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
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Vegan Honey Chili Tofu
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 14 oz (396.89 g) firm or extra firm tofu pressed for 15 minutes
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch or use tapioca starch
- ¼ 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
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ cup (40 g) cubed onion
- ½ green bell pepper cubed
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with ¾ 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
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.
Lisa
Fantastic recipe! Loved it. Thank you! All your recipes are so good.
Vegan Richa Support
Glad you liked it!
Meghan Beriault
Soooo yummy and it was fast & easy! A definite do-again!
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Diane
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!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you! 🙂
GA
So so so amazing. I love all your recipes, but this one was above and beyond! Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
Kelly Wise
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!!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
Kimberly
Any suggestions to lower sodium? But keep the taste?
Thank you
Vegan Richa Support
omit the salt and use less soy sauce (to taste)
Katherine D Emerson
My son made this for us for dinner and it was DELICIOUS!! The green pepper was the perfect pepper in this recipe. The tofu was succulent. The sauce was aromatic and warming. We served it over baked sweet potatoes. Can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
awesome!! 🙂
Kelly Wise
Absolutely delicious!! I’d give it a spice rating of 3 out of 5 as the recipe is written. Served it with roasted vegetables and steamed spinach. Highly recommend!!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you!!
Donna
Delicious! Much better than a restaurant! My husband was depressed when he was finished!
Richa
❤️❤️
Rosetta James
Frustrating that PINTEREST does not work so I couldn’t sve this on my VEGAN board.
Vegan Richa Support
dang! i hope it gets working better for you soon. don’t forget to rate!
Maneesha
Another slam dunk Asian recipe, Richa! I used chickpeas instead of tofu and threw in a bunch of vegetables – turned out great! Sprinkled with some sesame seeds, green onions, and roasted peanuts, it was a perfect meal! Thank you so much!
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you!
Katherine D Emerson
Hi Richa,
Could this be frozen successfully? Thanks.
Vegan Richa Support
yes!
Wendi Polchow
It was so good! I didn’t have apple juice so used 1T applesauce, 2T water. Served it with sticky rice. We’ll be having it again soon!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
Steve
This is the bomb, and if you like Indian, her recipe book is probably the best vegan one out there!
Vegan Richa Support
🙂 thanks so much, Steve!
Dick Visser
Another masterpiece. Brilliant!
I sprinkled some drops of limejuice on top.
Vegan Richa Support
awesome! thank you!