Easy Oven Baked Tofu • The Healthy Foodie

Think you’re not a fan of tofu? Boy, have I got just the thing to change your mind… This Easy Oven Baked Tofu is so crazy yummy, tasty and addictive, you’ll soon find yourself popping it like potato chips!

When I first made this Oven Baked Tofu, my son — who was a teenager at the time — was still living at home and, well, just as pretty much any other reluctant growing boy — I guess — he was not exactly what one could call a fan of tofu.

But I remember the day I’d initially posted this recipe, he almost wolfed down the entire batch before I’d even had a chance to take pictures… or even bake it, for that matter!

I was standing in the kitchen, laying the marinated tofu cubes on a baking sheet, getting ready to put them in the oven, when he walked up to me and asked:– “What’s that?”

Before I even had a chance to answer, “THAT is tofu”, in an almost scandalized voice, as if he was going to get poisoned if he dared touch it, he had already wolfed down a piece and was grabbing a second one, followed by a third…

And then he said:– “Wow, it’s really good!” and walked away.

Whoa… wait a minute. Really good? This was TOFU he just ate, raw tofu! And he said, it’s really good? I couldn’t believe my ears!

But wait, there’s more… 40 minutes later, when I finally took the now baked tofu out of the oven, my son SPECIFICALLY returned to the kitchen to grab a couple of pieces and walked away, once again, telling me how really good he thought this baked tofu was.

I was speechless. SHOCKED! I just couldn’t believe it.

So one of two things, people: either there is genuinely something wrong with my son, or this baked tofu is seriously good s… tuff!

I think it’s the latter, honestly!

But really, don’t take my word for it… Try it for yourself!

You can eat it right as it comes out of the oven, or you could choose to have it at room temperature. Heck, you can even eat it cold! And you know what? You don’t even need to cook it, really. It’s super good even before it hits the oven. Hey, even my son said so! 😉

Just one word of advice, though: if you’re going to make this, I think that you should totally double the recipe. Or maybe even triple it…

It just goes down way too fast!

Start by removing the tofu from its packaging, then drain and press it for about 1 hour to release excess liquid, and then pat it dry with a clean towel or paper towel.

Now, if you didn’t happen to own a tofu press, don’t go running to the store just to get one… You can very quickly set up a little rig that’ll work just as good:

Once the tofu is good and pressed, preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then, cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and, in a medium sized bowl, combine the tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated ginger, minced garlic and sriracha; stir to combine.

Add the cubed tofu to the bowl and stir delicately until all the cubes are completely and evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for at least 5 minutes. You could also do this the previous day and let your tofu marinate overnight; just don’t go preheating your oven right now, if you’re gonna do that…

Arrange the cubes of tofu in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave ample room between each cube for air to circulate. Just try not to eat it all now… it’s worth trying it baked too, you know!

Oh, and whatever you do, do not discard that leftover marinade: it makes for an amazing dipping sauce!

Now bake the tofu in your preheated oven for 40 minutes, flipping the cubes once halfway through, until it becomes all nice and beautifully golden brown.

Let the baked tofu cool for about 5 minutes in the pan — try not to eat it all during that time; it might be best to keep the kids out of the kitchen! — then serve it with that leftover marinade as a dipping sauce, garnished with a handful of chopped cilantro and a few sesame seeds, if you so desire.

That’s IF you still have any left to serve by now…

*Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January of 2012 and has since been completely revamped and updated with better pictures. A few minor modifications to the original recipe may also have been made.