These baked Crispy Garlic Tofu Fries get their crispy texture from cornmeal. Serve with a rich roasted red pepper tahini dip.
These baked tofu fries were inspired by Trader Joe's garlic French fries. I don't think they sell them anymore, but man were they good!
They came with a packet of roasted garlic to slather on your fries after baking them.
These tofu fries are similar in that they have roasted garlic. They are not quite as potent as the Trader Joe's fries, but you could use two roasted heads of garlic if you want that powerful garlic punch.
How to Make Crispy Garlic Tofu Fries
First, roast a head of garlic. If you are making the roasted red pepper dipping sauce, roast a red pepper also.
Mix cornmeal, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Squeeze the roasted garlic out and finely chop it. Mix with olive oil.
Drain and press the tofu. Then slice it into strips. Coat with the garlic and olive oil mixture, then dip in batter.
Bake until crispy.
For the roasted red pepper dip, peel the skin off the roasted red pepper after it has cooled, and loosely chop it. If a few charred bits are left, that's fine, it will add a nice smoky flavor.
Mix the roasted red pepper with tahini, vegan mayo, and salt in a food processor or Nutribullet until creamy.
Other Tofu Recipes
Tips
- Drain and press the tofu to get the water out.
- If you are making the roasted red pepper tahini dip, roast the red pepper at the same time as the garlic. Since the garlic will roast longer, you'll add the red pepper after about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you could use a store-bought roasted red pepper.
- Finely chop the roasted garlic so that it will coat more pieces of tofu. You could also smash the roasted garlic.
- Mix the roasted garlic with olive oil to get the best coverage on the tofu. This will flavor the olive oil with a nice garlic flavor so that even the parts of the tofu that are not covered with garlic will still have that flavor.
- If you don't want to use cornmeal, you can use chickpea or gluten free all purpose flour instead. Just make sure to lightly coat the tofu, otherwise it will flake off. I prefer the taste of the chickpea flour over the gluten free all purpose flour.
Crispy Garlic Tofu Fries Recipe
Crispy baked tofu fries with a rich roasted red pepper dip, yes please!
*I originally posted this recipe May 28, 2015. I changed the recipe slightly and added new photos and text when I republished it. The original recipe had a cornmeal and gluten free all purpose flour coating, which made the fries a bit thick.
*Don't forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating.
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You May Need:
Crispy Garlic Tofu Fries with Roasted Red Pepper Tahini Dip
Ingredients
Roasted Red pepper Tahini Dip
- ¼ cup vegan mayo
- 1 red pepper - or store bought roasted red pepper (about ¾ cup chopped)
- ½ cup tahini
- Salt
Crispy Garlic Tofu Fries
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for drizzling on red pepper and garlic
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°.
- Roasted Garlic: slice about ½" off a head of garlic (the pointy end), exposing the cloves, and leaving the skin on. Put the garlic in aluminum foil and drizzle olive oil on top. Cover the garlic with the aluminum foil. Roast at 450° for 40-45 minutes, or until tender. Let cool.
- Roasted Red pepper Tahini Dip: Slice red pepper in half, remove seeds, and place with skin facing up. Drizzle olive oil on top. Add the red pepper to the oven with garlic after 15 minutes and roast @ 450° for about 20-25 minutes, or until charred. Remove skin after peppers have cooled.
- Slice or chop red pepper and mix with the rest of ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy.
- Crispy Garlic Tofu Fries: Press tofu with a tofu press or a towel with a heavy object on top of tofu, like a cast iron skillet for at least 15 minutes.
- Slice tofu into strips. Set aside.
- Squeeze garlic out, finely chop or smash, and add to the tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
- Mix cornmeal, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a bowl wide enough for tofu strips.
- Dip tofu strips in garlic and olive oil, then in cornmeal. Put on an oiled parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet.
- Lower temperature of oven to 400° and bake for 20 minutes. Flip tofu strips over and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until crispy.
Nutrition
*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
Aloe Vera Gel Recipes says
Yummy Tofu Fries !
I'll try this recipe out ! Thanks a lot for the share.
Your TribeMate from ""Vegan Blogs & Recipes".
Rebecca Van Der Grool
Aloe Sport Global Team.
Danielle says
I made these the other day and they were fabulous! Even my friend who claims to "hate tofu" loved them!
Willow Moon says
I am so glad you both liked them!
Jenn S. says
That dip!!! YUM!
Willow Moon says
It has definitely become one of my favorites!