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Sweet and Sour Tofu

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Sweet and sour tofu, made in just 30 minutes. A plant-based version of this classic Chinese food that is much better and healthier than take out!

Sweet and Sour Tofu. - Sweet and sour tofu, made in just 30 minutes. A plant-based version of this classic Chinese food that is much better and healthier than take out! #vegan #glutenfree #simpleveganblog

Tofu is a staple in our kitchen, we use it a lot and also to make recipes for you guys. It’s a great meat alternative, especially when you’re trying to recreate meat-based dishes because if you cook it properly, you can get a similar texture.

Sweet and Sour Tofu. - Sweet and sour tofu, made in just 30 minutes. A plant-based version of this classic Chinese food that is much better and healthier than take out! #vegan #glutenfree #simpleveganblog

General Tso’s tofu used to be my favorite tofu recipe, until I tried this, I couldn’t choose between them, both are out of this world!

Tofu can be so bland and boring if you don’t know how to cook it. I didn’t like it at the beginning, but when you find some recipes you enjoy, you’re going to fall in love with this versatile ingredient.

This recipe is perfect for carnivores, people transitioning to a plant-based diet or anyone that is looking for a vegan version of sweet and sour pork.

Sweet and Sour Tofu. - Sweet and sour tofu, made in just 30 minutes. A plant-based version of this classic Chinese food that is much better and healthier than take out! #vegan #glutenfree #simpleveganblog

looking for more tofu recipes?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it or tag a picture @simpleveganblog on Instagram and hashtag it #simpleveganblog. We’d love to see what you cook!

Sweet and Sour Tofu. - Sweet and sour tofu, made in just 30 minutes. A plant-based version of this classic Chinese food that is much better and healthier than take out! #vegan #glutenfree #simpleveganblog

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Sweet and Sour Tofu. - Sweet and sour tofu, made in just 30 minutes. A plant-based version of this classic Chinese food that is much better and healthier than take out! #vegan #glutenfree #simpleveganblog

Sweet and Sour Tofu

  • Author: Simple Vegan Blog
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Total: 30 mins
  • 2-4 1x
  • Main dish
  • Asian
★★★★★ 4.9 from 44 reviews

Servings 2-4 1x

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Sweet and sour tofu, made in just 30 minutes. A plant-based version of this classic Chinese food that is much better and healthier than take out!

Ingredients

For the sweet and sour tofu:

  • 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 10 ounces firm tofu (275 g), cubed
  • 6 tbsp cornstarch
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, chopped

For the sweet and sour sauce:

  • 4 tbsp cane, coconut or brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 6 tbsp water (100 ml)
  • 2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Mix tamari or soy sauce and apple cider vinegar in a bowl until well combined.
  2. Add the tofu cubes and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
  3. Drain the tofu and transfer 1/3 of the tofu cubes to a freezer bag with 2 tbsp of cornstarch and toss to coat. Repeat this step with the rest of the tofu and cornstarch. Add more cornstarch if needed.
  4. Cook the tofu cubes in a skillet with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until all sides are golden brown. Remove tofu from pan and set aside.
  5. Cook the veggies in the skillet with some water or oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. Set aside.
  6. To make the sauce just mix all the ingredients until well combined.
  7. Add the sauce to a saucepan and cook until it thickens, stirring frequently.
  8. Mix the tofu, veggies and sauce in the skillet, stir and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Serve with some sesame seeds on top (optional).
  9. Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

Notes

  • Some people add pineapple to this recipe, but I don’t because when I ate sweet and sour pork at restaurants here in Spain (before going vegan), they didn’t add it. If you want your sweet and sour tofu with pineapple, just sautée it with the veggies.
  • Use any veggies, starch, vinegar or sweetener you have on hand.
  • Tomato paste can be replaced by tomato puree, ketchup or tomato sauce.
  • The real amount of sodium of this recipe is not 1248 mg because you’d need to marinade the tofu for hours until it absorbs all the tamari or soy sauce.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2 of the recipe using 2 tsp oil
  • Calories: 380
  • Sugar: 25.8 g
  • Sodium: 1248 mg
  • Fat: 10.8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 58.6 g
  • Fiber: 5.2 g
  • Protein: 15.9 g

Hi, I'm 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.

read more

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Reader Interactions

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Reader Reviews

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  1. Douglas says

    This was pretty good. My only complaint is that the vinegar in the marinade came thru way too strong. I’m gonna try water instead of ACV next time and see if it makes a different.

