Honey Garlic Tofu Bites!! Exceptionally crispy golden oven-baked tofu nuggets coated in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce.
Tofu has got to be my ultimate favorite protein. Healthy, quick, convenient, and so easy to keep multiple packages in the fridge. I’ve loved tofu forever and now that Mike is a total tofu convert, it’s a big part of our meal plans!
I love tofu so much that I will eat it straight out of the package with just a touch of really good soy sauce and a huge pile of thinly sliced scallions. If I’m feeling like a sweet, savory, garlicky, crispy snack I’ll make these honey garlic tofu bites. Quick, easy, and so satisfying. Pair them with some fluffy rice or whole grains and greens for a honey garlic tofu bowl and live your best life.
What kind of tofu for tofu bites?
I like using firm tofu for tofu bites because it’s firm enough to keep its shape and it has a nice, pleasing texture. You can also use medium but I wouldn’t use silken or soft as it’s too fragile.
Tofu from firm to soft:
- Extra firm tofu – holds its shape exceptionally well, perfect for crumbling, frying, grilling, and using in stir fries.
- Firm tofu – holds it’s shape and super versatile, great for pan frying, braising, and stewing.
- Medium tofu – smooth and a little soft. You can purée it easily for soups, dips, and sauces. Also tastes amazing in braises, soups, and stir fries.
- Soft/Silken tofu – very smooth and delicate. Best for mapo tofu, miso soup, or other soups and stews. Also delicious with just soy, ginger, and scallions!
How to press tofu
Pressing tofu gets all the excess liquid out and makes it easier to crisp up. It also makes the tofu more dense and chewy. It’s a super simple step. If you’re using extra firm tofu, you can skip this step and just pat the tofu dry.
- Open and drain the tofu, then fold up a clean tea towel or paper towels so they’re roughly the same shape as the tofu.
- Place the towels on a cutting board or plate and put the tofu on top. Top with another layer of folded towels.
- Place a second cutting board or plate on top and weight it down with a heavy bowl. Let sit for 15-30 minutes, changing the paper towels if needed.
- Use the tofu in your recipe!
Freezing tofu
Freezing tofu draws out the moisture and gives it an even meatier, firmer texture. When you freeze tofu the water inside turns into ice, making small holes. The holes can soak up marinades and flavor like a sponge and the texture of frozen then thawed tofu is firm and chewy. If you want to try it, drain the tofu, slice it into the end shape, then freeze it. Once you thaw it, squeeze out any extra water and braise, bake, stir fry, deep fry, marinate, or anything your heart desires.
How to make tofu crispy
Make sure you dry it out. Moisture is the enemy of crispiness so give your tofu time to sit on some clean kitchen towels or paper towels and dry the surfaces throughly.
Cornstarch! It’s what gives tofu a craggy coating and bakes up to crispy, crunchy perfection. You can also use potato starch or sweet potato starch. Starch is the key to crispy tofu because when heated, it creates a network of molecules that holds it’s structure.
Substitutes for honey
If you want to make this vegan, you can easily substitute the honey for maple syrup so you have a honey maple tofu! Just do a 1-for-1 swap.
Oven baked honey garlic tofu
Bake these up in a hot 400°F oven and flip them half way through. Because cornstarch doesn’t brown very much, you can give the tofu a light misting or brushing of oil if you want them to be super golden brown. I didn’t brush them because the sauce coats the bites and makes them glossy and golden, but it’s up to you!
Pan fried
In a deep non-stick frying pan, heat up a neutral oil over medium heat. When hot and shimmery, add the coated tofu and cook until crispy and golden, flipping on all six sides.
Air fried honey garlic tofu
Lightly oil or use cooking spray on the air fryer basket. Place the coated pieces of tofu in the basket, with at least 1/4” of space in between pieces. Lightly spray the tops of the tofu with cooking spray. Cook at 400°F for 5 minutes, then flip and lightly spray with extra cooking spray. Cook for 5 more minutes at 400°F.
Deep fried honey garlic tofu
Prepare a wire cooling rack over a paper towel lined rimmed baking sheet. Heat up 2 – 2.5 inches of oil in a deep heavy bottomed pot until it reaches 325°F. It doesn’t need to be too deep, just enough to cover the size of the tofu. Use a pair of tongs to gently add a couple of pieces of tofu to the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry in batches until lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oil and let rest on your prepared wire rack.
Honey garlic sauce
After the tofu is crispy, it’s time to sauce and toss. Simply warm up the honey, along with minced garlic, and soy sauce until bubbly and thick.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pressed tofu 1 package, see notes
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- green onions sliced, to garnish
- toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Dry off your tofu with a paper towel and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with the cornstarch and arrange the tofu on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes – midway through, flip the tofu cubes.
- When you have just 5 minutes left on the baking time (at that point your tofu should be a light golden brown) start the sauce. In a small frying pan, heat up honey, soy and garlic over medium heat until bubbly and thick. Taste and season with freshly ground pepper.
- Remove the tofu from the oven and toss in the sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy hot!
Totally making this for dinner! Even as a vegan, I can’t get into tofu unless it’s flavored juuuust right. Right on lady!
