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Crispy Tofu With Maple-Soy Glaze

4.6

(114)

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Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen

Whenever you’re cooking tofu, here’s one of our no-fail techniques: Draining the tofu, then squeezing out as much water as possible (without smashing it), is the key to the crispiest cubes.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    2–4 servings

Ingredients

1

12-oz. block firm tofu

¼

cup low-sodium soy sauce

3

Tbsp. pure maple syrup

3

Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

½

tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1

½" piece ginger, very thinly sliced

½

cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed

Kimchi, toasted sesame seeds, hijiki, daikon, sliced scallions, and steamed rice (for serving; optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Drain tofu, then sandwich between several layers of kitchen towels to remove excess liquid. Cut into 9 cubes.

    Step 2

    Whisk soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and ginger in a small bowl.

    Step 3

    Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. When oil is rippling across the surface, carefully add tofu so it doesn’t splash. Cook, undisturbed, until very crisp and dark brown underneath, 3–4 minutes. Carefully turn and repeat on opposite side. Holding tofu back with a spatula or slotted spoon, pour out oil into a small bowl. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add soy sauce mixture. Cook, reducing heat to medium so it doesn’t over-reduce or burn and basting tofu occasionally, until glaze is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 4 minutes.

    Step 4

    Divide tofu among plates. Drizzle with glaze, then top with scallions. Serve with rice alongside.

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Reviews (114)

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  • This recipe is delish and comes together pretty quickly. Few notes; definitely agree with other users about adding cornstarch or something to make the sauce a little thicker. My main note is to skip the frying of the tofu! I found the texture not very pleasant (and no, my sauce did not make the tofu soggy) and it was sort of a waste of time. Maybe next time I will give the tofu a quick pan fry to warm it up, but getting it crispy feels unnecessary. Otherwise awesome flavors and super versatile - served over rice with kimchi, sliced cukes, steamed broccoli, avocado and scallions. YUM!

    • Jill B

    • Minneapolis, MN

    • 10/12/2022

  • The sauce was good, but you go to all that work frying the tofu to get that texture and I lost it all when braising in the sauce. I'm just a home cook, but there's gotta be a way to maybe use significantly less sauce and some cornstarch or something to make it kind of classic takeout style. Just a quick splash in the hot pan and it thickens vibe.

    • Anonymous

    • NYC

    • 8/30/2022

  • Really easy and tasty. Served it on a bed of brown rice and kimchi. I drained the tofu and left it in the fridge wrapped in a dry cloth so that it crisped up in no time when cooked. You can easily double the sauce/glaze as I could have used more!

    • carlyepi

    • Hartford, CT

    • 3/18/2022

  • Delicious - like others, it took longer for my tofu to get "golden" but the sauce was delicious. I drained my tofu on paper towels and sautéed sliced carrots, celery and onions. I put the sautéed veggies aside and added the sauce to the pan, let it reduce slightly then added the golden tofu. I let that cook down a bit, then added the veggies again. Served with Jasmin rice and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Soooooo good!

    • Pamela

    • Boston, MA

    • 1/12/2022

  • Really great, I make this at least once a week. Getting tofu crisp first is key!

    • Anonymous

    • 6/14/2021

  • I lost all crispiness of the tofu as it sat in the liquid to reduce. Next time, I'll cook the liquid down a bit first to reduce it and *then* will add the tofu at the very end to coat it. I think adding a bit of flour or cornstarch would help it stick to the tofu more, too. The flavor was good - will do this again. :)

    • Boorayin

    • Camas, WA

    • 4/29/2021

  • so yummy! I added garlic because no recipe is complete without garlic. great easy meal with pantry staples I always have around. tofu tip – freeze in package overnight, thaw in fridge during the day, and then you'll be able to get a lot more water out of it before you cook. doesn't even required pressing, you can just gently squeeze the water out with your hands over the sink.

    • Mac

    • Arizona

    • 4/22/2021