We're newly obsessed with baked tofu at our house! These little squares of chewy goodness are perfect for salads or even a quick snack when we're trying to eat light. Plus, heads up dorm-dwellers - you can do this one in a toaster oven...
What makes baked tofu so great - other than how easy it is to make - are all the different marinades you can use to flavor it. Basic soy sauce is a great standby, but you can also add ginger, mustard, chili-garlic sauce, or anything you might add to a regular marinade.
We've also been experimenting with vinegars for a more tangy flavor and honey for a sweeter treat. After all our citrus talk these past few weeks, we're also eager to try marinades with orange, lime, and lemon juice in them.
Here's a how we've been making our tofu:
Baked Tofu
1 (16-ounce) block extra firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sauce or other marinade
Drain and rinse the block of tofu. Set it on a clean dish towel (or paper towels) on a rimmed dinner plate. Place another plate on top and weight it down with something heavy, like a handy can of tomatoes or a heavy skillet, to press out some of the excess liquid. Let sit 15 - 30 minutes.
Cut the tofu into pieces. You can do cubes for croutons, sticks for dipping, flat squares to layer on sandwiches, or any other shape you feel like.
Put the cut tofu in a shallow dish, cover with marinade, and let sit for 15 - 30 minutes. Flip the tofu a few times so the marinade is absorbed evenly. The longer you let the tofu sit, the deeper the flavor will be.
Pre-heat your oven (or toaster oven!) to 350-degrees. Cover a baking sheet (or toaster oven insert) with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick spray. Cook the tofu cubes for 10 minutes and then flip them over. Continue cooking and flipping every 10 minutes until the tofu is as baked as you like it, 20 - 45 minutes total.
As you bake, the tofu will shrink, the texture will get chewier, and the flavor will get more concentrated. For salads, we like it baked so it's just toasted on the outside but still silken in the middle. For snacking or dipping, we like to bake it until it's pretty dense and has a good bite.
Anyone have a favorite marinade for baked tofu?
Related: Meat Substitutes: Love 'Em or Hate 'Em
(Images: Flickr members kipbot and Wendy Copley licensed under Creative Commons)
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I just use whatever salad dressing I have around. It was really good with Newman's Own Roasted Garlic and Parmesan dressing!
1/2 cup soy sauce sounds like a sodium nightmare. In any case, one thing I wish there were more detail on: Drain and rinse the block of tofu.
What's the best way to do this, and how long should the tofu spend draining?
I have a bottle of Goya Mojo Criollo at home. I wonder how that would taste with this...
I love tofu squares - they're a staple. Thanks for yet another recipe. I usually cook mine at 400 or even a little more for maybe an hour.
Yes, get us a working link to the tofu croutons! As squidlette said, that one doesn't.
I usually use soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar, cilantro, ginger, garlic and green onion as the marinade. Then I have equal parts of panko and sesame seeds on a plate, coat the tofu slices and bake.
Also BBQ sauce makes a good marinade.
My favorite marinade is Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki.... yum!
Not sure what the rules are here, but I think I found a site that copied the recipe (and the blog post), word for word. As I do not want to give the faker any traffic, the recipe that is probably from cookinpanda is below.
I remember trying extra virgin olive oil and regular vegetable oil, and variations of salt, garlic salt, pepper, white pepper, and a spicy pepper mix I have. All turned out delicious. (I put tasting notes in the comment of my first link.) I'm pretty sure I put foil on my pan to reduce the scrubbing I'd have to do later, and think that tossing the tofu in oil first would waste less oil.
Tofu Croutons with Black Pepper
Prep Time: 5 minutes / Bake Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
• 1 block of extra firm tofu, patted dry, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• fresh black pepper
• salt
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spread the tofu cubes in one single layer on a baking sheet.
• Drizzle with the vegetable oil.
• Season with generous amounts of black pepper and a desired amount of salt.
• Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden.
Practical Considerations
All sorts of herbs can be used here. I thought about marinating the tofu first, but I'm not sure that'd be very effective, considering that the tofu cubes are pretty much entirely dried out by the baking.
squidlette - thanks!
I LOVE baked tofu.
I usually just mix a little soy sauce with melted earth balance, pour on top and bake. Delicious!
By the way, Chicagoans, if you can try to get Mu-Tofu. It's made in Edgewater, right by Rogers Park. It is amazing tofu. Their herb tofu is perfect.
In a pinch, we use Soyaki marinade from TJs
I really like this recipe for baked Szechuan-style tofu, which seems to be all over the internet:
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Baked%20tofu%20szechuan%20style
I make the marinade in the morning and leave it in there all day. It's really easy to make and leftovers are good cold or at room temperature.
So is this comparable to the baked tofu I buy in a package (I think it's White Wave)? If so, I am totally going to start doing this at home now.
I am currently IN LOVE with salt and pepper tofu, but I will have to give this one a try since baked is always a better option than fried.
Thanks for sharing
Huh, will add the the "try this" list.
These all sound good. I need something new to top soba noodle soup...
I've been dying for some tofu recipes! Thanks for posting this!
luxeport, that sounds amaaaazing.
i'm a big fan of bbq baked tofu.
After you marinate the tofu slices, try coating them in a mixture of corn meal and nutritional yeast (half and half) then bake them. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and lighter than deep-fried tofu. yum.
http://www.wellfednutrition.com
Thanks for this recipe.
I never knew this is so easy to make!
Make it your Valentine's Day lunch tradition to cut your tofu with a heart-shaped cookie cutter and marinate in sweet and sour sauce (or something else reddish, even BBQ). Eat it with a light side such as sauteed spinach.
i just made a huge batch to bring to work for lunch this week - so delicious! i tossed mine with sesame seeds before baking as well. i love SS and their tiny bit of crunch is awesome.
I was wondering how long this keeps for? I'd love to make a big batch and store it.
Made this last night, amazing! Between and the corn-starch technique, my tofu consumption is sky-rocketing!! Slightly chewy and delish!
Nothing beats homemade tofu, no little plastic tubs to constantly throw out. Buy a soy milk maker, soy beans, and a tofu kit. Baked homemade tofu made with this sort of recipe is so much better.
I love using a citrus marinade when I bake tofu for green salads. My quickie citrus marinade: a cup of fresh orange juice, 1 to 2 tbs bruised chopped fresh basil, 2 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice, 1 crushed and chopped garlic clove, and a dash of salt and fresh ground red pepper.
I like the soy marinade and nutritional yeast option best. And try Twin Oaks Tofu, it doesn't need any pressing and it tastes great. My favorite, at least if you can get it locally. YUM! More tofu recipes, please!!
I just tried this with 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, a few tablespoons of Garlic Expressions vinaigrette, and enough Worcestershire sauce to bring it all up to a half cup, finished with a good sprinkling of garlic powder. It's super flavorful and smells amazing while it's marinating!
Love the idea of coating with cornmeal after marinating. For an even-chewier texture, try freezing the tofu first. After it thaws, squeeze out the liquid and proceed with the marinating and baking...
Yum! Tried it and it's amazing. I used straight up soy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Thanks for sharing.
I love all the tofu marinades in Isa Chandra Moskowitz' book, "Appetite for Reduction," esp. the Masala Baked Tofu. Yum!