Crispy Baked Tofu in less than 30 minutes!
I’m going to be honest, tofu and I have had a rough go. The first time I tried tofu was when I first decided to go meat free. I ran to the grocery store to buy a block and picked up the first one I saw. When I got home I promptly sliced it up, threw it into the oven and expected gold.
Disappointment will never cover the range of emotions I felt.
I was repulsed! I almost threw in the towel right there. Who was crazy enough to eat that stuff? Now, tofu and I have more of an understanding. There are various ranging textures and firmness levels. You can’t go buy a block of soft tofu and expect it to crisp up… which happens to be exactly what I did the first time around.
For this recipe I used extra-firm tofu. To help the tofu firm up even more, I used cloth to help press some retaining liquid out. I know some people are a fan of doing this for 20-30 minutes, I don’t have time for that! I let mine press for 5 and it crisped up perfectly.
I chose to put my tofu on a kale salad but it would be great in stir fries, burritos, rice bowls…. the list really could go on forever!

Crispy Baked Tofu With Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 block Extra-firm tofu
- 2 tbsp Peanut Butter
- 11/2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos //alt. coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1/2-1 tsp Srircha optional
- 1 glove Garlic, pressed //alt. chopped
Kale Salad (optional)
- 4 cups Kale, shredded and massaged in oil optional
- 1 cup Carrot, shredded optional
- 2 servings Explore Cuisine Edamame Spaghetti, cooked and cooled optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. *See notes for alternative
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat
- Drain the block of tofu. Wrap the tofu in a couple layers of paper towel, a regular towel or cheese cloth and press lightly. Remove the towel and replace it with a dry one before laying something hefty on top of the tofu. (for 5-10 minutes) **See notes for suggestions
- Once properly pressed, cut the block of tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. Lightly spray with cooking spray before placing them on the baking sheet. (I used avocado spray!)
- Bake the tofu for 15-20 minutes making sure to shake the pan half way.
- While the tofu is baking, start on the sauce. Mix the remaining ingredients together until well combined. You might need to add a tbsp of water but it should be a slightly thick consistency.
- Toss the tofu in the peanut sauce right after it is done baking and enjoy!
- Optional, if you are having the kale salad.... combine all the ingredients in a big bowl. Once the tofu is sauced, mix the tofu in with the salad. The warm tofu will incorporate all the peanut flavor into the greens!