Baked Peanut Tofu
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Published Sep 30, 2019, Updated Apr 05, 2023
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This baked peanut tofu is marinated in a delicious peanut sauce that gives the tofu an amazing flavor and crispy coating. Just pair it with rice and a veggie side for a full meal!
If you’ve been an Eating Bird Food reader for awhile, you know I’ve been on a food journey over the last few years. I used to be pescatarian and now I’ve expanded to a balanced, whole foods approach. I eat meat (organic and sourced sustainability) but I still love my plant based meals! This is a great recipe whether you’re a tofu lover or are just thinking about incorporating Meatless Monday into your week.
I’m always looking for new ways to make tofu and given my love for peanuts, this baked peanut tofu was bound to happen! We’re basically just coating tofu in a delicious peanut sauce and baking it until it’s golden brown and crisp.
Ingredients in the Peanut Sauce
- peanut butter – obviously, gotta have peanut butter if you’re making a peanut sauce
- tamari – I like to use low-sodium tamari. And if you’re not familiar, tamari is essentially just soy sauce without wheat so it’s gluten-free.
- rice vinegar
- miso paste
- red pepper flakes
This peanut sauce is so versatile. I’ve used it on a variety of proteins and veggies and it’s been delicious every time!
How to Make Baked Peanut Tofu
You’ll want to leave a little time to prep this meal so the flavors can marinate into the tofu! Mix it up in the morning and have a delicious dinner waiting for you at the end of the day. 🙂
Start by pressing your tofu. Drain out all of the liquid from the extra-firm tofu package and then use a tofu press OR wrap the tofu “bricks” in paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place on a flat surface and top with some heavy items to press the excess water out! I like to use a cast iron skillet, canned goods or heavy cookbooks.
While your tofu is being pressed, mix the sauce together until well blended. Cube your tofu, pour the sauce over and stir to cover all of the pieces. Cover your container of tofu and sauce and let the mixture marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. I like to marinate mine for about 5-6 hours or even overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF and bake the tofu on a non-stick pan for 30-40 minutes or until tofu is nice and crispy and golden brown.
The tofu comes out of the oven looking like chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A (one of my favorite foods growing up) and has an amazing texture and peanuty taste. This might be my new go-to tofu recipe! It’s delicious served over brown rice, white rice or rice noodles with a veggie on the side. I like it with kale (this garlicky kale would be perfect) or roasted broccoli. Or you can try it in these asian noodle bowls!
Other Tofu Recipes you Might Enjoy:
Baked Peanut Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz package of extra-firm tofu, pressed to remove liquid
- to serve: rice of choice and veggies
Peanut Sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/8 cup hot water
- 1 Tablespoon tamari, or soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon miso paste
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, add more for more spice
Instructions
- Once tofu has been pressed, chop into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Add peanut butter, water, tamari, rice vinegar, miso paste and red pepper flakes into a bowl and whisk until smooth. You can also use a blender for this.
- Pour the sauce over the tofu cubes and toss to cover all the pieces. Marinate the tofu in peanut sauce and place in a covered container in the fridge for at least an hour. I marinated mine for about 5-6 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place marinated tofu on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping once around the 15 minute mark. Remove from oven and serve tofu with sides of choice. I like to serve it with rice and some sort of veggie. I also like adding a little Sriracha on top for extra heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this tofu recipe so much! It is in regular rotation at our house. Sometimes I set the tofu up to marinate the night before so I know all I have to do for dinner is make some rice and roast some veggies. This peanut butter coating is delicious. Thanks for making tofu taste better 🙂
So glad this recipe has been a hit! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it, Brandi.
I wonder when I can get myself together to try new recipes like this and spice up my food life.
Let me know if you try it 🙂
This recipe rules, and so do you Brittany! Thanks for making my life better with this recipe! I use your tofu as the protein in a baby spinach salad I make, to which I also add some chopped mini bell peppers and diced avocado and then I dress it with a little bit of Island Soyaki sauce I get from Trader Joe’s! The way the peanut sauce mixes with the avocado and that soyaki is divine. I’ve been making it once a week for over a month now, and I can’t imagine I’ll stop making it anytime soon!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Tyler! Thanks for the review, I so appreciate it!
I added these to a lentil/cauliflower/parsnip pasta. DELICIOUS!
Woo!! I’m so glad this tofu was a hit. Thanks so much for the review!!
Was surprised at how good the tasted. Only marinated an hour but super yummy and rave reviews from non vegetarian friends.
Oh yay! I’m so happy to hear this baked peanut tofu was a hit, Lucinda! Thanks for the review and star rating. It means so much to me!
Made this today and it was awful. Super bummed. The tofu had no flavor despite draining water properly for 30 minutes and marinating in fridge for 5 hours. Sauce was too thick to let the marinade absorb so it had no flavor (I even threw in a bit of extra water to thin it down because it was so thick), and wasn’t crispy out of the oven.
Hi Tanya – I am so sorry that this recipe did not turn out how expected. Did you also press the tofu? I like to use a tofu press OR wrap the tofu “bricks” in paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. I will often place on a flat surface and top with some heavy items to press out any excess water. The additional water in the tofu will cause it to come out soggy. Also, was the water hot? This will help to liquify the peanut butter and miso paste to help make the sauce more runny. If you happen to try this recipe again with these tips, I would love to hear how it works out for you!
Has anyone tried this with almond butter instead of PB? I can’t eat PB, but was thinking it might work with AB.
I haven’t tried it, but Almond Butter should work great, Janet. Let me know if you give this recipe a try. Enjoy!
Would this work for chicken?
Sure! The marinade will work great for chicken. You will most likely have to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the chicken. Let me know how it turns out, enjoy!