This General Tso’s tofu is salty, sweet, spicy and so flavorful it will go straight onto your regular dinner rotation. Better than take-out.
Oh tofu how I love thee.
Well… how I love thee when thee is made like this!
I reckon anyone would when it’s made like this.
This General Tso’s tofu is deliciously battered and fried until crispy and then drenched in the most amazing sauce. It’s savory and sweet with the perfect amount of spice and all things nice.
It’s also pretty quick to make and super high in protein. So basically, you are going to love it!
You’ll also love our crispy air fryer tofu and our kung pao tofu.
How To Make General Tso’s Tofu
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Press the tofu first. The best way to do this is to use a tofu press. But if you don’t have a tofu press no worries at all, just place your tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top of that (like a heavy pot).
- Let it sit for 20-30 minutes and then drain off the excess water.
- While the tofu is pressing, add rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, onion powder, coconut sugar, cornstarch and vegetable stock to a measuring jug and whisk it together into a sauce.
- Cut the tofu into cubes and place into a container that has a lid.
- Add sesame oil, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, and then seal the container and then gently rotate the container so that the tofu gets evenly covered with the oil and maple syrup and cayenne. You don’t want to violently shake the container or anything, as you want those cubes of tofu to stay nicely intact.
- Then open the container and add cornstarch and repeat the rotating of the container until all that tofu (sticky from the maple syrup) is coated in cornstarch.
- Then you fry the tofu in a hot pan with some sesame oil until it’s golden brown and delicious. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
- Now add sesame oil, crushed garlic, minced ginger and dried red chili flakes to the pan and fry those until aromatic.
- Add the tofu back in.
- Pour over your sauce and flash fry for 1 minute to coat the tofu with the sauce.
TIP: Don’t fry the tofu too long once the sauce is added or the batter will start to strip off the tofu, so make this really fast, you just want that sauce to go into a hot pan and flash fry quickly so that it can thicken and blend the flavors beautifully and then you’re done!
Can You Make This Gluten Free?
If you use a gluten-free soy sauce and gluten-free hoisin sauce, then you can make this recipe gluten-free.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it over some basmati rice with some chopped chives on top. If you prefer cauliflower rice you can definitely serve it over that too.
Some fresh lime is also great to serve with this.
Storing Tips
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
It is not recommended for freezing.
More Tofu Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
General Tso’s Tofu
Ingredients
For the Tofu:
- 16 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (450g)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 4 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil for frying
For the Garlic, Ginger and Spices:
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Minced Ginger
- 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
- ¼ tsp Red Chili Flakes
For the Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce*
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce*
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Vegetable Stock (60ml)
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 30 minutes either using a tofu press or by placing the tofu onto a plate with another plate on top of it and then putting something heavy on top like a heavy pot.
- While the tofu is pressing, you can prepare your sauce by just mixing all the ingredients up in a measuring jug. Set aside.
- When the tofu is pressed, cut it into cubes and place it into a container with a lid. Add sesame oil, maple syrup and cayenne pepper and then seal the container and gently rotate it so that the tofu is evenly coated.
- Then add in the cornstarch to the container, 1 tablespoon at a time and gently toss until the tofu is well coated.
- Add the sesame oil to a frying pan and when hot add in the battered tofu and gently fry until golden brown. Remove the tofu from the pan.
- Add the sesame oil, minced ginger, crushed garlic and red chili flakes to the frying pan and fry until toasted and then add the tofu back in.
- Pour over the sauce and flash fry for 1 minute to coat the tofu with the sauce. Don’t fry it for too long or the batter will start coming off the tofu.
- Serve with basmati rice and chopped chives.
Video
Notes
- Check the hoisin sauce for vegan friendliness as not all brands are vegan.
- Prep time includes the time spent pressing the tofu.
- Leftovers keep very well in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days. It’s not recommended for freezing.
- Nutritional information does not include rice.
This is the best tofu I’ve ever made. My husband & I loved it. Perfectly crispy and very flavorful! Excellent directions and tips. PS: just voted for you (and other favorites) on One Bite Vegan Food Blogger Awards 2020. Thanks for the great recipes and tips.
Thanks so much Barbara!! Much appreciated! xoxo
This was a huge hit! Just the best. My changes were to thinly slice the whites of the green onions up to the dark green leaves and fry that with the garlic and ginger, then add the fried tofu back and then the sauce, as directed. Also used water instead of broth in the sauce and increased it to half a cup. It still jelled nicely without increasing the cornstarch and made a nice amount of sauce. Served with steamed broccoli and jasmin rice. Will be making this again and again, thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Lisa!
Thank you! This was my first tofu dish as a newish vegan, I was nervous but it was so worth it! I loved it!
Awesome! So happy to hear you enjoyed it Linda! xo
Made it last night. Was a big hit, thank you for the recipe!
Awesome! Thanks so much for posting!
I love this recipe, but every time I make the tofu, and fry it for the first time in the pan with the sesame oil, the batter sticks to the pan. I can’t seem to get my tofu to come out crispy. I follow your recipe exactly as instructed, and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.
Hi Dylan, is your pan non-stick or not? If it’s not, then preheating the pan till hot becomes more important. If the pan and oil is hot then there will be less chance of it sticking. If it’s a non-stick pan though then this wouldn’t usually be the issue.
Ran into the same issue. I preheated a cast iron wok. Uncertain as to the temperature to use and how long to fry tofu. Family says they enjoyed it.
This was such an amazing combination of flavors and textures! well worth the time and effort! I used frozen tofu and made an amazing fried rice to go with it
Thanks so much Amy! 🙂
This was delicious! Very good directions, easy to follow and sooo good.
Thanks so much Selah! 🙂
This dish came out very well. I cooked my tofu in the air fryer and it came out amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Thanks Nirmala! 🙂
Excellent!! One of the best tofu recipes. on rice is great and I also put it in roll ups with spinach, tomato and vegan mayo…yum…no need for extra sauces.
Awesome! Thanks Lynn! 🙂
I paired mine with some broccolini, and it was amazing. Thanks for the great recipe!! Will definitely make again.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂
The recipe was a hit! If you like spicier food definitely add more cayenne pepper and chilis with the garlic sauce.
Awesome! Thank you! 🙂
Excellent. I was skeptical because i’ve tried a lot of these recipes but this one really tastes like at a Chinese restaurant! The crispy ginger and garlic combination is yum!! Will definitely be a part of my weekly tofu repertoire.
Awesome! Thanks for the great review. 🙂
Really good. have made it twice.
Awesome! Thanks Peter! 🙂
We absolutely loved this and served it with some stir fried peppers, onions and udon noodles. It’s hard to get that restaurant/takeaway taste with Chinese food, but this really does taste like it. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Yay! So pleased to hear that. Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Hi, love your recipes!! What would you recommend as a substitute for coconut sugar?
You can use brown sugar or really any granulated sugar.
Looks amazing! What can I substitute for vegetable stock??
Hi Maddie, you could use water instead. 🙂