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Sweet and Sour Tofu Veggie Stir Fry is as simple and easy as it gets! The tofu is baked to crisp perfection with a perfect meaty texture and the sweet and sour Asian stir-fry sauce is so delicious! A quick vegan dinner that comes together in a cinch whenever that craving for takeout hits.
Be prepared to convert tofu haters into lovers with this sweet and sour tofu stir fry! Crispy tofu coated in a sweet and sticky sauce along with crisp colorful veggies!
Oh yes, I love me a good tofu dish! Have you tried my Tofu Katsu Curry? A reader favorite! Tofu can be so delicious when prepared right. And in this quick sweet and sour stir-fry we really give it the treatment it deserves!
As with many tofu recipes, the trick for this dish is to rid the tofu of excess moisture. Because no one likes soggy tofu! Then we fry it up real nice or bake it in the oven.
Once fried or baked crispy, we toss the tofu cubes in a super irresistible sweet and sour sauce and some sauteed veggies. DONE! Serve it up on a fresh bed of rice like I did, on quinoa or mashed potatoes, or on top of some cooked veggies or cauliflower rice!
MORE DELICIOUS TOFU RECIPES FROM THE BLOG:
MORE BAKED TOFU
- Crispy Breaded Tofu
- Chili Garlic Baked tofu
- Spiced Baked tofu for Butter Tofu
- Orange Tofu
- Cajun Tofu
- Peanut Butter Tofu
PAN FRIED TOFU
- Curried Tofu for Banh Mi
- Sticky Sesame tofu
- Palak Tofu Paneer
- Tofu Lalabdar – Tofu with Creamy Tomato ginger sauce
Sweet and Sour Tofu Veggie Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 14 oz extra firm, or firm tofu, pressed for 15 minutes, then cubed
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp oil, or use sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp rice flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
For the Sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup sliced red or white onion, sliced into 3/4-1 inch pieces
- 1 cup sliced red bell pepper, sliced into 3/4-1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper, also sliced into 3/4-1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1-2 tbsp sugar, optional, add if you like your sauce to be sweeter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed in 1/2 cup of water
Instructions
- Add the pressed and cubed tofu to a bowl, add in the soy sauce and oil and mix well, and let it sit for a minute, then add in the corn starch, rice flour, and garlic powder, and toss well to coat. You can bake this tofu or pan fry it.
- To bake, transfer the tofu to a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees F (200c) for 20-25 minutes.
- To pan fry, transfer this tofu to a skillet over medium high heat, add in 2 tsp oil, and add in the tofu, and cook until crisp and golden on most of the edges, then set aside.
To make the sauce
- Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat. When hot, add in the red pepper flakes, give it a quick stir, then add in the onion, bell peppers, and celery, and mix well. Continue to cook until the bell peppers start to get golden brown on the edges, then add the garlic and mix in. then add in the vinegar, maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, and ketchup, and mix well. Bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch into the water and add that mixture into the skillet, and bring to a boil.
- Add in the baked or pan fried tofu, and toss well to coat. If the sauce hasn’t thickened to preference add in 1 tsp cornstarch mixed in 1 the water and bring to a boil. then take off heat.
- Serve over rice, or cooked grains.
Video
Notes
- In lieu of tofu, you could use seitan.
- Use any veggies you like, corn, snow peas, green asparagus, zucchini, or carrots are all great additions.
- You can serve this on steamed rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice or use the stir-fry as a filling for lettuce wraps.
- the sugar added to the sauce is optional - the maple syrup and ketchup already add some sweetness. You could also swap. sugar for coconut sugar if you are not having any refined sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- tofu – for this recipe we need extra firm, or firm tofu, pressed for 15 minutes, then cubed.
- red pepper flakes and garlic up the heat flavor in this takeout-classic.
- as for the veggies, I add in celery, onion, and bell peppers. Red and green look very attractive in this dish.
- the stir-fry sauce is made using vinegar, maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, and ketchup to get that perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
- The sauce is thickened using a classic cornstarch slurry but you could use arrowroot instead.
Tips & Substitutions:
- In lieu of tofu, you could use seitan.
- Use any veggies you like, corn, snow peas, green asparagus, zucchini, or carrots are all great additions.
- You can serve this on steamed rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice or use the stir-fry as a filling for lettuce wraps.
- the sugar added to the sauce is optional – the maple syrup and ketchup already add some sweetness. You could also swap. sugar for coconut sugar if you are not having any refined sugar.
- To make this vegan tofu stir-fry spicy, use sriracha instead of ketchup.
Add the pressed and cubed tofu to a bowl, add in the soy sauce and oil and mix well, and let it sit for a minute, then add in the corn starch, rice flour, and garlic powder, and toss well to coat.
You can bake this tofu or pan fry it.
To bake, transfer the tofu to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees f for 20-25 minutes. To pan-fry, transfer this tofu to a skillet over medium high heat, add in 2 tsp oil, and add in the tofu, and cook until crisp and golden on most of the edges, then set aside.
Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat. When hot, add in the red pepper flakes, give it a quick stir, then add in the onion, bell peppers, and celery, and mix well.
Continue to cook until the bell peppers start to get golden brown on the edges, then add in the vinegar, maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, and ketchup, and mix well. Bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch into the water and add that mixture into the skillet, and bring to a boil.
Add in the baked or pan-fried tofu, and toss well to coat, then take off the heat.
Serve over rice, or cooked grains.
This is SO good! My husband and I just loved it. Definitely worth the trouble and l will make it again for sure.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This was a little spicy for me, but it was delicious.
Next time you can reduce the red pepper flakes.
Made this tofu stir fry and I love the sauce. Never really made a sweet and sour sauce before. It’s a keeper!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Made this for lunch and it rocked! A nice balance of flavours!
Awesome!