I remember the first time I tried tofu. It was raw in a whole grain wrap along with some mustard and veggies and I honestly couldn’t finish it. And when it comes to food I’m a trooper. I’ll finish just about anything as I hate wasting food. But, tofu did not strike my fancy from the start and it’s never really been my favorite, even in my hardcore vegetarian days.
But, that all changed recently during a trip to San Antonio when I ate the best tofu of my life. It was in a veggie stir-fry over coconut brown rice at a restaurant called Green Vegetarian Cuisine. If you’re ever in the area you must stop by and try this dish. Your view of tofu will be forever changed – promise.
Two bites in and I was in heaven. I had to flag the waitress down and ask her how in the world they made the tofu taste so good! I thought it was fried, but it wasn’t. Haaaa-llelujah.
The best part? It wasn’t wet or soft or soggy or lacking in flavor at all like all of the tofu I’d tried prior. She rattled off a few instructions and I made a mental note. That same week I hopped in the kitchen and gave it a go myself.
It really worked you guys! I love tofu now. It might not be as delicious as Green Vegetarian Cuisine’s version, but it’s very close. And the more I practice the better I’ll get. I have a very good feeling about this.
The basic trick is first drying the tofu, then baking it at a high temperature to brown it and create a tougher texture, and then letting it set out to dry even more. This gives it a “meat-like” texture, if you will, that makes it much more porous to soak up delicious sauces and far more appetizing in the texture department. With this tofu I can’t help but finish it all – it’s too delicious not to!
For this recipe I made a quick and simple stir-fry but once you have the basics down this tofu could be used in just about any recipe you already love. It works extremely well in stir fries because they tend to be very saucy, but I also imagine it would be delicious over salad, in faux-egg salads and even with BBQ sauce.
I hope to incorporate it into more of the meals we regularly prepare to see just how versatile it is. But from what I’ve tasted so far, I have very high hopes.
Because it was diced, baked, left out to dry and then stir-fried in the sauce, the tofu soaked up so much flavor, rendering it absolutely irresistible. Try this tofu and let me know what you think! I think even your tofu-hating friends will approve.
Tofu That Tastes Good: Stir-Fry
Ingredients
STIR FRY
- 1 14- ounce (396 g) package firm or extra-firm tofu
- 2 cups (200 g) roughly chopped green beans
- 1 cup (128 g) diced carrots or red pepper
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) toasted sesame oil for sautéing (or sub peanut or coconut)
SAUCE
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) low-sodium soy sauce (make sure it’s gluten-free if gluten-free)
- 1 Tbsp (6 g) fresh grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp (27 g) organic brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) agave or maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 1 Tbsp (7 g) cornstarch
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and begin drying your tofu. Drain, remove it from the package and place between two thick towels folded into the shape of the tofu. Then place a plate or bowl on top and top it with something heavy like a book or skillet.
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Let it dry for about 15 minutes, changing your towels if they get too wet. Once dry, chop into roughly 1-inch cubes or rectangles (see photo).
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Arrange tofu on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet to prevent sticking and bake for a total of 25-35 minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure even cooking. This will dry out the tofu and help give it a more meat-like texture. If you want a tougher texture, cook it for 30-35. For a slightly more tender texture, pull it out at 20-25 minutes to check.
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Once it’s golden brown and a bit tough and firm, remove from the oven set it out to dry a bit more while you prep your vegetables. Ideally, it would set out another 45 minutes or even longer. I haven’t tried letting it set out for much longer, but I don’t think it would hurt either way.
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If serving over rice, start the rice at this point.
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In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients – set aside.
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To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add sesame oil and swirl to coat. Then add veggies and toss to coat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. When the vegetables have some color and have softened a bit, add the sauce and stir. It should bubble and thicken. Then add the tofu and stir to coat.
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Cook the mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. When veggies are cooked to your preferred doneness, remove from heat. Serve as is or over rice for a more filling meal. Best when eaten fresh, though will keep in the refrigerator for a couple days.
Notes
*Nutrition reflects 2 servings without rice.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 3)
- Calories: 371
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Sodium: 1500mg
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 6g
- Sugar: 23g
- Protein: 16g
I love making tofu in the oven. I tend to marinade it before popping it in. The trick when marinating tofu is to not use any oils in the marinade, they coat the tofu and no flavours get in.
Thanks for making my mouth water
Thank you for the marination tip. I will try that. I made this recipe and cooked tofu for the first time yesterday. Loved it thanks
Interesting, I have a different experience with oil. I pack towel-dried tofu (cut as desired) in a single layer in a small baking dish and cover with a marinade (usually 1/2-water and 1/2-marinade). Add 2T oil. It floats on top while the tofu bakes and soaks up the marinade. When the marinade is gone, the oil lets the tofu come to a lovely brown, and the rest of the marinade flavors become part of a nice crispy flavorful outside on the tofu.
My first tofu was raw in a peanut butter and tofu sandwich on whole grain bread. Gross. When I discovered baking it I was hooked. Up until then, pan frying was a mess – unless you use *no* oil and a well-seasoned cast iron pan (really, it doesn’t stick!) but even then it sometimes tastes like rubber. Tempeh is the same story – bake it in a marinade and it’s delicious and not bitter at all!
Oh – and this dish came out delicious! Thanks for sharing!
When I say marinade I don’t mean the sauce you cook it in. I mean the marinade you leave it in before cooking it so it can soak up the flavours
Hila, which marinade do you mean? What do you marinade the tofu in before baking it? I might try making this tonight…. but I’m not sure if who I’m cooking it for will eat it…. so I better make sure it’s good:) Thanks!
I like making a mixture of soy, orange juice, water and 7 spice.
Hila, thanks for your response. Not sure my message is responding to yours now, I hope so. So do you marinade the tofu from the very beginning? And for how long? How much of the ingredients do I use? And am I supposed to dry out the tofu before baking if it is soaked in a marinade? Sorry for all the questions, in a newbie at this (working with tofu)….
The real secret to making even this recipe really pop and with much less oven time is to press the tofu for about 2-3 hours.
1. similar shaped containers work well. Layer the tofu in one, set the other on top and place a light weight on top (like two cans of corn).
2 after 30 minutes pour off the water
3 set it back up and double the weight
4 repeat these steps until you feel you have gotten enough water out of the tofu. for one package i might go 3 hours if i forget about it.
5 This is the important step, once you have pressed out the water you can either pan fry it to get some texture, bake it if you prefer or, might favorite, mix it with your marinade and let it sit in the fridge for as long as possible.
One could press the tofu for longer periods and increased weights for different textures and longer marinades.
I do the same with my tofu. I agree and have found the most important step is pressing the tofu /removing the excess moisture. I put towels on top and bottom, and put my cast iron pot over the top and let it sit for 1-4 hours. Then you can pan fry, marinate, bake (I bake mine on a cookie rack at 300 for about 45 min).
When pressing the tofu, can you just set it up and leave it in the fridge all day? Or press and prep the night before, refrigerate, and cook the next day? I work and often don’t get home till around 6 so doing the prep is impossible during the week…
Forgive me, I’m new lol
You can set it in the fridge, wrapped in a towel with something heavy on top for up to 24 hours!
I just wonder whether I can broil an entire pkg of tofu and then refrigerate
the question is how long can it stay safely in refrigeration ?
Can the tofu be frozen after broiling so as to be available for future meals
thanks
This is my first time trying this-tofu fresh seems bland to me! This process is easy-and I am making three batches at the same time. Can I freeze the browned tofu?
i have baked and stir fried tofu but not together! i will try it. the only three yummy ways i can recommend are;
1. freezing, defrosting and tearing the tofu and cooking it in a sauce (best if it marinates for 24 hrs or more even), such as curry (you can use a prepared sauce for “meat”) or you can put equal parts soy, lemon, and honey with garlic and chill in zip lock bag. 2. cutting into cubes, wiping mayo on it, and covering it with breadcrumbs, or crushed cornflakes and baking for 20 p-40 mins at 180c. 3. cubing, patting dry between two paper towels. sprinkling with cornflour and masses vege stock powder and deep frying. i will try this recipe very soon! thank you.
That’s a good point, oil prevents the flavors from soaking in and instead you just get added fat for nothing. Thx for tip!
TOTALLY know what you mean – i ate the best tofu of my life in a restaurant called Nahm Jim in Scotland, and nothing else compares! this looks absolutely gorgeous though, i can’t wait to give it a try.
Call me crazy, but I actually love the taste of tofu!! I can definitely see how baking it would make it awesome though…need to try this!
