General Tso’s Soy Curls! Easy weeknight stir fry with soy curls and veggies. Vegan General Tso’s Chicken. Gluten-free, Nut-free Recipe Jump to Recipe
This general tso’s Sauce + Soy Curls makes for an amazing weeknight meal. Soy curls are marinated in the from scratch homemade general tsos sauce mixture, then stir fried to crisp. Veggies added in along, and the rest of the marinade is then cooked down to thicken. Serve this easy stir fry with rice or noodles!
Soy curls absorb moisture differently and sauce amount preference also varies, so make another full or half back of the sauce and add more if needed.
Ingredients for general tso’s Soy curls
- For the sauce you need, soy sauce or tamari, sugar, rice vinegar, mirin, toasted sesame oil, sambal oelek chili paste, ginger and garlic
- For the stir fry you need soy curls, green onions, garlic, bell peppers, zucchini or carrots
How to make General Tso’s Soy curls stir fry
Mix the marinade. Add soy curls and mix and soak. Toss twice in between, Heat a skillet over medium hi heat.
Add oil. When hot, add garlic and green onion and toss for a few seconds
Fish out the soy curls from the marinade and add to the pan, cook for 4 to 5 mins to brown some edges. you can also toss the soy curls in cornstarch before using for crisping up the soy curls. Add the peppers and veggies and mix. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 2 mins
Add 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup water to the marinade and mix well.
Add the sauce mixture to the pan and mix well. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 mins to thicken. Stir once in between. Also taste at the time to adjust flavor. Add salt, sugar, heat if needed.
Let sit covered for another min.
Serve with rice and blanched broccoli. garnish with green onions and fresh black pepper 
More stir fries
- Sticky ginger Sesame Tofu Veggie Stir fry
- Hoisin Noodles and Tofu stir fry
- Cashew Tofu and veggies
- Soy-free tofu stir fry with sunbutter sauce
- Lemongrass Tempeh with sesame noodles
- Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
Vegan General Tso's Soy Curls
Ingredients
- 4 oz soy curls (dry), see notes for where to buy and sub options
General tso's Sauce:
- 3/4 cup warm water /veggie broth
- 3 to 4 tbsp sugar or coconut sugar or other sweetener
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce use tamari to make gluten-free
- 2 tsp mirin rice wine
- 2 to 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp sambal oelek chile paste optional or sriracha or pepper flakes to taste
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves minced garlic
Stir fry:
- 1 tsp oil (safflower or sesame)
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions ,white portions as well, use greens for garnish
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1 cup zuchini or carrots or other veggies
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix the marinade. **Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade in another bowl to use later. Add soy curls to the marinade and mix and soak for 10-15 mins. Toss twice in between so all soy curls marinate well.
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add oil. When hot, add garlic and green onion and toss for a few seconds.
- Fish out the soy curls from the marinade and add to the pan, cook for 4 to 5 mins to brown some edges. (you can also toss the marinated soy curls in cornstarch before using for extra crispness). Add the peppers and veggies and mix. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 2 mins
- Add 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup water to the remaining marinade (reserved plus remaining) and mix well.
- Add the marinade sauce mixture to the pan and mix. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 mins to thicken. Stir once in between. Also taste at the time to adjust flavor. Add salt, sugar, heat if needed. Let sit covered for another min.
- Serve with rice and blanched broccoli. garnish with green onions , toasted sesame seeds, and fresh black pepper.
Video
Notes
More Saucy: For saucier, double the sauce, add in some more veggies if desired. Szechuan version:
Heat 2 tsp oil. add 1 tsp crushed schezuan peppercorns and cook until roasted.
Drain the oil into the marinade and use. Soy curls are not same as soy chunks that are chewier and take much longer to cook. Soy curls can be found in some grocery stores or online on amazon. Use Tofu or chickpeas to substitute soy curls . For Tofu, use firm or extra firm(10 to 14 oz), press for 15 mins, then toss in cornstarch and bake at 400 deg F for 20 mins or pan fry to crisp. Add to the skillet after adding the sauce. Or use 1 can chickpeas drained Nutrition is for 1 serve, does not include rice or noodles.
