Baked Cornmeal Crusted Tofu is a great addition to any meal, and it’s incredibly versatile. Serve it with vegetables and rice for dinner, toss it into a salad, or make it the star of a sandwich for lunch. Use a cookie cutter to cut it into heart shapes for Valentine’s Day! This baked tofu recipe is super easy to make, and it’s vegan and gluten-free.
Valentine’s Day Baked Tofu
Waaaaaay back in 2008, Vegetarian Times published a recipe for heart shaped tofu, and I made it for Valentine’s Day. They used a cookie cutter to cut tofu into hearts, which is pretty genius, if you ask me. The tofu was dipped in polenta and Italian seasonings, and then baked to crispy perfection.
Baked Cornmeal Crusted Tofu
This recipe for Cornmeal Crusted Tofu was inspired by that one. I’ve used cornmeal instead of polenta (even though the two are similar). And I’ve found that dipping the tofu into nondairy milk mixed with cornstarch helps the cornmeal stick.
When buying cornmeal, get either a medium or coarse grind. A fine grind will get too gummy when the tofu is dipped in it.
That Vegetarian Times recipe was served with an eggplant sauce, but I like to use romesco sauce, which can be whipped up in a blender while the tofu is baking.
Pressing Tofu
Make sure you press your tofu to remove the excess water before cutting the tofu in this recipe. To do this, wrap your tofu in a towel and put something heavy on top of it, such as a cast iron pan or a cutting board topped with a few cans of beans. If you give yourself enough time in advance, you can wrap your tofu in a towel and place it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. There’s no need to place anything heavy on top of it, as the towel will absorb the excess liquid over time. You can also use a tofu press, such as the TofuXpress, if you have one.
Cookie Cutter Shapes
Like the Vegetarian Times recipe, I’ve cut my tofu into heart shapes with a cookie cutter, since Valentine’s Day is coming up. You can use pretty much any shape you like to make dinner time fun. For St. Patrick’s Day next month, I plan on using a shamrock shaped cookie cutter and serving my tofu with spinach pesto.
How to Make Cornmeal Crusted Tofu
This recipe is super simple to make!
- Once your tofu has been pressed, cut it into four slabs, widthwise.
- You can use a cookie cutter to make shapes in the slabs, or you can cut the slabs in half, so that you have 8 pieces.
- Next, you mix the nondairy milk and cornstarch together in a medium bowl. And then you mix the cornmeal and spices together in another bowl.
- You dip each piece of tofu into the milk mixture first and then dip into the cornmeal mixture next. Make sure you coat each piece well.
- Finally, you bake the tofu for half an hour, flipping each piece after about 15 minutes.
Serving Your Cornmeal Crusted Tofu
For Valentine’s Day dinner, I plan on serving this tofu with cooked brown rice, roasted veggies, and my Quick and Easy Romesco Sauce.
It’s also super delish with pesto, tomato sauce, or even tahini.
This baked tofu works great in sandwiches, too! Place it on bread and pile it high with your favorite fixin’s! Or you can cut it into cubes and add it to salads.
Baked Cornmeal Crusted Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 14- ounce package extra firm tofu drained and pressed
- ½ cup nondairy milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 cups Romesco Sauce for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the tofu widthwise into 4 thin slabs. Slice each slab into half or use a cookie cutter to cut the tofu slabs into shapes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk and cornstarch.
- In another medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal and spices.
- Dip each tofu slab into the non-dairy milk mixture and then dredge it through the cornmeal mixture. Place each slice onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the tofu for 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy, filliping each slice after about 15 minutes.
- Serve hot, topped with Romesco Sauce or your favorite sauce.
Serve your tofu with:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Smashed Potatoes
- Festive Garlicky Roasted Vegetables
- Roasted Cabbage Steaks
Other tofu recipes you might enjoy include:
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