Baked Crispy Tofu & Peanut Sauce Stir Fry
Posted Sep 21, 2017, Updated Oct 20, 2024
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This baked crispy tofu is an easy, healthy dinner recipe. Tofu and vegetables are roasted and then tossed with a delicious homemade peanut sauce for a nutritious weeknight meal.
I never get tired of Asian-inspired dishes loaded with veggies cooked in bold sauces, like this baked crispy tofu & peanut sauce stir fry! This recipe will make all of your dinner dreams come true!
This Baked Crispy Tofu recipe is easy to make with a few ingredients. It’s healthy and flavorful and delicious.
Baked Crispy Tofu: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Veggies. Substitute your favorite veggies if you wish. Recommendations: baby corn, snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, etc.
- Coconut milk. If you don’t have coconut milk water can be used instead. However, the coconut milk gives the sauce a rich and creamy texture that is SO good! If you are wondering what to do with the extra coconut milk, try this thai slow cooker ground turkey recipe.
- Sesame oil. You can substitute peanut, olive, or canola oil, however, sesame oil adds important flavor.
- Honey. You can use agave or maple syrup.
- Hoisin sauce. There’s really no substitute for hoisin sauce.
How to Make Baked Crispy Tofu
I chose to make this recipe in the oven because roasting the tofu and veggies in the oven creates the perfect crispy tofu.
I love eating tofu but it has to be crispy. When we go out I order it “well done.” That’s why, in this recipe, the tofu is roasted alone before the rest of the vegetables and sauce are added to the pan.
In a small bowl whisk together the peanut sauce ingredients until smooth.
Then, in a small bowl combine the spices for the tofu.
Next, coat the tofu in peanut oil and then add the spices and stir to combine. Spread the seasoned tofu evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
While tofu is baking, put the veggies in a large bowl and toss with remaining peanut oil.
After tofu has baked for a total of 20 minutes, add veggies to the pan and place it back in the oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, stir and add ¼ cup of the peanut sauce to the pan. Stir until the veggies/tofu are evenly coated.
Bake for 10 additional minutes, or until the peanut sauce coats the veggies/tofu, stirring halfway through.
To keep everything crispy, wait to add the sauce until the veggies & tofu are golden-brown. By tossing it in during the last 10 minutes of baking, the peanut sauce has time to thicken up just enough to coat all the ingredients beautifully without making them soggy.
Serve
Serve this this baked tofu warm with noodles like vegetable lo mein, or rice, like the best homemade fried rice!
I also love serving it after some Asian recipes like fresh spring rolls and peanut sauce or asian chicken lettuce wraps.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat in the oven to restore crispiness, or in the microwave.
Baked Crispy Tofu & Peanut Sauce Recipe FAQs
Yes you can opt ot make it in a wok or large fry pan on the stovetop instead. I suggest cooking the tofu until it’s crispy, then set it aside while you cook the veggies and combine it all with the sauce at the very end.
If you struggle with making crispy tofu be sure to drain it and press out the water. I’ll often put it in a colander with a heavy glass measuring cup on top and let it sit for a few hours to press out the water.
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Baked Crispy Tofu & Peanut Sauce Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu (cut into ½” cubes)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 green pepper (cut into thin, 1" strips)
- 1 red pepper (cut into thin, 1" strips)
- 2 cups broccoli (chopped into small pieces)
- ½ onion (finely sliced)
- 3 Tablespoons peanut oil (divided)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Peanut sauce:
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet. Set aside.
Make the Peanut Sauce
- In a small bowl whisk together sauce ingredients until smooth. If your peanut butter is more solid, microwave for 30 seconds to melt it. Set aside.
Tofu and Veggies
- Mix together garlic powder, garlic salt, black pepper onion powder and ginger, set aside.
- Put the tofu in a large bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon peanut oil and stir until all the pieces are coated.
- Add spice mixture and stir until evenly distributed.
- Spread tofu evenly on greased pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- While tofu is baking, put the veggies in a large bowl and toss with remaining peanut oil.
- After tofu has baked for a total of 20 minutes, add veggies to the pan and place it back in the oven for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, stir and add ¼ cup of the peanut sauce to the pan. Stir until the veggies/tofu are evenly coated.
- Bake for 10 additional minutes, or until the peanut sauce coats the veggies/tofu, stirring halfway through.
- Remove from oven and serve warm with remaining peanut sauce.
Video
Notes
- Veggies. Substitute your favorite veggies if you wish. Recommendations: baby corn, snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, etc.
- Coconut milk. If you don’t have coconut milk water can be used instead. However, the coconut milk gives the sauce a rich and creamy texture that is SO good! If you are wondering what to do with the extra coconut milk, try this thai slow cooker ground turkey recipe.
- Sesame oil. You can substitute peanut, olive, or canola oil, however, sesame oil adds important flavor.
- Honey. You can use agave or maple syrup.
- Hoisin sauce. There’s really no substitute for hoisin sauce.
- Peanut oil. Olive oil is a good substitute.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this tonight for dinner – I have been looking for a crispy tofu, not fried, and this is perfect. I did press the extra firm tofu for about 30 minutes in my tofu press. I used fresh, grated ginger instead of powdered and did not use garlic salt, just salt as it seemed there was enough garlic already in the recipe. I combined the spices and oil and then tossed the tofu in it. I used carrots with the broccoli. For the sauce I used Amionos (to cut the salt content) and grated fresh ginger again – the sauce was very good – could use a little heat so next time I will add some red pepper flakes. I served this over soba noodles and my husband loved it as did I!!
I made this week and it was delicious. I didn’t have hoisin sauce so I just omitted it and I used two baking sheets as my sheet wouldn’t fit both tofu and veggies but I combined onto one once, the veggies had cooked a bit before adding the peanut sauce. I served it over some soba noodles. I am not a big fan of tofu when it has a soft consistency but this recipe was great. I didn’t get my tofu quite crispy but it had a nice crust and wasn’t soft at all.
Great recipe! So versatile, as you can just use whate wr veggies are in the fridge. So tasty too, and quick to make.
Any recommendations on what to sub the hoisen for? (For wheat/gluten allergy)
There is gluten-free hoisin sauce (click here) out there!
This is a great recipe and in my regular dinner rotation! It’s perfect for busy weekend nights with an active toddler, and my husband adores the peanut sauce.
Garlic salt and black pepper are listed in the ingredients, but it never says where to use them.
I will fix that! Thank you!
Love peanut sauces and I can’t believe I’ve never tried it with coconut milk! Yum!
I’m curious about the pan you have. May I ask where you get it?
Of course! It’s a vintage Ovenex baking pan with the starburst pattern. I find them at antique stores or on etsy! Just search “ovenex starburst”
Thank you so much! I’ll check it out!
I pinned this one to try later – absolutely LOVE the concept and the flavors. Plus, we do tofu for lunch a lot and I need some new ideas.
These are my favorite types of meals. I like your idea to add in some coconut milk into the peanut sauce I will have to try that. I’d love to have you link for for meatless Monday next week too on my site too