My kids eat tofu raw & love it–weird? I don’t know, they’ve been vegetarian their whole lives so they don’t know any different :)
I’ve never heard of not adding oil to the marinade so the flavors can sink in. Guess it makes sense. Looks delicious!
I loved the sauce on this recipe soooo delicious. Still experimenting with different ways to prepare the tofu! I enjoyed reading everyone’s input and different ways to make. Thank you!!!!!
You’re blog is perfect!
In Asia everything is stir fried. (: I’m not vegetarian but tofu is one of my favorite foods, though I’ve actually never tried baking it before, but this looks delicious, so I might have to.
Yup, baking tofu is key to getting good texture and flavor. SO many mainstream recipes (meaning, not from vegetarian restaurants/recipe developers/cookbooks) just call for sautéing cubes of tofu, but that never works. The crisp exterior ends up tearing off the tofu when you try to flip it, and then you’re just left with soggy, undercooked crumbles and pieces. Tossing the patted-dry tofu in oil and salt, then baking at high heat for a half hour before adding it to whatever you’re making is absolutely key.
Are you tossing the tofu cubes in any oil before baking? Tofu has always been my cooking nemesis ;)
Nope! Just as is. I believe this method works brilliantly. Hope that helps!
I didn’t like home prepared tofu for the longest time until I got a tofu xpress. Changed everything! I use it all the time, it gets the moisture out and gives the tofu a fantastic texture.
The tofu looks wonderful – a little crunchy on the outside and tender inside.
Tofu is just one of those notoriously difficult foods to cook, isn’t it? I agree that drying it out is really key. A simple yet flavorful stir-fry like this sounds like the perfect way to eat it!
Tofu in the oven…genius!! I’ll try it and see if Jamin can swallow it this way!
Yay!!! Let me know how it goes :D
I love tofu, but it’s definitely all in the way you cook it. This stir-fry sounds delicious!
I recently had some life-altering tofu too! But alas, it was fried. This is such a great technique though, I’m gonna give it a try.
I’ve pressed but never “bake-dried” my tofu – sounds like a great idea! Do you think you could do it the day before? I don’t get home with an hour to spend on dinner.
Thanks!
That looks good! And you’re spot on with tofu not absorbing flavor easily, and also needing to dry it out first. I have a couple recipes on my site that I kind of drew from whatever was in my pantry…surprisingly it turned out awesome!
And then navigate through other blogs for the other recipes, but that one above was a HIT!
I don’t know what sort of tofu you guys use, but if you have never had it before, you NEED to try Central Soy Tofu & Tempeh. Holy jeez this stuff is good. It’s made in Lawrence, KS. I know they sell it at the food co-op there, The Merc, and it’s also sold at the Co-op that I work at in Manhattan, KS called People’s Grocery. It’s the best tofu I’ve ever had, hands down. It has a great texture straight from the package, which is incredibly rare for tofu. I know people that hate tofu, but love the tofu salad we make at People’s with it. Let’s not even get started on how good the tempeh is. Check it out! It’s amazing stuff! I highly recommend the hot chili and the herbed garlic tofu. (Yes, there are flavors!) I think this recipe will be amazing with the chili!
Sounds great! Looking forward to trying it.
Delish. Eating it now.. I love tofu, in all its forms, even raw… and am a mostly all raw vegan… I used different veggies, and a ton of them, and some GF simple organic rice-like noodles, and tosses it all in teryiaki, instead of any oil….. plus some ssshhh cayeen, cause I like it hot. yum yum city! thanks!!
Very good recipe. I probably wouldn’t do the technique too often because I don’t plan enough for the extra wait time for the tofu. The marinade I added some rice wine vinegar to balance the sweetness and some red pepper flakes. Probably the closest to a “restaurant” stir fry dish that I’ve made at home.
Will definitely keep this in heavy rotation.
Oh my gosh, thank you! I am vegetarian (2 years now) and I’ve tried so hard to like tofu but I think it’s awful! This has given me hope and inspiration! You are awesome!
Thank you! I always liked tofu but this makes it 1000x’s better!
So glad you liked it!
We had this tonight and it was delicious. The tofu was just the right texture and I loved the simplicity of the whole dish. I used broccoli, carrots, and red bell pepper since that’s what I had on hand. May add a little less sugar next time. Thank you for sharing all of your superb recipes!
My little brother has been a vegetarian since he’s been at college.He’s always like Asian food( especially tofu).I’m sure he’s going to LOVE this.
I have been a vegan almost a year now, and I was scared to cook my own tofu because I didn’t like the mushy tofu. I tried drying it out and baking it, like in your recipe, and it was soooo good! My husband liked it as well. I loved it! I used extra firm tofu, which is surprisingly cheap.
For the recipe of the sauce, I didn’t use the brown sugar because I don’t like things too sweet. I added some spicy chili garlic paste, and the whole dish was wonderful and the tofu heated up well. Thank you so much for letting me know the secret to firm tofu!
Yay! So glad you liked this Lisa. Tofu was an iffy food for me before discovering this method! So glad it worked out for you and your hubby!
This is the best tofu I have ever eaten and an awesome recipe overall. Thanks for sharing!!
Wow, what a compliment! Thanks, Michelle! So glad you enjoyed it :D
Tried that yesterday.
LOVED IT.
I am going to experiment with this and different veggies / sauces. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! :)
Yay! This makes me happy. So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing. Yummy
This sounds tasty, however I will probably add some peanut butter to the sauce mix.
I made this last night and it was delicious! I did find it a tad too sweet – do you think eliminating the agave and just using the brown sugar would help? Or perhaps just subbing the brown sugar with agave? Thanks for sharing this recipe. As far as firming the texture of tofu, freezing works well too ( after draining ).
I made this last night and it was delicious! I added broccoli as well for added vegetables. Looking forward to eating the leftovers tonight!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing, Gillian :D
My 15 year daughter eats no animinal products so tofu is a logical dietary choice for her. Well her ol’ dad just could not master tofu. The drought is over! Firstly I learned to dry or reduce the water content of the tofu; success! Then I made the sauce as directed. A total winner! I am again a hero in the kitchen. I have now made this dish several times and reduced the caloric content by eliminating the ketchup and the dish was a bit different but still great. For a weight conscious teen this is healthy dish and loaded with veggies. Well done!
It is a 5 star dish no doubt, but the rating system here is having difficulty posting all the deserved stars.
Sorry, I made this for dinner tonight. Neither my daughter nor I enjoyed it. The “sauce” was too pasty, so I wound up watering it down. Not sure if I am missing something, as Shawn Mills review says they used less ketchup…which I didn’t see in the ingredients.
I really wanted to like this…bummer!
I wanted to like it only used the honey thought it would be to sweet added peanut butter to the sauce. Had to add chicken broth to sauce. The sauce was good it is the tofu… was rubbery after I baked it for 30 min? The tofu didn’t absorb any sauce on the inside like they said it would. Was robbery and no flavor. Don’t know if I baked it too long? Won’t give it any stars
I’d say it was baked just a “little” too long. Maybe go for 25 next time? Also TIP: Poke holes in the tofu after you bake it to let more of the sauce seep in. Good luck!
Yea! My vegetarian daughter loved this recipe! She usually doesn’t like the tofu that I serve but she almost ate the whole dish this time. Thank you!!
I am a college student and never tried cooking tofu on my own before. It turned out super well! I might make the sauce a bit more flavorful next time (I didn’t have some of the ingredients you listed so I substituted plain sugar and sweetened peanut butter for brown sugar and maple syrup). So yeah, next time I would either add more sauce+more vegetables or put more flavory things in the sauce, but the tofu was SO awesome and I’m so excited that I know how to make tofu stir fry now!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Maya! This is my all-time favorite way to eat tofu as well! Glad you enjoyed it, too.
I just made this today, and the tofu stuck to the baking sheet I put it on. Maybe next time I’ll use a little cooking spray. This recipe for the sauce, IMHO, uses way too much ginger, and was much too sweet. The tofu had good texture, though.
One of the pictures on the tofu site shows the stir fry dish along with a bowl of some kind of sauce on the side, and some red peppers? What was/is the sauce, and how do I make it? Finally found a recipe for tofu for my wife, and that I can enjoy too. Thanks much!
Andy
Andrew, the sauce is listed in the recipe.
I was wondering the same.. that sauce in the picture has a light, creamy color to it almost like a peanut sauce. It can’t be the same as the soy sauce mixture. ?
Hi there,
This looks delicious but unless I missed it, I don’t see where it indicates oven temperature? I see you should bake for 30-35mins but at what temperature? Probably an important factor.
Thanks!
Ashley
4 hundy!
