Crispy Tofu Bowl With Bang Bang Sauce
Crispy tofu bowl has crispy golden brown tofu, fluffy rice, blanched veggies, and a sweet chili sauce. This insanely delicious tofu buddha bowl is plant based and can easily be made gluten free.
Looking for more easy weeknight meals? Try my harvest bowl (sweet green inspired), sheet pan salmon buddha bowls, or dragon bowls.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this crispy tofu rice bowl:
- Extra firm tofu
- Potato starch
- Seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Panko bread crumbs
- Cooked white rice
- Veggies – green beans and broccoli.
- Avocado oil – or another neutral oil.
- Bang bang sauce – a sweet chili sriracha sauce made with mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and rice vinegar.
- Garnish – sesame seeds.
How to Make Crispy Tofu Bowls: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Prep tofu. Remove the tofu from the package and place inside a clean kitchen towel (or a few paper towels) on a cutting board. Place a heavy object on top to remove the excess water. Cut the pressed tofu into 1-inch cubes.
- Set up dredging stations. Add ½ cup of potato starch to one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together milk of choice, 2 tablespoons potato starch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until smooth. In a third bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, garlic powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Dredge tofu. Dredge the tofu cubes first in the starch bowl, then in the wet batter, then in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Transfer to a plate.
- Blanch vegetables. Bring a large saucepan with water to a boil. Drop the green beans and broccoli florets into the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes then use a slotted spoon to transfer the veggies to an ice bath for 2-3 minutes. Thoroughly drain water.
- Fry tofu. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Once hot, cook the tofu in a single layer until golden brown on all sides.
- Assemble bowls. Layer bowls with cooked white rice, blanched vegetables, and crispy tofu. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- You don’t need a tofu press, but it’s essential that you press out the excess liquid with a heavy object such as a large book, etc.
Quick Tip: Cook the rice and make the sauce ahead of time to make this an even quicker meal.
Storage
Store the bowl components separately in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat the tofu in a toaster oven or skillet to make re-crisp them.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this crispy tofu bowl recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No potato starch? – you can also use tapioca starch, corn starch, or arrowroot starch.
- Add-ins – red pepper flakes, cucumber salad, julienned carrots, etc.
- Make it gluten free – For gluten free bread crumbs, I love the brand Aleia’s.
- Make it vegan – use vegan mayo for the sauce.
- Switch up the sauce – you could use a variety of different sauces such as creamy harissa tahini, Japanese spicy mayo, creamy lemon miso dressing, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
I think it could work very similarly to my crispy air fryer chicken bites. Preheat the air fryer then arrange the breaded tofu pieces in a single layer in the tray. Spray the tops of the tofu with avocado oil. Cook for 9 minutes at 400ºF, flipping them halfway through and spraying the tops of each piece with a little more oil until crispy.
More Buddha Bowl Recipes
I hope you love this Crispy Tofu Bowl! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Crispy Tofu Bowl With Bang Bang Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 oz block extra firm tofu
Dry & Wet Batter
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons potato starch divided
- ½ cup oat milk or milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt use ¼ teaspoon if using anything else
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Seasoned Bread Crumbs
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs use GF if needed, see notes below
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt use ¼ teaspoon if using anything else
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Bowl
- cooked white rice
- 2 heaping cups raw broccoli florets
- 2 heaping cups raw green beans halved
- bang bang sauce
Instructions
- Prep tofu. Remove the tofu from the package and place inside a clean kitchen towel (or a few paper towels) on a cutting board. Place a heavy object on top to remove the excess water. Cut the pressed tofu into 1-inch cubes.
- Set up dredging stations. Add ½ cup of potato starch to one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together milk of choice, 2 tablespoons potato starch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until smooth. In a third bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, garlic powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Dredge tofu. Dredge the tofu cubes first in the starch bowl, then in the wet batter, then in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Transfer to a plate.
- Blanch vegetables. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the green beans and broccoli florets into the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes then use a slotted spoon to transfer the veggies to an ice bath for 2-3 minutes. Thoroughly drain water.
- Fry tofu. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Once hot, cook the tofu in a single layer until golden brown on all sides.
- Assemble bowls. Layer bowls with cooked white rice, blanched vegetables, and crispy tofu. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!