Crispy Baked Tofu with Nutritional Yeast

Crunchy outside, satisfyingly chewy inside, this savoury, crispy oven-baked tofu is going to be your new back pocket protein! So easy (no need to press the tofu!) and goes with any meal or sauce.

baked tofu cubes — Crispy, crunchy outside…chewy inside…this easy baked tofu is the perfect back pocket plant protein!

I LOVE tofu! I love grilled tofu skewers. I love it crumbled into tofu tacos. And I definitely love it baked until it’s crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside…which is also one of the ways my kids like it best (YAY!)

And the dietitian in me also loves that tofu is so high in protein and bone-building calcium: a half package of extra firm tofu is about 30 grams of protein, plus 150mg of calcium.

What I don’t love? Premeditated cooking…which is why I never press my tofu. And I kind of don’t understand why almost every single baked tofu recipe recommends pressing?

You can absolutely make crispy baked tofu without pressing it…as long as you’re using the right kind of tofu and baking until that crispy, crunchy exterior forms. Might be a few minutes longer, but heck, you saved all that time on pressing and the oven is hands off anyways.

Because there is nothing better than being able to prep a bunch of protein-rich tofu in like 5 minutes flat and let the oven do all the work. I’ve seasoned this crispy, crunchy tofu with nutritional yeast (which also adds B vitamins!), garlic powder, salt and pepper so it has this awesome, umami-spiked savouriness but the flavour is still versatile enough to go with any meal you’re planning.

This is a great (naturally gluten free) recipe for weekend meal prep, so you always have a protein on hand to add to meals. It’s my go-to when I’m making a simple weeknight meal of rice, veg and sauce (especially peanut sauce) as the protein main.

Psst…if tofu roasted with Buffalo style sauce, or swimming in a sea of Thai red curry sounds good to you too, maybe pick up a copy of my latest plant-based cookbook, Plant Magic!

How to make this 4 Ingredient crispy baked tofu: blot, cut, toss and bake!

All you need to make this epic crispy baked tofu is, well, tofu, cornstarch, garlic powder and nutritional yeast…plus oil, salt and pepper. Those are a given! And you need to start with the right tofu: for a crispy outside and chewy inside, you need extra-firm or super-firm tofu. Medium or firm contains too much moisture to get that texture just right.

tofu, nutritional yeast, oil in bowls — Low FODMAP? Skip the garlic powder. Prefer potato starch to corn starch? No prob!

Blot: Next, quickly blot any excess surface moisture: extra-firm tofu doesn’t need to be pressed…the little bit of moisture it contains will help the inside stay chewy, as opposed to dry. Instead, just blot excess surface liquid by wrapping in paper towel or a clean kitchen towel and giving it a quick squeeze all over.
Cut: If you want the best ratio of crunch to chew, you’ve got two options: you can either cut the tofu into small (½ inch) cubes or tear it into chunks. Tearing it will produce all these little craggy bits and edges for even more surface area and crispiness, but cutting into small cubes still produces a high surface to inside ratio and is much easier and faster.

cutting tofu into cubes — Smaller cubes create a better surface area for crisping..but tearing works too!

hand pouring oil over tofu — Smaller cubes create a better surface area for crisping..but tearing works too!

Toss: For prep, all you do is toss it with just a bit of oil, then mix together the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder and black pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly over the tofu. Toss with your hands until the tofu is well coated, with few dry spots – this helps hydrate the cornstarch and reduce the starchy taste.
Bake: Another secret to crispy tofu…don’t crowd it on the baking sheet! Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet so the tofu has plenty of air circulation, which will help reduce moisture and increase crispness. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, flip and bake for another 10-20 minutes until the tofu is golden brown and crisp at the edges (time depends on the size of the pieces and moisture content of your tofu). Be patient! Those extra few minutes are worth it.

hand shaking cornstarch over tofu — I like to mix the dry ingredients first to avoid clumping, but you can skip and go straight to the sprinkle!

tofu cubes on baking sheet — I like to mix the dry ingredients first to avoid clumping, but you can skip and go straight to the sprinkle!

crispy baked tofu on baking sheet — Bake until golden brown and crispy…this is about 30 minutes total for me.

More delicious (and easy!) tofu recipes

Oven-baked Black Bean Tofu
Tangy Marinated Tofu Feta with Nutritional Yeast
Spinach + (vegan!) Feta Tofu Scramble
Vegan Mac and Cheese with Silken Tofu Sauce