This recipe is simply WOW! So so easy and equally delicious! I normally don’t cook tofu but I really do agree that drying it and baking it beforehand helps wonders! I only added 1 tbsp of brown sugar and it was still a little sweet for my taste, but this sauce recipe is a great base (I also added chopped garlic)! I couldn’t stop eating this dish! Definitely will be my go-to stirfry recipe! Thank you for sharing this
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth!
Too sweet for my liking. I’d cut down on syrup and sugar and add some vinegar.
I tried this recipe tonight! So fast and easy and delicious! Even my steak eating husband loved it. Thank you so much!
This tofu is great, but it takes a while.
For quick meals, I HIGHLY recommend Wildwood’s tofu… It tastes good, has the perfect texture, and is already baked. I throw the teriyaki flavoured one in my stirfry and it comes out beautifully.
Never heard of it! Thanks for sharing!
I love your tofu recipe! For so many years I tolerated the mushy bland tofu consistency, wondering how those fancy restaurant people do it. Now I know how to make it like the fancy restaurant people do. I literally make this once a week with varying veggie combinations. I have it bookmarked. I love it! Thank you!
Finally, finally, finally…someone who explained how to prepare the tofu so that it tastes the way we love it and get it in restaurants! Thank you! While my husband and I are not vegans or vegetarians, we are trying to cut back on meat consumption, and we love stir-fry dishes. He especially loves tofu. I made this dish tonight and we both LOVED it! Many many thanks! Keep up the good work on this great blog!
Oh great! Glad you both enjoyed it, Marilyn. Another tip I recently learned: Bake at 400 on parchment for 20 minutes, then toss in cornstarch and stir fry in sesame oil until golden brown. THEN if you marinate it in the sauce here, or the one found here, and stir fry once more, it’s absolutely AMAZING!
You are an absolute genius…a god…where have you been all my life? Seriously, many thanks as we are trying so hard to eat healthier, but you’re also showing that it can be delicious (and easy). In looking through your blog last night, I actually printed that recipe out! Can’t wait to try it!
Awesome! I will have to try it. I live about 45 minutes and go to San Antonio all the time. Love GREEN! Do you live in Texas?
So, I haven’t seen anyone make the mistake I made.
This was only my second attempt at making tofu. The first time I never even read a single recipe. I didn’t press it. It was awful. To be clear, I love tofu, I just haven’t successfully made it at home yet.
So I guess I was skeptical at how good it could be, and I know even if its cooked poorly, if its in smaller pieces it won’t taste as bad. So I cut mine into pretty small pieces. Don’t do this. It will overcook them. I haven’t eaten meat in two years, so to me, they taste like bacon. They aren’t bad, and the big pieces are good. Just make sure you don’t make them into tiny pieces.
I made mine with kale, garbonzos, cabbage, and onion. I’ll probably cut back on the sweet stuff next time.
Thank you for a good recipe! I’ll try it again.
Ya! If you cut them in small pieces, reduce the baking time so it doesn’t overdo it. Glad you still enjoyed it, Alyssa!!
I really enjoyed this recipe-it was simple, nutritious and most of all YUMS. I used a whole bag of Trader Joe’s frozen stir-fry vegetables to make the prep even easier. I loved the salty-sweet teriyaki flavor – it is hard to find Asian recipes which are not too spicy for this Midwesterner ;). This recipe is definitely going on my go-to list. I love your website and your recipes keep up the splendid work.
Was this recipe at Fahrenheit or Celsius?
400C is 752F.
I must have cut my tofu rectangles too thin, because after only 15 minutes in the oven I had something closer to tofu chips!?! They didn’t really reconstitute in the sauce either, so I put a lid on the saute pan to try and steam them back to life. It worked a little bit in that they aren’t hard and crunchy. I also agree that the sauce it a little sweet. I’ll probably add less sugar and some garlic next time, as well as cut thicker tofu chunks. I really appreciate the tip on baking though tofu though, I’m trying to eat less meat but have no experience with substitutes like tofu or tempeh.
I have tried tofu quite a few times before now and have always found it lacking. This recipe is a godsend. The oven dried tofu is delicious on its own even before you add the sauce. I never thought I’d be eating plain tofu as a snack. I hope there is enough left for dinner! Thanks so much. I am thrilled to have a tasty meat alternative (that the kids will eat) to add to stir fries and the like.
This was way too funny! I was giggling because as I read through the recipe, the only problem I could see with it is the temptation to pick away at that tray of baked tofu chunks as I prepped the rest, which (I know me) would leave me with no tofu left for the stir-fry, lol.
Okay so I followed everything to a tee, and used low sodium soy sauce BUT it came out with an overwhelming salty taste and doesn’t look lightly sauced like the pictures portray, but rather drenched. The tofu texture was good and I probably wont not bake tofu again unless I’m in a hurry, but I was very disappointed by the taste, especially because it looked so good :(
Delicious. Thanks for the recipe, never have thought of baking tofu, so good and chewy and the sauce = amazing! ! Thanks heaps :)
Thank you for aany other infrmative web site. Where else coujld I am getting that kind of
information written in such ann idseal approach? I’ve a project that I’m simply now running on, and I have been on the look out for such info.
Thanks a lot for this recipe! I changed the vegetables (used broccoli, carrots, and spinach) but followed everything else precisely, and it turned out delicious! I want to start eating a lot more tofu regularly, so knowing how to stir-fry it successfully helps a ton.
What temperature do you set your oven to when baking the tofu?
you + oven + tofu = me, happy dance. thank you thank you thank you! cheers ~
I think I did something wrong, because the tofu turned out really gross and rubbery. I pressed it for probably 45 minutes, baked it as described, and then left if out for another 30-40 minutes before adding it to the sauce (it didn’t change much after coming out of the oven, it was already rubbery). It was worse than normal tofu! Any tips?
The sauce, however, was great! I added a little peanut butter and some red pepper flakes for spice. We just ate around the tofu and it was delish.
Sarah, I’ve had a couple people who didn’t like it so tough (which I honestly kind of like). So next time, I’d recommend baking it for just 20-25 minutes then adding it directly to the sauce. That should yield a much more tender result!
Thanks for the tip! Love your website!
Thank you so much!! I was FINALLY able to cook great tofu :-)
I followed your directions, but the tofu tasted like hard rubber. Wonder what went wrong? I used cubed, extra firm … Could that have been the problem? The cubes were pretty small. Maybe that dried it far too much? Maybe I should not have used extra firm? Please help.
I’ve had a couple people who didn’t like it so tough (which I honestly kind of like). So next time, I’d recommend baking it for just 20-25 minutes then adding it directly to the sauce. That should yield a much more tender result!
I don’t even know the way I finished up here, but I
thought this put up was great. I do not realize who you might be
but certainly you are going to a famous blogger when you aren’t already.
Cheers!
Made this tonight and it was lovely! Had it on noodles. I like my green beans quite soft so I was a little bit worried I’d find them too crisp but whilst they were firmer than I’d usually have, they were just perfect with the Asian vibe. The tofu comes up really well like this; I’ll be making it again. Thank you!
Great flavor and so delicious!! I will probably omit the corn starch next time :) great job and thanks!
Can we use corn flour instead of corn starch? Or just regular flour? Can’t find corn starch anywhere!!!
It won’t work the same, but I would suggest arrowroot starch or just regular flour.
FYI Corn starch is called “corn flour” outside of the US/Canada
It’s all about the tofu and this recipe nails it! The base sauce is great and easy to tweak to your palate…add red pepper for spice or tone down sweetness with adding less sugar, a little water and rice vinegar. Green beans didn’t look so hot at the market, so I par boiled some broccoli, added celery and snap peas with the carrots. There are no leftovers or complaints from my 15 year old son and husband. This is a true blue winner!! Thank you from someone that is always looking for a vegetarian recipe.
Thanks for sharing! Glad you liked it!
Thanks for the instructions on drying out the tofu! I love tofu and have finally remembered to get some while at the grocery store. I look forward to trying the recipe very soon!
Just wanted to let you know that I tried this and we all really liked it! I have had tofu that I loved in restaurants but not much success at home (except tofu scramble for breakfast – yum!). Thanks! FYI, I used coconut oil because I thought my sesame oil might be too old to use, and the flavor didn’t mix with the sauce as nicely as sesame would have. I can’t wait to try your tofu recipe with the peanut sauce! And I see a lot of other recipes to try on your site too. :)
Great! Thanks for sharing, Lisa! xoxo
Well, I tried making the tofu and it was a total failure, so I’m feeling pretty inadequate since most others here loved it. I didn’t see anywhere in the recipe where it may have said to grease the pan, but I put my rectangular pieces of tofu right on my cookie sheet (thought the tofu had enough fat), and it stuck like crazy; made a mess of the tofu and a mess of my cookie sheet that I will have to soak or scrub. I was really excited about it . . . UGH
I almost had that problem too. Did you pull them out half way through to flip them? When I did that they were a little stuck, but I managed to pull them off and didn’t have a problem when I was ready to mix them in with the rest of the ingredients.
