Sweet and sour tofu with vegetables

This sweet and sour tofu recipe is packed with soft chewy tofu, crunchy colorful vegetables, and a delicious sweet and tangy sauce that tastes just like your favorite Asian takeout. It's easy enough for busy weeknights but flavorful enough to serve when friends and family come over.

As a food blogger, Asian-inspired dishes are some of my favorite recipes to make. They use simple ingredients, come together quickly, and always deliver big flavors. This sweet and sour tofu is no exception.

Sweet and sour dishes have been popular for generations and are often associated with non-vegetarian dishes found in many Chinese restaurants. This plant-based version swaps the meat for tofu while keeping the delicious sweet and tangy flavors everyone loves.

If you're trying tofu for the first time, this is a great recipe to start with. The tofu becomes lightly crispy on the outside while remaining tender on the inside, making it a delicious alternative to traditional sweet and sour dishes.

The combination of crunchy vegetables, tender tofu, and a perfectly balanced sweet and sour flavor creates a meal that will keep your taste buds happy. Serve it with rice or noodles for a satisfying vegan dinner the whole family can enjoy.

Jump to:

• Ingredients for sweet and sour tofu recipe
• How to prepare tofu
• How to make (step-by-step instructions)?
• How to make sweet and sour tofu with gravy?
• Serving sweet and sour tofu
• Storing, freezing, and reheating
• Meal prep tips
• Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
• Tofu marinade options
• Frequently asked questions
• More easy tofu recipes
• More easy Asian style vegan recipes
• Recipe

Ingredients for sweet and sour tofu recipe

To make this simple stir fried tofu recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

1. Tofu: Medium-firm tofu is my preferred choice for this recipe because it stays together during cooking while still having a soft, creamy center. You can also use firm or extra firm tofu if you prefer a chewier texture. Avoid silken tofu as it tends to fall apart during stir-frying.
2. Vegetables: I have used broccoli and bell peppers. Broccoli adds a nice crunch, color, and nutrition to the dish. Cook it just until tender-crisp so it doesn't become mushy. Using red, yellow, and green bell peppers makes the dish colorful and adds a natural sweetness. You can also add ingredients like Pineapple chunks, mushrooms, baby corns, snow peas, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, spring onions, etc.
3. Onion: Onions add a mild sweetness and delicious flavor when stir fried. Red, white, or brown onion, all are fine.
4. Ginger: Fresh ginger adds warmth and a wonderful Asian flavor to the sauce.
5. Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the best flavor and aroma. If you don't have that, store-bought garlic paste is also fine.
6. Soy sauce: Soy sauce adds saltiness and umami flavor to the sweet and sour sauce. Use tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free version. For a healthier version, use low-sodium soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce.
7. Tomato ketchup: Ketchup adds sweetness, color, and a slight tang that helps creating the classic sweet and sour flavor.
8. Vinegar: Vinegar gives the sauce its signature tangy flavor. White vinegar works perfectly here. Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used, too.
9. Chili sauce: Chili sauce adds a gentle heat and extra flavor to the sauce. Adjust the quantity to suit your spice preference. You can also use sriracha, chili garlic sauce, sambal oelek, or any Asian hot sauce of your choice.
10. Brown sugar: Brown sugar balances the tanginess of the vinegar and helps create the sweet and sour flavor. Coconut sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup, or regular white sugar can also be used in this recipe.
11. Red chili flakes: These add a little extra heat and texture. Omit if you prefer a milder dish.
12. White Sesame Seeds: Toasted sesame seeds add a nutty flavor and a lovely finishing touch. You can add black sesame seeds, too. Adding sesame seeds is optional, but recommended.
13. Oil: Vegetable oil and sesame oil. Vegetable oil is used for cooking, and sesame oil is used to flavor this dish. A small amount of toasted sesame oil adds a rich, authentic Asian flavor to the dish.

Other ingredient details and nutrition facts are shared in the recipe card.

How to prepare tofu

Getting the tofu ready properly gives you the best texture.

The easiest way is to wrap the tofu in a clean dish towel or several layers of paper towels. Place a heavy object on the top of the tofu and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes to remove excess water.

If you have a tofu press, feel free to use it. Press tofu and remove as much water as possible. Cut it into bite-sized cubes.

Arrange the tofu cubes on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden brown. The result is delicious crispy tofu cubes that hold up perfectly in the sauce.

How to make (step-by-step instructions)?

This is a very easy vegan tofu dish, and making it involves just the following simple steps:

Step 1: Cut the pressed tofu block into bite-sized pieces. Put the tofu cubes, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Gently toss.

Step 2: Spread the seasoned tofu cubes on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes at 200°C (400°F).

Step 3: Heat oil in a large wok. Add ginger and garlic. Sauté for a few seconds or until the raw smell of garlic goes away.

Step 4: Add onion.

Step 5: Add bell peppers and broccoli.

Step 6: Stir fry on high heat for a few minutes, i.e., until the vegetables get cooked but still stay crunchy.

Step 7: Add the baked tofu cubes and mix.

Step 8: Cook for about a minute.

Step 9: In a bowl, put all the sauces, vinegar, brown sugar, chili flakes, salt, and sesame oil. Mix well.

