Sesame Crusted Tofu Bowl

The best kind of tofu is crispy tofu–but we’re not frying it. Instead, this sesame crusted tofu once baked until golden perfection. Serve it up in a bowl with U.S-grown fragrant jasmine rice, colorful veggies, some edamame, and a flavorful tahini sauce.

The best kind of tofu is crispy tofu–but we’re not frying it. Instead, this tofu gets its crispy exterior by coating it with sesame seeds before baking until golden perfection. To make it a meal, I love serving up this sesame crusted tofu with a bowl of U.S-grown fragrant jasmine rice, colorful veggies, and a flavorful tahini sauce.

I teamed up with USA rice to create this delicious recipe using jasmine rice–it’s the perfect base for these tofu bowls. Jasmine rice cooks up nice and fluffy and has a subtly sweet flavor that works well when paired with the other flavors in this bowl.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s quick rundown of some of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact amounts.

• Jasmine Rice: U.S.-grown fragrant jasmine rice is the prefect base for this bowls since the flavor and texture complements all the other elements in this colorful bowl. If you don’t have jasmine rice on hand, you can substitute with another variety.
• Extra Firm Tofu: you’ll want to use extra firm tofu so that it holds up to slicing and dipping. This variety also has the lowest amount of water so it crisps up better in the oven.
• Tahini: you will use tahini to make a simple miso tahini sauce that flavors the tofu as well as for serving.
• Sesame Seeds: use a combination of both white and black sesame seeds for the prettiest presentation. However, if you only have one–that’s completely fine.

Substitutions & Variations

Swap the Tofu: If you don’t have any tofu on hand, you can swap the tofu for tempeh.

Change up the Veggies: I served this bowl with edamame and some fresh chopped veggies, but feel free to make it your own. This would also be tasty with sautéed broccoli, bok choy or cabbage.

Try it with Peanut Butter: You can easily swap the tahini for a different nut butter like peanut butter or even almond butter. You might just need to add a bit more water to thin the sauce depending on the consistency of your nut butter.

How to Make this Crispy Baked Sesame Tofu

Add all of the tahini sauce ingredients together in a bowl or jar and whisk until combined. Add more water if needed to thin to desired consistency.

Transfer 1/4 cup of the tahini sauce to a separate bowl and whisk in the cornstarch. Dip your tofu in the sauce to coat then dip in the sesame seeds to coat.

Arrange the coated tofu slices on a baking sheet and bake until golden.

Assemble the bowls with U.S.-grown jasmine rice, colorful veggies, the sesame crusted. tofu, and drizzled with the tahini sauce.

Storage & Make Ahead

Make Ahead: You can prep all the different elements of this bowl in advance and store in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat and serve. For the tofu, I’d recommend reheating in the oven or an air fryer as it might lose some of its crispiness in the microwave.

Storage: store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t really freeze very well.

Sesame Crusted Tofu Bowl

Created by: Deborah Murphy

Course Entree, Main

Cuisine Healthy

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

4 servings

The best kind of tofu is crispy tofu–but we’re not frying it. Instead, this tofu gets its crispy exterior by coating it in tahini sauce and sesame seeds before baking until golden perfection. To make it a meal, I love serving up this sesame crusted tofu with a bowl of U.S-grown fragrant jasmine rice, colorful veggies, some edamame, and a flavorful tahini sauce.

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup U.S.-grown jasmine rice
• ▢ 2 1/4 cups water

For the Tahini Sauce

• ▢ 1/3 cup tahini
• ▢ 1 tablespoon white miso
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ 1/4 cup water

For the Tofu

• ▢ 16 oz extra-firm tofu
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
• ▢ 3 tablespoons black sesame seeds

For the Bowl

• ▢ Cucumber, shredded carrots, green onion, purple cabbage, edamame, cilantro, cashews

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 and line a large metal baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Make the rice: Add 1 cup of U.S.-grown jasmine rice and 1 cup water to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit with the lid on for another 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
• Make the Tahini Sauce: Whisk all the tahini sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
• Make the Tofu: Slice the tofu into eight 1/2" thick slabs. Add ¼ cup of the tahini sauce to a separate bowl and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Dip each piece of tofu into the sauce, letting excess drip off, and transfer to the bowl of sesame seeds to evenly coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tofu. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
• Assemble: Divide the cooked rice between four serving bowls and top with veggies of your choice (cucumber, shredded carrots, purple cabbage, edamame, green onion, radish). Divide the tofu between the bowls and top with the tahini sauce.

Notes

Make Ahead: You can prep all the different elements of this bowl in advance and store in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat and serve. For the tofu, I’d recommend reheating in the oven or an air fryer as it might lose some of its crispiness in the microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 235mg | Iron: 5mg

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