I do hope you weren’t to discouraged to try again, hopefully with better results. <3
I loved this recipe! It was a little stressful for me to cook, but I think that’s because I’ve never made tofu before. That said, it tasted AMAZING. I halved the tofu amount because I forgot to purchase enough for my two recipes, but I felt it was the right ratio for all of the other ingredients I put in. I also didn’t have fresh ginger, so I used ground ginger that I had on hand. All- in- all, I thought this was a success! :) Thanks.
BAAAAMMM! This was a great tip. I must confess, I am a carnivore. I would starve without meat. Any meal cooked is planned around the meat. My wife is a staunch vegetarian who doesn’t eat nearly enough protein. She has always said she hated tofu so its been a struggle. Well I made this dish for her birthday and we both loved it. I was VERY skeptical but tofu baked is pretty good.
I varied the instructions but didn’t bother to towel dry the tofu before or air dry it after. I just baked it for 35 minutes at 400 degrees on a stone cookie sheet and it turned out great. Oh and I sprinkled the tofu bits with salt just before I baked it – I was in a rush and hoped the salt would draw out some of the moisture in the tofu. Spread the word. Thanks!
Wow..Finally I found success making a stir fry. Kids loved it. Thanks from across the globe(India)
Love to hear it! Thanks for sharing, Priya.
made this again… Third or fourth time. Hadn’t made it in months but had an abundance of veggies to use from our CSA Share. Pulled this out and we remembered how much we loved it. It is back in regular rotation :). Thanks again!
This is a great recipe, the tofu was so nice. I halved the brown sugar, agave and ginger though. Everyone really liked it, I doubled it, next time will triple to have leftovers!
its my first time baking tofu. Lately I am using more vegetarian recipes for improving health and making a healthy lifestyle. I found this by searching for a good tofu recipe. I really enjoyed the taste & your recipe was very easy to follow. New favorite blog! Happy holidays
So great! Thanks for sharing, Taylor!! xoxo
This recipe almost worked for me but I will have to try cooking it again because 30 mins at 400 on convection, dried it out. And I definitely agree it needs to be marinated, as mine was bland :( but I will try again.
Made this tonight and it was delish! I added a couple cloves of garlic to the sauce. Even my kids loved the tofu, and usually they pick it out. Yay! Thanks. :)
love it! thanks for sharing, kelly!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made a version of this tonight with stir fry rice noodles and eggs. It turned out so well that both of my children cleaned their plates.
Total win! Thanks for sharing, Rebeka!
Is there anything I can use in place of soy sauce for the sauce? 1500mg is a LOT for one serving
Agreed, but why does it have to taste so good! haha. I’d say just use low sodium soy sauce and scale back on it. Add other flavors to compensate, such as chili garlic sauce!
Thanks for the simple quick recipe — taste great! but am i the only one who had overly dried out tofu? Sighs.. my tofu didn’t soak up the sauce and the middle was just dry…
oh my…this recipe was AMAZING. I was blown away by how good the tofu tasted and the vegetables were so perfect. Deff going to make this again and the oven cooked tofu part is just perf! thank you so much!
Tried this tonight and it’s very delicious!, i put some olive oil and sprinkle some mineral salt and ground black pepper on the tofu and pop in into the oven. Thanks for this yummy recipe! Happy:).
This question was asked and I did not see your reply….can one dry and bake the tofu then store it and sauté it the next day successfully……to cut down preptime? Please respond!
Phew, thanks for the recipe, but I never disliked tofu so much. My husband who is not very picky and who usually eats tofu said “I’m so sorry, I can’t eat this” and picked out the tofu from the rest of the veggies. Sauce & veggies were fine but it also didn’t feel good to cover the healthy veggies with so much sugar and soy sauce. What I learned was that maple sirup is good in stir fries, so thanks for that ;)
I *love* tofu, and usually buy it a couple /few times a month. I usually stir-fry it, but stick to ready-made sauces and marinades, and vary it up a bit as my taste buds crave. It’s usually “ok,” but I can’t say I’ve ever made anything worthy of serving to anyone else. (I’ll eat it pretty much any way it turns out, or even raw, I love it that much… but none others in my household like tofu, so it would have to be spectactular for them to even try it.)
I just finished eating yet another attempt, which was extra-firm tofu chunks sautéed in extra virgin olive oil (sesame would have been better) till golden-crisp, then I added some sesame seeds, ginger purée, Thai soy sauce, then tossed in some noodles & stir-fried together. Well, yet again it was “ok”, but there certainly was no wow factor.
Soo, since I have been just “winging it” for so long (years), I decided to search up some ideas for a basic recipe that I could use as-is, or switch up as I like to do. This was EXACTLY what I was looking for! The soaking /pressing I have never done – that will be really helpful. But specifically, the baking tip was a “Eureka!!” moment – I have never even heard of it, and that one step alone may just be the missing link I have been looking for!
I’ve also read through every comment, and have found some great ideas based on others’ experiences. My faves:
– pressing with a little weight on top for a while
– baking on parchment… or tossing in oil first to prevent sticking, also to crisp it up a little more
– orange juice – would be a wonderful flavor! And since several people have commented that they found it a little sweet, I wonder… a spoonful of OJ concentrate in lieu of agave /honey /maple syrup? Not the same consistency, but less sweet. Just a thought, I may try it!
– rice vinegar in the base… mmm, tang!!
– the comment from one gentleman about bacon, I got thinking that a smokey-flavored sauce would be awesome!
There are just sooo many ways you could vary this up. I wish I had read this BEFORE I made dinner tonight! I will definitely be giving this a try in the next couple of days… as-is first, then depending on how it turns out for me, variances after that!
Thank you, thank you, soo much! :)
PS. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m SO stoked about this, I’m sharing your blog on Facebook! :)
Thanks Corina!!
This is an amazing recipe. Thank you for sharing. I’ve tried to make tofu tasty before and it’s never worked out. Finally, a recipe that works.
Thanks again.
Can this be made ahead of time and stored? Perhaps not even cooked, but pressed and then stored (fridge/freezer) for use later on? Since I’m cooking for one, I’d like to prepare the entire brick ahead of time, and then use through my weekly meals. Any suggestions would be helpful :)
BTW, loved this!
OMG!!! I am not kidding. This was THE BEST MEAL I EVER MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Tofu to begin with, but the combination of Tofu, Green beans, carrots with the sauce was just amazing. I could not stop eating! My daughter (9 years old) absolutely love that too and she requested to save some so she can take them for lunch :) I can’t wait to make them again, thank you so much!!!
Yay!!!!
Planning to try this recipe later this week. What is the delicious looking orange sauce in the picture with the meal? Do you have a recipe for that?
My goodness – this was an awesome recipe! I’ve recently turned to vegan food (I was vegetarian way back) and this was just superb. The sauce for the stir-fry reminded me very much of some old noodles I used to buy.
I’ll be keeping this as a go-to tofu recipe. I’ll have to get my dad to try this! (He’s vegetarian himself)
So… I followed the basic recipe but it did not turn out well. Not terrible, but not great.
I pressed the tofu and dried it out. Next, I cut it into small squares and baked it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Let the tofu cool, and then tossed it with a bit of corn starch and sauteed it for a few minutes in sesame oil. Then, I marinated it for approximately 35 minutes in the sauce described above.
I stir fried broccoli and a bit of garlic in the wok for six or seven minutes until the broccoli was softened. Afterward, I added the tofu and stir fried for a couple of minutes to make sure the sauce and the fingers were mingled.
The taste is great, but the texture is not. The tofu definitely doesn’t have the weird gooey texture of my previous experiments, but it has headed too far in the opposite direction. Do you have any ideas about what I might have done wrong? Did I just bake it for too long?
If I were smart, I would have separated out a few pieces of tofu at each stage of the process in order to figure out where things went wrong.
Thanks for any tips or suggestions!
Oops! Just read through the comments and realized that this is a frequently asked question. Sounds like I cut the pieces too small and cooked it for too long. I do like it chewy, but this was a chew too far…
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Dana you are a household name here in Coal Valley, IL! Love everything you do! If you were a superhero I would name you Supreme Culinaria. A cute an awesome name just like you. You are always wonderful to answer my questions. Here is my latest after reading the latest technique of yours with the tofu. Do you have any thought or experience after drying, baking and letting it sit out with freezing it for later use?
