Sticky Orange Tofu

This has been one of our absolute favorite recipes to make lately! Combining our easy crispy tofu recipe with the most delicious orange sauce makes for the perfect dish. It’s honestly better than any takeout we have had! Plus, the sauce requires only 7-8 ingredients (that are staples in our household anyway!) and the crispy tofu requires just three. So easy!

Start by making our easy crispy tofu! All you do is dice the tofu, pat dry, toss it in cornstarch and then fry it up in oil. Look at how crispy and delicious it looks! Seriously our favorite way to fry tofu.

Then, you make the delicious and sticky orange sauce. This makes a double batch of tofu, so it’s perfect for family dinners. If you don’t want it all at once, you can make one block of tofu and save half the sauce for later! We promise, you’ll want to have this dish twice in one week, it’s that good.

All you need for the sauce is:

water

juice from an orange + its zest

rice vinegar

low sodium soy sauce (or tamari to make gluten free)

agave or maple syrup

white sugar (can replace with agave or maple syrup for a healthier option)

fresh ginger root

minced garlic

and cornstarch

To make the orange sauce, all you do is add all of the sauce ingredients (minus the cornstarch) to a large saucepan on low-medium heat and whisk. Then, mix in a cornstarch slurry, bring to a boil and then back to a simmer, whisking often. Stir in the easy crispy tofu, top with some sesame seeds and green onions (red pepper flakes if you like spice) and boom, you’re done! We love this dish served on a bed of white rice and a side of roasted broccoli! It is absolutely delicious.

Love this recipe? Try out some of our other favorite better-than-takeout dishes:

Sweet & Sour Tofu (a fan favorite!)

Drunken Noodles

Korean Style Broccoli Wings

Sticky Orange Tofu

Skip the takeout and make this instead. Our orange tofu recipe will please the entire family, vegan or not!

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Appetizer, dinner

Cuisine asian

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

For the crispy tofu

• 2 16oz (32oz total) blocks of tofu
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cooking oil

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp orange zest zest from one large orange
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice juice from one large orange
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari to make gluten free
• 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup white sugar can replace with agave or maple syrup for a healthier option
• ½ tsp minced fresh ginger root or a few shakes of ground ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp corn starch + 3 tbsp water mix thoroughly in a small bowl to create a slurry

For topping

• 2 tbsp diced green onion
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or desired amount
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

 

Make the easy crispy tofu:

• Drain the tofu and pat dry with a towel or paper towel.
• Cut the tofu into small cubes. Pat the cubes dry again.
• Place the cornstarch in a large mixing bowl.
• Place the tofu pieces into the bowl and shake around so that all the pieces are covered in cornstarch (alternatively you can coat each piece separately).
• Heat half the oil on a non-stick large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Place half the tofu in the pan.
• Allow the tofu to crisp on the bottom side, and then flip them around and allow to crisp on every side. Take tofu off and set aside in a bowl.
• Repeat the previous 3 steps for the second half of the tofu.

Make the sauce:

• Place a large saucepan on the stove on low-medium heat
• Add the first 8 sauce ingredients (all but the cornstarch slurry) to the pan and stir thoroughly.
• Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil.
• Turn down the heat and cook on low-medium for about 5 minutes, whisking often. The sauce will thicken and get sticky.

Serve:

• Stir the crispy tofu into the sauce and and serve on top of white rice, if desired. Top with green onion, red pepper flakes and sesame seeds.

Notes

This makes a double batch, so keep that in mind! If you don’t want it all at once, you can make one block of tofu and save half the sauce for later.

Keyword asian, orange, rice, tofu