Who needs takeout when you can make delicious sesame tofu at home? Nutty, savory, and sweet, it's a healthy dinner that cooks up in a flash.
Over the last few weeks, Jack and I have had this crispy sesame tofu recipe on repeat. It comes from The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook by Gina Homolka, and we’ve been having fun making it in our new air fryer. A thick crust of black and white sesame seeds coats slabs of tofu, and a simple sesame sauce infuses them with sweet and tangy flavor. It’s just as fun and flavorful as takeout, but it’s so much healthier.
If you have an air fryer, I highly recommend you try this recipe. If you don’t, not to worry! I’m also sharing instructions for cooking the tofu in the oven.
Sesame Tofu Marinade
Tofu can get a bad rap for being bland, and that’s because it is! In order for tofu to transform into delicious recipes, you have to season it well. Here, a simple marinade infuses the sesame tofu with flavor. It’s savory, tangy, and easy to mix together, and it makes this recipe really tasty. Here’s what’s in it:
- Soy sauce, for salty, savory flavor (use tamari if gluten-free)
- Rice vinegar, for brightness
- Sesame oil, for richness and toasty, nutty flavor
- Ginger and garlic, to freshen it up
- Brown sugar, to add a sweet counterpoint to the other tangy, salty ingredients
Instead of reaching for a large bowl for your marinade, choose a small, shallow dish so that the sides of each tofu slab will be well-coated. Gina recommends marinating your tofu for at least an hour or overnight, but (shhh!!!) I only let mine sit for about 20 minutes, and it came out delicious. Of course, the longer you marinate it, the more flavorful it will be.
When you’re ready to cook, dip each block of tofu into an egg wash and dredge it in the sesame seeds. Then, cook it in the air fryer or oven, and enjoy! Find the full recipe with air fryer and oven instructions at the bottom of this post.
Sesame Tofu Recipe Variations
- Cooking method: I’m a huge fan of baking tofu, but if you want it to be truly crispy, frying it is the way to go. I love how quickly the air fryer makes a crispy coating for the tofu in this recipe. You cook the pieces for just 5 minutes on each side, and they come out perfectly golden brown and crisp. The process is quick and easy, and it uses far less oil than deep or pan frying tofu would. But if you don’t have an air fryer, that’s ok! You can also make this sesame tofu recipe in a regular oven, and it’ll still be nutty and delicious.
- Make it vegan: Skip the egg wash that binds the sesame seeds to the tofu. The final coating won’t be quite as thick, but it’ll still be tasty!
- Make it gluten-free: Make the marinade with wheat-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
Do I Need A Tofu Press?
If you want to make the crispiest tofu possible, I recommend pressing your tofu before you cook it. I used to press tofu using my cast-iron skillet and a kitchen towel, but after testing the best tofu presses, I am now a convert! My favorite is the Tofuture Tofu Press, which I found was the easiest to use and store, and it left me with perfectly pressed tofu each time. I also like how this press has a container that holds the excess liquid, making cleanup easy. After pressing my tofu, I just pour the water into the sink!
You can get it on Amazon for $25.95. Want to check out a few other tofu presses first? Read my guide to the best tofu presses here!
Crispy Sesame Tofu Serving Suggestions
This recipe would be a great choice for a healthy, protein-rich weeknight dinner. To make it a full meal, serve the tofu over a bed of cilantro lime rice or seasoned white or brown rice. For a lighter meal, use cauliflower rice or broccoli rice instead.
This crispy sesame tofu is also delicious with steamed or roasted veggies. I paired ours with steamed snap peas and edamame, but blanched or roasted asparagus, roasted broccoli, or roasted Brussels sprouts would also be good.
Then, top it all with spicy sriracha mayo! You’ll find my recipe below.
More Plant-Based Dinner Ideas
If you love this sesame tofu recipe, check out The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook! Then, try one of these Asian-inspired recipes next:
For more easy dinner ideas, see this post! And if you’re looking for more vegan recipes, you’ll find 85+ here.
Crispy Sesame Tofu
Ingredients
- 7 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 4 (1/2-inch thick) slices
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/3 cup white and black sesame seeds
- 1 egg
- olive oil spray
Sriracha mayo
- 4 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
For serving
- Cilantro Lime Rice or Cauliflower Rice
- 1 cup snap peas, steamed and chopped
- 1/3 cup frozen edamame, steamed
- 1 scallion, chopped
- tamari, for drizzling
Instructions
- Place the tofu slices on a kitchen towel or paper towels. Place another towel on top and lightly press to remove most of the water from the tofu. Transfer to a shallow dish big enough for the tofu to lie in a single layer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Drizzle half of the marinade over the tofu, then gently flip and drizzle the rest on the other side. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat an air fryer to 400°F or preheat a regular oven to 350°F.
- Place the sesame seeds on a small plate. In a small bowl, beat the egg. Remove each tofu slice from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off, then dip in the egg. Using a fork, dip in the sesame seeds, coating each side. Transfer to a plate. Spray one side with olive oil, then gently flip and spray the other side. (Discard the excess marinade.)
- To make the tofu in an air fryer: Working in batches, arrange a single layer of the tofu in the air fryer basket. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway, until toasted and crisp.
