You are going to love this crispy breaded tofu! If you're sick of the same old baked or stir-fried tofu and want more texture and flavor in your tofu, you have to give this a try! The tofu coating is super versatile and can be made with panko bread crumbs, crackers, stuffing, corn chips, or even cornmeal, plus your choice of herbs and spices to give it a flavorful crunch.
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❤️ You'll love this recipe because it's
- easily made gluten-free.
- bursting with flavor.
- crunchy comfort food.
- kid-friendly.
- a protein-packed meal that the whole family will love.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Tofu - extra firm or the super firm high protein type work the best.
- Soy Sauce - or Tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos for flavor and to moisten the tofu and help the coating stick.
- Bread Crumbs - You can also crumble and use any of the following:
- crackers (any vegan cracker will work)
- a vegan stuffing (like Pepperidge Farm's cornbread stuffing mix).
- corn flakes (GF)
- corn chips (GF)
- Spicy Sweet Chili or Blaze flavored Doritos
- cornmeal. (GF)
- *I have used all of these choices many times and I can't say which is best. They all make a great coating for the tofu, so I just use what I have.
- Flour - you can use white, whole wheat, or gluten-free flour mix. This helps creates a coating that sticks to the tofu and crisps up when cooked.
- Corn Starch - to help the breading be extra crispy. (optional)
- Nutritional Yeast - for flavor. Optional, but recommended.
- Spices - this can vary depending on the flavor that you want to achieve. I like to use poultry seasoning for a chicken nugget flavored tofu or Italian seasoning if I'm serving it with pasta or something Italian flavored. I also like to use Tony Chachere's for a spicy creole flavored tofu too.
- Salt - for flavor. (You may want to reduce or omit if your spices already have salt in them).
🥄 Instructions
- Drain and press a block of tofu getting out as much liquid as possible.
- Mix together breading ingredients on a plate or shallow dish.
- Sprinkle tofu with some 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.
*Now you have 2 choices to cook your tofu baking or Pan Frying.
🥘 Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Spread about 2 tbsp of oil on the bottom of a cookie sheet.
- Place the breaded tofu on the cookie sheet and bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, take out of the oven and flip with a spatula.
- Bake for an additional 20 minutes on the other side.
🍳 Pan-frying
- Place 2 tbsp of oil in the bottom of a skillet. (I highly recommend using an iron skillet for tofu. It always cooks perfectly and never sticks to my iron skillet).
- Place the coated tofu in the frying pan and turn heat to medium-high.
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crunchy.
🍞 How to make it gluten-free
If you need this to be gluten-free, simply use gluten-free panko, cracker, corn chips, or cornmeal instead of the bread crumbs made from wheat. Also, make sure to use a gluten-free flour mix.
Serve this tofu hot along with pasta, rice, potatoes or any other side dish you like.
You can also make this recipe soy-free, by using chickpea tofu instead of soy-based tofu.
🌟 More tofu recipes
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Breaded Tofu - Baked or Pan-Fried
A delicious, easy way to make flavorful breaded tofu.
Servings: 4
Calories: 181kcal
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce or Tamari
For the Breading
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs or crumbled cracker, vegan stuffing, corn chips, cornmeal, or corn flakes cereal to give the breading texture.
- 1/4 cup flour wheat, whole wheat, or gluten-free flour mix works well.
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (optional)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or Italian seasoning or any other dried herb mix of choice.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For cooking the tofu
- 2 tablespoon canola oil or light olive oil
Instructions
Preparing the Tofu:
- Drain and press a block of tofu, getting out as much liquid as possible. Then slice it into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Mix together breading ingredients on a plate or shallow dish.
- Sprinkle tofu with some Bragg's Liquid Aminos or 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.
Cooking the tofu: (You have 2 choices, baking or Pan Frying)
Baking the breaded tofu
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spread about 2 tbsp of oil on the bottom of a cookie sheet.
- Place the breaded tofu on the cookie sheet and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, take out of the oven and flip with a spatula.
- Bake for an addtional 20 minutes on the other side.
Pan-frying the breaded tofu
- Place 2 tbsp of oil in the bottom of a skillet. (I highly recommend using an iron skillet for tofu. It always cooks perfectly and never sticks to my iron skillet).
- Place the coated tofu in the frying pan and turn heat to medium-high.
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crunchy.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 3.5oz | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 918mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2.1mg
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a comment and starred review! I would love to hear from you!
We are new to vegan cooking, so this relace fish sticks for us. Tofu mayo was used to make tarter sauce. I used the baked method and they came out great! Thank you hoping us start our journey.
I'm so happy that this recipe worked for you! I also have a tofu fish recipe and a tartar sauce recipe if you are interested. Here they are... https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-fish/ https://thehiddenveggies.com/tartar-sauce/
Do you slice? I guess you do. I am trying this with batter and then dunk in crumbs. Whzt do yo think?
Can you use an air-fryer for this recipe?
Yes, you can.
Looks amazing. Thanks for sharing- I love you recipes. Love all the ideas for GF breadcrumb options. I’ve not tried that before so am definitely going to try this very soon. Would you mind sharing the weight of the block of tofu for us international readers? In Indonesia our tofu comes from the market in blocks much smaller than what you get in the US. Having a weight to go on would be helpful. I’m thinking so we’re between 300-400g? Is that about right ?
Thanks for all you do!
Thanks, Mo! I'm so happy that you like my recipes! I usually use a 14 oz block of tofu which I think is about 400 grams.
