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
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Sweet and Sour Tofu Veggie Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 14 oz (397 g) extra firm or firm tofu, pressed for 15 minutes, then cubed
- 2 tsp (tsp) soy sauce
- 1 tsp oil or use sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp rice flour
- ½ tsp garlic powder
For the Sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup (80 g) sliced red or white onion sliced into ¾-1 inch pieces
- 1 cup (150 g) sliced red bell pepper sliced into ¾-1 inch pieces
- ½ cup (75 g) sliced green bell pepper also sliced into ¾-1 inch pieces
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped celery
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) 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 ½ 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
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.
Hazel Westwood
Made this for lunch and it rocked! A nice balance of flavours!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!
Keith
As usual with Richa’s recipes, simply fabulous!! I baked the tofu.
Vegan Richa Support
So glad you liked it!
Rani
We loved making this! I usually pan fry tofu with just some oil but this way was so good everyone commented!
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Linds
Absolutely delicious!!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you!
Denise
So easy to make and so delicious. While eating I thought that next time I may add some pineapple chunks for another flavor. Thanks for a great recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
oh, good idea! yum!
Kayte
This dish is fabulous. Honestly, this tastes better then what I have ordered in resturants. I ommitted the celery because I did not have any and replaced it with more of the bell pepper. Thank you for another winner recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you for that compliment! so glad you enjoyed!
Leslie LAM
Loved it! Added broccoli near the end-perfection.
Vegan Richa Support
You’re too kind.
Barb
We loved it! Thanks for your inspiration. Hubs said it was amazing. Yup, it took care of our take-out craving.
Vegan Richa Support
even better than take ouut!
Sue
Super yummy Richa! Hubby asked me to make it again later in the week. Thanks for continually creating phenomenal recipes Richa.
Richa
Awesome! ❤️❤️
Kerri
So delicious! Exactly that sweet and sour takeout vibe I was craving. For my own tastes I did not add the additional sugar and left out the celery. I found it to still be satisfyingly sweet (I could probably experiment with reducing the sweetness even further for myself). I served it over brown rice for a lovely meal. Thank you for this recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
s&s vibe – love it, thank YOU
Kathy Nuss
Absolutely delicious! I added peanuts before serving. My husband wants this more often!
Vegan Richa Support
woo hoo! go nuts
Kathy
So easy and delicious! My husband requested that we have this often! I topped it with peanuts before serving.
Vegan Richa Support
yum
Cate Fiorillo
Excellent!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!! Do leave a rating too if you feel so!
keli lieberman
Hi Vegan Richa,
I making this now , looks and smells amazing
mouth watering Im sure ..
Thank you finding you has been a game changer ..
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so glad that you found me!
Sue
We just love this recipe – so good!
Vegan Richa Support
Thanks & feel free to leave ratings if you like
Ren
Delicious! Such a great recipe. I caramelized some fresh pineapple pieces to add, because I had some to use up, and with the tofu I froze and defrosted it before pressing for extra crispiness. So good.
Marlyse Benitah
Very good. Next time I might make it a tad less spicy and also cut the veggies smaller
Richa
Awesome
Keriann
Just made this and it was so easy and delicious!! Love that the sauce wasn’t overbearing . It was just the right balance. As always, your recipes are the best!
Richa
Awesome
Janette
Love this recipe so much . Was thinking I could double the recipe and freeze half for an easy meal on busy days. Do you think it would freeze well.
Vegan Richa Support
Yay! you could freeze it – I suggest seitan instead of tofu if you do.
Liz
I loved this! It really does taste just like it’s from a restaurant. Thank you for another great recipe. Every time you post a new one I get excited, because they always turn out awesome.
Joyce
Delicious!! Packed full of flavor!! The recipe is a keeper!!
Richa
Thanks!
Daina Z. Green
I made this tonight and it came out just right. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Vegan Richa Support
❤️❤️
Chris Voci-Nam
Hi Richa – this was a HIT!!!! Both hubby and I loved it and ate the whole thing between the 2 of us! Incredibly satisfying!
Thanks!
Chris-
Richa
Yay!
Eileen Nolan
So much flavour, yet so easy to make! Thanks!
Richa
Yay
Stef
Absolutely delicious! For veggies I used red and yellow bell pepper, mushroom and edamame. Will definitely make again!
Richa
Awesome
Simon
Looks so amazing and delicious, curious about it’s taste.
Vegan Richa Support
let me know how you like it
GiGi
Absolutely fabulous! Had been looking for a way to begin using tofu and this was so tasty and filling. I didn’t even eat it over rice. Just needed a light supper. Thank you! As always spicing is perfect.
Richa
Awesome
Stef
Do you recommend a flour substitute for rice flour? Not driving after foot surgery and would love to make this with what I have on hand .
Thanks ! Love your recipes !
Richa
Use a mix of regular flour and cornstarch. Or use just cornstarch
Marina
Love sweet and sour, but my husband doesn’t so I think I will do a small conversion and make it teriyaki sauce instead of sweet and sour. Hope it will turn out edible!
Richa
Use my teriyaki sauce from teriyaki fried. Rice recipe.
Marina
Thanks, your recipe looks good. I will give it a try this weekend.
Cheryl
Best sweet and sour I have ever had. Definitely doesn’t need the optional sugar.
Tina
Made this tonight and it tasted just like what you’d get in a restaurant!
Richa
Awesome !!