Thanks in advance and making the whole food plant based world of eating more tasty!
Kath
You are too kind!! I’ve never frozen tofu after baking it, but it’s worth a shot! The longer you let it rest after baking the drier it gets. However, I also find that it makes a firmer crust that makes sauces harder to penetrate. Best of luck to you, Kathy! Hope that helps.
This was a great way to cook tofu. I have been trying to cook it for years and got tired of frying it. I will be doing this from now on! Thank you.
This recipe was delicious. I didnt have all of the ingredients listed but it still tasted amazing, I even added a lot more vegetables and baking the tofu was such a great idea. Thanks!
This was lovely. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to follow the recipe perfectly but I drained for 10 minutes and cooked for 20 and it was still pretty tasty! Made the marinade and tossed it over some veggies, tofu and some noodles. Great 30 minute dinner :-)
I really loved this recipe. I’m interested in sharing it on my blog but I’d like to see how you’d feel and like me to cite it. Please get back to me!
Sure! See our sharing policy on our about page.
Made this last night with tons of veggies and your sauce from the tofu and cauliflower rice stir fry recipe. OH MY WAS THIS EVER FANTASTIC THIS WAS THE BEST THING I’VE EVER EATEN. I can’t praise you enough. THANK YOU.
The star rating is broken for me but this is 5 stars all the way!
haha! Yay! Thanks for sharing Posey! Beautiful name, by the way.
This recipe sounded promising, but I should have read the comments; net result of following the minimum baking/drying time was a bland, tough, eraser-texture tofu. Doesn’t come close to the original recipe I followed, which involves marinating the tofu triangles in a few tbsp soy sauce, chopped garlic and ginger, a dash of rice vinegar, 1/4tsp ea powdered sage and thyme (for the meat flavour) and turning regularly in the fridge- for at LEAST 5 days. The tofu can then be lightly fried before the main stir fry, sealing in the flavour and preserving a tender but “believable” texture. I normally add a few pepper flakes to the marinade on the last day to add a dash of heat.
Hi Daniel! I’ve tried marinating tofu as well, and while it does impart more flavor, it makes it virtually impossible to get it dry/crispy when stir frying. But thanks for sharing your experience!
I went in search of good tofu stir fry recipes on Pinterest and was so happy to come across this one–thank you so much! The difficulty for me in becoming vegetarian (vegan pretty much) lies not in craving meat, but in knowing HOW to prepare tofu and other proteins so that they actually taste good. My attempts have always failed, but this turned out perfectly, and it didn’t even take long to dry out the tofu and bake it (several hours not even necessary). Thanks again!!!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!!
The gem for me was this sauce recipe!! It seems like all the store-bought stir fry sauces tend to have an unpleasant twang to them. This one is awesome. Added just a dash of red pepper flakes for extra heat. Made the stir fry was nice noodles and ended up needing to double the sauce recipe, which was okay with me! Maybe next time I’ll triple it (yes – the sauce was THAT good).
Hi,
I usally pat dry my tofu for a few hours but never thought about baking it to dry it..what a great idea!!
With the marinade, I don’t want to use many sugary items (sryup and sugar) can I use one thing apposed to the other or is there a subsiture you would suggest?
Can’t wait to try this :-)
Hi Dana,
I (and others it seems) am still trying to figure out what that side dish of sauce is in your picture. It looks delicious! It looks like a lighter (in color) version of the one in the recipe. Can you please illuminate? Thanks!
By the way.. I make this almost every week and take for lunches at work. Delicious. Thank you for the recipe!!
Simply delicious! Excellent dinner thanks to you :)
How long did u dry the tofu in the oven
To be honest, I dry the tofu a different way. I put the tofu in a kitchen towel and put a heavy skillet on top to dry it out. Usually for about 20 minutes or so before I need it. Works like a charm. The sauce is what makes this dish though, and I follow that recipe EXACTLY. I usually double it because it’s that good :)
Good luck!
I just realized I didn’t answer your oven question. I prefer my tofu cooked on the stove in oil vs the oven. Probably not as healthy but it’s how I’ve always done it
hello I’m wondering if you mean in a skillet overheat or just in a skillet to dry out the tofu? thx!
Hi! Wondering if you’ve ever tried freezing your tofu–>thawing–>marinating–> baking. Ok now that I write it out, it’s a lot of steps. BUT I have heard good things about freezing vs. pressing so I’m trying it tonight. Wish me luck!
Wow! This was absolutely delicious! I made a minor change the second time I made it. I fried the veggies for a bit longer as I like my veggies softer. Also, I toned down on the brown sugar just a little to make it not as sweet. Otherwise it’s a wonderful dish. Thanks so much for posting!
Cheers!
Cheryl
Thanks for sharing, Cheryl! So glad you enjoyed it!
I have a first cousin named Dana Shultz.. might you be Sandra,’s cousin? If so, small world! I actually make my own Tofu from milk made in a SoyJoy machine, here at the house :)
For future photos using chopsticks , you may want to check out this brief article that explains some taboos. I lved in Japan for 10 years and I learned nearly every one the hard way! Off to make some stir fry!
this is good advice :)
Thank you! After being a vegetarian for 20 years I can finally start eating good tofu! Tasted excellent!
I used “pre-pressed” tofu for this and as a result, even after baking my tofu for only 20 minutes, it came out WAY too dry. Some pieces we even crunchy. No amount of cooking in my sauce could bring the tofu back to an edible level. It was terribly chewy. Such a disappointment.
So, I caution everyone to reduce baking time by more than half if your using pre-pressed tofu.
I had the same experience. I think I may try baking it for 15 mins next time.
I added garlic to the sauce and cut the brown sugar by 1 Tbsp. I also added a dash of Siracha sauce to it.
Delicious!
Thanks for the recipe! I tried it and the result is ten times better than any other tofu recipes I have tried! However I would make more sauce next time, the veggies absorbed most of it.
WOnderful! So glad you liked it. Thanks for sharing, Alyssa!
Love it
This is now not only my go-to stir fry recipe, but my go-to tofu preparation method, period! Besides this recipe, we’ve been loving oven-baked tofu with BBQ sauce. I’m a huge tofu fan but had never found a reliable & easy non-fry method to make delicious tofu at home. Thank you!
Ah yay! Thanks for sharing, Arwen! Glad you liked it.
Thank you!
I love my favorite tofu dish at Jenni’s Noodle House with “fresh tofu” not fried, but I know it’s not raw. I think this may be their secret! I sprinkled with black pepper and kosher salt and baked for 25 minutes, and it was PERFECT!
Unfortunately, I ate half of it before making my recipe, oops. I like pan frying it in the skillet to get it extra crispy, but this is way less effort, way less mess, and just as yummy! Thank you!
Ha! So glad you enjoyed it, Penelope! Love your name, by the way!
This is a great recipe!
If one lives near a great Chinese supermarket, as I used to in California, one can find many different flavors and types of tofu. Baked tofu, tofu skins, tofu in many shapes and sizes. I love the five spice baked but no longer live in California.
I recently stopped taking a medication that prevented me from having soy products. Soy is in many products people use every day. It was surprising and it was never something I looked for on food labels.
I am so glad to have tofu back in my life. : )
Omg so DELICIOUS! I literally just finished eating and I had to share my happiness! Haha! Thank you for sharing such an easy stir fry recipe, only modifications I made: I used coconut aminos seasoning instead of soy sauce, added a little broccoli and red bell pepper. Also, I baked thin potato coins along with the tofu and that was our side, instead of rice. Tofu and potatoes were crunchy, on point !!
Made this tonight. Doubled the ingredients and added peanut butter to the sauce, other than that stuck to the recipe and it was beautiful! Honestly one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten and as a new vegan its great to know I can still enjoy food this much :) my family loved it too, I will make this again and again. Thank you!
Thanks Angie! So glad you liked it.
I just made this recipe and followed the tofu baking instructions but my tofu got way overcooked! I had it in the 400 degree oven for 30 minutes and it came out like crispy crackers :( The stir-fry sauce was yummy but when I threw the tofu in and it absorbed the mixture, it just got uncomfortably hard-chewy :/ Is this because I did not pat out the water enough or is that amount of oven time actually not necessary?
thoughts: cut the tofu too small of cubes? also, there are different types of tofu (xtra firm, etc)- I wonder if you used a kind that does not generally work for this?
This recipe turned out great– I didn’t add sugar but did add siracha and it added a nice kick. I did potatoes, carrots, green beans, fennel and celery. Tofu turned out great- I pressed it for a lot longer just between heavy plates and drained it off often- no towel needed. Thanks.
