How to Make Baked Tofu – The Complete Guide

Have you ever wondered how to make baked tofu that comes out crispy and delicious every time?  I commonly hear from people that claim to hate tofu and want some guidance on how to make it tasty.  If prepared incorrectly it can be inedible.  When prepared properly though I have yet to find someone who doesn’t love it!  There are many ways to press, cut, marinate, and bake tofu!  That’s why I’ve created a complete guide to baking tofu that will teach you how to achieve the taste and texture that you are looking for every time. 

This guide will show you how to make… 

• tofu steaks.
• crispy baked tofu.
• balsamic, teriyaki, buffalo, and barbecue tofu just to name a few.
• tofu jerky.
• tofu bacon or bacon bits.
• breaded tofu.

What you will need to make perfectly baked tofu:

Ingredients:

• Tofu – extra firm tofu that comes in a plastic tub or the super firm high protein tofu that comes in a vacuum-sealed pouch works best for this recipe.
• Marinade – this is anything that you want to soak your tofu in to give it flavor.  This can be as simple as a little soy sauce or you can choose one of my tofu marinades.  You can also choose to bake it plain and add the flavor to the outside with a sauce or a coating like in breaded tofu.
• Oil – if you are not using parchment paper.

Equipment:

• A cookie sheet – to bake the tofu on.  The low edges of a cookie sheet allow the air to flow around the tofu making it crispy.
• Parchment Paper – helps the tofu not stick to your cookie sheet.  It’s not necessary but makes clean up easier.  Make sure you use parchment and not waxed paper!

How should I cut and prepare the tofu for baking?

Pressing the Tofu:

You want to get as much liquid out of the tofu as possible before marinating it.  Think of your tofu as a sponge.  The more liquid you squeeze out of it, the more it will be able to absorb.  (The high protein tofu is very dense and is not as porous, so you won’t be able to get as much liquid out of it. For this type of tofu, just wrap a paper towel around it and give it a squeeze).

1. Drain the tofu and press it in a tofu press or simply between two plates or cutting boards with something heavy on top.
2. Allow the tofu to press for about 15 minutes and pour off any excess liquid that has drained out. 
3. Pat the block of tofu with a paper towel or very clean dish towel to remove any excess liquid. 

Cutting the Tofu: 

• Cut the tofu into the size and shape that you want like:
  • small squares for adding to stir-fries or salads
  • large squares for baked tofu steaks.
  • strips for tofu jerky.
  • crumble it for taco “meat” or tofu bacon bits.

Flavoring the tofu:

You have 3 choices to flavor the tofu before baking it.  You can marinate it, sprinkle dry spices on it, or coat it in a flavored breading.

• Marinate the tofu: Simple place the tofu in a shallow dish with your tofu marinade of choice for at least 15 minutes. (These are my family’s 6 favorite tofu marinade recipes). 
  • Note: if soaking your tofu longer than 15 minutes before cooking, place in the refrigerator to marinate).
• Dry spices: Sprinkle a dry spice mix on your tofu to flavor it before baking.   You can sprinkle on things like taco or fajita seasoning, Jamaican jerk seasoning, or steak seasoning.  Toss the tofu around a little to get it well coated on all sides and stick to the tofu. 
  • Note: since there is no marinade that contains oil, you may want to bake it on an oiled cookie sheet to crisp it up.
• Breaded Tofu:  You can also add the flavoring to the outside of the tofu in the form of a breading.  You can make a breading with bread crumbs, dry stuffing mix, crumbled crackers, or cornmeal mixed with some flour and spices.  Make sure to check out my full instructions for breaded tofu.

How to bake tofu:

The temperature that you bake the tofu at depends on the result that you want to achieve, and the time that you will need to bake it depends on the size of the pieces that you cut it in and the desired crispiness. 

Basic Baked Tofu:  Bake the tofu at 400°F for about 40-45 minutes flipping the pieces every 10 minutes. 

Tofu Jerky:  For a chewier tofu jerky, bake the tofu at 300°F for about 90 minutes to get a jerky-like texture.  Cooking it slower dehydrates the tofu and makes it chewy.  This tofu jerky is great for portable snacks and will stay good out of refrigeration for about a day, so it’s great for packed lunches and car trips!  Make sure to also check out my post on how to make vegan jerky with soy curls.

Should I line my cookie sheet with parchment paper?

Lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper will help the tofu not to stick to the pan and allows you to bake it with less oil.  If you want a crispier more fried tofu effect, then you will want to put about 2 tbsp of oil on your cookie sheet and bake it directly on the cookie sheet to make it more crispy.  (You can also use parchment and spray a light coating of oil on the tofu before baking to help crisp it up a little more). 

Variations of baked tofu:

• Tofu Steaks –

  • Cut your tofu into rectangular blocks.
  • Marinate your tofu in soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. 
  • Drain off the soy sauce and sprinkle with steak seasoning. (about 2 tsp.)
  • Bake on an oiled cookie sheet at 400°F for 40-45 minutes.

• Extra-Crispy Baked Tofu-

  • soak your tofu in a tofu marinade of choice.
  • Drain the marinade and coat your tofu in 1/3 cup of corn starch, 3/4 tsp salt and a dash of pepper.
  • Bake on an oiled cookie sheet at 400°F for 40-45 minutes.
    • Check out my post on How to Make Perfect Crispy Tofu for more options for making crispy tofu.

• Balsamic, Teriyaki, or Sweet Thai Tofu –

  • Marinate in the flavored marinated of choice for at least 15 minutes.
  • Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes flipping every 10-15 minutes.

