Hot Honey Walnut Tofu

I often talk about how my family is a huge source of inspiration for my recipes. But I also get a lot of recipe inspiration from Reuben’s parents, my other family, as well! His mom always has something baked or sweet stored in a tin when we visit. And I so admire the way his dad meticulously chops and preps ingredients for dinner. I’m a sucker for anything neatly arranged. I’m no stranger to baking tofu, but it has never made a lasting impact on me. Until! his dad make the best and crunchiest baked tofu for dinner while we were in New Jersey a few months ago. Each cube was cut to the exact same size, pressed to the perfect moisture content, evenly coated with cornstarch, and baked until it mimicked deep fried tofu with a fraction of the oil. It was a revelation.

When we came home to California after the holidays I started to bake tofu the Jim Alt way and I can’t stop! The process and recipe is by no means difficult. It’s actually one of the most simple ways to prepare tofu. But the key to its success is having the patience to follow through with each step correctly. No need for any more shortcuts or feeling rushed. The tofu will come out perfectly each time! It’s delicious simply with salt or toss into your favorite sauces, like Honey Walnut Sauce!

This sauce is 1000% inspired by Honey Walnut Shrimp, a dish we always order at family dinners. The sauce is mostly mayo and honey, how could that be bad? Instead of fried shrimp (still love that version btw) we’re adding the crispy baked tofu. It’s amazing and one of our favorite new weeknight dinners!

The crispiest and easiest oven baked tofu!

Fried, crispy tofu is one of my favorite things to eat on the planet. However, I’m not a fan of heating up a bunch of frying oil to make dinner on a Monday. If I was making a bunch of doughnuts or fried chicken, I would change my tune. This method of baking tofu is a total game changer because it honestly comes out just as crispy as fried tofu but with so much less oil, less effort, and your house won’t smell like a fast food restaurant at the end of the night.

I honestly make tofu this way about once a week! The key to the crispy texture is the sweet potato starch. You could use cornstarch or tapioca starch, but I find the crunch of sweet potato starch to be the winner. You can find it at pretty much any Asian grocery store.

You will also want to drain and press the tofu to get out any excess moisture. I use firm to extra firm tofu, but the moisture content really varies based on brand. You might only need to press the tofu for 15 minutes, or if you can tell it’s really saturated continue to press longer.

Once the tofu is press, simply toss the tofu pieces in the starch. To do this one piece at a time, again no rush! You’ll want to line a baking sheet with PARCHMENT PAPER, using parchment paper rather than foil prevents the cubes from sticking (trust me here). Brush or spray the parchment paper with oil, I love spraying with avocado oil for this recipe. Arrange the tofu all neatly on the pan and then brush or spray the tofu with oil so the surface also gets crispy. Salt and then bake at 450-degrees until perfectly crunchy!

I love eating the crispy tofu as is or adding into a salad, but it soaks up sauces soooooo well! Keep scrolling because the hot honey mayo sauce is going to be your new favorite!

This whole meal will really make you appreciate your sheet pans! Classic Honey Walnut Shrimp (tofu in this case) is traditionally served with broccoli and candied walnuts. I think the broccoli is normally there to provide some green and balance out the fried shrimp covered in mayo. The candied walnuts provides crunch and the sweetness really complements the sweet honey in the sauce. You can make your own candied walnuts with the recipe below or just use store-bought candied nuts! The broccoli can be swapped out with whatever vegetable you prefer. I love to roast broccoli at high heat so that it gets caramelized and crisp in the oven. The tofu and broccoli actually cook at the same temp so I took this as an opportunity to make these meal a mostly oven/sheet pan situation!

candied walnuts

1 1/2 cup raw walnuts
3/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp oil

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, toss to combine walnuts, salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, and oil. Spread the nuts into an even layer on the sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Toss the walnuts and bake until aromatic and toasty, another 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Allow the nuts to fully cool and store in an airtight container until ready to snack or add to your favorite dishes and salads.

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sesame roasted broccoli

serves 2 to 4

1 head of broccoli, cut into smaller floret
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (could be made alongside the tofu).

2. In a large bowl, toss to combine the broccoli, olive oil, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sesame seeds. Arrange the broccoli into an even layer on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and browned around the edges, 24 to 28 minutes.

3. Serve immediately.

Honey Walnut Shri… I mean, tofu!

Time to make your sauce! It’s so simple and you’ll want to dip everything in it…

Combine mayo, preferably Kewpie Mayo, regular or hot honey, and a pinch of salt to taste. It’s sweet, creamy, salty, and clings on to the crispy edges of the tofu. I found myself dipping the broccoli straight into the sauce because it was so delicious!

You can make OG Honey Walnut Shrimp by frying up shrimp and tossing them into the sauce instead!

Hot Honey Walnut Tofu

serves 2 to 3

1 lb firm tofu
1/3 cup sweet potato starch
3 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup kewpie mayo
2 tbsp hot honey, or regular honey
Pinch of salt to taste
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Drain the block of tofu and cut into 1-inch cubes or desired shape. Line a baking sheet with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Arrange the tofu over the towel and cover with more paper towels or another clean kitchen towel. Place a heavy pan over the tofu to press out the extra moisture. Allow the tofu to continue draining for another 15 to 30 minutes, time varies based on brand of tofu and how much moisture there is.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (important! Don’t use foil because the tofu will stick!). Brush or spray the parchment paper with oil.

3. Add the sweet potato starch to a medium bowl. Dip a few pieces of tofu into the starch, making sure to fully coat each piece, and arrange on the parchment paper. Repeat with remaining tofu pieces. Brush or spray the arranged tofu cubes with oil and sprinkle with salt.

4. Bake the tofu until crispy and lightly golden brown, not need to toss half way, 30 to 35 minutes.

5. While the tofu is baking make your honey mayo sauce. In a medium bowl, mix to combine mayo, honey, and salt. Once the tofu is out of the oven, toss in the sauce until fully coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice, broccoli (recipe above), and candied walnuts (recipe above).