Step 10: Add the sauce blend.

Step 11: Mix until the sauce is evenly coated on all the vegetables and tofu.

Step 12: Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!

Your quick and easy tofu dish is ready!

How to make sweet and sour tofu with gravy?

The sweet and sour tofu that I have made is without gravy. If you want to make it with gravy, make the following changes in the recipe.

1. After adding the sweet and sour sauce to the vegetables, add around 1 cup of water to the pan and boil.
2. In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with around 2 tablespoons of water. Add it to the boiling sauce in the pan. Mix everything and cook for 1-2 minutes while continuously stirring. After that, you can stop stirring and just cook until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.

Serving sweet and sour tofu

This simple tofu dish can be enjoyed with steamed white rice, jasmine rice, sticky rice, or any fried rice. You can also enjoy it with a noodle dish like vegetable chow mein, mushroom noodles, cabbage ramen, or peanut butter ramen . Or, just serve it with an Asian salad like edamame quinoa salad, enoki mushroom salad, or spicy red cabbage.

It can also be served as a starter.

If you are craving a vegan home-cooked Asian comfort meal, you must try this sweet and sour tofu recipe.

Storing, freezing, and reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can freeze sweet and sour tofu, but the texture of the vegetables may change slightly after thawing. 

To freeze, allow the dish to cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Tofu actually freezes very well and develops a chewier, meatier texture that many people enjoy. Bell peppers and broccoli may become a little softer after freezing and thawing.

If you're planning to freeze the dish, slightly undercook the vegetables so they don't become too soft when reheated.

To reheat, if the dish is frozen, thaw it before reheating. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. If the sauce has thickened too much, add a splash of water and stir until it reaches the desired consistency.

You can also reheat it in the microwave with a splash of water, but reheating on the stovetop will give better results. 

Meal prep tips

This sweet and sour tofu is a great meal prep recipe because most of the components can be prepared in advance. Following are some of the steps that you can do in advance:

• Press and cube the tofu ahead of time. Remove the excess moisture from the tofu, cut it into cubes, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• Bake the tofu in advance. You can bake the tofu a day or two before making the dish. Once cooled, refrigerate it and simply add it to the stir-fried vegetables when ready to cook.
• Freeze baked tofu for later. If you like the chewier texture of frozen tofu, bake an extra batch and freeze it for future stir-fries.
• Prep the vegetables beforehand. Chop the broccoli, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger up to 2 days in advance. Store them in separate airtight containers or zip-top bags in the refrigerator.
• Mix the sauce ahead of time. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a jar or container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Give it a quick stir or shake before using.
• Make lunch boxes for the week. Divide the cooked sweet and sour tofu and rice into individual meal-prep containers for easy grab-and-go lunches.
• Cook rice in advance. Prepare jasmine rice, brown rice, or any rice of your choice and refrigerate it separately. It can be reheated just before serving.
• Create a stir-fry kit. Store the chopped vegetables, prepared sauce, and baked tofu separately in the refrigerator. When you're ready to eat, simply stir-fry everything together, and dinner will be on the table in less than 15 minutes.
• Double the recipe. This dish reheats well, making it perfect for meal prepping. Make a larger batch and enjoy it for quick lunches or dinners throughout the week.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

• Stir fry the vegetables over medium-high heat so they stay crisp.
• For extra crispiness, lightly coat the tofu with corn starch or potato starch before baking.
• Use a large wok or pan to stir fry the vegetables so that stirring them around is easier. In a small pan, the vegetables will get piled up on each other, and the moisture won't allow them to stay crunchy.
• Don't overcook the vegetables. They should remain crunchy.
• Add fresh pineapple for a sweeter version.
• Cut all vegetables into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
• Don't over cook the tofu cubes; they should be soft and moist in the center.
• Instead of baking, you can also air fry or stir fry tofu cubes in a pan.

Tofu marinade options

In the recipe, I have marinated tofu with just oil, salt, and pepper. If you want to make baked tofu more flavorful, you can add a few more ingredients to it. I am sharing some options below:

• Soy sauce
• Hot sauce
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Ginger powder
• Chili flakes
• Maple syrup/ agave/ honey(if not vegan)
• Brown sugar
• Lime juice
• Orange juice/ pineapple juice

Frequently asked questions

More easy tofu recipes

Looking for more easy tofu recipes? Don't miss to check the following links:

1. Tofu in peanut sauce
2. Stir-fried tofu with sprouts and mushrooms
3. Vietnamese tomato tofu
4. Pineapple tofu
5. Orange tofu
6. Chili garlic tofu
7. Lemongrass tofu
8. Tofu and broccoli in peanut sauce

More easy Asian style vegan recipes

​If you love Asian food, here are a few more recipes worth trying:

1. Edamame fried rice
2. Broccoli in garlic sauce
3. Asian garlic eggplant
4. Snow peas mushroom stir fry
5. Mushroom ho fun noodles
6. Sir fried snow peas
7. Peanut butter rice with vegetables
8. Sweet corn soup
9. Mushroom Tom Yum soup
10. Vegetables in hot garlic sauce