Welcome to another minimal effort, BIG flavor dish! This quicker-than-takeout sesame tofu is baked to crispy perfection and coated in a drool-worthy, sweet + spicy + garlicky sauce. It might have you questioning whether you’ll ever be ordering takeout again!
Pair with rice and steamed veggies for a simple, 30-minute meal that’s vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened. Let’s make it!
Recipe Inspiration
This recipe is inspired by Sesame Chicken, which is commonly found in Chinese restaurants in the US and Canada (source). Though likely originally inspired by a dish from China, its exact origin story is unclear. Some suggest it’s an adaptation of General Tso’s, while others say it’s inspired by Sichuan La Zi Ji.
Our inspired, plant-based version has a similarly sticky, spicy, sweet (but not too sweet!) glaze and is made with tofu. Our version also doesn’t involve any battering or deep frying!
How to Make Sesame Tofu
It starts with making the tofu crispy using a different method! Instead of deep frying, we break the tofu into bite-sized pieces and bake until a little firm and golden with crispy edges.
Then we make a simple, super flavorful sauce on the stovetop with maple syrup, tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic.
Next, we cook it down with a little slurry of cornstarch + water until it’s thickened.
The final steps are adding sesame seeds to the sauce then stirring in the baked tofu until it’s well-coated and irresistible!
We can’t wait for you to try this sesame tofu! It’s:
Spicy
Garlicky
A little sweet
A little sticky
Crispy on the edges
& SO delicious!
It pairs beautifully with rice (brown, white, or cauliflower “rice”), and steamed broccoli for a simple, weeknight-friendly meal. Other delicious pairings include our Sesame Sautéed Swiss Chard, Gingery Smashed Cucumber Salad, and Spicy Garlicky Edamame.
More Flavorful Tofu Recipes
- Masala-Spiced Tofu Scramble
- Baked Crispy Peanut Tofu
- Chipotle Tofu Chilaquiles
- Southwest Tofu Scramble
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Spicy Garlicky Sesame Tofu (30 Minutes!)
Ingredients
TOFU
- 1 (14-16 oz / 397-453 g) package super firm high-protein tofu*
- 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
SAUCE
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 2 ½ Tbsp tamari or soy sauce (gluten-free as needed)
- 4 tsp rice vinegar
- 4 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 large cloves garlic, grated or pressed
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
TO THICKEN SAUCE
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch*
- 1 Tbsp water
FOR SERVING optional
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Brown, white, or cauliflower rice
- Steamed broccoli
Instructions
- If serving with rice, cauliflower rice, or steamed broccoli, begin preparing at this time. Cook the rice on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or in a rice cooker. Steam the broccoli in a steamer basket set over boiling water for ~4-6 minutes, or until tender but still a vibrant green color. Otherwise, move on to the next step.
- TOFU: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Crumble the tofu into pieces 1/2 to 1 inch in size and arrange them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Add oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to evenly coat the tofu. Once the oven is preheated, bake for 10 minutes, flip with a spatula, and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the tofu is a little firm and golden with crispy edges.
- SAUCE: To a medium saucepan, add the maple syrup, soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, to a small bowl, add the cornstarch and water and stir to combine. Once the sauce is simmering, add the cornstarch mixture, stir, and continue simmering, stirring occasionally until the sauce becomes thick like honey — about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame seeds. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more maple syrup for sweetness, tamari for overall flavor, garlic for zing, or red pepper flakes for heat. Set aside.
- Once the tofu is golden brown, place it into the sauce and stir to fully coat. Serve warm with rice, steamed vegetables, or other sides for a tasty meal!
- You can prep the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week. If it becomes too thick, add a bit of water when you reheat it in a saucepan. Otherwise, the cooked dish is best when fresh.
Notes
*If you want to replace the cornstarch with arrowroot starch, use only half the amount. It will look a little goopy, which isn’t as appetizing, but it still tastes good!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*Inspired by Allrecipes’ Sesame Chicken.
Elisabeth says
I added fresh grated ginger to the sauce, love it
Yum, great addition, Elisabeth!
Anna Reid says
My whole family (who claims to dislike tofu) love this!
Whoop! That sounds like a major win. Thanks so much for sharing, Anna! xo
Pat says
Lordy, lordy. The sodium is outrageous for a low sodium diet @ 1,000 / day. How can it be reduced? Can the fat be reduced also by using a reduced fat tofu?
Hi Pat, you could use low sodium tamari, but it won’t be as flavorful. For the saturated fat, you could lightly spray the tofu with oil (or omit it), but it won’t crisp up as much.
