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Spicy honey chilli tofu features crispy pieces of tofu in a homemade sticky, vegan honey sauce! It’s a 1-pan 30 minute dish that’s delicious served over rice or noodles.
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This 1 Pot 30 minute Honey Tofu stir fry will be your next fave tofu dish! Apple juice with maple syrup adds a honey-like flavor to this honey chilli tofu! The best part is that the sauce uses everyday ingredients that makes this an easy, quick, one-pot meal.
The crispy tofu with the stir fry veggies like peppers and onions is fabulous. The sauce gets its heat from sambal oelek or sriracha sauce along with plenty of ginger and garlic to give it an amazing flavor.
Why You’ll Love Honey Chili Tofu
- Spicy-sticky-sweet sauce with tender-crispy tofu is totally addictive!
- quick, one-pan meal
- soy-free and gluten-free options
- naturally nut-free
More Addictive Vegan Dinner Recipes
- Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
- Spicy Maple Mustard Tofu Bowl
- Sweet and Sour Chickpeas
- Baked Sticky Sesame Mushrooms
- Gochujang Tofu Stir Fry
Vegan Honey Chili Tofu
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 14 oz firm or extra firm tofu, pressed for 15 minutes
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch, or use tapioca starch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For the Sauce
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons spring onion whites, , use greens for garnish
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek, or sriracha sauce or other Asian chile sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, , use tamari for gluten-free
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons apple juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 cup cubed onion
- 1/2 green bell pepper, cubed
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch , mixed with 3/4 cup water, or use tapioca starch
For Garnish
- green onion and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Press at the tofu if you haven’t already for 15 minutes, then cube it and add to a bowl. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and black pepper, and toss well. Mix the baking powder into 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch, then sprinkle it all over the tofu and toss well. If the mixture still has a lot of liquid, add more cornstarch, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and add a teaspoon of the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the coated tofu and cook until golden on most of the edges, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the tofu from the skillet.
- Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the same skillet. Once oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and green onion, and cook for half a minute. Then, add all of the sauces and the apple juice along with the salt and white pepper. Mix well, and bring to a boil.
- Mix the cornstarch in the water and add that to the skillet and bring that to a boil. Now, add the onion and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes, then add in the tofu, tossing to coat. Switch off the heat, garnish and serve over rice, noodles, quinoa or in lettuce wraps.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- tofu – Crispy tofu is so delicious tossed in this sticky, spicy sauce! For soy-free, use chickpea tofu instead.
- vinegar – Adds a little bit of tang to the tofu and gives the sauce a little sweet-and-sour edge.
- soy sauce – Adds saltiness and umami to the tofu and the sauce. Use coconut aminos or other soy-free soy sauce alternative for a soy-free dish.
- black pepper – Gives the crispy tofu a little bit of heat.
- cornstarch and baking powder – Helps the tofu get delightfully crispy! Cornstarch also helps thicken the sauce. You can use tapioca starch instead, if needed.
- oil – To saute.
- aromatics – Fresh ginger, garlic, and spring onions bring so much amazing flavor to this vegan honey chili sauce!
- sauces – Ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, and apple juice combine to make the vegan honey sauce. For soy-free, use coconut aminos or another soy sauce alternative.
- veggies – Lightly cooked onion and bell pepper add veggie crunch to the honey chilli tofu!
- cornstarch – A little cornstarch mixed with water helps the vegan honey sauce thicken.
- garnishes – Green onion and sesame seeds add even more color, texture, and flavor to the finished dish.
Tips
- Don’t skip pressing the tofu! That’s going to give you the best texture. You can prep the other ingredients while the tofu presses to save on cooking time.
- You don’t want to overcook the veggies. Just let them simmer for a couple of minutes, so they’ll be tender-crisp.
How to Make Honey Chilli Tofu
Press at the tofu if you haven’t already for 15 minutes, then cube it and add to a bowl. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and black pepper, and toss well.
Mix the baking powder into two tablespoons of the cornstarch, then sprinkle it all over the tofu and toss well.
If the mixture still has a lot of liquid, add more cornstarch, one to two teaspoons at a time.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and add a teaspoon of the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the coated tofu and cook until golden on most of the edges, about five to eight minutes. Remove the tofu from the skillet.
Add a teaspoon of oil to the same skillet. Once oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and green onion, and cook for half a minute.
Then, add all of the sauces and the apple juice along with the salt and white pepper. Mix well, and bring to a boil.
Mix the cornstarch in the water and add that to the skillet and bring that to a boil.
Now, add the onion and pepper and simmer for two minutes, then add in the tofu, tossing to coat.
Switch off the heat, garnish and serve over rice, noodles, quinoa or in lettuce wraps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vegan honey chili tofu is naturally nut-free.
To make this soy-free, use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce and replace the tofu with my chickpea tofu.
To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
Honey is not vegan, because it is made by bees, which makes it an animal product. This honey chili tofu uses from-scratch, vegan “honey” made with apple juice and maple syrup.
This recipe was so delicious!! I made it tonight for dinner and it was so easy. I used red peppers instead of green because I don’t like green peppers. And I added breaded cauliflower florets cause I think they go great with tofu. Otherwise I tripled the recipe so I could have leftovers for meal prepping. My non vegan daughter and her friend loved it. We had it over rice and they filled their bowls. Thanks for the recipe. It’s another hit for you.
So good to hear it!
Fantastic recipe! Loved it. Thank you! All your recipes are so good.
Glad you liked it!
Soooo yummy and it was fast & easy! A definite do-again!
yay!
This is my first time making a Vegan Richa recipe and it was outstanding! I used the sambal oelek and it was hot! I like hot but this would be too hot for my husband. It was absolutely delicious though and I can’t wait to try more recipes!
thank you! 🙂
So so so amazing. I love all your recipes, but this one was above and beyond! Thank you!
yay! thank you!
I’ve made this twice now and it is stellar! Easy to prep. Comes together quickly. First time I didn’t have apple juice so I used apple sauce. Delicious. Recipe is a winner!!
yay! thank you!