Nutrition
Lara
Making this for dinner on Monday so I prepped the veggies on Sunday. I’m doing WW, so I loaded it into the app to see how many points it would be. Was pleasantly surprised!! I doubled the sauce ingredients & upped it to 4 cups of veggies total (includes pepper & carrots) and it is only 4 pp per svg & you get a 1+pt for the veggies. With a little rice still a very reasonable points for a meal. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Will rate & comment again once I cook it.
Vegan Richa Support
yay! can’t wait to hear how it tunred out
Lara
Loved this!!! Prepping ahead made it super simple. Loved the soy curls soaked with a little more flavor than water or broth, and the sweetness made them brown good which I like. Will use this method with other recipes. I think I would cut back the vinegar next time, and maybe used 4T sugar instead of 3T like I did. It was more spicy tangy than sweet & spicy, but awesome flavor. Thanks for a great recipe!
Richa
Yes adjust away!
TH
I made this exactly as posted (with sriracha). It was a huge hit. I actually use soy curls all the time, but I normally rehydrate them first. This really amped up the flavor, and I’m definitely going to try this approach in the future. I will make this again!
Vegan Richa Support
old dog – new tricks 🐩
Nicola
Delicious!! First time using soy curls and was a bit nervous of the end result but it turned out very yummy! Whole family enjoyed it. Definitely double the sauce. Made it with peppers, zucchini and mushrooms.
Richa
Yay
Jennifer Gehrlein
I made this for dinner tonight, delicious!
Heather Harris
OMG!!! We love soy curls!! Best plant based discovery yet!! And this recipe will satisfy any craving for beef and greens. Go ahead and try it. I dare you!!!
Vegan Richa Support
haha! soy curl daredevil!!
Jennifer Gehrlein
I made this for dinner tonight, delicious!
Richa
Yay
Rose
My very first experience with soy curls and this recipe was so yummy! I followed the recipe but added blanched broccoli into the mix! I’ll definitely be making this again!
Vegan Richa Support
Nutritious and crunchy idea Rose, thank you
Mike Atha
Did you marinate the dry soy curls or rehydrate them as directed on the package first?
Vegan Richa Support
please see step #1 and the notes section. put in marinade dry.
Monica
This was great! Flavors were on point.
Loved the chewy soy curls. I doubled the recipe and it worked fine – also just threw in all of the leftover veggies I had in my fridge that needed to get eaten and it was great!
Richa
Awesome
JJ
So good! I’ll be making this regularly.
Brigitte
Thanks Richa for the introduction to soy curls! I hate to admit I had never used them in seven years of full-time vegan cooking. I marinated them somewhat along the lines of your recipe (using molasses as a sweetener for extra iron) and made a stir-fry with lots of veggies. Delicious!
Richa
So glad you tried them and loved them!
Shonda Hector
This is my first time trying soy curls and I’m very happy that I found your recipe. I actually put the soy curls into my InstanpPot fryer after soaking and before adding to the dish with the veggies (garlic, green onions, red and yellow bell peppers, and broccoli). This was delicious.
Vegan Richa Support
excellent to hear – thanks Shonda
Gabrielle Ottavio
So easy and delicious! Made it all in 1 pan too so easy clean up. Thank you 🙏 again for sharing your wonderful recipes
Lisa
This was super easy and delicious! It was my first time trying soy curls, and thenI used zucchini, mushrooms, and peppers as the veggies. Even my pretty picky husband, who doesn’t like food mixed together, really enjoyed it and said it’s a keeper. Yay!! Such a great way to get good protein and lots of veggies. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
Yum!! & Do leave a rating too!
Sarah Creswell
This was so very tasty! I made it just as written in the recipe. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome !
Ann B.
