Description
My go to crispy baked tofu recipe. Oil-free, flavourful, and perfect for tossing into a stir-fry, on a power bowl or whatever you would like!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 350 g extra firm tofu, pressed
- 1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
*All the ingredients for this recipe are from our pantry and freezer tips!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat or sheet of parchment paper.
- If your tofu is not pre-pressed, remove as much excess water as you can. Use a tofu press for 10-15 minutes or wrap the block of tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place a heavy object on top. I usually place a cutting board on top of the wrapped tofu and stack a couple of heavy cookbooks on the cutting board. This will apply pressure to the tofu and squeeze out excess water. *If you add too much weight you could cause some tears in the tofu so be careful to not overload it too much.
- Chop the pressed tofu into small cubes about 1 inch in size. (I find that smaller cubes absorb more flavour).
- Add the tofu cubes to a large bowl and gently coat with the tamari, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
- Finally, sprinkle the nutritional yeast on top and stir to coat. (I add the nutritional yeast after the other seasonings so that the tofu absorbs the tamari. If added all at once the nutritional yeast will soak up the tamari and the seasonings will clump).
- You can proceed straight to baking the tofu or leave the cubes to marinate for 15 minutes or longer in the fridge. (Marinating does increase the flavour but I still find them really flavourful if baked right away).
- Bake for 20 minutes then check the tofu. They are done when they are crispy, puffed up, and a little shiny. I find that store-bought pre-pressed tofu is really crispy after 20 minutes. Blocks of tofu that I have pressed myself tend to take 30-40 minutes to get really crispy (but you can remove them from the oven earlier). Turn the pieces of tofu if leaving them in for longer than 20 minutes. This will allow them to crisp up on all sides.
- Enjoy on a stir-fry, power bowl, in a wrap, or however you would like!
Notes
Approximate Cost: $4.31 Canadian for 350 g. I often add this tofu to a recipe that will serve 4 so it works out to just over $1 per serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Thrifty How-Tos
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American, Canadian