‘Vegan’ ‘Honey’
There are some vegans who eat honey. Sometimes referred to as “bee-gans”
lmao………
to press tofu, cut your block in three lengthwise pieces, put them on a plate, layer the piecres with paper towel, put a large plate on top and weight it with a coouple of tinned cans, or a heavy book. leave for an hour, drain the liquid and yu have well-pressed tofu.
Happy New Year!!! I feel like your tofu recipes could turn anyone into a tofu lover, especially this one! And I love that pic of the top with that napkin. Major heart eyes.
I adore tofu – this looks like the perfect snack Stephanie!
I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog recently. The photos! The recipes! Being vegan I haven’t been able to make much but have been enjoying the eye candy ;) but THESE, these I could do. Love this!! Thanks for all the gorgeous posts, I’m excited to keep following!! xo
I wish I could convert my husband to like tofu! He says it’s a texture thing and that’s why he doesn’t like it. I wonder if I made this since it’s crispy if this could change his mind.
Ooh, this looks delicious, Stephanie! I’ll have to give it a try :D
It drives me crazy when people say they don’t like tofu! (Sorry, Mike!) Actually, I just decided that the next person who says it to me is getting a big bowl of this beautiful crispy goodness shoved in their face. (Can someone say it soon, so that I have an excuse to make it? Really, though…)
That looks so yummy! I just might try Tofu with this! Thanks for sharing!!
happy new year!
the honey garlic + scallion thang is such a perfect flavor combination for crispy tofu and i can’t wait to try it.
i didn’t know already-pressed tofu was a thing. that’s like A-B-C gum! actually no, it’s not. at all. nevermind. :3
I would do anything to get my boyfriend to even like tofu or tempeh, let alone love it! He’s had it and I am convinced he secretly loves it but won’t admit it. Anyway, I adore honey + soy with tofu so I know I will love this version. No portion control with this one, it’s just not possible!
Crispy tofu directly from oven? That sounds really easy. Thanks for this tip, I’ll try it out the next days :-)
Cheers,
Simone
Where can I find and buy that beautiful tea towel?
I got it from Anthro a couple of years ago so I don’t think they have it anymore :(
Idk if I’ve ever been a fan of tofu but I am now!!!!
Ahah I sooo understand your husband! I really do not like tofu, unless it’s japanese and possibly fresh. I am in love with japanese cuisine and I never had any problem eating tofu at a japanese place. a few days ago I bought a box of silken tofu out of enthusiasm because I saw that it was Morinaga tofu, and it made me think of NY. I don’t think silken tofu could work with this recipe, but your dressing sounds delicious!
Amazing, Stephanie!! I would eat these as a snack while watching a movie :)
I’m a total tofu convert. I started eating it as soon as I discovered what an absolutely delicious and light source of protein it can be in almost any dish. It makes no sense why it has such a lousy reputation among so many Americans. And to think–for so many years, I believed them!
Yummy looks delicious <3
Yummy! My husband won’t eat tofu either but this recipe just might get him to try it! Thanks for the idea!
Your blog is fabulous!
I had no idea you could bake them to make them crispy! I’m a sucker for crispy tofu cubes but I always pan-fried them. I just wish it didn’t take so long to bake them! And honey garlic sauce is always awesome ;)
How many ounces or grams was your package of tofu? I have pressed tofu in my fridge but am not sure I have enough.
Cannot WAIT to make this! Thanks!
Mine was 350 grams but you can use any size you like – it’s just a question of how saucy it will be when you’re done. If your tofu pack is double, I’d say double the sauce too, but if it’s off by just a little you don’t need to adjust! hope that helps!
Stephanie! I made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious. I might’ve eaten the entire thing myself…
Thanks for the great recipe!
Looks amazing! This recipe will make me start eating tofu . I wonder if the texture will hold the same way, if I were to stir fry it.
Looks delish! Do you have a brand of tofu you prefer? Also any thoughts on sprouted tofu? Thanks!!
I am now craving tofu. Pity it’s bedtime. I really need to do more with tofu. I have a few ways of cooking it I eat over and over again. The cornstarch is a great idea. I’ll give that a go.
I am super excited to see this post and will be making it next week. (or this weekend !!) Thank you for sharing the recipe and I’ll let come back to let you know how I liked it :)
of course, i’ll post my thoughts
I NEED to try this right away! Thanks for sharing :) Your photos and whole set up are extremely catchy and inspiring.
This dish inspired me to make a similar chicken dish. I just posted it in my blog now! No offence to tofu, I adore tofu. It’s so delicious that I cant wait to make it again, but with some tofu this time. Have a great week!
I have made soooo many tofu recipes in my day and this has got to be the best ever. Going to be a new staple for me!
this looks so yummy! do u suggest serving brown rice on the side?
brown rice, quinoa, whatever your favourite grain is!
I just started liking tofu over CNY. My husband could barely believe it, but he’s happy I finally came around. Maybe I will surprise him with this dish sometime.
Would you mind sharing what type/brand of soy sauce you use?
Love this website. Everything from your easy-to-follow recipes to the food porn photography! Keep it up!
I usually use lee kum kee!