Fantastic! I’ve been wanting to try Soy Curls for awhile and knew that I wanted to try them in a stir fry first. Your recipe was the first to come up when I searched for Stir Fry Soy Curls. I’ve made several of your recipes before with great success so I knew I could trust it. It did not disappoint as usual! I didn’t have any Mirin so subbed a little honey, subbed peas for zucchini (big bag in the freezer I’m trying to use up )and added some Shitake mushrooms. It was easy, quick (and Delicious!) which is a requirement for a weeknight meal. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
thtat’s great. shitakes or the best
Amy
Excellent recipe! The only thing I did differently was soaking the soy curls in water for ten minutes rather than soaking them in the stir fry sauce. Using this method, there was plenty of sauce in the pan at the end of cooking. I used monkfruit sweetener instead of regular sugar, and a full tablespoon of chili garlic sauce.
Richa
Awesome! I usually rehydrate in broth but rehydrating in marinade adds so much flavor to the soycurls. But they do absorb a lot sometimes depending on the batch.
Carolyn Moore
I’ve used soy curls before, but I’ve always rehydrated them in water. This recipe is the first time I rehydrated in a marinade and it made such an amazing difference. it was absolutely delicious. Can I use this method with any saucy soy curl recipe? Do you have any of your own that you particularly recommend that uses this method? Thanks, I enjoy your site and cook from your books often.
Richa
Try my sesame shallot stir fry. There t going to be more recipes coming up in the next few months
Veganricha.com/?s=sesame+shallot
The Student-turned-Doctor @ Food for Dissertating
I made this recently and loved it! Soy curls are so amazing. I sometimes wonder if there is anything they can’t do. This meal reminded me so much of the Americanized Chinese takeout I used to get, once upon a time.
John Hoffman
General Tso chicken is fabulous. No oil needed. Now you can add it to your WFPB recipe book. Extra sauce and doubling veggies is a definite or use only 2 ounces of soy curls. Comes together reasonably fast. Will definitely make again.
Sue Holland
excellent, came together really quickly, I would love to double the sauce but think it would be too much sodium for me for one meal. Next time, I’ll add more broth to make it a bit saucier. Thanks
Vegan Richa Support
good idea!
Keren Paquette
Another family favorite! I make it often with whatever veggies I have on hand. Love your recipes!!
Kriss
I don’t have low sodium soy sauce. I have Bragg’s Aminos can I use that? If so would I use the same amount? Thank you for your help! 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
yes, same amount
SF
Just made this…doubled the sauce (and doubled water and cornstarch added to left over marinade) and vegetables…was EXCELLENT! Even my meat eating son and husband have it a thumbs up!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome !!
Chris
This was SO GOOD!!Would give it 10 stars if I could.
Thank you!!!!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome! Thanks for the great review!
Jan Brick
This is delicious! Thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for popping in ♡
KV
Even my meat-eating Albertan wife loves this meatless dish
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome
SandraM
Really good!! The soy curls turned out great. The flavour of the marinade was great. Will definitely keep this recipe for the file.
Tyrone Mansfield
Do I rehydrate the soy curls prior to putting them in the marinade or are the soy curls rehydrated in the marinade?
Vegan Richa Support
just directly into marinade…. no rehydration prior
Tyrone Mansfield
Thanks so much!
Lindsay
You’ve done it again! Everyone in our house loved it!
Richa
❤️❤️
Jennifer
This was our first adventure with soy curls and it was delicious. I added lots of veggies and did 1.5 times the sauce. So good! Thanks for all your hard work.
P.S. Love your latest cookbook and several of those recipes are regulars in our house.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for popping in ♡ and I’m so happy that you are enjoying the cookbook
JoAnn
I’ve made this twice with a few variations and both turned out great. The sugar is not great for me so I sub. 1 Tbl. Honey and that worked fine. Double up on the veggiess, and throw in some port Abella’s!
Keren Paquette
Amazing, easy and delicious!! The whole family loves it too!
Thank you!
Spencer
this was amazing and so quick/easy!
Claudia
This was amazing! My first time using soy curls and it couldn’t have been a better experience. I made twice the marinade and added some extra veggies including sliced crimini mushrooms. Whole family loved it! I should have known because your recipes are always so tasty. Thank you for all the options you always give at the end, they’re super helpful.
Vegan Richa Support
Excellent !! thank you so much
Lisa Nicholson
I loved this. I ended up adding some vegetable broth to it by my soy curls sucked up all the marinade but it was still really tasty.
