This easy baked tofu is tasty and low-maintenance. No marinating needed. It makes a great component for a salad or meal prep and works well with all kinds of flavors, not just Asian ones.
I just needed some easy baked tofu
Earlier in the week, I was developing a meal prep bowl that featured Japanese flavors. I wanted some tofu for it but didn’t want the tofu to take too much time or energy. Also, I wanted the tofu to have a nice texture and taste good. And it should also not have too much sugar or salt. It seems a lot to ask, but I think I hit the mark with this one.
How to make this easy baked tofu
Don’t let the name fool you. You don’t need an Easy-Bake Oven for this one.
You just slice a block of tofu laterally, parallel to the longest edge. I had to think for a second how to say that. If that doesn’t make sense, slice it like it’s a burger bun! This helps create a lot of surface area to absorb and hold the sauce and minimize runoff, but stay thick enough to have a nice texture. You squeeze as much water out of those two slices as you reasonably can, using paper towels. Bake the tofu without seasoning for 10 minutes. Then add the sauce, which contains soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and nutritional yeast. Bake it for 20 minutes, adding more sauce as needed, halfway through.
The result
The baking process, first without any sauce or seasoning, helps to dry out the tofu so it becomes “thirsty” and will absorb the sauce when you add it. This creates a firmer texture. The nutritional yeast clings to the outside of the tofu, creating a crispy and nutty crust. The finished result is tofu that resembles a mild, not-very-dense cheese. It’s pleasant and savory and can pair well with many things.
Recommended uses
With tomatoes – the cheese-like tendencies of the tofu help it pair well with marinara sauce and tomato salsa.
With mushrooms – cube it and put it in mushroom soup or slice it and serve it with mushroom pasta.
In meal prep – I have a Japanese meal prep Buddha bowl (coming soon) that this recipe was created for. It goes fantastically with the sesame seed dressing, seaweed salad, and sweet potato.
Asian flavors (of course) – I would put this in kimchi fried rice or coconut curry. It has a distinctive texture and its umami will boost the whole dish.
Cooking notes
The recipe calls for the tofu to be cooked in a conventional oven, but the tofu is quite nice if done in an air fryer. The edges get much crispier this way. If air frying, use a temperature of 390F and cook 8 minutes without sauce, then 16 minutes with sauce, flipping once and adding sauce in the middle.
Whether in the oven or air fryer, you want to keep an eye on the tofu to make sure it’s not completely dried out or smoking. The goal is to use all the sauce and for all of it to be absorbed by the tofu.
Other single-ingredient meal prep recipes you might like:
Roasted Portobello Mushrooms (oil-free)
Easy Baked Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 pound tofu sliced horizontally in half (like a hamburger bun)
- oil spray
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475F.
- Use a paper towel to carefully squeeze as much water as you can from the two tofu slices.
- Prepare a small baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil. Spray a thin layer of oil onto the foil. Place tofu slices, cut-side-up on the foil.
- Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Mix well.
- When the oven is preheated, place baking sheet into the oven. After 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet.
- Use a spoon to stir the sauce, then add it carefully onto the tofu, making sure the entire top surface is coated. Take care to avoid too much pooling in the baking sheet. Use only half of the sauce. Return baking sheet to oven and bake 10 minutes
- Remove the baking sheet and add the rest of the sauce onto the tofu, again spreading it out evenly.
- Remove tofu from the oven. It is ready to serve or store.
This recipe is brilliant, thank you! I baked a pound of tofu and ate it plain twice before adding it to other dishes. It went as well with rice vermicelli, tomato gravy, black beans and black olives as it did with vermicelli and steamed broccoli tossed with unagi sauce. Very versatile! I’m glad that I followed the link in the Omnivore’s Cookbook newsletter.
I’m happy to hear your feedback. It sounds like you were able to pair the tofu with all sorts of tasty foods, which is exactly what I was hoping for with this recipe.