- To bake the tofu in the oven: Place the tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Make the sriracha mayo. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo and sriracha.
- Serve the tofu steaks with rice, snap peas, edamame, scallions, sriracha mayo, and tamari, for drizzling.
Notes
hi, recipe calls for 1/3 cup white and black sesame seeds…is this each or a combined amounts?
I only have individual jars of white and black seeds and not sure ….do they even come combined? lol idk!!
Hi Teresa, 1/3 cup total – you can use a mix or just one or the other.
I have been thinking of changing to a veggie diet for some time now….and I think you may be my answer 😊 this will be my first time eating tofu….ive been low carb dieting as I’m at that age where a slice of bread seems to gain me half a kg so fingers crossed I can still manage without pasta rice and bread and potatoes.
Looking forward to my sesame tofu for dinner and my butternut squash soup for lunch 😋
I hope you enjoy the recipes!
I love this recipe. I first tried it about 6 months ago and it has become a staple for me. And with the cilantro lime rice… heaven! Thank you!
Hello – I am wondering if you have a suggestion for a substitution for the sesame seeds. I am allergic. For the oil – no problem – i know what to do. But i am wondering what you would suggest for the seeds. Thanks!
Hi, I think hemp seeds would be great.
Soy sauce is mentioned in the instructions but not in the ingredients
Hi Nicole – thanks for pointing that out. Tamari and soy sauce are interchangeable so it’s 2 tablespoons and it gets used in step 2. Fixing it now.
Do you know the nutritional information on this recipe?
Hi Kimberly, I’m sorry, I don’t calculate nutritional info.
I’m always looking for new ways to make tofu and this was an incredible recipe!! doubled it to use up an entire block of tofu. So flavorful and satisfying – thanks for the recipe!
The sesame tofu was delicious! My toddler loved it as well! Served it with coconut brown rice mixed with frozen mixed veggies (and some spinach for the adults, wilted by the hot rice). Just added a dash of Tamari to the rice and drizzled the sriracha sauce for the adults. Great meal! I did bake the tofu at a slightly higher temp and for slightly longer. Just kept checking for when it was crispy. Will definitely make again!
For me, this was not crispy enough. Next time, I would bake at 400 for the 30 minutes, still flipping halfway. Otherwise, the marinade was tasty. I did not have tamari so I used half soy sauce and half coconut aminos.
The recipe looks yummy! How much soy sauce should be added? I don’t see that amount on here.
Hi V, I’m sorry, there’s a typo, it’s 2 tablespoons tamari, or you can use soy sauce in place of tamari.
Making this now, but I didn’t see what temp to pre hear the oven. Maybe I missed it?
Thanks!
Oops, just found it, 350 🙂
Oh that’s strange, with the egg, mine coated easily. So sorry you didn’t enjoy this one.
Not to worry, there are so many wonderful recipes offered by you that have been a great success. ❤️
This was absolutely spectacular. I made the tofu for me, and swapped out the tofu for chicken for my family. I do not have an air fryer, and went the baking route. Both the tofu and chicken turned out absolutely amazing. This will definitely be a staple!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Do you know the nutritional information on this recipe?
Hi Jeanine! This looks so good! Do you think pan searing the tofu would work also? Just curious, because I don’t have an air fryer but looking to get that crispy lightly fried texture. Thanks!
Hi Donna, the recipe also has instructions to bake it in the oven – I’d do that!
Yes I saw that. Ok will go with the oven then 🙂 Thanks
I have done them in the oven. My younger daughter has never tasted a tofu recipe she liked so much!
Yes pan searing works. With a good non stick pan and a tad extra oil for the.frying. it.comes out crispy. I do it many times with tofu.
To make
It vegan you can get as good effect as the egg by using a light batter of chickpea flour and water. It even sticks better!
I agrre. I have indian origjns and we use chickpea light batters to coat much food like cauliflower florets,sliced potatoes etc to fry to crispy.
And hence using this for tofu seems very appropriate.
This looks SO good. I love tofu and I look forward to trying this recipe – thanks!
thank you for sharing this, especially since I hanve’t seen many good things to do with tofu!
Wow this looks incredible and so pretty with all of the green👍. I also love Skinnytaste and it looks like I may need to purchase an air fryer😉. Thank you for this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
I like your recipes but I’d like to discourage you from posting ads involving puppy sales or selling any dogs or animals. Despite “family raised,” it is a form of puppy mill. There are plenty of wonderful dogs from local shelters and dog rescue organizations and the cruelty of animal sales is a tragic one.
I am hoping that your site is conscientious in addition to providing great recipes. Thank you.
Hi Helen,
I think ads are run based on your interests and browsing history. I don’t think Jeanine has any control over that. I didn’t see anything about puppies; I saw hiking boots and e-trading services.
I agree with you about her recipes. They are terrific!
Hi Helen, if you ever happen to see that ad again, can you email me a screenshot of it? (jd@loveandlemons.com). Mari is right, I don’t have control over what pops up on individual browser windows, but I can have specific ones blocked if I have more information, at least the name of the company… I’m definitely a dog lover and agree with you. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.