Thanks for replying Monica. We had this for dinner last night and all voted it the best tofu ever (and we eat tofu a few times a week and have been doing so for years so that is saying something!) I used cornflakes, your recipe GF flour mix, Italian herb mix, cornflour and salt. No nutritional yeast as had run out. I used 450g tofu which made 16 pieces, and still had a little breading mix left over. Oven cooked it. Will also try the pan fried version next time to compare. Thanks again, think this one will become a regular in our house!
Best tofu recipe. Love it nice and crispy. Very pleased with the results
Thanks so much! I'm glad that you liked the recipe, Ronny! 🙂
Best tofu ever!
Thanks, glad that you liked it! 🙂
I made this baked tofu last night and followed the recipe exactly (except I only had firm tofu instead of extra firm). It was delicious, both hot from the oven and cold as leftovers for lunch today. Thanks! I made a lemon tahini sauce to go with it, but the tofu was definitely flavorful enough on its own too.
I'm so happy that you liked it! Lemon tahini sauce with it sounds delicious! 🙂
I marinaded the tofu for a few hours which really helped it stay nice and juicy in the middle, then dunked in the breading right from the marinade. I only used about half the breading so would adjust accordingly next time. Pan fried in canola oil and served w pasta and roasted carrots. Toddler, husband and I all devoured!
I'm glad that you guys liked it, Betsy! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! The breaded tofu is super yummy!
I did have 2 questions/issues though:
1) was the oil supposed to go IN the breading? I didn’t do that and I I found they didn’t brown up nicely and came out kind of floury/white. I Did oil the baking sheet, so I’m not sure where I went wrong.
2) 20 minutes on each side seemed to make these harder than they should have been, especially around the edges. Maybe I cut mine thinner than you normally do. If I did 12-15 minutes on each side, would they still be fine?
Pretty sure the issues I had were my own mistakes because otherwise, these were awesome! I will be making these again (and hopefully won’t mess them up next time lol)
You're welcome! I'm so happy that you liked it! 🙂 No, the oil doesn't go in the breading, it's just for frying.
Great, simple to make recipe! I was looking for a veggie main to serve with mango, strawberry and jalapeno salsa that the meat eaters in our family were having with grilled salmon. The pairing was perfect, and I can see this tofu going with many different flavour profiles. A wintery option that would be good would be with mushroom gravy. I love recipes that make your imagination soar. Thanks so much!
You're welcome, Vivian! I'm so happy that you like it! 🙂
We love these! I find I can halve the breading and have plenty for a block of tofu. I toss the sticks with a little oil before breading to help it stick then bake on a wire rack set on a baking sheet so I don’t have to flip them. My kids love them with some marinara sauce as a dip!
I'm so happy that you like them! Marinara is a great idea for dipping! I bet that they are kind of like mozzarella sticks that way. 🙂
I followed this recipe exact except for I used different spices and it turned out amazing! It was a little tricky getting the breading to stick to the tofu though but other than that it is really great. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Very easy to make as well. <3 VEGAN POWER!!!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Sydney! 🙂
Really great recipe. Tofu was perfectly crispy and so easy to make. Love that was child friendly. Made mine with some bulgar wheat and green veg. Already shared it with all my friends. Next time I will add a dipping sauce, pair it with some noodles and maybe add a bit more seasoning to the breading. Thank you.
You're welcome, Kelsie. I'm happy that you liked it! 🙂
I really enjoyed this recipe. I made it in the oven and served over sautéed spinach. I also used the leftovers as a snack and dipped in buffalo sauce and vegan ranch dressing. Will definitely make again!
That sounds delicious! I'm happy that you liked it! 🙂
I'm been eating vegan for a little over a year, great results for my cholesterol, but am new to using tofu for anything other than vegan ricotta. I really enjoyed this recipe. I used a mix of bread crumbs and cornmeal, and used a little low sodium soy mixed with a modicum of red chili paste, and a couple of shakes of sweet Thai chili sauce. I made 5 slices, cut 1/4 in. thick, and prepared them in my air fryer. It was crusty on the outside, which I loved. Next time, I will try it dipped in a little catsup. I ate 3 of the slices and will heat up the remaining 2 in my toaster oven for an afternoon snack. Can't wait to see how that turns out. All together, I used half a pkg of extra firm tofu. I will definitely use the other half to try this recipe again.
Do you slice it and how thick? We’re going with 1/4” thick then cutting that slice in half so 1/4”x 1”W x 4”L. 🤞
Yes, that sounds like what I do. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
What simple to make sauce could ve served with this?
Hi Marilyn. My family loves to dip it in ketchup, barbeque sauce or vegan honey mustard. Here is a link to the honey mustard. https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-honey-mustard/
I soaked the tofu in the marinade and subbed gluten free flour for the breading. I followed the directions. However, the breading would not stick to the tofu when pan fried in iron skillet. How can this be corrected for next time?
I'm not sure why it didn't stick. Maybe the type of flour you used? I use all-purpose gluten-free flour all the time for this recipe though. Make sure your tofu is wet enough before you dip it in the breading so it sticks. You could also use corn or potato starch in place of the flour. I hope that helps. 🙂
Is it 20 min total in the oven or does it go back in after flipping?
Sorry that I didn't make that more clear in the recipe. You will want to flip it and bake it for another 20 minutes for a total of 40 minutes if you are baking it in the oven.
My new favorite tofu recipe! Loved that it was breaded, gave it great flavor 🙂
I'm so happy that you like it Noelle!