Hi Dana! Loved this recipe, but am confused about the sauce in your photos. We made it according to your recipe and ours was runny and dark. Yours looks thick and light in color. Almost like a peanut sauce. Can you explain why yours is so light (kind or orange) even though it’s mostly soy sauce? Thanks!
I agree Brian. my sauce was dark brown but I did like the recipe as well.
This recipe turned out excellent. My family loved it! I like it spicy, so I added hot chilli sauce to the stir fry at the end. One concern I have is the sugar content in the marinade. Is there a marinade that does not use sugar but it is still tasty?
You can cut back the sugar, or sub coconut sugar or maple syrup!
I actually did just that – I subbed coconut sugar for the brown sugar and it was great!
Hi. I made this and shared some leftovers with my supervisor who is a vegetarian. I liked it and she LOVED it! Thank you for sharing the recipe – I will make again definitely. ?
This is one of the better stir frys I’ve ever had. Very grateful for this recipe! Thank you so much.
I sautéed the vegetables in a Sesame Chili Oil (rather than toasted sesame) to give it a kick and it was excellent.
Plus, it’s really good leftover.
I made this exactly as published and it was wonderful, Dana!!!! I am fairly new to tofu but will make this again!!! I will probably use parchment paper next time as I did oil my pan but pieces did stick when I went to turn them . I have to say I do agree with Brian on his comments on the sauce pic. Mine was dark brown as well. I don’t understand the orange /peach color sauce in the picture when recipe is soy sauce, ginger, Brn sugar, maple syrup. Ginger etc. Maybe the pic is in error.
I need to try this method! I’ve had tofu in restaurants and really enjoyed it but every time I made it at home it was a complete flop! But I read somewhere about drying it out in the oven, so drained and dried it, stuck it in the oven at 180 celsius for 25 mins and the shallow fried it – super duper yummy but not very healthy! So I’ve been wanting a healthier way of cooking it that tastes just as good! Definitely going to pick up some tofu next time I go shopping!
I’ve found, too, that you can open the package and place in a ziplock bag then freeze it and take it out at a later time. Thaw it and you end up with a much different texture that is dry.
Hello, thanks for this mouth-watering recipe. Sadly, just before starting this dish, I found out that only 1/4 of the needed soy sauce was available in my fridge. Tried by adding 1/4 of mirin and the rest of sake. I left out one tbsp of sugar. It worked well.
I’m using parchment paper and it’s still sticking. Any tips?
If the tofu is sticking to your parchment try flipping every 10 minutes or as soon as the edges start to dry. Sticking can also mean it is holding too much water still. C
Shouldn’t be sticking with parchment paper. Definitely try and press more liquid out before cubing!
I made this tonight. I am new to tofu and I was very nervous, being new to tofu. This turned out so good! Looking back it was very easy. I looked at many recipes and this one just stood out. Thank you sooooo much for your help with the beginning of my tofu journey! I am looking forward to more!
Just finished this with my wife, and we both found it to be ridiculously delicious. I’m talking stupid dumb delicious, if that’s even a thing. Sooooo good. AND it has much less sugar and sodium than the General Tso’s, which I feel much better about:) High-five to Dana for another incredible recipe. This one is being put on heavy rotation, stat.
Hi! I am new fan to this website! I tried this recipe yesterday for lunch and it was absolutely phenomenal. My kids and hubby loved it! I did however make a few modifications, for the veggies, I used green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion and added brocolli and baby corn. I didnt have cornstarch so I left that out and it came out really nice. I also added a bit of garlic to the sauce when I made it.
Yum, I just used the sauce for another dish in my slow cooker, portabella with peppers and onions and this sauce, I can hardly wait! I used a second container for rice in the cooker at the same time. I know it will be delish because I made this recipe as is before as part of the 30 day menu.
Hi! This is sort of a random question, but what kind of baking sheet do you use?
Hi Abby! Dana has a post that you can find here that details everything in her kitchen!
Thrilled to find this ToFutorial! Thank you for sharing the trick to tasty ToFu
Your sauce is delicious! The only thing I added was a touch of red wine vinegar. Obviously this can be left out; it’s just something I’m used to. But I warmed up your waive just to try, and it was wonderful, as is.
Ive been making this consistently now for a few months. So good. Just a few personal changes. I stir fry the tofu after baking it, it gives it an amazing texture. I throw Jalapenos in the fry to give it an extra kick. Then at the end when you add in the sauce, i also add a bunch of cut up fresh basil leaves. Gives the sauce an amazing complexity. Thanks for the recipe!
Excellent recipe! The sauce is simply amazing! Better than many Asian restaurants!!
Oh god, thanks! Finally, this is the first asian recipe I tried which doesn’t taste like crap.
I also added some sesame seeds, chili flakes and fresh lemon juice, it was awesome! And perfectly for that, I just were in an asian market 2 days ago and got “real” tofu – there’s such a big difference to the tofu they sell in normal markets, so soft and soaky.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, Dana! I loved how the tofu turned out, great texture. And the sauce was delicious! I will definitely make this again:) And I have a question – does marinating tofu help with more flavour absorption or is there not much of a difference?
Well so I tried to make this. I over cooked the tofu. It was rubbery in the middle crispy on the outside. It had great flavor all around. I did add some leftovers from my stir fry the other day. I added half a head of cabbage, water chestnuts, and celery.
Can you use frozen vegetables in this dish . Thanks Carol M
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight to cook dinner for my family.. Turned out very well. I added some chopped green onion to it. Also, found that it needed a little more soy sauce.. I added just a tiny bit too taste. And served over wild rice.. I give this a ? and a A+..
I just made this and it was fabulous! The sauce tastes very authentic. I didn’t have green beans — used broccoli, carrots AND red pepper — ALL organic! Before serving I sprinkled peanuts and cayenne pepper. This is a keeper! So pleased!
My daughter and I enjoy tofu but my husband can’t stand it. Always says it has no flavor and is mushy. Made this tonight and was given the go ahead to make again as he enjoyed this very much. I did use onions, red peppers, carrots, and broccoli for our veggies. Next time I might add some red pepper flakes for a hint of spice. Thank you
So yummy!! Tonight is the second time I’m making it with broccoli. Adding some crushed red pepper to make it spicy. Delish! Thanks again Dana!
I made this tonight and it was great! It was quick, easy, and satisfying. I added a generous squirt of sriracha, a few cloves of garlic, some more veggies, and omitted the agave. Thanks for sharing!
I usually don’t comment on recipes, but this was honestly the best vegan stir fry I’ve come across. c:
Even though I didn’t have green beans, using red & yellow peppers along with carrots and a bit of finely chopped green onion created a lovely flavor. The sauce wasn’t too sweet, and I love that I didn’t need any additional salt. Definitely going to be preparing my tofu this way in the future as well. The texture was great.
This’ll definitely be one of my go to dinners for a busy week!
Finally, I made tofu that is absolutely de!icious! Thank you for this fabulous recipe.
Sauce was way too sweet for my liking. However, I made the sauce and added it to stir fry veggies rather then tofu. It was so sweet that It felt weird in my throat. Very average sauce.
Accidentally left my tofu under a book all night so it was ummmm well pressed. I ended up frying it versus baking. Was afraid the tofu would get too tough. I added a little powdered ginger as I have had a weird aversion to ginger lately after buying some horrible squeeze bottle crap because the grocery store stopped carrying the organic chopped version (for when I am too lazy to chop it myself). Ugh it was awful and I can’t even believe people buy it. Anyway – added a little OJ and vinegar – next time will use less soy sauce – just not a fan. That’s an aversion story for another day.
Turned out great! I love the simple sauce. In the past we have pressed the tofu and then coated with corn starch or gf flour and then fried in grape seed or olive oil and used a ginger/orange sauce recipe and that is excellent as well. But this is nice for something different. Esp if you don’t feel like frying it. I have baked it before using this recipe – it was a little tough but I am almost positive I forgot it was in the oven:-/
Made this for dinner tonight and loved it! Thank you ~
This was a tasty dish. Next time, I’ll cut the sugar down significantly, probably to 1/3 of what the recipe calls for. It was much too sweet for my liking. Also, I needed to add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan after I added the sauce because of how thick it got. It basically was a bundle of coagulated gel aso well as sauce stuck on the pan. Just a little touch of water made it the perfect consistency.
Hi, I am new to tofu.
Can I press and cook this tofu as suggested and save some for a second day?
Yes! It is best when fresh though. I would even recommend pressing and then saving to cook for the following day.
