Fried tofu is a popular, quick, and easy recipe from Thai cuisine that you must try. The fried tofu bites are crispy on the outside, with a soft and melt-in-mouth texture on the inside. Sweet and spicy peanut sauce is the best accompaniment to these tofu slices and is highly addictive for its flavor!
If you love Thai food, check out our popular spicy basil tofu stir fry and pad kra pao for a delicious weeknight meal or simple spring rolls with peanut sauce.
About this recipe
- Crispy tofu is the best plant-based protein to serve as an appetizer or starter or add-in for salads, wraps, curries, and stews.
- No cornstarch or any flour is used to make this crispy fried tofu.
- Crispy tofu with peanut sauce is a highly addictive and crowd-pleaser appetizer that both vegetarians and meat eaters will love.
- This fried tofu recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free.
- Tofu can be air-fried, deep-fried, pan-fried, or oven baked.
Ingredients
Crispy Fried Tofu Bites
Extra Firm Tofu: Extra firm tofu works best for this recipe. Soft tofu or silky tofu will not work.
Oil: Prefer neutral oil like vegetable or canola for frying.
Salt: Tofu is bland, so it needs some salt. I love to sprinkle it before frying. You can even sprinkle it after you have fried it. Adjust the amount of salt based on your dietary requirement.
Peanut sauce (Spicy and sweet chili sauce)
Roasted Peanuts: You can use salted or unsalted ones.
For the heat: Red pepper flakes and Thai Bird Chilies make the dipping sauce spicy. Adjust it to your taste.
Sourness: you can use tamarind ball or tamarind juice and white vinegar or rice vinegar to make your sauce sour.
Sweetness: Brown sugar is used. You can use palm sugar or combine the two.
Additional flavors: To enhance the flavors of the dipping sauce, garlic cloves, salt, and cilantro or basil is used.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-step instructions
Making of easy peanut dipping sauce
- In a blender, add chilies, garlic cloves, tamarind, vinegar, water, and salt and blend it to a smooth paste.
- Transfer this to a small pan, add sugar and pepper flakes, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until the dip turns slightly thick. Taste and adjust any flavor accordingly. (Note: Dip thickens as this cools, but if you like a very thick dip, then simmer it for some more time.)
- Meanwhile, in a chopper or using a sharp knife, crush the peanuts and keep this aside.
- When ready to serve, add peanuts and cilantro.
Deep fried tofu
- Drain the tofu so that it's reasonably dry. I gently press them between the kitchen towel. (Note: If the kitchen towel becomes too wet after absorbing the initial moisture, take the fresh second layer of kitchen towels. This is mainly done to prevent the tofu from turning soggy)
- Cut them into desired shapes (triangle, rectangle, cube) and sprinkle salt on them.
- Heat oil for frying. See that atleast 40 % of the pan is covered with oil.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the tofu in medium to medium-high flame till it's golden brown on both sides. (Note: If the tofu sticks to each other when you drop them in oil, wait until they become firm and light golden in color before separating them, else they will tear apart and become a mess. )
- Transfer this to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining tofu slices.
- Serve hot with peanut sauce, and enjoy.
Pro Tips
- Do not overcrowd the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, add the tofu slices.
- If the oil is cold, then tofu will absorb excess oil while frying. If it's very hot, then the tofu will turn brown soon. It's best practice to fry, switching the flame between medium and medium-high.
- To check if the oil is hot, put a small piece of tofu in the oil. If it sizzles, it means the oil is ready for frying. (the approx temp is 375 degrees for frying)
- This crispy fried tofu is prepared without any cornstarch.
- Adjust the sweetness and spiciness of the sauce as per your taste.
- We love deep-fried tofu. It's ready in a few minutes, and the texture is exactly like what you are served at any Thai restaurant in the United States. If you want a healthier option, you can pan-fry, air-fry,, or oven-bake tofu. Read the post below for instructions.
- Tofu bites taste the best when served immediately. It will lose its crispiness in 30 minutes.
Crispy pan-fried tofu slices
- In a large nonstick pan or skillet, drizzle oil and swirl so it spreads evenly. Now place the tofu slices on a single layer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until it becomes crispy and golden brown in color. Do not disturb to get the crispy coating.
- Flip and cook on the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes until crispy and golden. Drizzle oil if needed.
Easy air fryer tofu
- Add tofu slices, sprinkle salt, and drizzle oil in a bowl. Toss to combine.
- Arrange them in a single layer on your air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes tossing them at the fifth or 6th-minute mark.
Crispy baked tofu
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Once you have pat dried the tofu, add the tofu slices in a bowl, drizzle oil and salt. Toss to combine.
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper to prevent it from sticking
- Arrange the tofu cubes on a single layer.
- Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing them halfway through or until crispy and golden brown.
Serving suggestions
- Crispy fried tofu cubes are best served as an appetizer or starter with peanut sauce (sweet chili sauce).
- You can toss tofu cubes over salads, grain bowls, stir-fries, curries, and stews.
- One of the best meat replacements for curries and noodles.
Make ahead and store
Make ahead and leftovers: Fried tofu slices are not the best make-ahead recipe as they will not remain crispy on the outside but will be delicious.
If there are any leftovers, store them in an airtight conatiner for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Reheat: To regain the crispiness, reheat them in a nonstick skillet with a drizzle of oil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Freezing: Fried tofu can be frozen for up to three months. Thw in the refrigerator and reheat in a nonstick skillet.
Recipe FAQS
Tofu is a healthy plant-based protein low in calories and low in fat. Frying them will add extra calories and fat to the dish. So consume it in moderation.
Yes. Fried tofu is made with dairy-free products and is one of the best options for your vegan diet.
Yes. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week. It thickens in the refrigerator. So add little water and warm it just before serving. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro.
Fried tofu can be calorie-dense. One serving of fried tofu with peanut sauce contains 194 calories with approx 11g of protein and 8g of fat.
More Thai Recipes
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Recipe card
Crispy Fried Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Crispy Fried Tofu
- 14 oz Extra firm tofu
- Oil for frying
- Salt, to taste
Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce
- ⅓ cup Roasted peanuts
- 2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 3 Thai bird chilies (use milder version if you can't tolerate the heat)
- 2 Garlic cloves
- ¼ inch Tamarind ball (or 3 tablespoon Tamarind juice)
- ¼ cup White vinegar
- ¼ cup Water
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Brown sugar (plus 1 or 2 tablespoon extra if you like it very sweet)
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro or Basil, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
Making of easy peanut dipping sauce
- In a blender, add chilies, garlic cloves, tamarind, vinegar, water, and salt and blend it to a smooth paste.3 Thai bird chilies, 2 Garlic cloves, ¼ inch Tamarind ball (or 3 tablespoon Tamarind juice), ¼ cup White vinegar, ¼ cup Water, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Transfer this to a small pan, add sugar and pepper flakes, water if needed and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until the dip turns slightly thick. Taste and adjust any flavor accordingly. (Note: Dip thickens as this cools, but if you like a very thick dip, then simmer it for some more time.)¼ cup Brown sugar (plus 1 or 2 tablespoon extra if you like it very sweet), 2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- Meanwhile, in a chopper or using a sharp knife, crush the peanuts and keep this aside.⅓ cup Roasted peanuts
- When ready to serve, add peanuts and cilantro.1 tablespoon Cilantro or Basil, finely chopped (optional)
Deep fried tofu
- Drain the tofu so that it's reasonably dry. I gently press them between the kitchen towel. (Note: If the kitchen towel becomes too wet after absorbing the initial moisture, take the fresh second layer of kitchen towels. This is mainly done to prevent the tofu from turning soggy)14 oz Extra firm tofu
- Cut them into desired shapes (triangle, rectangle, cube) and sprinkle salt on them.Salt, to taste
- Heat oil for frying. See that atleast 40 % of the pan is covered with oil.Oil for frying
- Once the oil is hot, fry the tofu in medium to medium-high flame till it's golden brown on both sides. (Note: If the tofu sticks to each other when you drop them in oil, wait until they become firm and light golden in color before separating them, else they will tear apart and become a mess. )
- Transfer this to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining tofu slices.
- Serve hot with peanut sauce, and enjoy.
Notes
- Do not overcrowd the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, add the tofu slices.
- If the oil is cold, then tofu will absorb excess oil while frying. If it's very hot, then the tofu will turn brown soon. It's best practice to fry, switching the flame between medium and medium-high.
- To check if the oil is hot, take a small piece of tofu and put it in the oil. If it sizzles, it means the oil is ready for frying. (the approx temp is 375 degrees for frying)
- This crispy fried tofu is prepared without any cornstarch.
- Adjust the sweetness and spiciness of the sauce as per your taste.
- We love deep-fried tofu. It's ready in a few minutes, and the texture is exactly like what you are served at any Thai restaurant in the United States. If you want a healthier option, you can pan-fry or air-fry or oven bake tofu. Read the post above for instructions.
- Tofu bites taste the best when served immediately. It will lose its crispiness in 30 minutes.
Rachana
I quite enjoyed making this recipe, and then eat the tofu, your recipe instructions turned out to be much easier to follow than I expected! 🙂
I feel a lot more confident about my cooking skills as well as trying out more tofu recipes here on!
Kushi
Thanks alot 🙂 I a glad yo liked it!