This 6 ingredient Best Ever Baked Tofu is jam packed with savory & sweet flavor! Learn how to make even tofu haters into lovers with this recipe.
Montana is one of my favorite places in the world. It is the home of snow capped mountains, grazing cattle, and my grandparents christmas tree farm. In Montana see things there like real wild animals, crystal clear rivers, and not a single person for miles.
But most importantly, Missoula, Montana, is home to the recipe that inspired this Best Ever Baked Tofu.
Missoulians got tired of waiting for a Whole Foods type of store to open in their town, so with true Montana spirit, they did it themselves. A group of locals opened the Good Food Store, and man, is it GOOD.
If you ever find yourself lucky enough to walk the isles of this store, you will find gluten-free and vegan donuts, an adorable homewares section, and herbs and every variety of kombucha known to man.
But the true gem of the store can be found tucked behind a glass case in their deli, and it is called Baked Tofu.
[mv_video key=”nqr1w6ch5bipyufbuvul” volume=”70″ aspectRatio=”true” title=”Best Ever Baked Tofu” thumbnail=”https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/nqr1w6ch5bipyufbuvul.jpg” doNotOptimizePlacement=”true” doNotAutoplayNorOptimizePlacement=”false” sticky=”false”]I took the liberty of calling it the Best Ever Baked Tofu in this recipe, because it is the best I’ve ever had.It is sticky with a deeply savory and slightly sweet glaze. Most baked tofus are spongy, but this Best Ever Baked Tofu is long baked to remove the excess moisture which gives the tofu and irresistible chewy texture.
This recipe took me quite a few tries to hit the nail on the head. Lets just say that I have been eating this tofu for years, and am only now sharing it on the blog.
And when I finally got it right, you had better believe that their were happy dances as I pranced around the house with sticky fingers and a slice of half eaten Best Ever Baked Tofu.
Then there were more happy dances when I realized that the recipe required just 6 simple pantry ingredients. Liquid aminos
and maple syrup are the backbone of the marinade, while garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika add depth of flavor.
I tend to eat this tofu straight outta the container every time I open the fridge, but it is great on salad, amazing on sandwiches, and my go-to lunch lately has been packing it into collard wraps.
The moral of the story… you can’t go wrong with Best Ever Baked Tofu.
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Best Ever Baked Tofu
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
This 6 ingredient Best Ever Baked Tofu is jam packed with savory & sweet flavor! Learn how to make even tofu haters into lovers with this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup liquid aminos
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 block extra firm tofu
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients.
- Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch thick squares and submerge them in the marinade. Cover and let marinade overnight in the fridge.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the tofu on the baking tray, with a little space in between them so they aren’t touching. Reserve the marinade. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- While the tofu is baking, take the reserved marinade and heat it in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by two thirds. The marinade will be thick and syrupy.
- Once the tofu has baked for 30 minutes, baste the top and sides of the tofu with the reduced sauce. Flip the tofu and baste the other side. Return the tofu to the oven and bake for another hour, basting and flipping the tofu every thirty minutes. Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
- Calories: 115
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 646mg
- Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Protein: 3g
Keywords: gluten-free, grain-free, oil-free, vegan
Wow this looks and sounds amazing! Adding it to my list to try for sure.
Thanks Julie! I hope you LOVE!
I’m not sure what happened, but this did not tun out well for me. I followed the instructions to the letter, but the tofu turned out hard and burnt. Because this was a long bake, I used a reliable oven thermometer to make sure the oven didn’t go above 300 F. 2 hours later, after flipping and glazing every 30 minutes, the glaze was almost black, quite burnt on the edges, and the tofu slices were so hard around the edges you could barely cut or bite through them. The middle part of each piece wasn’t bad. The texture was chewy in the middle, but the burnt flavour of the glaze and the hard edges of the tofu made this a fail. Not sure how yours turned out so well. I was very careful with the oven temperature and time, as well as the other instructions. I wanted to take these out early because they seemed to be overdone well before the 2 hour point, but based on a response to another commenter concerned about a similar thing, I kept them in for the full amount of time. I should have followed my instinct.
OMG, I already love it and I haven’t even made it yet. I love baked tofu but this one looks like a stellar specimen of culinary delight!
So glad you like it! It is one of my absolute favorites! I have a batch in the fridge at all times.
Your “cook time” says 120 minutes but your instructions say bake 30min then baste and bake another 1 hour. That’s 90 minutes of cook time. Which one do we use?
Follow the cook time in the instructions, 90 minutes. Updating the “cook time” to match!
I need to make this !!!! NOW!
The recipe isn’t showing me directions- just ingredients :( I tried to open your page in another browser with no luck! HELP!
★★★★★
Hi Natalia, I suppose the instructions would be helpful ;). I am not sure why they weren’t showing for a while, but the problem is fixed and the instructions are up! Hope you love this recipe! It is one of my faves!
Yes, I see them now!! Wonderful- thank you so much!! I have NO doubt that this will become one of my favorites too. Thank you for sharing! :)
You’re welcome! When you make it, let me know how it goes!
