Crispy “Adobo” Tofu
January 2, 2021 | By Jeremy Scheck | 57 Comments

Not to be confused with the eponymous Filipino dish, this tofu recipe is inspired by the ubiquitous (and now infamous) Goya Adobo seasoning. It’s great in a burrito bowl or in tacos. Feel free to change up the seasonings with what you have and like.

Video Tutorial
Crispy "Adobo" Tofu
Ingredients
Essentials
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil such as avocado or canola
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Generous spices to taste
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (convection if you have it). Press your tofu (it's super easy to do if you don't know how - just google it) for about 10 minutes -- it doesn't have to be the MOST dry.
- Dry off the tofu and crumble into irregular pieces.
- Mix in with the oil, cornstarch and spices, and spread out onto a large baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven about 20 minutes, or until crispy. If desired, leave the tofu in the warm oven turned off for an additional 10 minutes (for extra crisp!)
Jeremy Scheck spent high school perfecting his signature cupcakes, making quiches and coffee cake by the dozen at a local bakery, and teaching cooking demonstrations at Williams-Sonoma. As a 10th grader in 2016, he began documenting his favorite recipes on a blog called The After School Bakery. In college, Jeremy learned to make 50 gallons of ice cream in the food science lab, how to prune grape vines in the teaching vineyard, the best way to milk a cow in Northern Italy, and why film photography is an art worth saving. As a sophomore in 2020, he traded blog photos for video and became a TikTok culinary sensation. Jeremy has been featured on the Today show, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, BBC Radio, People, and Access Hollywood, among others. Jeremy is a graduate of Cornell University with a double major in Spanish and Italian, and significant coursework in food science. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. Learn more about Jeremy.
Absolutely delicious, I highly, highly recommend! I especially liked the tip about leaving the tofu in the warm oven at the end – made such a big difference!
it was really good and really easy to do. definitely recommend!
When I saw this yesterday I knew I had to make them!! They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And, my family loved them as well!! You have to try these.
Just made this recipe and put it in a burrito! I loved it! It was delicious!
So excited to have more vegan recipes. Just made this and it was soooo good!
I made this as a non- vegetarian to switch up my normal meal prep and this was so amazing! So crispy and yummy and a great edition to my salads!
Easy and declicious! I used it in a taco inspired salad.
Just made this for my family who all usually refuse to eat tofu and everyone loved it! It was so crispy and delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again.
Can this be done in an air fryer ?
Yes, definitely. It might take less time, so watch it!
10/10! I made it for my whole family for lunch today and everyone really enjoyed it. The house smelled AMAZING and they came out super crispy! Will definitely make again!
Super yummy and delicious! I’ve been scared of eating tofu, but this recipe made me actually enjoy tofu and was super simple to make! 10/10 recommend.
Wow! I made these to go in our coconut lime tacos to make it vegan… an OMG it was the best!
So good and SO CRISPY! I really underestimated how crunchy this would be, and I’ll never go back to pan frying my tofu. I cooked this with a side of chickpeas stir fried with tomato and jalapeño, some avo and rice. 10/10 would be vegan if I could eat this every day.
I don’t cook very much but that didn’t stop me from enjoying how delicious this recipe is!
10/10!! Made it for my mom and couldnt stop eating them! Came out so crispy too
can I skip the oil?
We very much enjoyed this recipe last night. To get that extra crispiness, which makes all the difference, we broiled the tofu for about four minutes after the baking period. Yummers!
I’ve never made tofu before but I used this method with Greek seasonings to make tofu souvlaki wraps and they were soo good. I’ll definitely be making tofu this way often
My first time ever making tofu! It came out very crunchy and tasty. I put it in my air fryer for 18 minutes at 400. The grocery store pickup subbed the “extra firm” tofu I ordered to “firm” tofu but it still worked out.
Tried this today for my lunch to have with a soft taco – so delicious!
I’ve been cooking vegetarian food for 40 years. I’ve tried so many methods for preparing tofu, often with oil splattered everywhere. This is absolutely the best method ever, my new BFF Tofu. Thanks, Jeremy.
Hi Jeremy! Making this tonight for dinner and crazy excited. You say it doesn’t have to be super dry, but would it be better if I pressed it for longer?
This sounds yummy! Do you think it’s doable with cauliflower?
it was delicious. thank you for sharing this.
Is it possible to get even a preliminary recipe for the sauce? It looks great 🙂
This was good and easy! Next time, I will break the pieces up even smaller. I will definitely make this again – first time I’ve enjoyed tofu. Thank you.
