Easy and healthy sesame tofu recipe, air fry or bake it before coating in an oil free sticky garlic ginger sesame sauce. Crispy golden around the edges using maple syrup instead of honey, gluten free and vegan!
Crispy saucy tofu and steamed broccoli – the perfect weeknight meal!
How to Make Sesame Tofu:
- Start with firm or extra firm tofu, remove from the package and drain the water.
- Press Tofu: place the drained tofu block on a lint free kitchen towel, fold the sides over and cover with another towel. Place a heavy object on top like an enameled cast iron pot or something that is easy to balance. Allow to press for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Once pressed tear the tofu into bite size pieces and toss with tapioca or corn starch.
- Air fry or bake until golden crips around the edges following the instructions in the recipe card.
The Sesame Sauce:
Simply whisk together tamari with water, vinegar, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds. Balance with a drizzle of maple syrup for both taste and stickiness. Thicken as it simmers for a quick minute with tapioca or cornstarch. How easy is that ?!
What to Serve With:
- steamed broccoli or green beans
- sauteed spinach or bok choy
- peanut noodles
- stir fried veggies & brown rice
- olive oil mashed potatoes
- pineapple fried rice
- mango avocado noodles
What is Tofu Made Of ?
Tofu blocks are made from whole soy beans in a process similar to making cheese. The soy milk curd is used and pressed into blocks of different textures, from soft to extra firm. The flavor is very mild to non existent which makes it the perfect vehicle to absorb any kind of flavor just like a sponge. In our case that luscious sesame sauce!
How Much Protein is in Tofu ?
Tofu delivers a whopping 20 grams of protein in one cup and zero cholesterol. Now that’s some real high quality healthy clean protein.
Is Tofu Healthy ?
I created this recipe as healthy as possible! The tofu is cooked in my toaster air fryer without any oil, plus I also made the sauce oil free and refined sugar free. The oven baked alternative is not quite as healthy as it requires a little oil to keep the tofu from drying out. For the benefits of tofu consumption and the scientific research on the subject please visit nutritionfacts.org
P.S. If you make this recipe please come back here to rate it, snap a photo and tag me with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it totally makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s
Sesame Tofu
Ingredients
- 15 oz block firm tofu ~organic
- 2 tbsp tapioca
- 1 lime ~for serving
Sesame Sauce:
- 3 tbsp tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or lime juice)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- 2 cloves grated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 2 tsp fresh ginger root ~grated
- 6 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp tapioca or corn starch
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Press the Tofu:
- Remove tofu from the package and drain the water. Slice in half lengthwise so you end up with 2 thinner slices. Place on a lint free towel lined plate and fold the sides over. Cover with another lint free towel and place a heavy item on top, something with good balance. Allow the tofu to press for at least 35 minutes or overnight. (If pressing overnight make sure to transfer to the refrigerator and keep cool)
- Use your hands and roughly tear the tofu into bite size pieces. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of sea salt and two tablespoons of tapioca. Gently toss to coat well.
Air Fryer Method:
- Place the tofu on a parchment lined air fryer tray and air fry at 375" for 15 to 17 minutes until golden around the edges. (I do this in my Cuisinart Toaster Air Fryer, if you are using something different you might need to adjust the timing as it could take a little longer)
Oven Baked Method:
- Spray the pressed tofu pieces with a light coat of sesame oil. Dust with 2 tablespoons of tapioca and toss to coat well. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet preferably without touching each other. Bake at 400"F for 25 to 30 minutes until golden around the edges.
Make the Sesame Sauce:
- In a small bowl whisk together all the sauce ingredients until combined. Transfer to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Cook a minute or so until the sauce has thickened.
- Transfer the cooked tofu into the sesame sauce and toss to coat well all over. Serve over steamed broccoli with brown rice or noodles.
Nutrition
Air Fryer Tofu Recipes:
Orange Tofu
Peanut Tofu
Crispy Tofu Nuggets
Finally got the toaster air fryer and it has changed my life. This was so easy to make and finger licking good, we fought over the last piece so I think that says a lot. Enjoying all your Plant Based recipes and not missing meat even one bit. Thank you for inspiring me to keep going with this lifestyle!!!
Can I use other flours besides tapioca? What would you recommend to use? Thanks!
I’d go for rice flour if you want a gluten free option!
What did I do wrong? My tofu was tough and tasted like cornstarch. The sauce was fantastic but the tofu was not edible.
Hi Tammy, it sounds like the tofu might have been overcooked. Did you use a toaster air-fryer or baked it in the oven ? It’s really important to keep an eye on it if using the oven as the temperatures can vary. I also recommend using Tapioca and shaking off any excess instead of cornstarch. I have never been able to taste the tapioca at all, the coating has always turned out really light and airy. If you tear the tofu into smaller pieces that will also require less cooking time so timing needs to be adjusted depending on size and air-fryer model or oven. Hope you give it another go and enjoy it, it’s a really delicious recipe.