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General Tso’s Tofu

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General Tso’s Tofu, ready in just 30 minutes! It’s spicy-sweet, healthier than the classic Chinese takeout dish, and one of my favorite tofu recipes.

Tofu Cubes Topped with Spicy Sauce & Sesame Seeds on White Rice

This General Tso’s Tofu is a healthier and lighter version of the classic General Tso’s Chicken. Besides, it’s made with tofu instead of chicken and the tofu is not deep fried, just sautéed in a little bit of oil.

For those of you who don’t know general Tso’s chicken, it’s a sweet, deep-fried chicken dish that is served in North American Chinese restaurants.

I’ve used only a little bit of oil to cook the tofu and also made a less spicy version, but add as much oil and red pepper flakes as you want.

You can also make this recipe oil-free (just read the pro tips or recipe notes) and omit the red pepper flakes if you’re not into spicy food.

As you can read in the recipe description, this is one of my all-time favorite tofu recipes, but it’s also one or the most popular recipes on the blog!

How To Make General Tso’s Tofu – Step By Step

Step by step pictures of how to make general Tso's tofu
  • Place the tofu cubes in a bowl or shallow dish (photo 1).
  • Add the marinade ingredients (2 tbsp of tamari and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar), stir and let rest for at least 5 minutes, preferably overnight (photo 2).
  • Drain the tofu (photo 3) and discard the marinade.
  • Transfer 1/3 of the tofu cubes to a freezer or plastic bag with 2 tbsp of cornstarch and toss to coat (photo 4). Repeat this step with the rest of the tofu cubes and cornstarch. Add more cornstarch if needed.
  • Once the tofu cubes are coated with the cornstarch (photo 5), heat some oil in a skillet and add the tofu cubes (photo 6). I used extra virgin olive oil, but any oil will do.
Step by step photos of how to make general Tso's tofu from scratch
  • Cook the tofu cubes over medium-high heat until all sides are golden brown (photo 7). Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.
  • Add the garlic to the skillet (photo 8) with a little bit of oil if needed and cook over medium-high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently until golden brown (photo 9). Set aside.
  • Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl (photo 10). Set aside.
  • Add the sauce to the skillet where you had your cooked garlic and cook over medium-high heat until it thickens, stirring frequently (photo 11).
  • Finally, add the tofu cubes, stir and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes (photo 12).
  • Serve with some cooked white rice and garnish with some sesame seeds and chopped chives (optional). Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Pro Tips

  • I NEVER press my tofu because I prefer to save some time and also think it’s not necessary, but it’s up to you. I just drain the tofu and discard the liquid.
  • Firm or extra firm tofu works great. I’ve never tried to use soft or silken tofu myself, but I don’t think it’s going to work.
  • If you don’t want to use a freezer or plastic bag, just add the cornstarch to a shallow dish, then the tofu cubes and toss to coat.
  • If you don’t eat soy, you could use cauliflower instead. I’ve seen some recipes online, but I’ve never tried it myself. Tamari or soy sauce can be replaced by coconut aminos.
  • For an oil-free version of this recipe, bake the tofu at 350ºF or 180ºC until golden brown.
  • Feel free to use any type of vinegar, starch or sugar you have on hand.

What Dishes To Serve With This Recipe?

  • For a complete meal, I like to serve my General Tso’s Tofu with some type of carb and also with veggies.
  • My favorite carb to serve Chinese food with is rice, especially white rice, but brown rice or any other grain will do.
  • Any dish of veggies is okay, but I prefer to serve it with some Chinese or Asian-style vegetable dish, like bok choy or Thai cucumber salad.
  • Another good choice, if you don’t want to eat any carb, is to serve this with some cauliflower rice instead of white rice.

Looking For More Tofu Recipes?

An overhead shot of a dish with white rice and general Tso's tofu on top

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General Tso’s Tofu

★★★★★ 4.8 from 92 reviews
  • Author: Iosune
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 2–4 1x
  • Category: Main dish
  • Cuisine: Asian, Vegan

General Tso’s Tofu, ready in just 30 minutes. It’s spicy-sweet, healthier than the classic Chinese takeout dish, and one of my favorite tofu recipes.

