General Tso's Tofu

General Tso's Tofu is a delicious vegan recipe comprised of crispy extra firm tofu cubes that have been coated with a sweet and spicy sticky sauce. This flavorsome favorite is served on top of a fluffy bed of white rice with steamed broccoli.

The sweet and spicy flavors of general tso's tofu sauce are sure to be a favorite and one your family will ask for again and again. This Chinese food take out recipe is easy to make right at home, making it better than take-out from American Chinese restaurants.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🙋 Recipe FAQ's
• 💭 Tips
• 📖 Variations
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🏫 What I've Learned
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage
• Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why I Love This Recipe

✔️ General Tso's Tofu is loaded with mouthwatering sweet-heat flavors!

✔️ This is a great meal to make for Meatless Monday or to serve your vegan friends!

✔️ The sticky-sweet sauce can be adjusted according to your heat tolerance.

🥘 Ingredients

Extra-firm tofu holds up the best when frying and provides a nice chew to each bite.

Corn starch coats the tofu and provides a nice crunchy outer layer.

Olive oil for frying

Brown sugar brings sweet, caramel notes savory-sweet sauce

Hoisin sauce, an cantonese condiment made with fermented soybean paste and spices.

Ketchup adds sweet and sour sauce elements.

Soy sauce adds saltiness and umami elements to the sauce.

Sesame oil adds aromatic, nutty notes to the General Tso's Tofu sauce.

Green onions for garnish

Fresh ginger often used in asian cuisine, adds a peppery sweet heat.

Dried chili peppers for added spicy heat.

🔪 Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil until hot.
2. Add the cornstarch to a shallow bowl and coat the tofu with cornstarch on all sides. Fry the tofu in hot oil for 2 minutes on each side, until tofu coating is golden brown. Remove from the frying pan with a slotted spoon and set aside and place on a layer of paper towels to absorb any grease.
3. In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, hoisin sauce, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and water until combined. Set aside
4. In the same skillet the tofu was fried in, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in the white part of the green onions and the ginger. Fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.
5. Add the general tso's sauce mixture to the skillet along with the dried chili peppers. Bring the sauce mixture to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken.
6. Add the fried tofu back to the sauce mixture and toss to coat. Serve garnished with green part of the onion.

🙋 Recipe FAQ's

💭 Tips

• Squeeze the block of tofu of excess water by placing it between a thickness of paper towels and sitting a heavy large skillet on top. I use about 3-4 thick paper towels folded about 3-4 times. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Or, use a tofu press.
• Slice the pressed tofu into ½" slices, then cut each slice into thirds for rectangular tofu pieces, or cut in the slices in half lengthwise, then each half cut diagonally for triangles

📖 Variations

• Maple syrup can be substituted for brown sugar.
• Rice vinegar or cider vinegar can take the place of white vinegar.
• Sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes can be substituted for the whole dried chili peppers.
• Garnish with toasted sesame seeds to add another layer of flavor

🍽 Equipment

Cast iron skillet: for frying the general tso's tofu.

Skimmer spoon: to move the tofu with.

Chef knife: for cutting the tofu and green onions.

Cutting board: a surface to cut the tofu and green onions on.

Mixing bowls: to mix the ingredients in.

Splatter screen: to prevent grease splatters

🏫 What I've Learned

Tofu can be made crispy with or without the cornstarch coating. However, there is a difference in the type of crispy. Tofu coated with cornstarch will have a super crisp exterior layer with a tender bite of tofu on the inside.

You can skip the cornstarch coating and use less oil, using the dry fry method where the tofu is fried in a large nonstick skillet until crispy and brown on all sides.

If you wish, you can break out the air fryer to make Air Fryer Tofu instead of frying it. Just air fry, cook the sauce as directed and toss the tofu

Serving Suggestions

Serve over a bed of brown rice or Cauliflower Fried Rice or with a delicious bowl of Garlic Scallion Noodles.

For an appetizer try these vegan Air Fryer Egg Rolls!

Storage

General Tso's Tofu leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

Related Recipes

Coconut Curry Tofu Bowl

Sweet Chili Tofu Salad

Pan Fried Tofu

Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu

Ma Po Tofu

Kung Pao Tofu

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📖 Recipe