How to Get TOFU Ultra-Crispy Without using Oil

It took me close to two years after going vegan to really understand tofu and to be confident with using it in my kitchen. I want to bring this simple and easy crispy tofu chicken recipe to you today so you don’t need to go though the mistakes I’ve made.

Today I’m going to show you the ultimate way to get crispy, flavorful, meaty tofu chicken–without using any oil to cook it!

What Makes This Crispy Tofu Chicken So Good?

This tofu technique will allow you to transform tofu from a spongy, tasteless food product to something your family CRAVES and requests on a weekly basis.

This Crispy Tofu Chicken is:

• The perfect fried chicken dupe
• Easy to make
• Ready in under 20 minutes
• 100% oil-free
• Crispy on the outside, meaty and flavorful on the inside
• Totally customizable to suit your family’s needs and taste preferences

Ingredients for Crispy Tofu Chicken

This recipe is a base tofu recipe that can be used all alone as a chicken substitute or spiced up even more with different flavors to create a whole new dish.

That’s why the ingredients for this recipe are so simple.

You’ll need:

• 1 block of extra firm tofu. Find this in store usually in the produce department (by the fresh salad dressings) or by the hummus and deli meats
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

I’ve left this recipe salt-free, but if you are not used to eating food without added salt, feel free to use up to 1/2 a tsp in this recipe.

How to Make Tofu Crispy

There are a few secrets I have to creating the perfect crispy tofu:

1. Use the right kind of tofu. There are many different kinds of tofu on the market. For the Crispiest Tofu-use extra firm tofu.
2. Break your tofu into chunks with rough edges-don’t cut it into cubes. Those rough sides are going to soak up all kinds of flavor and crisp up beautifully.
3. Ensure you have a large enough cooking space so the tofu pieces are not touching too much. Tofu needs room to crisp up.
4. Use high heat. Especially with the BBQ style tofu, having blackened edges really adds to the flavor.

What is the BEST Way to Cook Tofu?

I have a large family of 6 and I usually will cook 2 blocks of tofu at a time.

So when I’m cooking tofu, I need a lot of space.

I find that the best tool to use to cook tofu is a large, family sized grill. I purchased a Sunbeam brand grill last year on Black Friday and it’s been going strong ever since.

I use it quite often for tofu, but also for pancakes, naan bread and anything else that I want to cook a lot of, quickly.

Do You Need To Press Extra Firm Tofu?

The short answer is no.

Here’s the reason.

In my experience, I have found very little difference between using a pressed tofu block vs an extra firm tofu block right from the store for this crispy tofu chicken recipe.

…because the water is taken out of the tofu so well during the cooking process.

However..

I would recommend pressing your tofu if you are looking to marinade it in a sauce. Pressing your tofu would be a great way to remove extra water before you marinate the tofu in a liquid.

I have a tofu press by Tofuture and its awesome!

If you are interested in learning more about cooking tofu and specifically how to press tofu, watch this helpful video over on my channel!

It’s an oldie but a goodie!!

How Do You Add Flavor to Tofu?

There are many ways to cook tofu, and each technique will have different ways of infusing flavor into tofu.

For this Crispy Tofu Chicken, the main seasoning is garlic and onion powder.

Breaking the tofu into large, rough chunks allows the seasoning to penetrate into the deeper crevices of the tofu and creates a lot of flavor using a simple ingredient and technique.

How to Use Crispy Tofu Chicken

You can use this vegan tofu recipe in any way that you would a traditional cut chicken breast.

It’s perfect as a main vegan dinner dish.

You can use it in a wrap, over a salad, in a quesadilla-really the options are endless.

This is really the perfect “base” tofu recipe that can be customized with your favorite flavors.

Here are two variations I know you’ll enjoy:

BBQ Tofu Chicken and Asian Sesame Tofu Chicken

BBQ Tofu Chicken

BBQ tofu chicken is so easy to make once you have the base Crispy Chicken Recipe done.

This variation has a sweet, smokey flavor that pairs perfectly with baked potatoes and sweet corn.

Ingredients for BBQ Tofu Chicken

• Crispy tofu chicken
• smoked paprika
• Bar-B-Que Sauce. Pick your favorite! I used chicken and rib style here.

How to Make BBQ Tofu Chicken

I like to cook the tofu a little longer here, and over a higher heat to get the tofu blackened in some places. Using that technique really adds to the BBQ flavor.

Here’s how to get it right:

1. Once you have created your crispy tofu chicken base, sprinkle the tofu with smoked paprika.
2. Pour your favorite bbq sauce over the tofu and allow it to caramelize for 2-3 minutes.

Serve this tofu with sweet corn and baked potatoes with my home made cashew sour cream and chives.

Asian Sesame Tofu Chicken

This style of crispy tofu is absolutely perfect for a stir fry, over rice, in a salad roll…anywhere you are looking to infuse those sweet Asian flavors!

The ingredients you’ll need to create an Asian Sesame flavor for the tofu are:

• Crispy Tofu Chicken
• Anise or fennel seed
• fresh ginger, grated
• sesame seeds
• sesame oil (optional)
• thick teriyaki sauce

How to Make Asian Sesame Tofu Chicken

Once you have the crispy tofu chicken made, sprinkle it with the spices and sesame seeds and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, until the sesame seeds begin to toast and the spices are aromatic.

Grate a 1 inch section of ginger over the tofu, stir to combine.

Pour the teriyaki sauce over the tofu and cook until caramelized, 2-3 minutes. Add a dash of sesame oil to serve. This adds such a gorgeous flavor!

Serve the Asian Sesame Tofu over a bowl of brown rice and your favorite veggies.

Does Tofu Stay Crispy?

This crispy tofu recipe will maintain its texture days later-even when already tossed in a sauce.

How Long Will Tofu Last in the Fridge?

Cooked tofu will stay good for up to 4-5 days refrigerated. Use the best before date on the package to determine how long your raw tofu will stay good for.

Once a package of tofu has been opened, use it within 2 days.

Can you Freeze Cooked Tofu?

I would not recommend freezing tofu that has been cooked. This could cause excess water that is in the tofu to expand and leave your tofu soggy when you defrost it.

PRO TIP: Freezing raw tofu inside its package and then defrosting it is a very quick and easy hack to remove excess water from the tofu block-without having to press it.

READ THIS NEXT: Vegan Meat Substitutes Explained: Tofu, Tempeh, TVP, Seitan and more!

What to eat with this tofu chicken?

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, and so I made sure to include it in my favorite vegan meal plan!

I’ve featured it in the Not Meat and Potatoes plan, paired with baked potatoes, cashew sour cream, a large salad and steamed broccoli.

If you’re feeling stuck and want to make eating healthy easy, check out my oil-free, plant-based Vegan Meal Plans.

Make going plant-based easy with a sweet checklist!

I’ve got a great freebie for you that’s gotten a lot of awesome feedback.

It’s my Vegan Swaps Checklist.

This checklist will take you through all of the traditional animal based ingredients and shows you what healthy swaps you can make instead.

Check it out here.

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I’ve created a pin for your board so you can come back and make this tofu recipe when you’re ready!

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