How to Make Crispy Tofu

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.

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Tofu is one of your best friends as a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based eater, 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.

Crispy tofu is widely used in Chinese Tofu recipes.

How to know it’s ready: the cubes should be golden brown and look very crispy at the edges.

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💡 Tips and Substitutions
• ❓ FAQ
• 📚 More Tofu Recipes
• 🥢 How to serve
• 📋 Recipe
• 🌡️ Food safety
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧾 Ingredients

• Extra-Firm Tofu
• Your choice of oil
• Cornstarch.

🔪 Instructions

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 rice bowl, 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 and 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!

See how to make crispy air fryer tofu nuggets with a Mediterranean Marinade.

❓ FAQ

Can I use flour instead of cornstarch?

Yes, flour gives decent results, but, in my experience, the more critical "outstanding" results come from (in order of priority):

1. Using cornstarch (maizena) instead of flour. 
2. Pressing them for 10-15 mins, as the excess water can influence the crispiness, all tofu's brands are different, and all of them have different textures and are more or less firmer, so this step ensures you "standardize" how much moisture the cubes hold.
3. The size of the cubes also plays a part.

📚 More Tofu Recipes

• How to Prepare Tofu
• Best Tofu Scramble
• Vegan Eggplant Involtini
• Vegan Stuffed Shells Pasta

🥢 How to serve

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. They go well with any Asian Vegan Stew as well.

These curries are great to top with these delicious tofu chunks.

• Indian Eggplant Curry
• Thai Fresh Vegan Curry
• Vegetable Green Thai Curry
• Veggies Yellow Thai Curry
• Chickpea Coconut Curry
• Vegetable Massaman Curry

⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe

🌡️ Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

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