This easy baked tofu is marinated overnight in a simple sweet-savoury marinade to allow the tofu to absorb all those flavours before being baked. The tofu is sliced halfway through in a criss-cross pattern to allow the sauces to seep through the cuts. You can enjoy with a salad, in wraps, with rice, noodles, or even as-is! This tofu is super versatile and pairs well with other dishes.
This easy baked tofu is also another easy prep-and-forget recipe. What I love about prepare and forget recipes is well, you can prepare everything and forget about it while you leave it in your oven or air-fryer to cook!
WHAT’S THE BEST KIND OF TOFU?
For best results and easiest handling, I recommend to use firm or extra firm tofu. Firm and extra firm tofu holds up very well and with each slice you can puncture each piece with a form without worrying about the tofu breaking apart. I also love firm and extra firm tofu for ‘meaty’ tofu that’s very satisfying and filling to enjoy.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRM AND SILKEN TOFU?
The difference lies in the firmness of the tofu. Silken to soft tofu, like its name, is very silky like pudding. I love it in recipes like mayo tofu or as a cold silken tofu dish but I do not recommend silken tofu for this recipe because it doesn’t absorb sauces very well and is more for texture.
👝 WHERE CAN I BUY FIRM OR EXTRA FIRM TOFU?
You can check your local grocery or Asian store for tofu. I get mine either from a Korean grocery or from a local tofu shop that makes tofu fresh everyday!
✨ HOW DO YOU STORE TOFU?
You can leave yours in the same packaging it came with but I prefer to remove mine and place it in an air-tight container and submerge it in water. From there I replace the water every 2 days or so. Check out my tips on how to store tofu!
🌿 INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
TOFU
- firm or extra firm tofu
MARINADE
- soy sauce
- sugar
- vinegar, I used rice vinegar
- sesame oil
- minced garlic
- vegetarian oyster sauce or stir-fry sauce
- Chinese five spice powder
- chili sauce if you want some spice
The full detailed recipe is in the card below 🙂
👩🏻🍳 PREPARING THE EXTRA FIRM TOFU
Press the tofu to drain out any excess water. I like to press mine by wrapping it in a towel and placing a few heavy chopping boards on top.
🥣 MIX THE MARINADE
Meanwhile, prepare the marinade while mixing it together in a bowl. Taste the marinade and feel free to adjust it according to your desired taste.
✨SLICE HALFWAY THROUGH THE TOFU
- Once the tofu has been drained and pressed, place it on a chopping board. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal lines halfway through the tofu. Be careful not to cut all the way through so the tofu stays intact. Repeat this in another direction until you have a criss-cross pattern on your tofu.
- Prepare a container enough to fit your block of tofu. If you plan to bake yours in the same dish, you can use a oven-safe container with a lid.
- I placed a long sheet of parchment paper over the container before placing the tofu so I could easily remove the tofu after marinating.
LEAVE YOUR TOFU TO MARINATE OVERNIGHT FOR BEST RESULTS
- In the container, place your block of tofu. Pour over the marinade and scoop some from the sides to place over the cuts.
- Cover the container and leave the tofu to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, remove the tofu from the container unless you’re baking it in the dish.
BAKE OR AIR-FRY YOUR MARINATED TOFU
- For air-frying, I lined my air-fryer basket with parchment paper so the liquids don’t seep through the basket holes (mine has a metal layer before the actual base/floor of the basket).
- Place the tofu on the air-fryer and scoop the leftover marinate to pour over the tofu.
- Allow to air-fry for 15-18 minutes or more at 180C/350F or until the top of the tofu is browned and slightly charred from the sugars in the marinade.
- Don’t discard the marinade since you can brush or scoop this over the cooked tofu for extra sauce and juiciness.
- Serve and enjoy hot! You can also enjoy this cold if desired.
- For baking steps, please see the recipe card below.
🍴HOW TO ENJOY THIS EASY BAKED TOFU
You can enjoy this as-is You can enjoy with a salad, in wraps, with rice, noodles, or even as-is! This tofu is super versatile and pairs well with other dishes.
LOOKING FOR MORE TOFU RECIPES?
CHECK OUT MY OTHER VEGAN TOFU RECIPES:
- Baked Peanut and Lime Tofu
- Kung Pao Tofu
- Pineapple Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry
- Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
- Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
- Tofu “Chicken” Teriyaki
- Korean Spicy Braised Tofu
- Fried ‘Chicken’ and Gravy
- Tofu Katsu
- Nori-Wrapped Tofu in Spicy Sauce
- Maple Hoisin Tofu
Easy Baked Tofu
Equipment
- Air-Fryer
- Oven
Ingredients
TOFU
- 19.5 oz firm or extra firm tofu
MARINADE
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp sugar , adjust to desired sweetness
- 1 tbsp vinegar , I used rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or stir-fry sauce
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder , see notes
- Chili sauce if you want some spice
Instructions
- You can watch the video to see how to make this.
- Press the tofu to drain out any excess water. I like to press mine by wrapping it in a towel and placing a few heavy chopping boards on top.
