Vegan Sesame Garlic Tofu (Baked)

This Vegan Sesame Garlic Tofu is flavorful and incredibly simple to throw together! Simply bake the tofu, whip together the sauce ingredients, and cook some rice and you've got an easy and delicious weeknight dinner.

The vegan sesame garlic sauce is spicy, yet sweet and savory. It's made up of simple ingredients like soy sauce, lime juice, a hint of maple syrup, and lots of garlic!

The crispy baked tofu gets tossed with vegetables and that garlic sauce then finished with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. Serve the sesame garlic tofu with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli for a filling and tasty dinner.

Main Ingredients

Crispy sesame tofu is one of my go-to weeknight dinners. It contains simple ingredients but is customizable so feel free to get creative and use what you have. Don't have red bell peppers? Don't worry! Add whatever stir fry veggies you have on hand.

• Extra Firm Tofu
• Cornstarch
• Toasted Sesame Oil
• Garlic
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• Lime Juice

Ingredient Notes

This sticky garlicky sesame tofu is flavorful, easy to make, and super customizable!

• Extra Firm Tofu: The vessel that will hold our delicious, sesame sauce! When baked, extra-firm tofu becomes chewy and crispy on the outside.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used to thicken our sauce and to toss on to our tofu to create that crispy exterior.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil is a finishing oil and brings out a lot of flavor!
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce: The base of our sauce is soy sauce- low sodium is preferred. If you're gluten-free, you can use tamari.
• Lime Juice: Fresh is best! Lime juice will add a nice citrus flavor and acidity.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is added to balance the acidity and the salt from the sauce- it's very important!
• Sambal Oelek: This is simply hot chili sauce. You can use sriracha or chili garlic sauce.

Stir Fry Veggie Options

I love using red bell peppers and onions in this crispy sesame tofu recipe but it's super customizable and you can use whatever stir fry veggies that you enjoy!

What other veggies can I use for a stir fry?

• Red Onion
• Green Beans
• Snow Peas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Baby corn
• Mushrooms
• Zucchini
• Asparagus

Substitutions

1. Extra Firm Tofu: This is a tofu dish but you can substitute it with vegan chicken or seitan pieces. I would skip the baking in that case and go with tossing in a little bit of oil in a pan to brown and crisp up.
2. Sauce Ingredients: This sauce is very forgiving. I've made versions similar to this with missing ingredients and always enjoy it. If you don't have liquid sweetener you can use brown sugar or granulated sugar. If you don't have rice vinegar, add more lime.
3. Sambal Oelek: This is simply hot chili sauce. You can use sriracha, red chili flakes and chili garlic sauce.

How to Make This Recipe

Press the extra firm tofu for at least 15- 30 minutes to remove excess water.

Cube the tofu and toss in a bowl with the soy sauce. Stir well and then add the cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Spread on a parchment-lined baking tray and spray or drizzle with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy @ 400F.

Make the sesame garlic sauce: Dice the onion and bell peppers. Add a splash of oil on to a medium-sized pan on medium-high heat and add the onions and peppers. Cook until soft and starting to brown. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Make the sesame garlic sauce by whisking together all the remaining sauce ingredients except for the toasted sesame oil. 

Add the sauce to the pan with the vegetables and cook until the sauce has thickened. Once the sauce is sticky and has thickened- add the baked tofu and sesame oil and toss to combine.

Remove from heat and serve the sesame garlicky tofu over jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Press the tofu! Pressing improves the texture of the tofu and will also help the tofu crisp up in the pan and in the oven. I have a tofu press and highly recommend it but you can make a DIY tofu press by putting the tofu in between two plates and stacking heavy items on top. I almost always have pre- pressed tofu in my fridge so it’s ready to use any time! Simply press tofu and then store in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Tofu Recipes

• Vegan Orange Tofu
• Spicy Gochujang Braised Tofu
• Sweet Chili Tofu
• Sticky Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry

Recipe

Baked Sesame Garlic Tofu

I hardly ever bake tofu simply because pan-frying is faster but baked tofu tastes amazing! When tossed with cornstarch and seasonings it becomes chewy and crispy and so good. This sauce is flavorful and delicious and is made-up of soy sauce, lime juice, a hint of maple syrup, and garlic! The tofu gets tossed with vegetables and the sauce then finished with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. I like to serve my sesame garlic tofu with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. 

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 Servings

Author: Liv King

Ingredients

 

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Baked Tofu: 

• 1 Block of Extra Firm Tofu pressed
• 1 tablespoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
• ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• Pinch of Salt
• Oil for drizzling

Sesame Garlic Sauce:

• ½ cup Red & Green Bell Peppers
• ¼ of a Medium Sweet Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Water
• Juice of ½ a Lime
• 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup or Agave
• 1-2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil

For Serving: 

• Steamed Broccoli
• Jasmine Rice
• Green Onions garnish
• Sesame Seeds garnish

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Press the extra firm tofu for at least 15- 30 minutes to remove excess water. Cube the tofu and toss in a bowl with the soy sauce. Stir well and then add the cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Spread on a parchment lined baking tray and spray or drizzle with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy. 
• Make the sesame garlic sauce: Dice the onion and bell peppers. Add a splash of oil on to a medium sized pan on medium-high heat and add the onions and peppers. Cook until soft and starting to brown. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Make the sesame garlic sauce by whisking together all the remaining sauce ingredients except for the toasted sesame oil. Add the sauce to the pan with the vegetables and cook until the sauce has thickened. Once thickened add the baked tofu and sesame oil and toss to combine. Remove from heat and serve over jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Notes

Read above about the importance of pressing tofu.

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