An overhead shot of a dish with white rice and general Tso's tofu on top
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Ingredients

For the general Tso’s tofu

  • 10 ounces firm tofu (275 g), cubed
  • 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 6 tbsp cornstarch
  • Oil of your choice, I used extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

For the sauce

  • 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp vegetable stock or water
  • 3 tbsp cane, coconut or brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

  1. Place the tofu cubes in a bowl or shallow dish.
  2. Add the marinade ingredients (2 tbsp of tamari and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar), stir and let rest for at least 5 minutes, preferably overnight.
  3. Drain the tofu and discard the marinade.
  4. Transfer 1/3 of the tofu cubes to a freezer or plastic bag with 2 tbsp of cornstarch and toss to coat. Repeat this step with the rest of the tofu cubes and cornstarch. Add more cornstarch if needed.
  5. Once the tofu cubes are coated with the cornstarch, heat some oil in a skillet and add the tofu cubes. I used extra virgin olive oil, but any oil will do.
  6. Cook the tofu cubes over medium-high heat until all sides are golden brown. Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.
  7. Add the garlic to the skillet (add more oil if needed) and cook over medium-high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently until golden brown. Set aside.
  8. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl (tamari or soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, vegetable stock or water, sugar, cornstarch and red pepper flakes). Set aside.
  9. Add the sauce to the skillet where you had your cooked garlic and cook over medium-high heat until it thickens, stirring frequently. 
  10. Finally, add the tofu cubes, stir and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes.
  11. Serve with some cooked white rice and garnish with some sesame seeds and chopped chives (optional). Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • I NEVER press my tofu because I prefer to save some time and also think it’s not necessary, but it’s up to you. I just drain the tofu and discard the liquid.
  • Firm or extra firm tofu works great. I’ve never tried to use soft or silken tofu myself, but I don’t think it’s going to work.
  • If you don’t want to use a freezer or plastic bag, just add the cornstarch to a shallow dish, then the tofu cubes and toss to coat.
  • If you don’t eat soy, you could use cauliflower instead. I’ve seen some recipes online, but I’ve never tried it myself. Tamari or soy sauce can be replaced by coconut aminos.
  • For an oil-free version of this recipe, bake the tofu at 350ºF or 180ºC until golden brown.
  • Feel free to use any type of vinegar, starch or sugar you have on hand.
  • The amount of sodium is not accurate, as you’re going to discard part of the tamari or soy sauce of the marinade.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
  • Calories: 237
  • Sugar: 7.4 g
  • Sodium: 1054 mg (see notes)
  • Fat: 13.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 22.3 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 8.1 g

Update Notes: This post was originally published in December of 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in June of 2019.

About Iosune

Hey, I’m Iosune! I am a recipe developer, writer, and author of Simple Vegan Meals and Simple Vegan Smoothies CookBooks.

Find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Reader Reviews

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  1. Akshay Bhosale says

    Paneer chilly is one of my most favorite dishes and was, therefore, searching for a vegan alternative and found this recipe. It was quite easy to make. Followed all your instructions. Just used normal wheat flour instead of cornstarch flour as I had that at home. It turned out to be great. Thanks a lot for this recipe.

    Reply

  3. Ankita says

    Hi!!
    Love your post. It’s really amazing & helpful too. Being foodie i keep trying new dishes i tried this recipe & it turned out to be really tasty . Keep sharing 🙂
    Thank You & Regards
    Ankita

    onlyloudest

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  4. Shama says

    I made the recipe exactly as stated (I used brown sugar and water instead of vegetable stock) – this was excellent! I can’t wait to make it again. Perfect balance of sweet and tangy and the consistency is just like a restaurant.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. Mary says

    Fairly new to tofu, this recipe is my 3rd attempt using it (first 2 were the same recipe, which I really enjoyed). I didn’t care for the flavor, although everything looked great, my husband was tempted to try a taste but he is being spiteful because he said he would never eat tofu. I marinated over night, once the tofu was coated and cooked in the pan, I tasted a couple pieces, enjoyed the crunch just not the marinade flavor. The sauce came together nice, once I put the tofu in the sauce it lost its crunch and I wasn’t a fan. I think I was expecting more of a sweet and sour taste, sadly everything (even the rice I made) went in the compost. How does your picture look reddish, mine turned out brown?