Robin says
Absolutely exceptional! I think this deserves a spot in your Top 10! What a delicious meal served with brown rice and broccoli. I made the sauce early in the day and everything else shortly before, and it came together quickly. The sauce needed 1T of water to return it to the right texture. I had gone “easy” on the red pepper flakes, thinking that it would be too spicy, but next time I’ll use it all. My husband and I were wild about the flavors and I will definitely double the recipe — which is going to be prepared many more times in our household! Thank you!
Aw, THANK YOU so much for your amazing review, Robin! We’re so glad you love this one and will be making it again! xo
Amalia says
Followed the recipe exactly as written – it was amazing! served it with rice and a Korean cucumber salad. It’s gonna be in our weekly rotation for sure. MAJOR YUM!
That sounds like a great combo, Amalia! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing! xo
Stephanie says
Another winne! Served with sauteed veggies with a handful of peanuts over brown rice. Perfection!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed this one, Stephanie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Anne says
If I wanted enough sauce for the broccoli, should I double the sauce recipe? Thanks.
Hi Anne, yes, that would be a good idea!
Sophie Rau says
Hello MB :)
I just made it and what can I say?
That sauce is heavenly.
THANK YOU for offering us such great recipes.
Merci.
Aw, YAY! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review, Sophie! xoxo
Mia Hackett says
Made this for dinner tonight. I served it alongside steamed rice and sautéed garlic mushrooms & arugula. Super easy and super tasty! I consider myself an intermediate chef/baker. I do know my way around a kitchen affair bit. However, whenever trying a new recipe, I always feel like content creators say things take a lot less time to make than they actually do. Not this recipe, though! The clear and easy instructions made for a quick and simple weeknight dinner that I will definitely be making again. I even had time to clean up between steps. A quick tasty dinner with little mess left over in the kitchen is definitely a winner for me!!
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Mia. We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and found it to be quick and easy to follow! xo
Meri Schroeder says
Really good recipe – quick and easy to put together. Next time I’ll probably add a 2nd match of the sauce to drizzle onto the rice bowl, and perhaps cut down on the red pepper flakes.
Thank you for sharing, Meri! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! xo
Susan says
What a fabulous recipe! So delicious and fast!
Thank you!!!!!
Thanks so much, Susan! We’re so glad you loved it! xo
Rebekah Furey says
Wow wow wow this is insanely good and so simple , in fact I already had all the ingredients on hand. I air roasted the broccoli at the same time I cooked the tofu , one less pot to clean. I can’t wait to make this again. I think even tofu skeptics will devour this one. Great work:)
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review, Rebekah! We’re so glad you loved this one! xo
Jeff says
We made this tonight. It is delicious, and a keeper. We halved the recipe, and cooked the tofu 10 minutes at 400 degrees in our air fryer. We used 12 oz of a stir fry veggie mix. It would have been better to have used the full amount of the sauce. It served 2, with brown rice.
Love your modifications, Jeff. Thank you for sharing!
Elena says
This is SO delicious wow and comes together quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed this and it’s definitely going in the rotation.
The sauce mixture gets quite thick, but with stirring in the tofu it spreads out quite nicely (I used a silicon spatula for mixing)
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear it’s going in your rotation, Elena. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Sheila says
Would this recipe work with Tempe?
Ooo that’s a great idea! We think so. We’d love to hear if you try it!
Lise says
Such a big hit, so flavourful. I only had medium firm tofu and it worked out great. I will definitely add this to our menu plan. My husband really enjoyed our dinner. We had rice and steamed broccoli, great combo!
Yay! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Lise. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
SBS says
Another excellent recipe! I needed a relatively quick lunch idea and remembered seeing this recipe in my email inbox – and I’m so glad I did! Here’s another one that’s going into he regular rotation!
Whoop! We’re so glad you made the recipe and enjoyed it. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Margaret says
Wow!!Definitely not making this too often as I couldn’t stop eating it. Kept sneaking into the kitchen for just one more piece. Really a lovely recipe using pantry staples. Comes together quickly and could be very adaptable to varying tastes. Nice job once again making doable healthy recipes. Now excuse me but a piece of garlicky tofu is calling my name.
HA, thank you for this AMAZING review, Margaret! We’re so happy you enjoy the recipe! xoxo
Kristine says
Question if we’d like it not spicy do you think eliminating or lessoning it by half for the pepper flakes would be good?
Thank you
Yes, either would work!
Stephanie says
I look forward to trying this! I don’t have sesame seeds, would subbing in tahini work? Should I use the same amount? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie, we think it might be better to just leave them out! It will still be very tasty!