How to make Baked Tofu with 3 bold and flavorful marinades! Never have bland tofu again, with these three variations – Sesame Ginger Miso, Spicy Mexican Tofu, and BBQ Tofu. Simple, vegan and easy recipes- great for meal prep. With a video!
Many of you have been messaging and emailing me, asking me how to add more flavor to your tofu.
If you rather cook tofu on the stovetop, make sure to look at this Crispy Tofu Recipe .
Baked Tofu – 3 ways! | Video
Tofu can be cut into various sized pieces- cubes, strips or “filets” depending on how you plan to use them.
How to Bake Tofu:
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Blot a block of tofu with paper towels and press the tofu lightly, releasing the water.
- Cut tofu into pieces – strips, cubes, or “filets” and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Coat all sides liberally with your favorite marinade!
- Pour any leftover marinade over the top, or over veggies, to bake alongside.
- Place the tofu in the 400F oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
- For extra crispy baked tofu, continue baking an additional 5-10 minutes!
FAQ:
What is tofu made of?
Tofu is made from soybeans, a versatile, healthy meat substitute that is high in protein, gluten-free, vegan, and low in fat and calories.
What does tofu taste like?
Tofu on its own is like a blank slate, having very little flavor. The advantage of this being it can take on any flavor or seasonings you give it!
What is the healthiest way to cook tofu?
Baking tofu (verses frying) using a minimal amount of oil provides the highest amount of protein with very little added fat.
How do you add flavor to tofu?
One of the easiest ways to add flavor to tofu is to bake tofu in a flavorful marinade. Much like a sponge, tofu will soak up the flavors that surround it- so baking tofu right in the marinade encourages this process while concentrating the flavors, and drying it out a bit, giving the tofu a pleasant texture. Baked tofu is really as easy as it gets.
Even the pickiest of eaters seem to enjoy these! Truly! And these three flavorful tofu marinades are simple enough to incorporate into your weekly meals. Pick one, then prep a batch on Sunday adding it to meals you are already making – Buddha Bowls, tacos, stir-fries, Asian noodles or simply serve with a hearty side of veggies.
Do you press Tofu before or after marinating?
Think of Tofu like a sponge. You want to press some of the water out of the tofu before you marinate it. This will allow the tofu to soak up some marinade, drawing it in. The best way to do this is to take 2 paper towels and lightly blot and press each side of a whole block. Don’t try to press out too hard or all of the water, some moisture is good here. Then cut.
What happens if you don’t press tofu?
If you don’t press the tofu before baking, the marinade may not soak into the tofu (because it is filled with water), resulting in tofu that is less flavorful, and less crispy.
Can you marinate Tofu too long?
The saltier the marinade the shorter the marinading time. Remember, tofu is like a sponge. Because you are baking the tofu in the marinade, you can bake tofu right after coating it in the marinade, or no longer than 24 hours of marinating time.
Flavorful Tofu marinades:
- Baked Sesame Ginger Tofu – especially good with Asian style dishes like the Thai Noodle Salad from last week -also really tasty in spring rolls, or Asian style buddha bowls or serve as a simple vegan main with a side of seasonal veggies.
- Baked Spicy BBQ Tofu– a mix of your favorite barbecue sauce w/ a little sriracha sauce ( or chili flakes) spooned over salted tofu before baking. Great alongside summer BBQ style meals with grilled corn, avocado and slaw, or in vegan sliders or sandwiches or over a bowlful of grilled summer veggies.
- Smoky Spicy Mexican Style Baked Tofu – seasoned with cumin, chili powder, chipotle, this flavorful tofu is perfect in tacos, burrito bowls or in taco salads.
- And if you like Peanut TOFU- Go Here!
- Or Tofu Shawarma, Go Here!
What I like about these baked tofu recipes is that you can prep and bake a batch of this ahead on Sunday, then use the baked tofu for various mid-week meals when time is short.
The tofu marinade takes about 5 minutes of hands-on time, before going into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes.
What type of tofu to buy?
When purchasing tofu for baking in a marinade, always opt for organic, non-GMO, firm or extra firm tofu. Organic sprouted tofu is another great option. These are always found in the refrigerated section.
Silken tofu, the kind in vacuum-sealed cardboard boxes will be too soft in this application.
Above, the smoky spicy Mexican Baked Tofu is perfect for midweek tacos.
Below, the Sesame Ginger Baked Tofu is delicious over Thai peanut noodles.
How to cut tofu:
Cut the tofu in different shapes and sizes depending on what you are making with it. For example:
- Cut tofu into long narrow strips for spring rolls and tacos.
- Cut into big “filets” to use as a “main”.
- Cut tofu into cubes for Buddha Bowls or tossed in salads.
- When baking tofu, a general rule of thumb is to cut it to ¾ of an inch thick.
