Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe
Today we are making a Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe! If you haven’t had this meal before, this is a dish that’s popular at Chinese restaurants, usually known as sweet n’ sour chicken or pork – but sometimes you can find it with tofu as well. Today we’ll be making an all-vegan version, so no meat in this recipe!
So what is Sweet N’ Sour tofu, exactly? It’s like cubes of tofu, coated in corn starch and fried in oil until they’re golden brown and crispy perfection. Then, you prepare an easy sweet and sour sauce to pour on top. The homemade sauce ingredients include ginger, coconut sugar, rice vinegar, pasta sauce, tamari and chili garlic sauce for an all-around delicious recipe for the whole family!
Stir-fry some onion, tomato, garlic and pepper until soft. Then pour this sauce over top of the veggies and cooked tofu. Simmer it down until thick and you’ll have a colorful medley of sweet, sour and sticky sauce coated over everything!
Serve it with rice, noodles or another grain of choice and it’s a full meal that you can prepare well in advance. I always top my tofu with something colorful, like white or black sesame seeds, green onions or maybe a drizzle of sesame oil if I’m feeling up for it. Let’s get onto the recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe
Crispy Perfection: Imagine golden, fried crunchy tofu cubes that add a layer of texture to every bite. It’s the kind of crispiness that makes you question if it’s really just tofu – it’s that good! Tofu has had a rep for being bland (at least from what I’ve seen on the Internet). This recipe is here to prove that it has its place up there with popular meat-based dishes. Move over Beyond Meat crumbles!
Restaurant Style at Home: Enjoy making this popular restaurant dish but in a healthier way and more budget-friendly at home, so you can have it every day without constantly ordering out (and spending $20+ on a main course each time). I love the satisfaction of making restaurant-style recipes at home – it’s fun to be able to recreate dishes I would normally order out and put in the work to getting it all together!
Substitutions: For the Base
Block of Tofu: Opt for extra firm tofu for the best results. It has the right texture and consistency for making crispy tofu cubes in this stir fry recipe. Before using it, make sure to use a tofu press or paper towel to remove excess moisture, as stated in the recipe card – we want to get as far away from soggy tofu as possible … just kidding. Even if you skip this step, your tofu will turn out alright, but it definitely won’t be as crispy as it needs to be. Also note that there are many types of tofu, including silken tofu (soft tofu) – make sure not to pick this one!
GMO soy crops are grown using artificial fertilizers and pesticides, so I avoid them if I can. However, I usually find the main tofu brands available in my local supermarket are already non-GMO, such as Soyganic and Sunrise!
Oil: Avocado oil has a high smoke point and is great for cooking without lending its own strong taste like extra-virgin olive oil can. Vegetable oil can work as well.
Cornstarch: You can try to substitute the cornstarch with gluten-free all-purpose flour, rice flour or potato starch. I haven’t tried either of these, but they may all work as gluten-free substitutes. All-purpose flour can work too, but it won’t be gluten-free.
Bell Pepper: Choose either red, yellow, green or orange bell pepper (or a mix). Do not substitute – bell peppers are essential for sweet n’ sour tofu!
Red Onion: Substitute with white onion or shallots, which have a milder taste but will still work for the base.
Substitutions: For the Sauce
Coconut Sugar: If you’re looking to avoid nuts completely, even coconut sugar, substitute with brown sugar instead.
Rice Wine Vinegar: This is a vinegar made from fermented rice wine. It has a mild and slightly sweet flavor. I do not recommend to substitute.
Pasta Sauce: Choose a vegan tomato-based pasta sauce to keep this recipe refined sugar-free. I like a tomato-garlic pasta sauce as opposed to other flavors like basil or roasted red pepper, since the flavor doesn’t align well with the other ingredients. You can substitute with a plain tomato paste. However, you may have to make up for the lack of flavor by adding an additional clove of garlic to the recipe.
Tamari: Tamari is a gluten-free substitue for soy sauce, and also lighter on the sodium. You can replace with soy sauce, but it will be saltier than tamari. I recommend to start out by using less than the amount of tamari called for. Using soy sauce also won’t keep this recipe gluten-free.
Chili Garlic Sauce: This is a sauce made of chili peppers and garlic. It usually has vinegar, salt and sugar added and adds a ton of flavor to sauces. You can find this in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
Ginger: Use fresh ginger (and garlic), not the pre-made paste or pre-ground powder for best results.
Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe Notes
- To add some color, top the tofu with black sesame seeds and green onion before serving on a fresh bed of rice!
More Vegan Recipes You’ll Love
Dubu Jorim (Spicy Korean Braised Tofu)
If you make this Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe
Equipment
- Skillet
- Heavy object for pressing the tofu
Ingredients
For the Base
- 1 block extra-firm tofu
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 5 tbsp avocado oil divided into 2 tbsp and 3 tbsp
- ½ medium bell pepper color of choice, deseeded and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- ½ medium red onion diced
- ½ large tomato diced
- 2 medium garlic cloves finely grated
For the Sweet N' Sour Sauce
- 7 tsp coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato pasta sauce
- 1½ tbsp tamari
- ½ tsp chili garlic sauce
- ¼ tsp fresh ginger finely grated
Instructions
- Place the tofu on a cutting board, covered with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Place some books or a heavy object on it for about an hour, to allow the excess moisture to drain out.
- Chop the tofu into cubes, then place them in the large bowl.
- Toss the tofu with the cornstarch until fully coated and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp of the oil to a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the garlic, onion, pepper and tomatoes.
- Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring until the vegetables have softened.
- Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add in the other 3 tbsp of oil, making sure it coats the skillet.
- Shake the extra cornstarch off and add the tofu cubes into the skillet. Allow them to cook about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Stir the tofu around on the same side to ensure it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Pour the sauce mixture over top of the crispy tofu pieces, stirring for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Add the pepper mix in with the tofu, stirring everything together to fully coat with the sauce.
- After another minute, turn off the heat and serve with white rice or a grain of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
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Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
