EASY Crispy Baked Tofu [Oil-Free!]
For a long time, soy made me nervous. I avoided soy and soy products like tofu. It seemed that I was always hearing that soy was bad news for one reason or another.
But thanks to Dr. Michael Greger and his vast store of unsponsored videos explaining research results in plain English we can all understand, we now know that study after study is confirming that soy is not only on the “not bad” list, it’s actually on the good list.
And my kids can’t get enough of this simple and crispy tofu. Just toss the tofu with three ingredients who in concert work their magic to make tofu that is a beautiful golden brown with a bumpy, crispy exterior.
For many years women who have had breast cancer have been advised to avoid soy products to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer due to the estrogen in soy. But as it turns out, soy actually contains phytoestrogen, which takes on some of estrogen’s positive qualities such as increasing bone health, but none of the bad ones. 1
Kristi Funk, world-renowned breast cancer specialist, was also recommending her patients avoid soy until she did some deep research for her book Breasts: The Owners Manual. She discovered that we have study after study confirming the protective effects of soy, showing that women eating soy products actually experienced a much lower incidence of first time breast cancers and recurrence. 2
Dr. Greger recommends that the only people who need to avoid soy are those who have a true soy allergy. 3He has A LOT of videos explaining all of the health benefits of soy. Check them out!
Soy milk is a delicious alternative to other milks–it’s higher protein content make it thicker and more like dairy milk.
Tofu and other soy products are one thing I try to always buy organic. Soy is one of those crops that is heavily attacked by GMO’s and pesticides, so it’s likely that negative health effects associated with soy may actually due to the chemicals.
I’m lucky enough to be able to get this stuff at my local Costco for under $6 for a 4 pack.
So on to the tofu! To make the tofu crispy, first we need to dry it out. You’ll get the best results if you have a chance to start this early in the day, but it will still work if you only have 15-30 minutes.
Open and drain your tofu in a strainer. Lay out a clean, absorbent dish towel. Slice the tofu into three layers and lay it out on the towel. Then slice the tofu into cubes that about 1 cm across.
Place another clean towel on top and then we need to weigh it down.
While you can buy a tofu press, I like to just weigh it down is to place a baking sheet on top of the tofu, then add some weight. This can be a cast iron pan, several cookbooks, a pot full of water, just use what you have.
Leave this for as much time as you have. When you are ready to make the tofu, preheat the oven to 425. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tofu cubes in a bowl and toss with 2 TBSP soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free).
Now I used to add a little oil at this step which helped to increase the crispiness. You can make the tofu with just the starch as follows, but we all know how a little fat can really increase the flavor.
Knowing that oils, especially heated oils contribute to inflammation and other issues, I’ve been looking for ways to eat less and less. Almond flour has been an excellent way to add the texture and flavor that come from fat in a much less-processed and healthier form than oils.
I tried it here and the results were fantastic.
Combine your starch (cornstarch, arrowroot powder, potato starch, tapioca) with the almond flour, mix well and then toss tofu with mixture.
Spread tofu on prepared pan (avoid having tofu touch for crispiest results) and bake for 20 minutes. Some recipes will advise that you still the tofu, but I find it isn’t necessary and turns out better when I don’t.
While my kids don’t think they need anything with it, I like to cook up stir fry vegetables with pasta or rice, or we most recently had it with an Asian Cabbage Cole Slaw.
It’s totally delicious!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Passive Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 2 14-16 oz packages organic firm or extra-firm tofu
- 2 TBSP TBSP soy sauce or tamari
- 1 ½ TBSP almond flour
- 1 ½ TBSP starch (corn starch tapioca, potato, arrowroot)
Ingredients
|
|
- Drain tofu in a strainer. Cut each block into three layers and lay out on clean, dry towel. Cut into cubes (see images). Top with another clean towel, a baking sheet and some additional pans or books for weight. Press for 30 minutes up to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
- Combine starch and almond flour in a small bowl. Toss tofu with soy sauce in a large bowl, then toss with starch mixture.
- Spread tofu on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. If tofu finishes cooking before remainder of meal is ready, simply turn oven off and leave tofu in oven for up to 30 minutes.