If you want very crispy tofu cubes, this method will blow your mind. This is our favorite way to use tofu as a topping for Thai curries and buddha bowls.
As a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based eater, tofu is one of your best friends, so you need to master its cooking methods. Making crispy tofu easily is a skill that will be your companion for the rest of your life, so observe, it is an easy and worthy ride!
It takes only minutes, 2 ingredients apart from tofu, and no skills! We consider this a preparation that can be easily adjusted and added to any meal or even on its own as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce.
How to know it’s ready: the cubes should be golden brown, and they should look very crispy at the edges.
The Ingredients
Extra-Firm tofu, your choice of oil, and cornstarch.
The Method
Press extra firm tofu for at least 15 minutes (I line up some parchment paper or plastic bag and place a couple of heavy books on top).
Leave it slightly inclined next to the sink so the excess water can run. Then cut the tofu into cubes.
Now you need to coat the cubes with cornstarch. You can do this in two ways:
- Place those cubes in a bowl and toss gently with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch. As seen in the video.
- Or, you can add the cornstarch to a Ziplock bag and get the tofu cubes inside. Shake the bag and ready. As seen in the picture below.
Arrange the tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with your oil of choice.
Bake at 425ºF (250ºC) for 25 minutes or until you see they are golden enough for your liking.
Serve in your favorite buddha bowl or stir fry or eat as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce. We like doing just that with our Creamy Vegan Sauce.
Tips & Substitutions
As for toppings: as mentioned before, these perfect tofu cubes are commonly found in buddha bowls and curries, but I recently even added it to my pesto pasta to add some extra protein and loved it. Of course, they would kill me here in Italy for making such a “thing,” but what can I say? It was delicious.
Cube sizes: you might want to try different sizes the first time to make it to identify your sweet spot. We find that the smaller the size, the less chunky, meaty center you will get. So try big, ½ inch (1 cm) cubes for curries and as appetizers and smaller ¼ inch (½ cm) cubes for more delicate sizes on pasta.
Type of Oil: it doesn’t make much of a difference, but I like to be consequent to the flavor’s palettes to use either a neutral oil to go safe. I like using sesame or peanut oil for Asian dishes, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil if we use the cubes for other preparations such as pasta!
As a snack: use big chunks as an appetizer with a decadent dipping sauce such as our Creamy Vegan Sauce or 5 Minutes Vegan Pesto Sauce.
More Tofu Recipes?
Some Curries where you can your Crispy Tofu as a Topping
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
How To Make Crispy Tofu
Ingredients
- 9 oz extra-firm Tofu organic
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon olive oil or any other oil (sesame, peanut, avocado)
Instructions
- Press extra firm tofu for at least 15 minutes. Then cut the tofu into cubes.
- Coat the cubes with cornstarch. You can do this in two ways:Place those cubes in a bowl and toss gently with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch. As seen in the video.Or, you can add the cornstarch to a Ziplock bag and get the tofu cubes inside. Shake the bag and ready. As seen in the pictures.
- Arrange the tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with your oil of choice.
- Bake at 425ºF (250ºC) for 25 minutes or until you see they are golden enough for your liking.
- Serve in your favorite buddha bowl or stir fry or eat as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce. We like doing just that with our Creamy Vegan Sauce.
Video
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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