Sweet and Sour Tofu

4.91 from 44 votes

Make better-than-takeout sweet and sour tofu with super crispy pan-fried tofu, bell peppers, and onion in a simple, flavor-packed vegan sweet and sour sauce! It comes together in under 30 minutes, optionally gluten-free, and meal prep friendly!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 377kcal

Author: Toni Okamoto

Equipment

Ingredients

For the tofu:

1 (16-ounce) package of super firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
¼ cup of high heat oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch chunks
2 medium yellow onions, chopped into 1-inch chunks

For the sauce:

¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
¼ cup of water
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
⅓ cup of ketchup
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
Green onion, for garnish (optional)
Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

In a medium bowl, toss the tofu and cornstarch. Toss until all of the cornstarch is stuck to the tofu. Set aside.
Add the oil to a large skillet with a lid and heat over medium-high heat. One by one, place the tofu cubes in the hot oil, cook each side until golden. Repeat the process of gently tilting the cubes until they lay on an uncooked side. After all sides are golden, remove them all from the pan and placce them in a bowl.
In the same pan you cooked the tofu, over medium high heat, add the bell pepper, and onions. Saute for 3 minutes.
While the pepper and onion cook, in a small bowl or jar, mix the sugar, vinegar, water, cornstarch, tomato paste, soy sauce, and garlic. Mix well and until all ingredients are fully dissolved. If you have a frother, I like to use it to make the process go faster.
Add the tofu back into the pan with the onion and pepper. Pour the sauce and lower the heat to a low. Mix well, cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes. Mixing sporadically to prevent burning. After the 2 minutes have passed and the sauce has thickened, taste and adjust any sweet and sour levels. To increase the sweetness, dissolve more sugar in hot water and pour it on the pan. To increase the sour, add more vinegar to the pan and mix well.
Serve hot.

Notes

Tweak to taste: E.g., add more or less sugar, change it to a sugar alternative, add more or less vinegar/lime, etc.

For the crispiest tofu: Pan-fry it in a single layer with space between (in batches if necessary) and allow it to fry, untouched, until the bottom is golden brown and crisp, then flip and repeat on each side. Don’t move it around too much, or it won’t properly sear.

To adjust the consistency: For a thinner sauce, add a little water. For a thicker one, add extra cornstarch in a slurry (to avoid lumps).

Nutrition