Never been a tofu fan, and i come from an asian household where even sweet drinks are made with tofu, that said, used this recipe to get over my tofu fear and it was incredible. I did make an addition or two to the sauce recipe, I added a liberal amount of garlic, about two tsp’s worth and the zest of an organic navel orange… ginger and orange just works so well together, anyways, super delicious!
This was DElicious as usual. My boyfriend and son ate it up almost unawares that there was tofu except that I told them but it didn’t slow them down. Must have again soon!
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for Dana! Thank you! I will watch to dry my tofu more.
Dee xx.
We had this tonight and it was really good. Super easy and crazy cheap, once you have the essentials. I pan fried the tofu in coconut oil, rather than bake. It was crispy and good. The sauce was great, even my 2 1/2 year old ate it! Will definitely make again.
I didn’t try the recipe but I did try the tofu prep and I have to say that the tofu tasted delicious! My vegetarian boyfriend was very impressed considering he has been trying to find a way to make tofu taste better. Thank you for this post!
I made this tonight and it was so delicious. I used Trader Joes super firm tofu and it is very dry. I did wrap it in paper towels before baking. However, I only let it sit for 10 minutes and it was really great! Thank you for another terrific recipe!
Wow. This sounds great on the texture-enhancement front. But…that’s a ton of sugar. Oy. Have you had any luck with less sugar but just as tasty? I can and will, of course, play around with it, but wanted to ask to see if you’ve experimented since creating this recipe. Many thanks!!! :)
Hi Sadie, feel free to reduce the sugar in this recipe if you think it’s too much! Jessica in an earlier comment had said she would cut the sugar down to a 1/3 and another reader had substituted coconut sugar and had great results!
Anyone have alternative time/temperature instructions for fan-forced ovens? We have a fan-forced oven so set the temperature at 190°C instead of 205. The tofu cubes were pretty much completely desiccated. Though they were indeed very meat-like, I was expecting a less chewy texture. Not sure how much to reduce the temperature and/or the time.
Hi Dana-
I have made this several times. I really like what you do with the tofu. I do fine however, that this tastes salty, and I do use low sodium tamari. Solutions or suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong?
Thanks,
Cathy
I think I am sensitive to soy sauce (raging headaches after eating it in anything other than minute quantities) but this recipe was sooooo delicious that it was almost worth it! I made it a second time, but completely eliminated the soy sauce and added a couple of tablespoons of vinegar instead (maybe more) and a good squirt of tomato puree. So it became more of a sweet and sour. Oh my… it is now a firm favourite of mine. I really like the idea of baking the tofu first; it massively improves the texture. Don’t forget to use baking parchment though, as it welds itself to non stick baking trays, as I once found out!
Pats, I love using Coconut Aminos in place of soy sauce. It’s yummy, the ingredients are: organic coconut tree sap, and sea salt. I don’t think it’s as salty as soy sauce, and has a sweetness though only contains 1 gram sugar/tsp. I get it on vitacost. com. Just wanted to share!
I used this recipe as a base for a really delicious seitan stir-fry, and figured I would share my modifications because it’s seriously great. I tried the original recipe you posted here, but I think using seitan gives it a bit more interesting texture, plus it takes a ton of time off this dish since you don’t need to press or bake the seitan — just throw it into the pan with a little oil and brown it a bit. As for the sauce, I made a couple modifications that I think really enhanced the flavor: I reduced the sugar and oil by half since I wanted something that wasn’t quite so sweet, and added garlic, red pepper/chili oil, and a touch of vinegar for flavor.
So here’s my version of the stir-fry.
Servings: 2-3,
Prep: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
* 1 package seitan (I personally prefer cubed, but it doesn’t really matter)
* 2 cups snow or snap peas
* 1 large carrot or red bell pepper
* 1 tbsp sesame oil
* 1-2 tsp sesame seeds (for garnish)
* 1-2 cups cooked white rice (optional)
For the sauce:
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
* 1 Tbsp organic brown sugar
* 1 Tbsp maple syrup
* 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch or cornflour (I usually use the latter, since I have a ton and am trying to use it up)
* 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
* 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes or chili oil
* 2/3 to 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1. Slice the carrots and/or pepper. If serving with rice, start that cooking now.
2. Remove seitan from package and drain. Heat 0.5 tbsp sesame oil in skillet on med-high heat, and saute seitan until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. While seitan is browning, combine all ingredients for the sauce and stir
4. Add vegetables to the skillet and another 0.5 tbsp oil if needed. Cook until slightly soft but still firm, stirring often.
5. Add the browned seitan and sauce mixture to the skillet with the vegetables, and cook for 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens
6. Serve alone or over rice, and sprinkle sesame seeds onto dish as garnish
I made my first ever tofu recipe and this was the one. OMG!!! I’ve made it at least 10 times and absolutely love it!!! I’ve shared it with co-workers and they can’t believe it’s TOFU. I did add Quinoa and it is the best ever recipe. Tomorrow I’m making it again and can’t wait! Thank
you so much for this recipe!!!
Oh yeah, I also throw sesame seeds into my tofu. Would love to find an equally great tofu & eggplant recipe.
This was great! I’m trying not to eat meat and have made some pretty crap tofu recipes recently. This is a great method of prepping tofu, I’ll definitely use it elsewhere. I added extra green beans and carrots and used a bit less sauce and it seemed like a good proportion.
Can’t comment on the recipe itself, but I just tried preparing tofu in the oven like this and it was FANTASTIC. Mind you, I’ve been vegetarian for three years and have never liked tofu. This was so good that I ate it PLAIN. I have about half leftover, so I’ll probably try the stir-fry tomorrow. I have a feeling this is going to become a staple in my diet. Thanks so much for sharing!
We love this recipe in our home – thank you for sharing! What is the sauce pictured in a bowl with this lovely dish?
Peanut sauce!
This recipe is delicious! The tofu baking techniue is spot on. This technique gives the tofu a chewy texture but not overly so. The sauce makes it! Delicious and thanks for posting it. I’ve made it at least 5x. It is a bit salty (but I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce) and I may consider using 1/2 the cornstarch because I prefer a thinner sauce.
Hi,
I used this baked tofu recipe and I felt like there was a slight fishy take when it came out of the oven. Any idea? It could of just been me that day. :) I ate some before I put in a sauce. I also flipped more than once so all sides were brown I think it was too much because it was tough. I am definitely going to try again with my black pepper stir fry recipe this week.
Love your recipes
Thank you
Kim
Hmm, weird! Maybe your tofu wasn’t fresh? Or you got a brand that isn’t good to beginw ith?
Just made this yesterday. My picky kids gobbled it down. What an amazing recipe and the baked tofu was amazing! Seriously. I recommend this recipe!
Can you dry and bake it and then refrigerate to use in stir Fry’s throughout the week? Or does it have to be immediately?
This was SO good. You should have seen the look on my husband’s face when I told him I was making a tofu stir fry for dinner. Not excited. At all. He ended up having two servings! I loved it too. I used veggies I had on hand like broccoli, green pepper and peas. I also added water chestnuts. I followed Dana’s directions for the tofu which really turned out well, and the sauce was scrumptious. I’m looking forward to trying other recipes :-)
Should I wrap the tofu in a paper towel, or something more like a kitchen/hand towel?
thanks!
Hi! You can set it in the fridge, wrapped in a towel with something heavy on top for up to 24 hours!
I actually used a pair of washcloths – folded one in half, set the block of tofu in the middle and folded the ends up, then folded the other washcloth in half, laid it crossways on the top, and folded it over the sides to the bottom, then pressed it as indicated. Flipped it over after 10 minutes.
First, I want to say thank you! My husband has been adamantly opposed to becoming vegan for many years (he’s part time vegetarian, I’m full time vegetarian) but your website has changed the game! We are both now part time vegans. Thank you!
This is one of our go to recipes. The tofu preparation has been life changing, as well as, the method of cooking brown rice (12 cups water, one cup rice). I have never enjoyed tofu or brown rice as much in my life as I do now.
Since I’ve made this recipe so many times, and enjoyed it so many times, I finally got the nerve up to leave a review, and to let you know about a few things that I modified that others might enjoy. I started thinking maybe it could be a tiny bit less sweet, so I only added 2 TBS of maple syrup and 1 TBS of brown sugar. Then, I thought it could maybe use a kick, so I added about a 1/4 tsp of dried chili pepper flakes. I think it’s a good modification, and not a big one, if you like a little less sweet with a kick.
Thank you so much for this great blog! I share it with everyone :)
My aunt just taught me an ingenious tip in the kitchen. Freeze your ginger! That way, not only does it not go bad as quickly, but it’s a breeze to grate. I watched her grating some ginger she pulled out of her freezer and it grated like parmesan cheese.
