Lean Pantry: Crispy Chipotle Tofu

If you love tofu, you’re going to love this crispy chipotle tofu. And if you don’t like tofu, I’m thinking you might love this crispy chipotle tofu. I am personally very picky about tofu. I rarely order it at restaurants for fear of it being too soft, which also means it’s not cooked long enough for my taste. One of the only ways I make tofu at home and for clients is by baking it. But not just baking it, baking it at a high temp for a good long while, so that it gets crisp on the outside and almost chewy on the inside.

I love this tofu in burrito-style grain bowls, as a taco filling or as a finger food with a sauce for dipping. In the finger food case, I would cut the tofu differently, make the pieces slightly bigger, in a rectangular or triangle shape. They’d cook longer too. But this recipe right here is perfect for this tasty chipotle tofu as a mix in, topping or filling.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that when cooking with tofu, I always get organic tofu. Organic tofu is clean-eating friendly, GMO-free and negligibly more expensive (tofu is very inexpensive to begin with).

Crispy Chipotle Tofu
Serves: 2-3 Start to Finish: 1 hr 15 minutes
vegan | vegetarian | gluten-free | dairy-free

Ingredients

1 package extra firm tofu (organic tofu preferred)
3 tbs olive oil
3/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (for extra spice, use 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, fine grain
1/4 tsp ground cumin

To Make

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

Press drained tofu for 15 minutes. You could use a tofu press, but I don’t have one. I simply sandwich the tofu between two paper towel lined plates and place something with a bit of weight on top, like a tea kettle. The paper towels will absorb the moisture as the tofu is gently pressed down.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine oil and remaining ingredients. When tofu is finished pressing, cut the tofu into bite-size pieces. I get 72 pieces out of one block of tofu by first cutting the block into 3 slabs, then dicing each slab into 24 pieces. If they’re not exactly even, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes I get them perfect, and sometimes I totally botch it.

Toss tofu with seasoned oil mixture. Spread onto a parchment-lined backing sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25 minutes. Gently toss with tongs or a spatula. Return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes or until crispy. For me, it took exactly 50 minutes total. Note that the tofu will firm up a bit more as it cools.