baked crispy tofu cubes drizzled with garlic sauce and garnished with sesame seeds

Crispy tofu with garlic sauce is a classic Hong Kong style snack, the kind sold from paper trays at bubble tea shops and street stalls. The original is deep fried until golden and served in a brown, garlic-heavy gravy. I make a lazier version at home, where I bake the tofu instead of frying it, and trust me, the cubes come out chewy and crisp with a texture close to the fried original.

Growing up in Beijing, I ate this snack at RBT, one of the first Hong Kong style dessert and drink shops in the city back in the 90s. It was my after-school and weekend hangout, and while I always tried a new bubble tea topping, the fried tofu with gravy was the first thing I ordered every time. In China, tofu is an everyday food because it’s cheap and delicious, not something you only eat to stay vegetarian. This crispy, saucy version was one of my favorite ways to enjoy it, and it’s a dish I still crave today.

I press the tofu, cut it into cubes, and bake it on a sheet pan until the surface goes golden and puffed. While it bakes I whisk a quick soy and garlic sauce and thicken it with a little cornstarch on the stove. The sauce comes together in 5 minutes from ingredients I already keep in the cabinet, so I hope you make this the next time a snack craving hits and you want tofu that even a tofu skeptic will try.

plates of crispy tofu cubes drizzled with garlic sauce and garnished with green onion and sesame seeds

Ingredients

These are all the ingredients to make my Crispy Tofu with Garlic Sauce recipe at home:

Tofu: I use a block of extra firm tofu, since it holds its shape through pressing, cutting, and baking. Softer tofu breaks apart and will not crisp up the same way in the oven.

Sauce base: I stir the sauce from soy sauce, sugar, water, and a little cornstarch to thicken it. The cornstarch is what gives the sauce its sticky spoon-coating body, and I swap the soy for tamari when I want the dish gluten free.

Aromatics: I cook minced garlic and green onion in a little vegetable oil to flavor the sauce.

For serving: I like a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds over the finished tofu for a nutty crunch. When my husband wants some heat, I put sriracha on the side.

How to Make

1. Heat the oven and press the tofu: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking tray with parchment. While it heats, slice the tofu into two even slabs, wrap them in a few layers of cheesecloth or paper towel, and set a small tray with a heavy weight on top to press out the water. A jar of pickles or a can of tomatoes makes a good weight.

2. Cut and season: Once the oven is hot, cut the pressed tofu into 1/2-inch pieces. Season both sides with salt.

How to cut tofu

3. Bake until golden: Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tofu goes golden and the surface puffs up. At this point you can serve it with sauce or use it in a stir fry.

Baked crispy tofu cubes golden and puffed on a parchment-lined sheet pan

4. Mix the sauce base: While the tofu bakes, whisk the soy sauce, sugar, water, and cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch fully dissolves. Give it another stir right before it goes into the pan, since cornstarch settles fast.

5. Cook the aromatics: Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat until hot, then add the garlic and the white part of the green onion. Stir for about 20 seconds until fragrant.

Cooking minced garlic and green onion in oil

6. Thicken the sauce: Pour in the sauce and stir constantly for 10 to 20 seconds, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer it to a small bowl right away so the residual heat does not overcook it.

Stirring the garlic sauce until it thickens

7. Sauce and serve: Drizzle the sauce over the baked tofu. Garnish with the reserved green onion and sesame seeds, and serve right away as a snack or appetizer.

baked crispy tofu cubes drizzled with garlic sauce and garnished with green onion and sesame seeds

My Cooking Tips

Press the tofu before you cut it: I press the whole slabs first so the water comes out fast, then cut into cubes. Drier tofu crisps up better in the oven and will not steam itself soft on the sheet pan.

Cut the cubes the same size: I keep the pieces the same size so they bake at the same rate. When one cube is much larger than the rest, it stays pale while the small ones go too dark.

Pull the sauce off the heat early: The sauce keeps thickening from the hot pan even after I stop stirring, so I move it to a bowl the moment it coats a spoon. Left in the pan, the sauce keeps cooking in the residual heat and gets gluey.

Sauce it at the last minute: I keep the baked tofu and the sauce separate until I am ready to serve. Poured too early, the crisp surface softens under the sauce, so I drizzle it right before it hits the table.

