Crispy Sesame Garlic Tofu Recipe | The First Mess (2024)

Hi Laura,
This recipe is the bomb! I think the tofu marinade has become my new fave. I’ll admit I didn’t want to wait to make this so I used tofu that had already been frozen without any marinade and was thawed and ready to use. I just marinated it for several hours before baking and it turned out delicious. I served it with the sesame garlic sauce over Thai noodles and stir fry string beans, shallots and mushrooms garnished with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
~Annie

I looooove this recipe. I follow it exactly and serve with roasted broccoli & white rice. I plan to double the sauce next time so I have extra on hand whenever I need a good dipping sauce. Thank you!

This dish was excellent. I kept the tofu in the freezer for two days…just because we decided to make the tofu a day later than planned…and all was fine. Really really tasty. It was great with broccoli because the sauce gets caught in all the little broccoli flowers. Loved this and am definitely making it again.

This made a lovely meal for two with some steamed broccoli. Texture and flavour was better than other similar recipes, though none do the freezing step. I am going to keep myself in the dark about how good this tofu press is and continue use a tower of textbooks ontop of my tofu! My kitchen rule is to not buy any gadgets that only do one trick :-)

This was so tasty!! Fun tip: add some grilled pineapple (or just regular pineapple is fine) and toasted almonds for some crunch!

This was absolutely amazing. I made it with coconut aminos instead of tamari (it’s all I have) and it was perfect. Served with a mountain of veg and cauli rice, I’ll be putting this in our regular dinner rotation for sure. Next time I’ll see what happens if I omit the avocado oil… the flavor and texture from the thawed tofu is so good that it will still be amazing if a little crisp is sacrificed. To all you wondering, don’t skip the freeze!! It’s worth it!

Hey Laura! I’m curious what you mean about the tofu press being “single-use”? I’m thinking about buying one but if you have to throw it out or replace parts every time, forget it. Thanks!

I made this yesterday for dinner and it was delicious! I had a silly brain moment and accidentally added the cornstarch and oil to the marinade before putting it in the freezer. I froze it overnight for about 10 hours and then defrosted it in the fridge for 9 hours, but found that it was still mostly frozen so (not ideally) I defrosted in the microwave. This may have been because of the cornstarch but my fridge also tends to run cold. I patted dry after microwaving and then did another bit of cornstarch coating. But it still turned out crispy and chewy and delicious! I really loved the sesame garlic sauce too. :) Thank you for another great recipe!

This tofu press has revolutionized cooking tofu for me. Thank you for posting it! The recipe is amazing as well. I had heard about freezing tofu before but had never tried it. It creates a great texture.

What a cool tofu press! Would you be able to use it for other foods such as making your own vegan cheese or even your own tofu, chickpea patties, etc.? The sesame garlic sauce sounds fantastic too–you can really use it for anything! Of course, I’m always in love with your pictures. They look so beautiful and vibrant!

This was SO good. My husband who is not vegan loved it. I served it with coriander brown rice and steamed broccoli.

I made this for dinner tonight with oven roasted brussels and rice noodles. My tofu hating 11 year old ate every piece I put in her bowl! I found the tofu itself a bit salty (probably because I only had soy sauce and not tamari and didn’t cut it with water in the marinade) but the texture and flavour was great. I really enjoyed the sauce as well. Thanks for the great recipe!

After pressing, I would have expected to cut the tofu into pieces and then add to the marinade so there are more exposed surfaces for the flavour to absorb. I have never tried freezing it though. Is there a reason you wait until after thawing to cut the tofu? Thanks.

This recipe looks so amazing! I just bought tofu and am a complete newby. In terms of food prep (batch cooking)could the tofu be marinated, frozen, then stay in freezer for a longer period of time? And if so, what would you recommend for a maximum freezer time? Thanks!

Laura, this technique sounds like a very cool thing to try. I love my tofu press :), and it is the same as the one you have linked!
My situation is the same as Anne’s above, in that I eat a low fat, whole food plant based diet. My question is how can we replace the avocado oil in the recipe or will it still work if it is just omitted? I don’t mind using a tiny bit of sesame oil in marinades because it does add so much flavor, but other than that, for health reasons, I do not consume any oils.
Thank you so very much. Wishing you a wonderful day :) !

What brand of tofu press do you use? I’ve been looking to get one and can’t decide which brand to get.