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.
So easy and delicious!!
So glad you loved this recipe, Rachel. Thanks for the review!
This was really good! My sauce was thick and a little difficult to coat the tofu with, but I made it work by smearing on the extra sauce after marinating/before baking the tofu. I love how the exterior gets crisp, plus the red pepper flakes add a nice kick! I served my tofu over a bed of mixed greens with grated carrots, diced red bell pepper, smashed avocado, roasted sweet potatoes and toasted sesame seeds. A ginger sesame tahini drizzle made it a very flavorful, well-rounded salad! Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
You’re so welcome, Elizabeth. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Love this kind of recipe.A new way to make tofu taste good.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for making it, I so appreciate it. 🙂
I just love this tofu! It’s now my favorite tofu recipe and so easy.
Thank you!
I will definitely make this again! I cooked the tofu in my air fryer- my new favorite way to cook it. I served it with roasted broccoli & cauli rice. I made extra of the marinade to toss in with the cauli rice. So, so good.
So glad you enjoyed this peanut tofu, Natalie!! Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
Loved this recipe! Added a little coconut cream and lime. Enjoyed with rice and kale one evening then a salad of bean sprouts, cucumber and scallions with toasted cashews and sesame seeds the next eve. Delicious, will definitely be making again!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kathryn. Thanks for giving it a try and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I’ve never made instant peanut sauce before but this was great, with the additions of garlic powder, tablespoon hoisin sauce and two shots of sesame oil. I could just eat the raw tofu with sauce right now!
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved this sauce. It’s seriously one of my faves!! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Lisa. I so appreciate it. <3
We had this 2 times in the week since you posted. Just can’t get enough! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Ahh!! That’s so awesome, Terrance. So glad to hear you’ve been enjoying this recipe and I appreciate you coming back to leave a comment and star rating on the recipe. It’s super helpful and means the world to me.
Ok, if you need to marinate for at least an hour, the total time is not 45 minutes. Kind of messed up my dinner tonight.
So sorry about that, Kate. Updated the recipe to reflect the marinating time.
hi there! i can’t have peanut butter – it’s so sad…but could i replace with cashew or almond butter?
Yes. Either of those options should work. Let me know if you try the recipe.