I made this last night for dinner and it was a hit. My two little girls have never been big fans of tofu but they loved this recipe. Thank you!
tHANK YOU !! I too was determined to like tofu. I had tried it before and if I drowned it in peanut
sauce it was – well it was ok. Your method makes it delicious in its own and with a sauce. Thanks again.
I’ve wanted a way to make tofu in this “restaurant” style – dried and shrunken not-quite-crispy outside, still tender inside, and soaking up the sauce flavor as you promised – and this simple recipe worked perfectly! My fifteen-year-old son pronounced it to be better than the Mapo Tofu we get locally from Rose Garden, which was high praise. I included both sliced-in-half baby carrots and a dozen sweet baby peppers (the bag from Costco) along with green beans; next time I’ll probably also throw in some mushrooms, and double the tofu.
The sauce immediately became a thick crusty paste in the pan and I had to dump in extra soy sauce quickly to thin it enough, but that rescued it. It was tasty, though as more or less expected, our family prefers our tofu sauces with more salt and garlic, and less sweet. But I’m ecstatic to have a quick and easy way to prepare tofu this way, and a bit of fiddling with the sauce ingredients should get it exactly how we like it. Thanks!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Honestly, I am an unexperienced cook and have never cooked tofu before, so this was my first time! I have fallen so in love! This recipe is so simple, easy, and delicious!
I’m making it now! And I actually live close to Green in San Antonio. I will have to try the stir fry. And if you make it back here, try the vegan or vegetarian nachos. Tex Mex food is big here, and I am still saying their vegan nachos are good!
Thanks for publishing this recipe! My husband said it was the best tofu he’s ever had, he really enjoyed the texture. I sautéed bok choy , mushrooms and red pepper. I did use a bottled stir fry sauce from kikkoman ( very low sodium)
I made this and everyone loved it, including my carnivore husband! I sauteed some garlic and added some crushed red pepper. Also used frozen mixed vegetables, and added a little water to the sauce to thin it. Just delicious! I will make it again!
wow, I love Making tofu with your recipe. I make a 3 bean chili, cook the tofu, then put it in my chili. The texture is great. I’m hoping to find a good way to make tofu burgers. store bought veggie burgers give me the jitters. Thanks. john
This was the first time making tofu like this. The last time I used it was in a Cooking Light recipe for chocolate pudding. The problem was the tofu was expired but I used it, because I didn’t know it was expired. It was obviously disgusting. So I was pretty scared to make it again. I unfortunately didn’t like it prepared this way, it was too tough, chewy, and dry and didn’t resemble the texture of meat at all. I will keep trying with other recipes because I’m determined to like tofu.
Hi Dana,
Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I tried your baked tofu and they came out perfectly.
Can’t wait to try other tofu recipes on your site!!
Thank you for this recipe. I am not familiar with tofu cooking, but have also tasted some delicious meals dining out and wondered how they do it. I made it tonight exactly as recipe states. I dried the tofu for about 30 minutes in paper towels before baking for 25 min. I sat it out to dry for an additional 30-45 min while preparing the veggies and the sauce for the stir fry. I was really pleased with the way the tofu took up the flavor of the sauce. I also liked the plain baked tofu better than raw. I will look to using the drying method for other dishes too.
I am so glad I found this tip on baking the tofu before adding it to my stir fry. The texture and flavor came out great.
I love all of the recipes I’ve tried from your site! Thank you! You make transitioning to a WFPB diet much easier!
This was my first recipe that I made from your site and, I am not disappointed at all! Full of great flavor and very filling! Everything turned out great! ( well, I cut the tofu too thin and that was a little unfortunate but, next time it will be perfect!) I also add a little edamame because I was craving it! Turned out to be a nice addition! Thanks so much for the recipes and pretty food porn pictures! You guys are great! Keep up the good work! -Lindsey :D
This was my first time making tofu and it was AWESOME! I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used carmelized ginger from the spice rack and cut the sugar in half. I also added some anise spice for additional flavor, and ended up adding more soy sauce just to coat the extra veggies I put in.
Excited to have a tofu recipe for meatless Mondays that the whole family will eat!
I am new to cooking tofu (and new to my plant-based diet – which I am loving) and found this preparation of tofu to be a little tough and flavorless. Needs a marinade, maybe before the baking.
This was delicious!! My husband & I aren’t vegan or even vegetarian, but we’re trying to eat less meat. A friend recommended this blog and it’s excellent. I hadn’t made much tofu before and it came out very well according to the instructions (I may have overcooked it slightly since I cut the pieces a little smaller than I was supposed to, but I’d rather have extra firm than soft mushy tofu). I added green beans, carrots and red pepper, and the sauce was incredibly tasty – I think it can be a go-to base to experiment with adding other veggies too. Served over Jasmati rice and it was very filling! I’ll definitely be making this again soon.
I made this tonight and the flavors were amazing! But to be honest i did not like the tofu in this recipe very much i think it would have been better without it. But still a great recipe. Thanks!
Yummy but needs a big hit of acid to finish in my opinion and I also put loads of coriander (cilantro) to finish. Lime and herbs really brightened it up
Mm so good! Just made this. Excellent to make when there’s “nothing to eat” at home; aka need to go to the grocery. Just used some mixed frozen veggies as I didn’t have any fresh. Turned out wonderfully with flavor from seasame oil. Added sesame seeds to garnish!
The sauce for this stir fry is so good even my super duper picky daughter liked it. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the inspo.
Very tasty though I agree it’s a bit sweet (not a problem in my house). I love the idea of baking the tofu though I think I over did mine a bit as it was a little too chewy. Both my husband and 2 year old ate it up and we had no leftovers. I didn’t have green beans or carrots so I substituted broccoli which I steamed before cooking the peppers. I also added mushrooms. Overall super easy and really tasty made with ingredients I had on hand.
lik my eshole
we’ve used this recipe and made it a few times, along with a couple others of your recipes, so delicious! but question…why are you recommending honey for a specifically vegan recipe? under all vegan standards, honey consumption is definitely not vegan or economically friendly.
I’ve just started cooking with tofu. I tried your recipe tonight. My stir-fry went from so-so to so-good.
Thank you .
I made this tonight for dinner to use up all the veggies in my fridge (carrots, leeks, purple cabbage, green onions) and it was delicious! This will definitely be my go-to stir fry sauce from now on!!
Also forgot to mention that the tofu part is genius. SO much better than having wet flavorless sponge cubes!
Not to printer friendly if I can’t print from my iPhone or iPad. The print preview just comes up blank. Some sites are like this and some are not. I wish I knew why.
Hi Yvonne!
We have noticed a small bug with ipads and we’ve been waiting on an update from apple. That said, that’s been a couple months and they haven’t rolled out that fix yet. We’re working on an alternative option, but it’s likely a few weeks out as well. All that to say something should be fixed in the near future! The print function should work on a computer if you have access to that.
Thank you so much! Can’t understand why on my ipad allows me to print recipes from other sites. Some sites give you the alternative to switch to Safari, and when I do sometimes printing works and sometimes it doesn’t. Just so glad you’re looking into it
This is so great to know how to get a meat consistency. We loved it !
Thanks so much for your help!
Carole
Love this meal and I’d make it again – thanks!
Made this but added extra veggies. It is a delicious and simple recipe! Tofu tip was awesome!
Amazing! I used an assortment of other veggies to make it heartier like green pepper, zucchini, green onions and mushrooms and it was fantastic. This is for sure in my top tofu recipes thanks!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
I have looked for years for a way to cook tofu. Your instructions are amazing. I haven’t even made the stir fry yet, but tasting the tofu straight out of the oven, I am overwhelmed. I know that I can now get the taste, look and feel that I have been looking for with my recipes!!!!!!
It is so good, I could even imagine just dipping it in a sauce and skip the stir fry. Can’t wait to try more recipes from your site.
Thank you again!
We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the stir-fry, Ann! Thanks for sharing! :D
This was incredible!!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. Absolutely delicious- I could not stop eating it!
I made this for dinner and loved it! I almost followed the recipe but added in garlic and basil. Absolutely delicious!
Yay! We’re glad to hear it, Marilyn!
This was the first recipe I have made with tofu and loved it! I think my pan was too hot when I added the sauce as it solidified pretty quickly and clumped. It was still good. Loved the flavours and the tofu texture. I will definitely make this again and use the sauce for other dishes too!
Hello! Regarding the nutrition info, where are all the carbs and sugar coming from? Is it the sauce? Also, jusr for clarification, is the nutrition info for one serving or two?
Thanks so much! :D