Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe (Vegan)
This Sweet and Sour Tofu is one of my favourite comfort foods ever of my favourite takeout! The tofu is crisp with a perfect texture and the sweet and sour sauce is unbelievably delicious! It comes together quickly and tastes amazing as meal prep too!
I’ve been making this sweet and sour sauce since the beginning of ‘Jessiker Bakes’. The first version of JITK, and where I started experimenting with savoury dishes. 10 years later (the sauce was always vegan) I’ve modified it a bit, made the entire dish vegan, and I am finally re-sharing it! I can’t count how many times I’ve made this but it is our #1 go to COMFORT meal.
None of my local Asian restaurants make sweet and sour tofu. Which is a bummer, but also motivation to make my own. Let me tell you – it is INCREDIBLE! The first time I made it for a blog recipe, Gav and I finished it all that night. I say that with pride. It embodies all the flavours you would expect from a sweet and sour sauce – sweet, tangy, umami filled and so rich in colour and flavour. It comes with my favourite usual add-ins of bell peppers, onions and pineapples, and of course, crispy tofu.
How to Make Tofu Crispy
After years of making tofu, I’m proud to say we know how to make it perfectly crispy. The short answer is: cornstarch. I go into full detail in my How to Cook Tofu 101 blog post, and I highly recommend that you read it. Cornstarch crisps up the tofu while wicking out any excess liquid. It’s also gluten free so works well for that.
My second tip is to always, always press your tofu. I also say it in my how to cook tofu 101 blog post, it’s not tofu’s job to have flavour. It’s up to us to season it, in fact, I’m glad it barely has a flavour. It takes on anything you want it to. Removing the liquid from tofu allows it space to absorb all the flavour you want it to have. Those two, plus a nice hot pan to crisp it up in will create perfect tofu for this dish and beyond!
Can’t have tofu?
If you’re allergic to soy, this recipe works perfectly on cauliflower too! Just bread it and crisp it up like in my orange cauliflower dish, then finish it like I do in this recipe in the pan. You could also do this on mushrooms or tempeh.
Related Recipes
- General Tso Tofu
- Sweet and Sticky Orange Cauliflower Bites
- Orange Air Fryer Tofu
- Easy Baked Tofu
- Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
Crispy Tofu
- 1 (16 ounce) block firm tofu, or extra firm tofu pressed, and torn into 1 to 2 inch pieces*
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten free if needed, or liquid aminos or tamari
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup oil for frying
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar, I use cane sugar, you can use brown or any granulated
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup vinegar, preferably rice or white
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten free if needed, or liquid aminos or tamari
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped/cubed pineapple
- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
- chopped scallion, for garnish
Instructions
Crispy Tofu
- In a medium-sized bowl place the pressed and torn tofu pieces. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Add in the garlic powder, sea salt, ground black pepper and cornstarch and toss to thoroughly combine, ensuring all the tofu pieces are covered with the seasonings and the cornstarch.
- Heat a pan or wok over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the tofu and toss to crisp up on all sides until the tofu is cooked and crisped on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes. Feel free to do this in batches if desired. Remove tofu pieces and set aside.
Sweet and Sour Sauce + Putting it All Together
- In the same pan, lower the heat to over medium-high heat, and add in the onions, pineapples and bell peppers.
- Saute until the onions are translucent and the pineapples are slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and garlic powder for the sweet and sour sauce and stir together until fully combined.
- Pour in the sauce over the veggies. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Add back in the crisped up tofu, and stir to combine. Taste test and add more sugar or soy sauce if you desire. Remove from heat until needed.
- Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This recipe is AMAZING and so easy!! Big hit in our house and we will definitely be making it again. My fault for not reading ahead, but make sure to remove the Tofu before frying up the veggies, then add it back later on!! Thank you Jessica 🙂
Really easy-to-follow recipe with very tasty results! I did tofu and cauliflower since I had both on hand. I cut the brown sugar quite a bit and made up some of the sweetness with pineapple juice, since I didn’t have pineapple chunks on hand and I wanted some of that flavor. I didn’t have bell peppers either, so I made up the veggies with a mix of zucchini and carrots. They tasted great with the flavors in the sauce – this is a very adaptable recipe! My husband is a carnivore and he loved this dish – I highly recommend it even for non-vegans.
This recipe was amazing. I typically don’t love tofu, but this turned out so crispy that I couldn’t get enough of it. This tasted just as good as getting sweet & sour take out anywhere. We actually had to stop ourselves from eating the whole thing. I didn’t have pineapple, so we threw in some broccoli, bok choy, carrots and mushrooms. It was just simply delicious. This recipe makes me confident that I can be vegan.😊
I have been a vegetarian for ~ 8 years and have tried a lot of tofu recipes over the years. Have to say this is hands down one of the best tofu recipes I have EVER made! Even my carnivore boyfriend approved. Will definitely be making this again soon!
This recipe is so good! I split the tofu in half to have over two days but forgot to half the sauce and that was such a happy accident because the sauce is so good and completely coated the rice! This is the recipe that broke my bad tofu cycle because I’ve been buying extra firm tofu that said there’s “no need to press” but it really makes all the difference.
Wow wow WOW! Insanely good!!!! If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading Jessica’s “How to cook tofu 101” post. This is the first time I was ever able to make CRISP tofu!!!! It tasted just as good, if not better, than take out!
This is delicious! Even my pickiest eater loved it. I love your recipes!
Wowza, this recipe is incredible! I used to crave Chinese takeout and was sad there were no good vegetarian/vegan options near me, but no more sadness – this recipe is the perfect solution! THANK YOU!
Awesome Jenn! this is such high praise thank you so much! We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
A bit sweet for my taste so I might add less sugar next time but otherwise this recipe was amazing! I also added ginger and cayenne pepper for a little extra flavor. The cornstarch tip is a game-changer and I’ll definitely be using it when I cook tofu in the future.
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Elizabeth! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
Jessica strikes again! This recipe is seriously SO good.
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Keisha! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!