    Reply

  3. christine poole says

    First time using tofu , had the texture of chicken and nice and crunchie!sauce was great too , I served it with wholegrain rice, fantastic !!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  4. Nicole says

    I made this for my sensory-sensitive 8-year old, who gets pretty anxious about new foods. (I also just needed to get my own fill of comfort food.)
    I left the sauce off of my child’s portion, though I thought the sauce was fantastic – it’s not nearly as sweet as restaurant-style sweet and sour dishes! I also subbed arrowroot starch for the cornstarch, which worked out great.
    My child loved the crispy tofu plain and gobbled it up, which us amazing because new or unexpected foods at the table often lead to tears.
    I’m relieved to have this recipe in my queue of options, as it means I can finally get another healthy source of protein into my child! (Since making friends with three front-yard chickens in our neighborhood, he figured out for himself what that meant for him and what he doesn’t want to eat. Introducing more plant-based proteins has been a huge challenge, even for this very seasoned vegan!)
    Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. Beatriz says

    Excellent! Easy to make. A bit too sweet for me, will reduce sugar next time. But my apple vinegar was also sweetish, which might be the reason. Anyway, very good! Thanks for sharing !

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. Leeann says

    My fiancé and I just made this dish last night. It wasn’t as complicated as we thought, as we split the work and the end result was soooo good!! Will definitely make it again, maybe even next week!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  8. Sandra says

    Best tofu recipe I’ve tried. I add lots of pepper, snow peas and still taste delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  9. Susan says

    Thanks for the delicious and easy recipe! I not usually crazy about tofu but it was great in this dish.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Karen says

    Hi! I made your recipe and it was sooo good that even my meat eater brother loved it! I subbed the tomate paste for ketchup and followed the recipe as is for everything else. Thank you so much for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  13. Jess M says

    Thank you so much for this recipe.
    My family absolutely love it.
    I like omitting some of the sugar for pineapple juice and pieces in the sauce also.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  15. Jay says

    Not sure where I went wrong, but this recipe did not work out for me at all! The tofu tasted entirely like cornstarch and my sauce was severely lacking in flavor. The only change I made was ketchup instead of tomato paste. Oh well :/

    ★★★★

    Reply

  17. David Green says

    This is a brilliant recipe. Easy to prepare, easy to cook, looks and tastes great! Many thanks.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  19. Jenny says

    Very easy and tasty! Added some broccoli. Ran out of cornstarch and used tapioca starch instead. The coating still stuck but got a bit gooey when everything was combined. Maybe cause of my substitution? I’d make this again though!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Iosune Robles says

      Hi Jenny! Probably cause tapioca tends to be thicker than cornstarch. Next time if you need to use tapioca again you can try with less. Thank you for writing!! Have a great day!

      Reply

  21. sarah Jane otterburn says

    Quite sweet so I cut down the sugar to 3.5tbsp. Very quick and tasty…

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  25. Natasha Porter says

    I made this the other night and used tvp balls – it was amazing! Totally brought me back to weekly Chinese dinner when I was a kid 💕

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  28. KB says

    Sorry if this is a silly question, but do I need to press/drain my tofu prior to starting this recipe?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  30. Amy says

    Made this yesterday – fantastic – so tasty. I did add tinned pineapple and it was all delicious. Thanks for the great recipe

    Reply

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