• Buffalo and Barbecue Tofu or any other tofu with a thick glaze-like sauce if desired or leave plain-

  • Marinate your tofu in soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. 
  • Bake on an oiled cookie sheet at 400°F for 30 minutes flipping cubes every 10 minutes.
  • Toss the partially cooked tofu bites in a bowl with 1 cup of the sauce of your choice; like vegan buffalo sauce or homemade refined sugar-free barbecue.
  • Arrange back on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 

• Tofu Jerky –

  • Press the tofu and cut it into long thin slices.
  • Mix together 1 tbsp of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce), 1 tbsp liquid smoke, 1 tbsp molasses, 1 tbsp canola oil  1/4 tsp salt, and a dash of onion and garlic powder along with 1/4 cup hot water.
  • Marinate the tofu strips for at least 15 minutes.
  • Bake the tofu at 300°F for about 90 minutes to get a jerky-like texture flipping every 20- minutes.

• Tofu Bacon (or Tofu Bacon Bits)-

  • Press the tofu and cut it into long thin slices.
  • Mix together 2 tbsp of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, 1 tbsp liquid smoke, 1 tbsp melted refined coconut oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2tbsp hot water.
  • Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes flipping every 10-15 minutes..  (Bake time will vary depending on how thin you sliced the tofu).
    • You can also crumble the tofu in small pieces and bake for about 25 minutes to make tofu bacon bits.  (Or check out my recipe for homemade vegan bacon bits made with TVP).

• Tofu Taco Crumbles –

  • Press as much liquid as possible out of a block of tofu.
  • Use your hands to break it apart into small crumbly pieces.
  • Drizzle 2 tbsp of canola or light olive oil over the top of it and mix the oil around.
  • Sprinkle with 2 tsp of taco seasoning, mix and spread out on a cookies sheet.  
  • Bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes stirring the tofu crumbles every 10 minutes.

• Breaded Tofu-

  • Drain and press a block of tofu getting out as much liquid as possible.
  • Mix together 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or crumbled crackers, 1/4 cup flour, 2 tsp spices of choice, 1/4 tsp salt to make a breading.
  • Sprinkle tofu with some Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, soy sauce, or equivalent.
  • Place the tofu in the breading and press down a little to make the coating stick to the tofu.
  • Flip over and coat the other side.
  • Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes flipping after 20 minutes.

Need other ideas for cooking tofu?  Make sure to check out my posts on How to make Breaded Tofu, Perfect Crispy Fried Tofu, and Grilled Tofu!

Make sure to follow me on Instagram for daily vegan inspiration and clickable links to all my recipes!

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Baked Tofu

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

A complete guide to baking tofu in every way.

Servings: 4

Calories: 205 kcal

Author: Monica | The Hidden Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 block tofu drained and pressed

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 cup tofu marinade of choice or 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp corn starch (optional for extra crispy)
• 1 cup tofu breading
• 2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• 2 tsp taco seasoning
• 2 tsp steak seasoning
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

Tofu Steaks -

1. Cut your tofu into rectangular blocks.
2. Marinate your tofu in soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
3. Drain off the soy sauce and sprinkle with steak seasoning. (about 2 tsp.)
4. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet at 400°F for 40-45 minutes.

Extra-Crispy Baked Tofu-

1. soak your tofu in a tofu marinade of choice.

2. Drain the marinade and coat your tofu in 1/3 cup of corn starch, 3/4 tsp salt and a dash of pepper.

3. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet at 400°F for 40-45 minutes.

Balsamic, Teriyaki, or Sweet Thai Tofu -

1. Marinate in the flavored tofu marinade of choice for at least 15 minutes.

2. Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes flipping every 10-15 minutes.

Buffalo and Barbecue Tofu (or any other tofu with a thick glaze-like sauce if desired or leave plain)-

1. Marinate your tofu in soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos if desired.

2. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet at 400°F for 30 minutes flipping cubes every 10 minutes.
3. Toss the partially cooked tofu bites in a bowl with 1 cup of sauce of choice.
4. Arrange back on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Tofu Jerky -

1. Press the tofu and cut it into long thin slices.
2. Mix together 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp liquid smoke, 1 tbsp molasses, 1 tbsp canola oil  1/4 tsp salt, and a dash of onion and garlic powder along with 1/4 cup hot water.
3. Marinate the tofu strips for at least 15 minutes.

4. Bake the tofu at 300°F for about 90 minutes to get a jerky-like texture flipping every 20 minutes.

Tofu Bacon (or Tofu Bacon Bits)-

1. Press the tofu and cut it into long thin slices.

2. Mix together 2 tbsp of Bragg's Liquid Aminos, 1 tbsp liquid smoke, 1 tbsp melted refined coconut oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tbsp hot water.

3. Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes flipping every 10-15 minutes..  (Bake time will vary depending on how thin you sliced the tofu). (You can also crumble the tofu and bake for about 25 minutes for tofu bacon bits).

Tofu Taco Crumbles -

1. Press as much liquid as possible out of a block of tofu.
2. Use your hands to break it apart into small crumbly pieces.
3. Drizzle 2 tbsp of canola or light olive oil over the top of it and mix the oil around.
4. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of taco seasoning, mix and spread out on a cookies sheet.
5. Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes stirring the tofu crumbles every 10 minutes.

Breaded Tofu-

1. Drain and press a block of tofu getting out as much liquid as possible.
2. Mix together 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or crumbled crackers, 1/4 cup flour, 2 tsp spices of choice, 1/4 tsp salt to make a breading.
3. Sprinkle tofu with some soy sauce or equivalent.
4. Place the tofu in the breading and press down a little to make the coating stick to the tofu.
5. Flip over and coat the other side.

6. Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes flipping after 20 minutes.
   

Nutrition Facts

Baked Tofu

Amount Per Serving (0.25 lbs)

Calories 205 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 1122mg49%

Potassium 33mg1%

Carbohydrates 27g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 12g24%

Calcium 124mg12%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.