You forgot to specify how big a “package” of tofu you are talking about.
I used a 350 gram package.
Your recipe has been featured here (with a doodle!). Thanks for the delicious tofu :)
http://www.obsessivecooking.com/2015/04/crispy-honey-garlic-tofu-bites.html
Made these last weekend and they were soooo good. Definitely keeping this recipe for future use! Thanks for producing awesome recipes and great content :)
I made them. They are more chewy than crispy. Still tasty and, no doubt, this is healthier than frying.
I forgot corn starch at grocery store. Is there a substitute? Flour? Nutritional yeast?
hi michele,
you can use flour but it won’t be as crunchy! or if you have potato starch, that would work too. hope that helps!
I have to say, Brillant website design. I was touced alone by its look and simplicity. Can’t wait to try the recipe, it looks reallyy good.
I really want to make this but I don’t have parchment paper… Can I use tin foil?
Thanks in advance!
hi joyce,
i haven’t tried, but i think it would work – it might stick a little though, so there’s that. it would probably help if you sprayed the tinfoil with a bit of cooking spray or lightly oiled it. hope that helps!
Can you use rice flour instead of corn starch?
hi zoe,
i haven’t tried with rice flour, but it tends to leave more residue than cornstarch when baking. i would stick to corn starch, if you can! if you give rice flour a try, please let me know how it turns out :)
Hi there – should I oil the parchment paper or do they get crispy without any oil?
hi hannah, you don’t need to oil the parchment, they get crispy on their ow – not as crispy as deep-frying though ;)
My oven is being a troublemaker lately, so can I pan-fry these?
yes! you’ll need a touch of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. be sure to flip so all the sides get fried :)
Looks like an easy veggie substitute for chicken wings! Can’t wait to try this tonight!
Delicious w/ maple syrup substitution to make them vegan!
Yes my thoughts. Or agave/ brown sugar even
I tried with agave! Delicious!
Looks delicious, but honey is not vegan.
Made this today , tried tofu for the first time and it’s a great reciepie ! Thank you for the post!
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Which store did you find pressed tofu?
Just made this tonight and it was deeeelish! Had it over some steamed rice and green beans. ;) Thanks for the great recipe!
I thought the tofu was too crunchy and a little rubbery. The sauce was nice.
You say “1 package of tofu” how much is one package? They come in different sizes
hi! you want the cornstarch to lightly coat the tofu, most 1 tofu cube package sizes will work, regardless of how big it is. If your tofu package comes with two cubes of tofu, you might want to double the cornstarch as well as the sauce recipe. in this case, i used a 350 gram package of tofu, but if the tofu makers in your area make a different size, the recipe should still work. hope that helps!
Quick question, what can I eat this with? It seems so lonely to just eat the tofu alone. Also, can I save this in the fridge for another day because i can’t eat the whole package of tofu in one meal.
i would eat it with rice or a grain! you could make a rice/grain bowl with some greens :)
i don’t think it’ll hold up well overnight – the tofu will probably dry out. you could just prepare 1/2 a package and save the other half of your tofu submerged in fresh water in an airtight container. hope that helps a bit!
The tofu is delicious prepared this way! I love the sauce in this recipe, but I also use the baked, cornstarched tofu in other recipes. Thanks for the awesome ideas!
I just made the tofu and it is cool enough to try I haven’t made the sauce get. It tastes like cereal to me. This is my first time trying tofu. I like how it turned out nice and crunchy. It is going on salad to night. I hope my husband likes it.
I stumbled across this while looking for a recipe for crispy tofu with no added oil. I had serious doubts I’d get the result I was after, but was so pleasantly surprised! The tofu was actually crispy on the outside! And the sauce was great too– I love tofu with sticky sweet sauces. Awesome recipe. Thank you!!
I will try this recipe soon!
That’s the kind of combo that makes you scream “why didn’t i try this before” you’re a genius!
I made this last night and it was fabulous!! I can’t believe the crunch you get by just using corn starch! Will make again!
oh yay! so happy you liked it :)
Made this tonight. We found the baked tofu to be too hard and chewy. Not sure if I pressed it too much. The sauce was good – I doubled it. May try again with sautéed tofu. Thanks for the recipe and for giving us plant-based folks new things to try!
Tried it! It was a major hit among my family members! Thanks..
I made this! Delicious, doubled the sauce and squeezed fresh lime over it at the end.
Want to make these low carb. Substitute for honey?
hi g,
unfortunately i haven’t really round any low carb subs for honey :(
Would you be able to estimate the sodium content in this recipe? Or do you know ways to cut down on the sodium in this?
hi rachel,
use low sodium soy sauce, we use it all the time! :)
I’ve made this recipe twice in 2 days! Huge fan of yours, love to see you post vegan recipes like this one!
Made this tonight for dinner – so quick, easy, and delicious!
I love tofu, and I am so excited to try this some day!!
Yay! So glad I found this recipe. My husband doesn’t usually like my tofu dishes but he loved it this crispy oven backed way and the honey garlic sauce was a hit with my kids.
Looks awesome!
I’ve never made crispy tofu bites like this. Sounds like an amazing flavor combination!