- Meanwhile, prepare the marinade by mixing it together in a bowl. Taste the marinade and feel free to adjust it according to your desired taste.
- Once the tofu has been drained and pressed, place it on a chopping board. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal lines halfway through the tofu. Be careful not to cut all the way through so the tofu stays intact. Repeat this in another direction until you have a criss-cross pattern on your tofu.
- Prepare a container enough to fit your block of tofu. If you plan to bake yours in the same dish, you can use a oven-safe container with a lid.
- I placed a long sheet of parchment paper over the container before placing the tofu so I could easily remove the tofu after marinating.
- In the container, place your block of tofu. Pour over the marinade and scoop some from the sides to place over the cuts.
- Cover the container and leave the tofu to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, remove the tofu from the container unless you’re baking it in the dish.
BAKING THE TOFU
- If baking in the dish, be sure to allow the glass/baking dish or container to come to room temperature first before placing it in an oven/air-fryer. This is to avoid thermal shock since some glass containers can’t withstand sudden changes in temperature.
- Place the whole tofu dish in your oven OR remove the tofu from the container and transfer it on your baking tray.
- Scoop some of the leftover marinade over the tofu and leave to bake for 30-35 minutes at 180C/350F or until the top of the tofu is browned and slightly charred from the sugars in the marinade.
- Don’t discard the marinade since you can brush or scoop this over the cooked tofu for extra sauce and juiciness.
- Serve and enjoy hot! You can also enjoy this cold if desired.
AIR-FRYING THE TOFU
- For air-frying, I lined my air-fryer basket with parchment paper so the liquids don’t seep through the basket holes (mine has a metal layer before the actual base/floor of the basket).
- Place the tofu on the air-fryer and scoop the leftover marinate to pour over the tofu.
- Allow to air-fry for 15-18 minutes or more at 180C/350F or until the top of the tofu is browned and slightly charred from the sugars in the marinade.
- Don’t discard the marinade since you can brush or scoop this over the cooked tofu for extra sauce and juiciness.
- Serve and enjoy hot! You can also enjoy this cold if desired.
WATCH Video
Notes
CHINESE 5 SPICE POWDER
- If you can get 5 spice powder from your local Asian store or even online, I highly recommend you do because it’s super versatile and great in many different recipes.
If you currently don’t have any, you can substitute this by adding a pinch of white pepper and cinnamon.
WANT SOME SPICE?
- You can add some chilli sauce or chili oil to your marinade! You can also check check out my homemade chili oil recipe here.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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This Post Has 30 Comments
This was easy and delicious. Love the presentaton.
Yay glad you liked it Lisa! ◡̈
Can I leave it to marinate longer than overnight? 🙂
Yes! I actually left mine to marinate overnight. Tastes even better ◡̈
Tried it, loved it! Really easy and tasty. This is one recipe that I will do again and again.
Yay so happy you liked it! Thanks so much!! ◡̈
Will be a new staple! So easy and so delicious I couldn’t wait to eat my leftovers. Thanks for the recipe!!
Yaaay! Thank you Andie! ◡̈
Ok, I made this one day when I was lazy, not expecting a lot, but it is the BOMB. Holy f, best tofu I’ve ever prepared. I only let it marinate for an hour or so and it was still fantastic. Thank you for the recipe.
Yaaay so so happy you like it, Natalia! ❤️
I added a bit of gochujang yesterday and jesus christ…. such a good recipe!
Thanks Natalia, hope you liked the tofu! ◡̈
I made this several times already and this is the only baked Tofu recipe j make. So delicious!!!
Yaaay, thank you Galit! ◡̈
This was an easy recipe and so yummy!
Thanks Kathy! ◡̈
This is so delicious! My family and I were super impressed. I only marinaded for about 5-6 hours in preparation for dinner and still found it very flavorful.
Excited to make this more often and try it out with rice.
Hey Kara, glad it turned out great even with just a few hours of marinating. Thanks for giving it a try!! ◡̈
Excellent recipe, so easy and delicious! Minor modifications but still came out fantastic (did not add sugar, did add 1 tsp Sriracha and used regular oyster sauce). I sliced tofu through completely and just marinated for 2 hours prior to baking and still came out fantastic. Will be making again!
Hey Kim! Glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adjustments ◡̈
AMAZINF
YAY! Thank you Danielle 🙂
If you bake in the over for 30-35 minute, how long do you air fry it? and at what temperature?
If you bake in the over for 30-35 minute, how long do you air fry it? and at what temperature?
Hi! You can bake it for around 30 minutes or more at 180C/350F 🙂
If air-frying, around 15-18 minutes or more at 180C/350F too!
I think air frying for 15 minutes is perfect. (I overcooked it once, so I learned it’s best to avoid that.) Marinating overnight maximized the delicious flavor. This is a great main course with black rice and veges.
Hey Bonnie! Thanks so much for leaving a review and trying this recipe 🙂 really appreciate it!!
Tasty tofu and super easy to put together and prepare. Minimal effort maximum flavor. Thanks!
Thank you Fei! 🙂