Crispy Baked Tofu
Comments(25) 
Could you eat a whole pound of tofu in one day?
I can!
Well, I almost did. When it comes to Crispy Baked Tofu, I actually have to stop myself from pigging out on it. The story is – I have a few when they first come out of the oven, because they’re so nice and crispy. Yum. Later on, I need a snack and have a few more. Yum again. Over half is gone already, I could have some more for dinner but probably best to save the rest for tomorrow. Future yum. See? I could if I really wanted to, eat a whole pound of tofu in one day.
Crispy Baked Tofu
Makes 10 to 12 slices
1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, drained and water pressed out
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tofu into 1/4″ thick slices. In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt, mix well.
Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Take one tofu slice and brush the sides and edges with olive oil, place in the breadcrumbs and coat well. Then place onto the baking sheet. Repeat until all the slices are coated.
Bake tofu slices for about 20 – 30 minutes until light golden brown and crispy, turning them over halfway through. Serve with your dipping sauce of choice – ketchup, bbq sauce, or ranch dressing.
This is wonderful and healthy, i never thought of that, thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it – an added bonus is that it makes less of a mess than frying too.
I’m one of the ones who cannot say no to tofu. especially not when crispy. ow, the stomach!
Thanks Celine! At least baked tofu is a little more healthy for those who can’t say no. :-)
This looks really good, I will have to give it a try!
This looks great, but panko breadcrumbs are made with partially hydrogenated oils…ruins the health benefits. I don’t fret overmuch about every ingredient but partially hydrogenated oils seem to be about the worst…anybody know a good panko substitute?
Trish – Thanks!
Susan – I use Ian’s Panko Breadcrumbs which does not have partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. I get it from Whole Foods, I think I may have also seen it at other grocery store too.
i can eat a whole pound of tofu in a day!!!!
hehe once i think i actually went through two boxes.
in the morning i had a tofu-berry smoothie. lunch was tofu with salad. snacks were baked tofu squares and dinner was grilled tofu!
haha. no wonder i’m tofufreak :)
Tofufreak – Wow, two boxes! It’s very easy to eat a lot of tofu, it’s so good in so many different dishes. I’m kinda of a tofufreak myself. :-)
How bout some funky dipping options? Plum sauce might be tasty? any other ideas??
Funky dipping sauces would be awesome! Plum sauce sounds very tasty. I’ve also used A1 sauce too. :-)
I’m looking forward to trying this tip on preparing tofu.
I’m thinking, as far as sauce goes, that most of the ways that either a chicken schnitzel or a piece of fried fish are served would also work well with this. (sorry to the vegetarians for mentioning that).
I might try some of the same chili sauce that would be with a piece of thai fried fish. MMM.
You’re right, a chili sauce would be so good with the tofu. Thanks!
How do these hold up for leftovers? I’m the only tofueater in the house and I’d hate to make a whole pound if I can’t store the rest for later.
They hold up really well as leftovers. You can chop them and toss into a salad or make a sandwich. They won’t be crispy anymore though, but they’re still tasty. :-)
Hi,
I made this tonight, even though I brushed the tofu with olive oil, the bread mixture kept falling.
Has this happened to you?
All in all, still tasty!
Thanks
Hi AZ – Some of the breadcrumbs do fall off. I try to get as much to stick as I can, but it’s never going to be a thick coating. Glad it still came out tasty! :-)
I make these with tofu cubes, maybe about 2/3″ squares, and the breading is a mixture of cornmeal and nutritional yeast, about half and half, with any desired seasonings. I don’t use anything to make the breading stick to the tofu, it just does – I toss the cubes in the breading, and place the cubes on a sprayed baking sheet. Then I spray the tops of the cubes and bake until crunchy. It would probably be fine without spraying the top.
That looks really good! Do you think tartar sauce would work as a dipping sauce? Kind of like a vegetarian version of fish and chips?
Thanks! Tartar sauce works great as a dipping sauce, I’ve tried it before, it’s tasty!
Hi again! I made these tonight and served them with home-made french fries and tartar sauce (mayo, diced sweet pickle, onion, and lemon juice).
Someone mentioned that they had trouble getting the breading to stick. So, instead of olive oil I used a batter made of Ener-G Egg Replacer, water, and soysauce. The breadcrumbs didn’t fall off!
I fried half of the tofu pieces (along with the potato wedges), and baked the other half. I liked the baked version better (less oily) but my husband liked the fried version better (different texture).
It reminded me of fish and chips, which I haven’t had in years. Thanks for the great recipe!
Glad the recipe worked out for you! Great idea for the breading – thanks!
Try it with Tahini sauce.
Good idea!
you people are making me hungry! and i just ate!
no one but me in my house likes tofu, but as soon as i get paid im SO going to try this! Thanks!