What is liquid amino? Would love to give it a try!
Hi Jane! Liquid aminos is my favorite gluten-free soy sauce substitute. It is a bit less processed than regular gluren-free tamari. It is a little less salty and has more flavor, in my opinion. If you have soy sauce or tamari on hand, they make great substitutes for the liquid aminos in this recipe! Just reduce either by 2 tablespoons and replace that with water, as they are a bit saltier and we want to mellow that out a bit. If you are in the market for a new soy sauce-like addition to your cupboards, I highly recommend liquid aminos :) I buy mine from Amazon, and there is a link to it in this post! Just click on the link that is titled “liquid aminos” in the 10th paragraph. Happy cooking!
I’m not a huge fan of tofu, even though I’m vegan, but I’ll definitely be trying this. Looks like it has a lot more flavor than your average tofu dishes.
Thanks!! Lovely photos too.
Thanks Michelle! I hope you love it!
Do you have to press the tofu before putting it in the marinade?
Hi Ann! I usually use High Protein Tofu, which doesn’t need to be pressed before marinading. If your tofu is pretty soft and wet, I would press it before so that more of the marinade can soak in :)
2 hours cooking time in total? isnt that abundant for 1/2 inch pieces? they would shrivel up to nothing, or? will you please confirm this for me? surely its 1/2 hour and then another 1/2 hour? thank you for your time!! :-)
★★★★
The cooking time is correct. The tofu needs a lot of time to loose its excess water. The end result is well worth it!
I’ll be making this tomorrow – thank you for sharing the recipe! One question though, do you press the water out of the tofu before marinating?
Hi Franci! I am excited to hear how the recipe goes tomorrow! If you are able to find “high protein tofu” at your grocery store, then you won’t need to press the water out. This usually comes in a vacuum sealed bag, instead of the normal sealed plastic tray, and is in the same refrigerated section as regular tofu. If you can’t find this type of tofu in your store, then regular extra firm tofu will work, but I do recommend pressing the water out before. Happy cooking!
I am eager to try this, but my husband and I are new to tofu…. I see that you have this listed as a side dish. What do you suggest serving it with? Rice? Or is it intended to be more of a snack? Thanks!
Hi Erica! So glad you are going to give it a try! I love having it with rice and veggies, like you suggested. I also treat it as “meat” and eat it in sandwiches and wraps, on salads (like this one, which uses the tofu from this recipe), and even as a snack too :) Oh! And it would be amazing on this Avocado BLT Toast recipe instead of the tempeh! Happy cooking!
Hi Laurel. Can’t wait to make this! I’m curious as to if this re-heats well. Can I make it ahead of time? If so, how would you recommend re-heating so it doesn’t dry out or become rubbery?
Thank you!
Hi Becky! This is one of my favorite recipes and I can’t wait for you to try it! I have made this a zillion times, but have actually never reheated the tofu. I store it in the fridge and use it cold in wraps, salads, (like this one!) or bowls throughout the week – so it does keep very well, but I can’t vouch for how it reheats. Though I wouldn’t call it rubbery, the tofu does become quite chewy and firm – more so than most store bought baked tofu brands. If you are looking for a softer texture, you can bake the tofu for less time. I would recommend checking it each time you baste it to find your ideal texture. Happy cooking!
How would it be if I used firm tofu instead of extra firm tofu? Would I need to alternate the cooking time?
Hi Alissa! While extra firm tofu is best, I think firm tofu should work! I wouldn’t alter the cooking time since a longer cook would cause the glaze to burn on the tofu. The end result might be a bit softer but still delicious. Happy cooking!
The video said 350’ but the directions said 300’
Hi Sue, sorry for the confusion! 300 is correct.
Hi Laurel. I am already in love with this recipe and I haven’t even made it yet. Looking forward to cold sandwiches and lovely chunks in salads. Thank you so much!
Hi Kay! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipe :)
It looks as if it might be overly sweet! But I love tofu (not fond of sweetness though)…so I will give it a try before passing judgement. I will say, I’ve never seen a recipe like this one before, so for the uniqueness alone it deserves a go!
The light gray print on your page and on the printed recipe is hard to read.
Hi Deborah, thank you for the feedback. We will definitely look into the problem :)
What’s is nutrition breakdown
Hi Isabella, I just updated the recipe to include nutrition facts :)
Do you need to press the tofu before you marinate it?
Hi Leah! If you can find super firm or high protein tofu at your local market (I usually grab mine at Trader Joe’s!) then theres no need to press it before marinading. If you are using extra firm tofu, I would give it a press :)
Made this last night….just pressed the extra firm tofu to get the water out. It turned out great and so yummy…thx!
★★★★★
Can I use the leftover marinade for something else? This turns out great every time I make it! Thanks
Hi Erin, Absolutely! If you simmer it on the stove for a few minutes to reduce the water content, you could use it in stir fry, fried rice, or any similar preparation. So glad to hear the tofu is turning out :)