This spicy crispy tofu recipe is bold and delicious. It features perfectly golden tofu bites tossed with vibrant veggies and served over fresh, twirly zucchini noodles.
This dish is plant-based, packed with flavor, and ready to spice up your dinner game!
So add this vegan bowl to your weekly rotation. You won’t regret it.
This spicy crispy tofu is inspired by my Szechuan tofu, but with its own unique flavour.
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Ingredients + Substitutions
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this delicious spicy crispy tofu recipe.
- Tofu: Use extra firm, and press it to remove excess liquid. This will maximize the crispiness. You don’t need a fancy press, just follow my quick press method in the recipe card below.
- Soy sauce: Use low-sodium soy sauce or low-sodium Tamari for gluten-free. You can always add more salt if needed, but since we’re using a fair bit of soy sauce, it’s best to use low-sodium.
- Rice vinegar: Adds tang and flavour to the sticky marinade. You may substitute with apple cider vinegar if you don’t have any rice vinegar on hand.
- Hot sauce: Adds heat without overpowering the dish. I like Frank’s Red Hot or sriracha.
- Sugar: This time I’m using organic cane sugar. You may use any other sweetener you’d like.
- Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes add flavour and spiciness to the dish.
- Corn starch: To get a crispy outer layer on the tofu chunks and thicken the spicy sauce. You may also use brown rice flour.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Toss the pressed tofu chunks with the soy sauce and hot sauce.
Then add the onion powder and corn starch and gently mix.
Arrange the cubes in a single layer on your tray and bake.
Remove your crispy baked tofu from the oven.
Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a pan and simmer.
Then add the tofu chunks to the pan and stir to coat the pieces.
Serve your spicy crispy tofu with potatoes, vegetables and/or grains you’d like.
Then garnish with herbs, sesame seeds, chilis, or hot sauce.
Variations
Here are some fun ways to change up this dish.
- Spicy chickpeas: Use the same marinade with 3 cups of canned or cooked chickpeas.
- Spicy soy curls: Rehydrate approx. 4 ounces of soy curls in broth and then pan fry with the marinade for 5-8 minutes.
- Orange tofu: Use the same method to bake the tofu, but change the sauce to this delicious orange sauce.
- Sweet + sour: Use the same method to bake the tofu, but change the sauce to this sweet and sour sauce.
Or check out this super CRISPY tofu you can make in your air fryer.
Storage
Your spicy crispy tofu tastes best when freshly made. It will lose some of its crispiness as it sits in the sauce. Plan to enjoy it straight away.
If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat on the stovetop. Add a splash of water to the pan to loosen the sauce.
Expert Tips
- Arrange the cubes of tofu in a single layer with space between each piece. They shouldn’t touch each other on the baking tray in order to get the maximum crisp level.
- If you don’t have a convection oven, it may take an extra few minutes to get your tofu crispy. Bake until the desired crispiness level is reached.
- For best texture, plan to enjoy this dish immediately. The longer it sits in the sauce, it will lose some of its crispy exterior.
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Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
For the crispy tofu
- 12 ounces (350 grams) extra firm tofu GMO-free if possible
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or Tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce I like Frank's or sriracha
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
For the spicy sauce
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce or Tamari for gluten-free
- ¼ cup cane sugar or sugar of choice
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce I like Frank's or sriracha
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For serving
- zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, brown rice, quinoa, or barley
- veggies of your choice I'm using broccoli and grape tomatoes
- garnish with sesame seeds, chilves, green onion, cilantro and/or red pepper flakes
Instructions
Press the tofu
- Cut your tofu into half-inch cubes. Then arrange some paper towels or a clean dish towel on a cutting board and place the tofu cubes in a single layer on top. Now add more paper towels on top of the cubes and place another cutting board, flat plate, or baking sheet on top. Finally, place something very heavy on top like a cast-iron skillet or a heavy book. Press like this for 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
For the tofu
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C convection bake and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the pressed tofu cubes to a mixing bowl and gently toss with the soy sauce and hot sauce. Then add the onion powder and cornstarch and gently mix.
- Arrange the coated tofu cubes in a single layer on your baking sheet, leaving space between each piece. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes.NOTE: If you do not have a convection oven, it may take a little longer to reach desired crispiness.
For the sauce
- While the tofu is baking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a shallow pan, whisk until combined and simmer over medium-high heat until thickened, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add the baked crispy tofu to the pan with the marinade and stir to coat.
- Serve with grains, veggies, and garnishes of your choice.
Notes
- Arrange the cubes of tofu in a single layer with space between each piece. They shouldn’t touch each other on the baking tray in order to get the maximum crisp level.
- If you don’t have a convection oven, it may take a few extra minutes for the tofu to get crispy. Bake until the desired crispiness level is reached.
- For best texture, plan to enjoy this dish immediately. The longer it sits in the sauce, it will lose some of its crispy exterior.
Cathy says
Making this recipe tonight. It sounds wonderful. Was wondering where the high sodium number comes from? Is it the soy sauce? Thank you.😁
Rosa says
Yes, it’s the soy sauce. Enjoy 🙂