This Baked Tilapia is light, fresh, and super healthy! It’s a 20-minute dinner that everyone will love. Serve next to rice or quinoa and your favorite roasted or steamed vegetable!
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Sometimes super healthy dinners that are also quick to make are hard to come by.
But also serving boxed mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or bacon jam grilled cheese every night for dinner just doesn’t cut it…although I’m never mad about a grilled cheese for dinner night. 😉
Enter Baked Tilapia! Tilapia are one of my favorite fish to cook because they’re not very, well, “fishy.” Since they’re mild in flavor, they’re versatile, easy to prep, and really hard to mess up.
This Baked Tilapia recipe is one of my favorites. It’s so simple to make, packed with protein, and makes a delicious and good-for-you dinner next to your favorite roasted vegetables and a side of Jasmine Rice or Roasted Red Potatoes.
Looking for more dinner ideas? Check out the rest of my dinner recipes here!
What is tilapia?
Tilapia are a species of freshwater fish that are native to Africa and the Middle East.
They are mild in flavor, high in protein, and low in calories and fat. Tilapia are easy to prep, quick to cook, and known for their health benefits and affordability, which makes them one of the most commonly cooked fish!
When prepared properly, tilapia are light, flaky, tender, and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients needed for this Baked Tilapia recipe:
- Canola Oil: I use canola oil to grease the parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Tilapia: you can use 4 full filets or 6-8 loins. The amount of breading needed will depend on the size of your filets.
- Milk: you can use buttermilk or regular milk, depending on what you have on hand. Buttermilk does add an extra punch of flavor!
- Egg: coating the fish in egg helps protect it from drying out as it bakes. It also helps the flour/breadcrumb mixture stick.
- Seasoned Breadcrumbs and All-Purpose Flour: the base for our breading. Flour absorbs moisture while the breadcrumbs give that classic golden-brown crunch.
- Parmesan: I like to use freshly grated parmesan for the best flavor.
- Seasonings: seasoning salt, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper
How to cook tilapia
Tilapia is super quick-cooking, which makes it great for healthy weeknight dinners. This baked tilapia recipe is ready in just 20 minutes!
- Prep the ingredients: Pat the tilapia dry with a paper towel. In one shallow dish, whisk together milk and egg. In other, whisk together breadcrumbs, flour, parmesan, and seasonings.
- Bread it: Coat the tilapia first in the milk mixture, then press it firmly into the breadcrumb mixture. Coat both sides well, then set on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake: Spray the top of the fish with cooking spray, then bake at 425ºF for 10-12 minutes. If desired, broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the crust.
Baked Tilapia FAQs
High heat is better for tilapia, so that it cooks quickly and doesn’t dry out. I cook mine at 425ºF for 10-12 minutes and it comes out perfectly!
While this depends on the thickness of the fish, baking the tilapia uncovered n this recipe works great. It cooks quickly enough that you don’t have to worry about the tops burning. Plus, when it’s uncovered, the breading is able to get nice and crispy!
In theory, yes, but I definitely prefer to use fresh or thawed tilapia for this recipe. Since frozen tilapia takes longer to cook, the breading can burn before the inside is fully cooked. To quickly thaw frozen tilapia, place the fillets in a ziplock bag and then a bowl of cold water. Let sit until fully defrosted, then proceed with the recipe!
Baked tilapia will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then reheat at 200ºF for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through and re-crisped.
Tips and tricks:
- Pat it dry. Use a paper towel to pat the tilapia dry before breading it. Removing excess moisture helps the breading get nice and crispy.
- Spray with oil. I like to spray the tops of the fish with spray oil or non-stick spray. This creates that delicious golden-brown color.
- Broil. If the crust isn’t quite browned to your liking after baking, turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes to brown it even more.
- Play with seasonings. I love the seasoning combo listed in this recipe, but you can definitely get creative with it. Try taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, old bay seasoning, you name it.
Serving suggestions
This Baked Tilapia is delicious paired with a pile of quinoa or brown rice, roasted green beans, or a simple spring mix salad. Simple, healthy, and delicious!
For a more decadent meal, you can also add this Garlic Parmesan Orzo Pasta or Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese!
More recipes you’ll love
Crispy Baked Tilapia
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
- 4 tilapia fillets (full fillets or 6-8 loins)
- ½ cup milk or buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs (Panko or fine)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt (reduce to 1 teaspoon if you prefer less salty)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush parchment with oil.
- Pat tilapia dry with paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Whisk together milk and egg in a wide shallow dish.
- Combine coating in a large glass dish (big enough so that the dish can lay flat): bread crumbs, flour, Parmesan, seasoning salt, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, paprika and pepper.
- Coat tilapia in milk mixture and press firmly into the coating mixture, coating both sides well. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all are done.
- Spray the top of the fish with spray oil or non-stick spray.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until the internal temperature is 145 degrees F and the crust is lightly browned and crispy. You can broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the crust further if desired.
- Serve.
Notes
- Pat it dry. Use a paper towel to pat the tilapia dry before breading it. Removing excess moisture helps the breading get nice and crispy.
- Spray with oil. I like to spray the tops of the fish with spray oil or non-stick spray. This creates that delicious golden-brown color.
- Broil. If the crust isn’t quite browned to your liking after baking, turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes to brown it even more.
Nutrition Information
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Lisa says
Going to make tonight…..however, I don’t see egg in the ingredients only in the instructions.??? I’m assuming one egg. Can’t wait to try!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lisa! yes it is 1 egg. Will fix that! Enjoy!
Sam says
Loved this recipe,but it could use a side. Do you have any good sides to go with it?
Ciera says
Could I use this recipe for pacific cod, do you think the outcome would be similar? I prefer cod because it’s not as “fishy”.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ciera, I’ve only tested the recipe with tilapia. If you decide to experiment with cod, I’d love to know how it goes!
Kate says
This was delicious! My 1 year old son loved it!!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Shalandria says
Tried this recipe tonight and it turned out beautifully like yours. The taste and crunch was very good as well!
Deserves a repeat!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Shalandria! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Bryan says
The recipe looks fantastic but we don’t buy tilapia, unfortunately because of the conditions in which they are raised over in China!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Bryan! I hear your concern, but you can definitely do some research on this and find different alternatives.