Blend or stir the marinade ingredients together and simply pour over or brush on.
Bake at 400 F for 25-35 minutes. And that is it!
The baked tofu comes out crispy and full of flavor.
Baked tofu will keep up to 4-5 days in the fridge. It’s actually quite good cold.
Here is the sesame ginger baked tofu, with my favorite salad…..Thai Noodle Salad!
Tofu recipes need not ever be boring or bland again! Try one of these Baked Tofu recipes this week!
If you rather cook your tofu on the stovetop, please visit the post for Crispy Tofu!
If you like the idea of PEANUT TOFU, visit this post for Bali Bowls and grab the recipe there!
I also love baking tofu in this Szechuan Sauce... so tasty!
Print
Baked Tofu Recipe | 3 Flavorful Marinades
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: vegan, tofu recipe, main
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: american
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to BAKE Tofu with 3 FLAVORFUL marinades! Never have bland tofu again, with these three variations – Sesame Ginger Miso, Spicy Mexican Tofu and BBQ Tofu. Simple, vegan and easy recipes! Great for meal prep!
Ingredients
Baked Ginger Sesame Tofu
- 16 ounces tofu- organic, firm or extra firm, non-GMO
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce– or gluten-free Braggs Liquid amino acids ( tamari will be too salty)
- 1 tablespoon miso (or sub 1 more tablespoon soy sauce)
- 3–4 slices thin slices ginger- peels ok
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (optional)
- 1–3 teaspoons chili paste (all optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Baked BBQ Tofu
- 16 ounces tofu- organic, firm or extra firm, non-GMO
- generous pinch salt and pepper
- ½ cup – ¾ cup bbq sauce ( add sriracha or chili flakes for a little kick)
Smokey Spicy Mexican Style Tofu
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ( or white)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic ( or finely minced garlic clove)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ –½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano ( optional)
And if you like baked Peanut TOFU- Go Here!
Or baked Tofu Shawarma, Go Here!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Blot the block of tofu with paper towels. Press the tofu gently to release some liquid, blotting as you go.
- Cut tofu into pieces (strips, cubes, squares or fillets) about 3/4 -1 inch thick.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Pick and make a marinade.
- For Ginger Sesame Marinade: blend ingredients (except sesame seeds) together in a blender until smooth, pour over tofu, coating all sides well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 25-35 minutes, checking halfway through, and for extra crispy broil for a few minutes.
- For BBQ tofu: Sprinkle tofu with salt and pepper. Mix bbq sauce and 1-2 teaspoons sriracha together in a small bowl. Taste, adjust heat. If you like crispy tofu, stir in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil. Liberally coat the top and sides of the tofu with the bbq sauce. Bake 25-35 minutes.
- For the Mexican Tofu: Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl then brush the marinade on the tofu. Place the coated tofu in the 400F oven and check after 25 minutes, baking 5-15 minutes longer for extra crispy.
Notes
Keywords: baked tofu recipe, how to bake tofu, tofu marinades, how to bake tofu, baked tofu, tofu recipe, tofu recipes, baked tofu recipes, tofu marinade, how to cook tofu, how to bake tofu
I am yet to try the Mexican marinade, but it looks like a winner. I picked up a trick to getting more flavor into the tofu. Freeze it first. I have frozen the whole package, but it takes longer to thaw because of the water in the package. I cut the block to half thickness, and freeze two whole sized blocks one inch thick. The ice crystals create a more porous tofu, with a meatier texture. Thaw in fridge. Press out water as usual and then cube and marinate for about 30 minutes. The marinades go deeper into the tofu. Another quick press before cooking will get some moisture out, leaving the great flavors inside, and providing a crispy pan fry result. I be trying the oven bake method next. Thanks.
Yes, Joseph, freezing is a fun option here too. It does change the texture of the tofu though- giving it a more spongy texture.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I follow Bright Line Eating, which means that I do not consume any sugars or sweeteners of any type, or any flour and flour-like substances. I have been trying to go Whole Foods Plant Based but have been having a very hard time with Tofu. I do not like the taste of it at all and marinades all seem to have sugar in them and crispy tofu recipes seem to use cornstarch. I am really hoping that these will work (even the BBQ one, I can try with Primal Kitchen sugar free BBQ sauce, possibly).
Hi Deb, there are so many tasty ways to prepare tofu- yes, baking it in a marinade or also try our Crispy Tofu ( no need for conrstarch). Many of our sheet-pan dinners are adaptable, meaning you can sub tofu for the chicken, also a fun way to prepare it.
can I make this in advance if I am going to wrap them in spring rolls the next day?
yes, absolutly!
Hi Sylvia, is the marinade savable for another recipe?
yes, it should be fine!
