also cooked on stove top (pan fried). Simply cut your tofu block into 4 equal chunks and then add to a pan thats heated with olive oil. Cook for a few minutes and then flip and cook further until crunchy. Then transfer to chopping board and cut into strips. See image below... and click here to read full method.
- VARIATION 3: OVEN BAKED TOFU - My favorite and exactly what I used for this recipe. Adapted from this tofu-newbie guide from the blog - this oven baked crispy tofu is so good (just for snacking too). Simply toss tofu cubes in olive oil, corn starch (corn flour) salt and pepper, transfer to baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy. Once they are nicely cooked, add them to your sweet and spicy Asian style sauce & give that a good mix until it looks glossy and reddish brown.
What to serve with sticky sesame crispy tofu?
Tofu bites are tossed in a sauce that is so flavorful in itself. Sriracha in the sauce makes it spicy (totally flexible here!), the sugar adds the sweetness and soy sauce makes it naturally salty. I personally enjoy the sticky sauce coated tofu with some plain steamed. Simple and delicious. But here are some rice and noodle recipes (vegan!) that can be enjoyed alongside:
- sesame rice noodles
- veg hakka noodles
- 10-min peanut sauce rice noodles
- ginger garlic vegetable fried rice
- forget the rice or noodles and enjoy these over some lettuce cups instead 😀
Similar recipes to try from the blog:
- crispy honey chilli potatoes (vegan friendly)
- peanut sauce tofu and broccoli
- sticky sesame crispy cauliflower
- chilli paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
- vegan asian style "meatballs" - Indo Chinese manchurian
Sticky Sesame Crispy Tofu
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 serings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Oven and Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian/ Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Delicious, crispy oven baked crunchy tofu that is soft and chewy from the inside and coated with sweet and spicy sticky sesame sauce - perfect to serve with rice or to enjoy as appetizer.
Ingredients
CRISPY OVEN BAKED TOFU
- 400 grams (2 blocks) Tofu
- 2 tbsp oil (extra virgin olive oil)
- 2 tbsp corn starch (corn flour)
- salt
- pepper
STICKY SESAME SAUCE
- 1 tbsp corn flour or corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup vegetable stock (see notes)
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (dark or light)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- spring onions for garnish
Instructions
CRUNCHY BAKED TOFU:
(Two alternate methods to cook tofu in a pan are explained in blog post above)
- Drain out the liquid from the tofu blocks and get rid of any excess moisture (see note 1)
- Cut the dry, moisture-free tofu block into chunks or cubes of your desired size.
- To a large mixing bowl, add tofu cubes, oil, corn flour (or corn starch) salt and pepper. Give it a gentle mix and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake at 200 degrees for 25 minutes or until the tofu is browned up from the outside. Do not over-bake, as it will dry out completely.
STICKY SESAME SAUCE:
- To a bowl, add corn starch (corn flour), water, vegetable stock (see note), soy sauce, sriracha and garlic. Mix well. Add to a pan and cook for a minute on low flame for 10-12 seconds. Add sesame seeds and cook additional minute or two until the sauce has thickened.
- Add crispy baked tofu and mix well until every tofu cube is well coated with the sauce. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve.
- Serve with plain rice or noodles and enjoy.
Notes
- The number one tip to make really delicious baked tofu is to get rid of all possible moisture from the tofu block. The easiest way to make the firm tofu really dry and free of any excess moisture is to wrap it in a kitchen cloth and place something heavy over it, so that the kitchen towel or cloth absorbs all the liquid and every little bit of moisture is drained out of the tofu block. Let it sit covered and pressed for about 15 minutes. Check out the video in this blog post to see how I do this.
- Vegetable Stock: If you dont have access to vegetable stock, mix one cube of this cube with hot water.
Keywords: vegan, tofu, asian
Looks good but what kind of tofu? Firm? Extra Firm? Is cooking at 200C or F?
Hey Terry! I used firm tofu but definitely wrap in a kitchen towel to remove all moisture. Temperature is in celsius. Hope you enjoy the recipe.