Oven Baked Tofu (The Best!)
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
- 12 ounce tofu block, extra firm
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ - 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Wrap tofu (12-16 ounce block) in a clean kitchen towel, gently squeeze any extra water and pat dry. If your tofu is softer, it would benefit from being pressed. (see notes).
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Cut or break the tofu into ~1" pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the soy sauce, sambal, garlic powder, black pepper, and oil over the tofu and toss to coat using a large spoon or your hands.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cornstarch over the tofu and shake again to coat the tofu. If the tofu is still wet/juicy, add another 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix until the tofu is coated and sticky (see photos). No dry spots.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread evenly over the surface. Arrange tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer with space between. *The oil is optional.
- Bake at 400º F for 12 minutes. Flip the tofu pieces over and return to the oven for an additional 6 minutes. Bake for additional time for a more well done tofu texture.
Notes
Do I have to press the tofu?: If using extra firm* or super firm tofu, you can probably get away without press it. If the tofu is firm or medium firm (which means it is less compressed and therefore has a higher water content) or if it feels soft (saturated), it will benefit from being pressed.
*In my experience, not all extra firm and super firm tofu is created equally. So some Brands of extra firm tofu can still be pretty soft (looking at you Costco), in that case, go ahead and press it for the crispiest baked tofu. If you live in Canada and use Sunrise Soya Tofu, their extra firm tofu in the vacuum pack is very firm and compressed!
How to press tofu: Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel (or paper towels) and stack a few heavy cookbooks or a heavy cast iron skillet on top. Or use a tofu press if you have one. Let the towel absorb the excess water for ~15 minutes (or longer) while you prepare the other recipe components.
How long to bake tofu?: Many things affect cooking time: how wet the tofu is, how hot your oven runs, the size of the tofu pieces, your personal tofu texture preference. Use this tofu recipe as a guideline, then tweak the oven temperature higher or lower, or adjust the cooking time until you get the perfect tofu texture you prefer. After you make this tofu once or twice, you'll know the ideal time and temperature for your oven.