This crispy teriyaki tofu is better than takeout and easy enough for a weeknight dinner! Crispy tofu nuggets are baked (not fried!) and smothered in sticky sweet and savory teriyaki sauce. Serve with rice and steamed veggies for a knock-your-socks-off vegan meal.
My husband and I always seem to find ourselves eating teriyaki tofu while we’re on vacation. It’s hard to find vegan food when you’re away from home, and it can be really hard to to pick a restaurant. There’s always this gamble and you might end up eating salad. I eat enough salad at home.
But Japanese restaurants are usually a safe bet. At the very least, you’ll be able to get your hands on some veggie sushi. And if you’re lucky, they’ll have some delicious vegan tofu dishes.
We tend to get lucky in the tofu department when visiting Japanese restaurants away from home, and we often end up ordering teriyaki tofu.
On our last trip we were splitting a big plate of tofu teriyaki and I commented on how different all the versions we’ve tried are. Some are super sweet, some very spicy, most are pretty (deliciously) salty. When we got back home I promptly started working on what I consider to be the ultimate tofu teriyaki recipe.
So this is my recipe, and personally, I think it’s better than every restaurant version I’ve tried.
One thing I’m usually not a fan of is silken tofu in savory dishes. I realize silken tofu gives you more of a traditional Japanese dish, and lots of restaurants use it, but I’m just not a fan. I like super crispy tofu with a coating that holds up to sauce!
I tried a different approach than my usual for making this crispy tofu: I baked it! Normally, I’d say frying is the way to go, but I know a lot of folks swear by baking tofu with cornstarch and just a little bit of oil. I gave it a try, and you know what? It was awesome! Also, it made the dish easier and quicker to throw together, since baking is pretty hands-off once you’ve got the tofu in the oven.
Here’s how it’s done!
First, dice up your tofu and toss it with some soy sauce for flavor. Add some cornstarch, a little pepper for kick, and a bit of oil.
Arrange the tofu on a baking sheet and bake away. You’ll be amazed at how crispy it turns out!
I cooked up my sauce on the stove while the tofu baked, and then added the tofu to the sauce once it was done cooking.
You can steam just about any kind of veggie you like to go with this, but I’m a big fan of broccoli with teriyaki sauce.
FAQ & Tips for Making Awesome Tofu Teriyaki
- This dish is best served immediately, because the tofu will eventually lose its crispness as it sits.
- The sauce can easily be made ahead of time.
- Is this stuff gluten-free? It can be! Just use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Is there a low sodium version of this dish? I’ll be frank: with the amount of soy sauce that goes into the sauce, it’s never going to get into low sodium territory. But if you’d like to reduce the sodium content a bit, try low sodium soy sauce.
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Crispy Baked Teriyaki Tofu
This crispy teriyaki tofu is better than takeout and easy enough for a weeknight dinner! Crispy tofu nuggets are baked (not fried!) and smothered in sticky sweet and savory teriyaki sauce. Serve with rice and steamed veggies for a knock-your-socks-off vegan meal.
Ingredients
For the Crispy Baked Tofu
- 1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (or high heat oil of choice)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper, if that's what you've got)
For the Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mirin or dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons chilled water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For Serving
- Cooked rice
- Steamed veggies
- Chopped scallions
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
To make the crispy baked tofu, preheat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the tofu into a medium bowl and add the soy sauce, oil, cornstarch, and pepper. Toss to coat the tofu.
Arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through, until browned and crispy.
While the tofu bakes, prepare the sauce. Stir 1/4 cup of water, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sherry, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger together in small saucepan.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.
Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, until reduced by about 1/3.
Stir the chilled water and cornstarch together in a small bowl or cup. Stir the mixture into the sauce and allow it to simmer for about 1 minute more, until it thickens up a bit.
Remove the pot from the heat.
When the tofu is finished cooking, add it to the pot and stir to coat the tofu with sauce.
Divide onto plates with rice and steamed veggies. Top with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include accompaniments.
As soon as I saw this recipe I knew it was dinner. I made the sauce ahead of time and reheated once the tofu came out. I cheated and used ginger paste and garlic powder in the same equivalent (because, Monday…) but I can only imagine it’d be that much better with the fresh versions. Served it over organic brown rice and steamed broccoli and it was excellent! I’m not even that big of a teriyaki fan but this is definitely a keeper. Thank you, your recipes never fail me.
I made this the other night and it was really good. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Connie!
I really enjoyed this recipe, both the taste and how easy it was to make. Served with roasted broccoli and jasmine rice and veggie spring rolls. Thanks for a great recipe!
Sounds like a delicious meal! Glad you enjoyed it!
It was my turn to cook dinner, and I found this recipe. We had most of the ingredients, so away I went. I fried the tofu in a frying pan instead of baking it in the oven. It was easier, and faster for me to do it that way. Otherwise, I followed the recipe word for word. We were very happy with the results! Now it’s another option for the age old question, “What’s for dinner?”
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much John!
Hi! I’m an amateur cook so this was a bit challenging for me. I found that in the end result the sauce have this weird salty sourly taste and I was wondering what would you recommend to make it more sweeter and less powering.
Hi Dawn! Try adding a bit of extra brown sugar to balance out the salty and tart flavors. Just add 1 tablespoon at a time when the sauce is just about done, until you’re happy with the flavor.
I made this tonight. It was very easy. I had never baked tofu before (I’ve always fried it) and got rave reviews from the family.
One of my daughters didn’t like it, but everyone else loved it, including me.This will be in our dinner rotation.
It was a really great change from fried tofu.
Since you add the sauce last, you can have some tofu for pickier eaters and the sauce for everyone else.
The sesame seeds REALLY add to the flavor.
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks Jeff!!
This was the second time I have made this dish. My husband just loves it. Thanks for showing me how to make crispy tofu in the oven.
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks so much Cindy!
I marinated the tofu in soy sauce before dipping it in the mixture and backing it. Mistake. The tofu browned up very nicely, but didn’t get crispy. I think there was just too much moisture in the tofu. Still, it was a absolutely delicious and, while I thought I had increased the recipe too much, there were leftovers. I will make this again and again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Thom!
So yum!
I’m glad you think so!
I decided on the spot to make this, so I didn’t have every single ingredient. I either improvised or left a couple of things out (and added mushrooms and skinny sliced red peppers) and it still turned out quite wonderful. Was proud of that homemade Teriyaki sauce! And the baked tofu is the way to go! Thanks for creating this delicious recipe!
I’m glad it worked out and you enjoyed it! Thanks so much Evey!