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!
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.
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.
looking for more tofu recipes?
- General Tso’s tofu
- Easy marinated tofu
- Simple tofu scramble
- Korean stile spicy tofu
- Buffalo tofu wings
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
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Total: 30 mins
- 2-4 1x
- Main dish
- Asian
Servings 2-4 1x
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 soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 10 ounces firm tofu (275 g), cubed
- 6 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 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 sugar, I used brown sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- 6 tbsp water (90 ml)
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix the soy sauce or tamari and apple cider vinegar in a bowl until well combined.
- Add the tofu cubes and let marinate for at least 5 minutes.
- 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 all the remaining tofu and cornstarch. Add more cornstarch if needed.
- Add half of the oil to a skillet and when it’s hot, add the tofu cubes. Cook over medium-high heat until all sides are golden brown. Remove tofu from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the other half of the oil to the skillet and when it’s hot, add the veggies (carrot, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and onion). Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown. Set aside.
- To make the sauce just mix all the ingredients until well combined.
- Add the sauce to the skillet and cook until it thickens, stirring frequently.
- Mix the tofu, veggies, and the sauce in the skillet, stir and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Serve with some sesame seeds on top (optional).
- Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Some people add pineapple to this recipe, but I don’t. If you want your sweet and sour tofu with pineapple, just sautée it with the veggies.
- Feel free to use any type of vinegar, starch, oil, veggies, 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 marinate the tofu for hours until it absorbs all the soy sauce or tamari.
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
I love a good tofu recipe and this one looks amazing!
Hi! Thank you so much 🙂
This as so delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
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Thanks for your kind comment Erika 🙂
Simple and delicious. Thank you!
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Hi! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Fab recipe. Added extra hot chilli powder to the cornflour as we like it hot. Worked really well. Added a bit more soy sauce and some sriracha to the sauce. Served with Pad Thai noodles with bean sprouts, water chestnuts, spring onions and soy sauce. Loved it, was very sophisticated, thank you.
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Sounds so good 🙂
This was delicious! I warmed the tofu back up on the oven rather than in the sauce so it stayed crispy. Thanks for the great recipe!! X
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Thanks for your comment 🙂 Have a nice day!
I had to improvise a little as I had no peppers, but added green beans instead and a couple of cloves of garlic.
I steamed the carrots (sliced lengthways) before frying them off with the onions and garlic.
The beans I added to the top of the rice, and not in the pan so they kept their shape a little more. The tofu i marinated for about 10-15 minutes before frying off, setting aside and then reading once the onion was tender with the carrots.
The sauce was fantastic – we did add pineapple (the kids loved the pineapple). And for my wife and myself I topped with some sliced chillies and sesame seeds.
Will definitely make this again.
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Thanks for your comment! Sounds amazing! Have a nice day 🙂
Great recipe, I made the sauce x1.5 and adjusted a bit more to taste and it was great with some rice.
I’ll be making this again, but I’ll try to put the tofu last in the sauce so it stays a bit crispier.
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Hi Daniela! So glad you liked it 🙂 That’s a good idea!