Save the green onion tops: I cook only the white part of the green onion in the sauce and keep the green tops raw for garnish. The raw green adds a fresh bite and a bit of color against the brown sauce.

How to Serve

At home I serve this the way the shops in China do, piled in a small paper tray or a shallow bowl so everyone can spear the cubes with a toothpick. It is a snack first for me, something I put out in the afternoon or before dinner with a pot of tea, and my son will eat the plain baked cubes straight off the tray. The other day I add them to my cold soba, and I really liked it as a quick weeknight dinner, since the baked cubes hold up next to noodles without going soft.

When I want to make more of a meal out of it, I set the crispy tofu next to a couple of homestyle dishes with different textures. It goes well with saucy Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce and a crisp plate of chicken and broccoli, with flaky scallion pancakes to complete the table.

Frequently Ask Questions

Why is my baked tofu not getting crispy?

The most common reason is that the tofu is still holding too much water. I press it well before baking and cut it into small pieces so more surface area is exposed to the heat, which helps the cubes develop their crisp, puffed exterior. If your oven has a convection setting, use it – it helps the tofu dry out and crisp up faster.

How do I keep the sauce from getting gluey?

Cornstarch sauce thickens fast and keeps cooking in the hot pan, so I stir it only until it coats the back of a spoon, then move it off the heat into a bowl. If it does thicken too much, a small splash of water loosens it back to a pourable sauce.

Can I air fry the tofu instead?

Yes. An air fryer works very well for this recipe and will give the tofu a crisp, puffed exterior. Arrange the tofu in a single layer with some space between the pieces and air fry at 400°F (200°C), shaking the basket once or twice, until golden and crisp. Start checking around 12 minutes, since air fryers vary quite a bit. You may need to cook the tofu in batches.

Can I pan-fry the tofu instead of baking it?

Yes. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the tofu in a single layer. Cook until golden and crisp on most sides, turning occasionally. Pan-frying requires a little more oil and hands-on cooking than baking, but it works well if you don’t want to turn on the oven. Once the tofu is crisp, toss it with the garlic sauce as directed.

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Golden baked crispy tofu cubes drizzled with garlic sauce

Crispy Tofu with Garlic Sauce

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Print
This Crispy tofu with garlic sauce is a Hong Kong street snack I make at home by baking extra firm tofu until the cubes puff and crisp, then coating them in a sticky, garlicky, slightly sweet soy sauce. There is no deep-frying and no marinating. The tofu goes from block to golden in the oven while I stir the sauce together on the stove.

Ingredients 

Crispy tofu

  • 1 (12-oz. / 340-g) block extra firm tofu
  • Salt

Garlic sauce

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 green onion , sliced, white and green parts divided
  • Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (Optional)
  • Sriracha sauce for serving (Optional)

Instructions

Crispy tofu

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200 ºC). Line a baking tray with parchment.
  • Press the water out of the tofu while heating up the oven. Carefully press the tofu with your hands. Slice the tofu into two even-thickness pieces. Wrap a few layers of cheesecloth (or kitchen paper towel) outside the tofu, and place a small tray with a heavy weight on top. The weight can be a jar of pickles or canned tomatoes.
  • When the oven is heated, cut the tofu into 1/2-inch (1-cm) pieces. (*Footnote 1)
  • Season both sides with salt. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tofu turns golden and the surface puffs.
  • Now you can use it in stir fries or serve the tofu with sauce.

Garlic sauce

  • Prepare the garlic sauce while baking the tofu. Whisk the soy sauce, sugar, water, and cornstarch in a small bowl until completely dissolved.
  • Heat the oil in a small pan over a medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and green onions white part. Stir for 20 seconds to release the aroma.
  • Stir the sauce again to make sure the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour into the pan. Stir constantly for 10 to 20 seconds, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer immediately into a small bowl, so the sauce won’t overcook in the residual heat.
  • When the tofu is baked, drizzle the sauce over the tofu. Garnish with green onions green part and sesame seeds, if using.
  • Serve immediately as a snack or appetizer.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. It is OK to cut the tofu slightly larger, up to 3/4-inch (1.5-cm) thick. It will take longer for the pieces to crisp up, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of the 4 servings, Calories: 98kcal, Carbohydrates: 5.4g, Protein: 7.7g, Fat: 5.9g, Sodium: 463mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2.3g

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