Nikki
The first recipe I tried with soy curls, I found I did not like the texture of the curls so I was a little scared to attempt this recipe. Maybe the pan frying made all of the difference because this recipe turned out AMAZING. My son, who is open to trying all of the recipes I spring on him and is not vegan, LOVED it. He could not believe these were the same soy curls used in the previous recipe (methi chicken). Is there a way to use the soy curls in other recipes that involve sauces, that won’t make the texture spongy? Pan frying them first maybe? I ordered a bunch from Amazon and would hate for them to go to waste.
Vegan Richa Support
super! I recommend tossing the marinated soy curls in cornstarch before frying and make sure that the pan is hot before you add the oil and crisp fry up the curls and they should really have a nice texture from high heat frying and the corn starch
Lisa Nicholson
The Butler site has recipes. I also googled Indian vegan soy curl recipes and made Indian butter chicken it was really good too
Carolyn Manley
Made General Tso’s Soy Curls for dinner tonight. It was AMAZINGLY delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
wow! thank you I”m glad that you loved it.
Sage
First time making soy curls. The whole family loved this! Even pleased the non-vegans. We will be making it again. Thanks so much!
Abhaya Srivatsan
Could I use soy chunks in this recipe and just pre-soak it to cook faster?
Richa
Yes soak in hot marinade for longer and that should work
Nadia
So yummy! My mom made it and it was SO GOOD and tasted like chicken (but not in a weird way). Love it
Vegan Richa Support
Hooray!! Thanks for posting
Melisa
Five stars plus! Made this tonight and it was so so good! I used water instead of rice wine, 3T of sugar, 2T of rice vinegar, sriracha, and kale, red pepper and purple green beans for the veggies. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
plus!! oh – you’re too kind. those beans would look so cool
A
Waaaay too salty! I would probably rehydrate the curls in water first and reduce amount of sauce.
Richa
Did any of the other ingredients you were using salted ? I haven’t heard about the salt problem from anyone (more than 50+ remakes)
Connie
This was excellent!
I doubled the recipe so I could use the entire bag of soy curls. It was so good.
Suzi
Thanks, Chef!! So quick and easy – tasty too!! Followed your recipe with carrots and broccoli on top of the peppers. Very nice recipe we will keep in our notebook for sure!!
suzi
OOOPS!! Forgot your stars!! You earned all five 🙂
Samir SARKAR
Can this recipe be replicated with Soya Chunks ? If using Soya Chunks what are the factors to be considered ?
Richa
Soy chunks are very chewy and also need a much longer cooking time. Cook them in vegetable broth for 15 minutes then marinade.
Chana
Made it last night. It was fantastic! I didn’t have any rice vinegar so I substituted apple cider vinegar instead. I had no idea if that would ruin it but figured it couldn’t be that off. Everything else was the same. It really was a delicious meal that I’ll make often. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!!! I’m glad that it worked out. Thank you
Rob
This recipe turned out really well!! I used 5 packets of Truvia for the sweetener. You’re brilliant, Richa. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Great! I’m so glad you enjoyed this, thank you for the awesome review!
Robert
Is the amount of sugar correct? 3 to 4 tablespoons? Thanks.
Vegan Richa Support
Yes, sweet is one of the elements of Asian cuisine that balances nicely with tart, sour, and spicy.
LINA
I’ve done this recipe over and over again and it never fails. thank you so much Richa. you make plant based diet easy for us <3 thank you for all your efforts and hard work
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you so much!! that’s great
Sue
Great quick dinner. Thanks.
Maia
I just finished making this recipe. Outstanding! So impressed! I doubled the batch so I could use the entire package of soy curls and because there are 4 in my family. I never added cornstarch because there wasn’t enough marinade left after soaking in the sauce. There was probably a 1/4 cup and I just poured that onto of the entire stir fry after the veggies had a chance to cook some. It’s these types of recipes which make plant based vegan eating a joy and so easy never to go back to any type of animal product. (BTW: wouldn’t go back to meat regardless) but that’s how impressive this meal was. Thank you Richa:)