Crispy herb baked tofu is a satisfying vegan main dish that can be used in so many different ways! Golden on the outside and tender on the inside, you'll be adding this to grain bowls, salads, wraps, and more.
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The biggest complaints I hear about tofu are the bland flavor and squishy texture.
This is easily fixed by preparing it correctly. It's as simple as pressing your tofu, adding plenty of flavor, and coating it in a crispy combination of breadcrumbs and herbs.
This baked version is crispy without being fried, high in protein, naturally dairy free, and made with simple pantry ingredients. Serve it as a main dish, add to salads, wraps, and grain bowls, or use it for meal prep.
Ingredients
- Extra firm tofu
- Tamari
- Fresh lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- All purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Unsweetened almond milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh sage
- Coarse kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
How to make crispy baked tofu
- Press the tofu for 10-30 minutes.
- In a shallow dish, combine the tamari, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Add the tofu to the tamari mixture, turning it over to coat completely. Let marinate for 10 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil.
- In another shallow bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar.
- In a third shallow bowl, combine the panko, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper.
- Working one tofu steak at a time, dip it into the flour mixture, followed by the almond milk, and then the breadcrumb and herb mixture, turning it over a few times and pressing the breadcrumbs against all sides to help them stick.
- Transfer the tofu to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining tofu steaks.
- Brush a little olive oil over the top of the breaded tofu.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once. The tofu should be crisp and golden.
Top tips
Use extra firm tofu
Extra firm tofu will give you the best texture in this recipe and help keep it from being too squishy.
How to press tofu
I have posts about how to press tofu with a press and how to press tofu without a press. Both ways are very easy to do and take 10-30 minutes of hands-off time, depending on how firm you would like your tofu.
The longer you press the tofu the more liquid will be removed. Removing the liquid gives you a firmer texture and allows the tofu to absorb more flavor.
How to cut the tofu
I cut my tofu into four steaks. To do this, cut the block of tofu in half like a book, then cut each slab in half horizontally so you have four flat, rectangular steaks.
Keep one dry hand, one wet hand
When dredging, you'll want to use one hand for the wet ingredients and one hand for the dry ingredients. This keeps things from getting too messy.
How to serve crispy herb baked tofu
- Use as a topping for a salad such as my butternut squash and kale salad, warm kale and quinoa salad, or salad bar salad
- Add to a wrap with cheese and veggies, similar to my cajun tofu wraps
- Serve alongside your favorite sides such as mashed potatoes with boursin, savory sweet potato casserole, or vegetarian cornbread stuffing
- Serve as a snack dipped in my cashew sauce or lemon tahini dressing
How to store crispy baked tofu
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It will lose its crispiness, but you can reheat it in the oven until warm and crisp. I do not recommend freezing baked tofu as the texture will change too much and the breading would fall off.
Tips for customizing oven baked tofu
- Make it spicy by adding ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the breading
- Give it a cheesy flavor by adding 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast to the breading
- Cut the tofu into cubes to make more of a tofu nugget
- Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the breading
- Make it gluten-free by using tamari, gluten-free flour blend, and gluten-free breadcrumbs
FAQ
The secret to crispy tofu is pressing out plenty of the liquid it comes in, then breading it in a crispy coating. Adding cornstarch to the flour in the dredging process helps with this process. The trick is making sure the crispy coating sticks to the tofu and baking (or pan frying) to make it golden and crisp.
First, make sure you bought extra firm tofu and not a softer variety. Next, make sure you're pressing the bread crumb mixture onto the tofu rather than dipping it in and hoping it sticks.
If these both seem right, check to make sure you've cooked your tofu long enough. Adding a little more oil on top before baking helps the breadcrumbs brown up, and may aid in crisping as well.
I used a combination of thyme, rosemary, and sage for the tofu, which I think gives it a wonderfully savory flavor. It's similar to what you'd use to season poultry or find on Thanksgiving, which elevates it to main dish status and makes it perfect for holidays and other meals.
More tofu recipes
- Balsamic Tofu
- Pan Fried Peanut Tofu
- The Best Crispy Tofu
- The Best Tofu Recipe
- Kung Pao Tofu
- BBQ Tofu
- Vegan Ham
- Pesto Tofu
- Cajun Tofu
- Vegetarian Tofu Nuggets
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Thai Tofu Sauce
- Scrambled Tofu
- Air Fryer Tofu
- Tofu Tinga
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Crispy Herb Baked Tofu
Ingredients
- 12 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into 4 steaks
- 2 tablespoons tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup plain unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme, or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary, or ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced sage, or ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil, for brushing
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 10-30 minutes, using a tofu press or my method for pressing tofu without a press. I prefer to press for the full 30 minutes, but if you're in a rush you can do less.
- In a shallow dish, combine the tamari, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Add the tofu to the tamari mixture, turning it over to coat completely. Let marinate for 10 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and marinate up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil.
- In another shallow bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar.
- In a third shallow bowl, combine the panko, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper.
- Working one tofu steak at a time, dip it into the flour mixture, turning over to coat completely.
- Move the tofu to the almond milk and again, coat completely.
- Finally, move it to the breadcrumb and herb mixture, turning it over a few times and pressing the breadcrumbs against all sides to help them stick.
- Transfer the tofu to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining tofu steaks.
- Brush a little olive oil over the top of the breaded tofu. The tofu will crisp without too much oil, but more oil will help it turn golden brown, so it's up to you how much oil you'd like to use.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once. The tofu should be crisp and golden. Serve alongside mashed potatoes, as a topping for salads, or a filling for wraps.
Notes
Tips for customizing oven baked tofu
- Make it spicy by adding ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the breading
- Give it a cheesy flavor by adding 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast to the breading
- Cut the tofu into cubes to make more of a tofu nugget
- Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the breading
- Make it gluten-free by using tamari, gluten-free flour blend, and gluten-free breadcrumbs
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