    ★★

    Reply

    • Iosune says

      Hi Mary! I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work for you, but as you can read in the comments this recipe is extremely popular on the blog. It’s normal the sauce turn out brown, the color depends on the ingredients you’re using (it may change from one brand to another). Have you followed the recipe to the T? Did you use firm tofu?

      Reply

      • Mary says

        Yes I did notice the positive comments, which was the reason for trying the recipe. Recipe was followed to a t. Like I said it was the change in texture to the tofu once added back to the sauce, it went soft and I did not like it. Now I know I do not like tofu in chunks, but I do love my tofu made into crumbles, then baked and then added to whatever sauce I’m using, its comes out like ground meat. But soft chunks of tofu in my mouth (regardless of the sauce flavor) I do not enjoy. I used extra firm tofu. While the recipe is popular, it’s a texture thing for me. When the tofu was crunchy, it was edible, my husband said I should of used the sauce as a dip instead of adding the tofu to the sauce, it would of stayed crunchy. The sauce tasted good, it was the tofu..

        Reply

  8. Joshua Howard says

    Hi! I really like you tofu recipes! It’s the second time I tried to cook according to your recipes! I want to say that’s this one is really super healthy and yummy. Thank you for your work!

    Reply

  9. Heather says

    I just made this and I’ve got to say … it was fantastic! I’m not a great cook so I usually don’t have high expectations when I crack out a new recipe. This is a tofu game changer. Awesome.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  10. Lauryn says

    Ok, so I was looking for quick and tasty vegan tofu recipe and stumbled across this post on Pinterest. Let me tell you I’m so happy I did. The tofu is sweet with a hint of saltiness and crispy. May I also add that this recipe is so easy to pair with side dishes. Will definitely make again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Andrew says

    Love this recipe. I doubled up on the sauce and rather than cooking it in the tofu I heated it in a saucepan then mixed tofu, rice, and the sauce in a bowl. Definitely the best generals tos recipe I have found.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  13. Ziz says

    This is a great basic recipe. I had to switch a few things cause I lacked ingredients. So I used flour instead of cornstarch and lemon juice instead of the vinegar. I also added a few different chilli spices cause I love chilli. And I used a half tablespoon of sugar instead of three which is so much. With the changes it tasted amazing and I will definitely use again trying different variations on it some more. Do recommend except just use less sugar if you want your health to be in order.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  14. Happy cook says

    The recipe was very delicious and super fast to make. I doubled the sauce for my batch knowing my family would like the extra sauce.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  15. Introverted Activist says

    General Tso’s tofu is the first real vegan meal I ever had, years before going vegan. Thanks so much for the recipe – love it!

    Reply

  16. Juli S. says

    Whoever said this recipe didn’t work out or wasn’t delicious, obviously didn’t follow the recipe! This came out so perfect!! The leftovers were just as delicious as they were fresh! They only thing I did different was press my tofu, I think it tends to hold marinade a little better. But I will definitely be making this weekly!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  18. Christine says

    This was a miss for me. This sauce tasted wayyy too vinegary for my tastes. I think the ratios are off and more sugar was needed and perhaps less vinegar. It also tasted gummy from cornstarch (coating the tofu). Next time I would air fry it instead of pan frying. Easier and healthier.

    ★★★

    Reply

    • Iosune says

      Hi Christine! I’m so sorry you didn’t like the recipe, but the ratios are okay and as you can read on the comments most of our readers LOVE it 🙂

      Reply

  19. Mar says

    Amazing dish that is made nearly weekly in my house. My only issue is my extra-firm tofu still falls apart when I am tossing it in the cornstarch. Any tips or suggestions to avoiding this? I have not tried tossing in a bowl yet, just the ziplock bag. Also, did you recently change the sauce recipe from cayenne pepper to red pepper flakes? We have always made it with cayenne pepper and now I’m curious to see if that was a (good) error on my end or if the recipe changed. 🙂

    Reply

    • Iosune says

      Hi Mar! I would try another brand, I just use firm tofu (not extra firm) and the ziplock bag and it works great. I’ve changed the recipe recently, but I can’t remember if I changed the red pepper flakes. You can use both anyways 🙂

      Reply

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