I’ve been looking for the best way to prepare my tofu and I found it right here! Super delicious and it tastes just like a chicken nugget! thank you for sharing this amazing recipe 🙂
This is by far the best tofu recipe I’ve ever made. I’ve forwarded it to several friends, who all have loved it!
this has become a staple for me in college. so easy to toss together and it comes out so delicious in the end. I find that i can make a whole block, store leftovers in the fridge, and then heat them up in the airfryer the next day and it’s just as delicious. perfect with some rice, beans, and greek yogurt / sour cream / guac (the creaminess works well with the crisp tofu!)
this was so good!! i was a little skeptical because my tofu never gets quite as crispy as most recipes say it does, but that was. not the case with this one!! it was delicious and so crispy. i had it with lime cilantro brown rice and cucumber salsa, amazing
I want to make this but I’m not sure what to eat it with if I want to make a dinner out of it.
Any suggestions?
tacos!
That sounds awesome thank you!!
I’m going to try it tonight. Any suggestions for sauces? I saw you made one in the video but haven’t added the instructions for that yet.
That sounds awesome thank you!!
I’m going to try it tonight. Any suggestions for sauces? I saw you made one in the video but haven’t added the instructions for that yet.
Made it for dinner and even my pickiest kid liked it.
This is my go tofu recipe i love it!! I also like to add nutritional yeast for extra crispyness :))
This recipe is seriously so good! It came out so crispy and delicious!
I have adapted this tofu for so many recipes! This method of cooking is so good and was a total game changer for my vegetarian husband!
Before I tried out this recipe I hated tofu (even though I wanted to like it.) It always just came out soggy or just really off in texture. This recipe completely changed my view on it! It’s so crispy and flavourful and really good. 10000/10
I make this tofu at least twice a week, it’s so easy and delicious. Just re-reading the recipe now makes me want to have some for breakfast…
This tofu is so good!!! The recipe is literally so easy and takes no time or skill at all! I highly recommend making it!
So good! And so easy to make, love to eat it with rice and veggies.
So easy and delicious! Definitely going to become a staple in our rotation 🙂
This is my new favorite way to cook tofu. I change the seasonings up sometimes, but the adobo seasoning in this recipe is definitely in the rotation! The method of tearing and roasting the tofu is genius and gives you that restaurant-crispy tofu without frying it in oil. My 13yo who “doesn’t like tofu” inhales this and gets seconds. Big win!!
I literally make this once a week now. This is my go to easy way to make tofu. It is so simple, so quick, and so delicious! You can add as much spice as you want and cater the recipe to the flavors you love! I love to enjoy this in a burrito or in a salad bowl with some chipotle dressing. So delicious!
This recipe. AMAZING!!! I am not vegan but tofu is super cheap and this makes a protein filled dinner cheap and so crispy!! I put it in the air fryer instead of the oven (just because it’s easier) and it’s so quick! I probably make this three times a week. Only note is that i use half of a tofu block because i find tofu very filling and it doesn’t heat up well as leftovers!
I love this recipe! It comes together in a few minutes and it’s a winner! I always choose the option of leaving it in the oven a little longer so it crisps up. Yum!
Thank you Jeremy!
Just made this for dinner using the chicken less seasoning and the citrus garlic seasoning from TJ’s. I also made a jalapeño Greek yogurt and herb dipping sauce to go with it. It satisfied my craving for chicken nuggets while staying plant based.
I’ve made this twice as a snack and now i’m planning to make it a 3rd time as a protein replacement for chicken breast with my salad because i’m trying to reduce my meat intake where I can. This recipe is really delicious because the of the SPICES! Highly recommend!
This is so obscenely good. My carnivorous father and brother ate this as a part of a meatless dinner and didn’t complain??? who knew it was possible. definitely an addition to the weekly dinners roster. Made it with a chana masala spice mix the 3rd?4th? time I used this recipe and that was to die for.
I had to have done something wrong! I felt like there was a film of cornstarch on my tofu. Did I add too much?? Loved the simplicity of the recipe though 🙂
Haven’t stopped making tofu this way since I first discovered this recipe! it’s perfect, even my dad (hates tofu, big meat eater) wouldn’t stop snacking on this and he obviously didn’t admit he liked it but he also kept eating it 😂
Delicious and so easy! I think the smaller the pieces, the better.
This is my new favorite way to make tofu!! Perfect every time!
This recipe is great for when you have leftover tofu, but no clue what to do with it. Fast, easy, tastes very good. I will definitely make again next time I have extra tofu.
This is my favorite way to make tofu! I make it at least 1/week1