I had thought that tofu had to be pressed thoroughly to extract every last drop of moisture. How nice to learn differently! I made the sesame ginger marinade (which a couple of small modifications based on what was on hand), and it was delicious in lettuce wraps. I’ll bake tofu more often because of this great little how-to with marinade recipes.
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Awesome Crystal!
I am playing with ingredients for an alternative chicken tortilla soup recipe. I used extra firm tofu, pressed then cut into strips in the Mexican spices marinade. Beautiful! My plan is to add the baked tofu to the soup just before serving so the tofu strips don’t fall apart in the simmering soup.
Thanks for a delicious recipe!
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I like your plan! sounds good Eli!
The tofu didn’t come out that crispy, it looked crispy but wasn’t crispy when you took a bite. Is there anything I can do about this? Other than that, your recipe was fantastic. Thanks so much Sylvia, your recipes always inspire me!
Hi Jo- which marinade did you use?
The ginger sesame marinade, it was delicious but not that crispy. I blotted my tofu for a half hour so I’m not sure what happened. Any ideas?
Ok yes, there is a lot of moisture in that marinade so these won’t get very crispy. Have you tried making the Crispy Tofu on the blog, on the stove top? This may be more of what you are looking for. Type it in the search bar and it should show up. 🙂
Thanks so much for your help Sylvia! Your recipes are an absolute joy to eat!
Its delicious and healthy.
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Am I do this in a cast iron skillet instead? I don’t have an oven!
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Hi Kim- then I would recommend to go over to the “crispy tofu” post.
Yes I saw this. So then I can I do a marinade or just dry spices?
Dry spices- and cook it in an oiled skillet.
Got it thanks!
Thank you for always bring easy and flavorful recipe.
My family 😉 enjoy.
What kind of tofu are you supposed to use? Soft? Silken? I used extra firm and it came out overcooked and hard, had to throw it out. I would make this again but possibly sautee it in a frying pan instead of baking it.
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I’m sorry about that. Which marinade did you use? Each marinade has a different baking time, is it possible you accidentally looked at the wrong time?
The sesame seed asian one.
Ok- thanks I’ll adjust baking time- sorry about that.
I have to agree with Tziga. The cooking time of 35-40 min at such a high temperature overcooked the ginger sesame tofu. Pan frying or baking for 20-25 mins would seem appropriate.
Noted the recipe- thanks Ginny!
I made the ginger sesame tofu for the Fresh Spring Rolls and they were delicious on their own! I pressed the tofu and marinated it overnight in the fridge. Will definitely make it again. Thank you!
I’ve only made tofu once or twice, but I was looking for a marinade that would work with a mushroom fried rice I will be making. It sounds perfect! Thank you 🙂
This was so easy to make and the flavor was scrumptious!
I could not even tell that it was healthy, lol.
I made the ginger recipe, but without the sesame seeds (since I did not have any on hand); however, I added a few splashes of red wine & white distilled vinegar, plus two squeezes of regular mustard (mainly because sometimes I crave vinegar) into the marinade. OMG, it turned out superb!
The only thing different I did on the cooking part was to do 25 minutes at 400 degrees and then lower the oven to 350 for the next 10 minutes (in which I flipped the tofu over so the cooking would be more even).
The tofu came out 100% perfect. It was so tasty, the outside had a crunch while the inside was soft and smooth.
I did not need a dipping sauce or anything for this.
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Great to hear and thanks for sharing. 🙂
So far I’ve only made the baked ginger sesame TWICE. I’ve been a non-meat eater since 1976 and this is by far my favorite tofu recipe. I have to force myself to not eat the whole batch. It’s easy to make and works out perfectly using pickled ginger from a jar. I can’t wait to try the others.
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thanks Connie!
Haven’t made it yet but do you really have to cook the ginger sesame tofu twice as long as the others?
You know, yes, the marinade is really wet, so to get those edges crispy, it needs to bake longer. You can check and see it if gets done any earlier?
I’ve never subscribed to a recipe site before, until today.
I discovered your site a while back while looking for some cool veggie recipes, and I bookmarked so many. I’ve yet to be disappointed by a single one.
Then, yesterday, I was looking for some tofu marinades, and I came across this. I didn’t analyze it much; I didn’t even look where the recipes came from; I just threw it together and into the fridge to chill. I came back in the evening to read what the recipe suggested for cooking times, and there was your picture. I was like, “OF COURSE it’s her again. No wonder the marinades taste so good…”
That sesame ginger one is baller. We’ll be trying the Mexican tomorrow.
I can’t wait to try some of the others I’ve saved.
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Thanks Danica, appreciate this!
Hi! Items 9 & 11 in the ingredient list for ginger sesame marinade seems to be missing on the post.
Hi- they weren’t missing just spaced weird! Sorry about that, fixed!
We made the ginger sesame tofu and it turned out well. Do you think you could marinade the tofu after you press it overnight to absorb the flavor of the sauce more?
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Sure!