Salt and Pepper Tofu is a popular Chinese dish. The tofu cubes have a super crispy exterior and a soft and silky center. The dish is very easy to make and ready in less than an hour.
When we go to Chinese restaurants, one of our favorite dishes to order is crispy salt and pepper tofu. But it’s also quite easy to prepare at home.
What I love about this salt and pepper tofu recipe is the contrast between the incredibly crunchy exterior and the soft, silky interior.
Ingredients
- Firm tofu
- Cornstarch
- Ground white pepper
- Table salt
- Canola oil
- Optional garnishes: Sliced red chili peppers, scallions (or green onions), and freshly ground black pepper
Frying with Cornstarch
The super crunchy batter is achieved by coating the tofu in cornstarch before frying. Because cornstarch is almost pure starch, it produces a much crispier crust than frying with flour. Many fried Chinese dishes use cornstarch as the batter. It’s quicker, less heavy, and the result is quite delicious.
With the cornstarch method, there is no need to dredge the tofu in egg and flour. Instead, place the cornstarch into a large bag, add the tofu, and shake the bag a few times until all the tofu pieces are evenly coated in a thin layer of cornstarch.
The batter will be much paler than when frying with flour. Instead of a dark golden brown, it’s more of a pale yellow gold. The batter is also so thin it is barely visible. However, when you touch the tofu, you can definitely feel the firm, crunchy crust.
Salt and White Pepper
The tofu is seasoned simply with a salt and white pepper mix. White pepper is used in Chinese dishes because it has a more mild flavor compared to black pepper.
I garnished the dish with a little bit of fresh ground black pepper, but the tofu crust is seasoned with salt and white pepper.
Pressing the Tofu
It’s important to press the tofu before cooking with it because tofu retains so much water. I usually press mine for 15-20 minutes and then pat the tofu cubes dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. If the tofu is too wet, the cornstarch will also not properly coat the tofu, making it hard to pan fry.
To press the tofu, place a small cutting board over the tofu. Place a heavy object on top of the cutting board. The constant application of gentle pressure should release a lot of water from the tofu.
Variations
While this dish is great as is, there are other variations of the dish I’ve come across that you can try as well:
- You can add ground Sichuan peppercorn or pepper flakes to the cornstarch batter to create a spicy version of the dish.
- You can include a chili sauce to dip the tofu cubes in (it’s usually a mix of minced garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, chili paste, or chili oil).
- For this version, I used firm tofu because it is easier to handle. However, the tofu is even silkier if you use soft tofu.
More Tofu Recipes
- Baked Garlic Tofu
- Crispy Baked Tofu
- Air Fryer Sesame Tofu
- Crispy Baked Orange Tofu
- Mapo Tofu
- Baked Tofu Fries
Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
Ingredients
- 18 oz firm tofu drained
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- ½ tsp table salt
- Canola oil for frying
Optional garnishes
- 2 red chili pepper seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place tofu block onto a cutting board. Place a second cutting board over tofu. Place a heavy object on top of the cutting board, preferably a heavy can. Apply the weight on the tofu for about 15-20 minutes, to release water from tofu.
- Slice tofu into 1 inch cubes. Pat dry the tofu cubes with paper towel.
- Add about 1 inch of oil to pan being used for frying. Bring to medium heat.
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, white pepper and salt. Add to a large ziploc bag. Add in tofu and seal bag. Shake bag several times until tofu is evenly coated in starch.
- When oil is hot, add a few pieces of tofu and fry until crispy on all sides before removing. Because you are using cornstarch instead of flour, the battered tofu will not change that much in color when finished cooking. Instead of a golden brown, the tofu cubes will be a pale yellow gold.
- Repeat with remaining tofu until all tofu is fried. Keep tofu waiting to be fried in the cornstarch bag. If you lay down the tofu cubes to rest while waiting, they will release more water and will soak through the cornstarch coating and cause it to fall off.
- When tofu is fried, you can garnish with chili peppers, scallions and fresh ground black pepper.
Notes
- Keep tofu waiting to be fried in the cornstarch bag. If you lay down the tofu cubes to rest while waiting, they will release more water and will soak through the cornstarch coating and cause it to fall off.
- You can add ground sichuan peppercorn or pepper flakes to the cornstarch batter to create a spicy version of the dish.
- You can include a chili sauce to dip the tofu cubes in (it’s usually a mix of minced garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and chili paste or chili oil).
- For this version, I used firm tofu because it is easier to handle. However, the tofu is even silkier if you use a soft tofu.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
This was delicious. I used soft and it was perfect! My 7 year old said I didn’t use enough salt so I lost to my husband in our tofu challenge?. Meanwhile, only his version had leftovers;). Will make again and again!
We’re so glad you loved it!
I make this all the time i love it, thankyou for all of your wonderful recipes. They are simple to make always tasty and bring joy to cooking.
Thank you so much for the nice comment! We’re happy you love this recipe.
Does this work the same if I put it in an air fryer instead of actually frying it?
I don’t know as I haven’t tried it but I don’t think the tofu will be the same texture. I have cooked tofu in the air fryer it comes out more similar to baked tofu rather than fried tofu.
Great recipe. I added finely chopped ginger for an extra hit of flavour. Worked really well. Thanks
I’m glad it worked out well for you
Just tried it was amazingly simple family wants again even my picky eaters
I’m so happy your family enjoyed!
I’m so excited to try this!! Any suggestions for pressing the tofu if you use less than firm?
I have not tried with tofu that wasn’t firm.
OMG. So good and easy, exactly what I was looking for.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I omitted salt from cornstarch and white pepper in the zip lock. Then sprinkled lightly with Maldon Sea Salt when fried – Loved it !!
I’m glad you enjoyed!
Does anyone know of anything that would be KETO that could be used instead of cornstarch for this?? I’ve seen egg wash then parmesan/almond flour, which kind of works but is hard to keep it ON the tofu. TIA if anyone knows ;-D
I don’t know if anyone pointed out this error:
“you place the cornstarch into a large bag, add the cornstarch and shake”. I believe that’s put cornstarch in the bag and add the TOFU??
Yes, I’ve done this before and anyone who has NOT tried it will be AMAZED at the crispiness, especially since tofu can be a bit stubborn in that respect ;-D
The instructions are correct in the actual recipe box, but yes there was a mistake in the body post itself. Most likely people didn’t notice it because it’s written correctly in the recipe. But I’m glad you were able to figure it out and enjoyed the recipe.
Made this tonight and everything was great but I think it needed more salt. Thanks for this recipe, – it was really easy and fun to make.
You can always adjust the salt to your preference. Glad it worked out for you
Just made this as I had some leftover tofu to use. So easy and delicious! I had amazing salt and pepper tofu in New York recently and wanted to replicate it, and this was perfect! Thank you so much for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked the recipe!