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Lindsay’s Notes
Holy spicy crispiness! This chili crunch tofu is chompy, sticky-sweet, and delicious. Two main steps for this guy:
Bake the tofu. Sauce the tofu.
The end! Happy day! You’re eating spicy, crispy, rockstar-level tofu with very little effort or thought into the whole thing which is what the SOS series is all about. You can prep the tofu however you like, but I highly recommend the cornstarch method for baking (my favorite method as outlined in our tofu post), which is what’s written into the recipe here. It never fails to be miraculously crispy, golden, and the perfect canvas for your favorite sauce. Speaking of sauce, this one couldn’t be easier.
Yum Yum sauce Chili crisp Honey (optional)
And that’s it. If you like to go BIG big on flavor, you can also grate a clove of raw garlic into the sauce for something extra kicky. The chili crisp I use (Momofuku brand (affiliate link)) has a bit of garlicky-ness to it so I usually am fine leaving it at that, but we love flavor. WE INVITE FLAVOR. Add to your heart’s content. I love making this chili crunch tofu for a quick high-protein weeknight dinner and the leftovers work beautifully for a repeat lunch with a second coating of sauce. And we make this recipe a whole family affair by just saucing the tofu for the girls with the plain Yum Yum sauce, which is creamy and sweet and mild and, of course, they love it. Chili crunch tofu for prez! If you like this tofu, I highly recommend also trying this Sticky Gochujang Tofu! So, so good. RELATED: Why is tofu so great?! It’s so great! These peanut-saucy tofu bowls are one of my other go-to tofu recipes!
Chili Crunch Tofu Video
What Do You Serve with This Chili Crunch Tofu?
I usually serve it on pre-cooked rice (SOS) or, if I have a teeny bit of extra time, I’ll make cauliflower garlic rice, which is what you see in the pictures here. 4.9 from 22 reviews
1 block extra firm tofu 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon olive oil a pinch of salt 1/4 cup Yum Yum sauce (affiliate link) 1 tablespoon chili crisp (affiliate link) 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
Extras for Serving:
1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked (see notes for the cauli rice I like to make!) 1/4 cup green onions for topping
Nutrition: The nutrition info below is only for the tofu and does not include rice. To make it: you’re just roasting store-bought cauliflower rice until it’s golden and yummy, and then tossing it with precooked brown rice and a bit of garlic powder and salt (The recipe is also outlined in the notes section of the recipe card above.) That said, you can serve this tofu with anything – a salad, a bowl of veg, or in a wrap! It would be great in lettuce cups for lettuce wraps as well.
How Do You Make This Tofu Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free?
It should be naturally dairy-free, and to make it gluten-free, just use tamari or coconut aminos! But check the labels on your specific brand of Yum Yum sauce and your chili crisp just to make sure the rest is also gluten-free and dairy-free.
What Can I Sub For Yum Yum Sauce?
But if you can’t find it or just don’t want to run out to the store – you have a few options:
Make it! Use mayo instead.
Yum Yum sauce tastes like a sweet mayo with a barely-there tomato flavor. I think you can build a great sauce just using regular mayo and adding a bit of extra salt and sugar and maybe a squeeze of ketchup.
More Incredible Tofu Recipes
Tofu and Brown Rice Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce (SOS-friendly and on the table fast) Spicy Tofu Burgers (absolutely incredible and such flavor-bombs) Crunchy Roll Bowls (one of our most popular tofu recipes) Vegan Crunchwrap Supreme (this crunchwrap is INSANE!)
