These bites of baked tofu are bursting with flavour! The fennel and sage marinade turns plain tofu into an savory, addictive vegan dish. Baking gives the tofu a crisp exterior with a chewy, juicy interior. This vegan recipe is really simple but start this early as you’ll want to marinate it for a few hours or overnight for best results.
Video Tutorial for Baked Fennel and Sage Tofu
Printable recipe for Baked Tofu with Fennel & Sage


- 2 12oz blocks extra firm tofu, pressed
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cubes vegetable bouillon (about 2 teaspoons powder)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon whole dried fennel seed
- 5-6 fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3 drops liquid smoke
- 3 drops vegan Worchestershire sauce (optional)
- Mix all the ingredients except the tofu together until the bouillon cubes/powder dissolves.
- Place the tofu and the marinating liquid in a container that just fits the tofu with a bit of extra room.
- Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours. 8 hours or over night is even better. You may turn the tofu over mid-way through to ensure even marination.
- Remove the tofu. You can re-use the marinade once or use it as a soup base for other dishes.
- Preheat your oven to 350F or 177C.
- Cut the tofu into one inch cubes and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, toss, then bake for another 10 minutes or until the tofu is crisp.
- Enjoy!
- Pressing the tofu (or using pre-pressed store-bought tofu) is important for this recipe. That's because pressing the tofu forces out water from the block and allows space for the marinade to sink deep into the tofu. Luckily, it's very easy to do. Please click here for a tutorial on how to press tofu.
I much prefer to cut the pressed tofu into cubes BEFORE placing in marinade. Tofu is not very absorbent and this exposes much more surface area to the marinade.Also speeds up the process.Thanks.
True that you can marinade anything more quickly when you make the pieces smaller. This way has a different effect tho. Depends on what you want to do.