You’re going to love this sweet and sour tofu. It’s a vegan version of the traditional Asian dish for sweet and sour chicken.
It’s quick, easy, and deliciously made with fresh ingredients. Serve over rice for a meatless meal everyone will enjoy!
This vegan sweet and sour tofu is a great meal to serve up on any weeknight. Made with just a handful of ingredients and made from scratch this recipe is truly delicious. A healthy sweet and sour tofu recipe is exactly what you needed to fix those food cravings you’ve been having. Everything from the crisp tofu to the homemade sweet and sour sauce is delicious and perfect.
Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe
Made with fresh produce like pineapple and bell peppers and using basic pantry staple ingredients like soy sauce, oil, and garlic everything about this recipe is simple, basic, and easy. This sweet and sour tofu with pineapple comes together very quickly and even more so if you cut the produce in advance so it’s ready to use. This dish is way better than takeout and once you try it you’ll see why it’s such a popular meal.
Ingredients you’ll need for Sweet and Sour Tofu
- Extra-firm tofu
- Garlic cloves
- Oil
- Green bell pepper
- Red bell pepper
- Yellow bell pepper
- Pineapple slices
- Red onion
- Green onion
For the Sauce, you will need:
- Ketchup
- Granulated sugar
- White vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Water
To serve, you may want:
- Steamed white rice
- Sesame seeds
- Sliced green onion
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Tofu
Chop your onion and bell peppers into bite-sized pieces and saute for 8-10 minutes in a large skillet or pan heated with oil.
Once the onions and peppers are tender but not too soft, add in the white parts of the sliced green onion and add in the minced garlic.
Stir for about 2 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat.
Dice your tofu into smaller pieces and remove the excess water by using a clean cloth.
In another skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil and saute the tofu until golden on every side. Set it aside.
Place all of the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce in a small pan with the exception of the cornstarch and water. Stir the ingredients to combine.
Bring it to a bubble over medium heat before adding a slurry of the mixed cornstarch and water. Stir into the sauce and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened.
Finally, combine the cooked tofu with the prepared veggies and the sweet and sour sauce.
Serve warm with steamed rice, sesame seeds, and the green parts on the sliced green onion.
Recipe Tips
- You can replace tofu with the protein you like the most.
- You can replace ketchup with tomato sauce and extra sugar, and the result will be pretty similar.
- I’ve used canned pineapple for this recipe to ensure it is sweet and juicy. But, of course, you can also use fresh pineapple; just make sure it is ripe enough.
FAQs
How long is sweet and sour tofu good for?
While this dish is wonderful when freshly made you will notice that as it ages the tofu will become soggy so I don’t recommend making it too far in advance or storing leftovers. If necessary just reduce the recipe in half so that there are fewer portions to worry about. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. Reheat on a skillet or in the oven to try and get back some of the crispy tofu texture.
Is sweet and sour tofu gluten free?
Yes, this recipe is gluten free as written but you will need to make sure that you choose a certified gluten free soy sauce as some brands will have gluten in theirs.
Can I make this recipe without sugar?
You will need some sweetener added to this recipe to help cut down on the acidic nature of the other ingredients. If you do not wish to use granulated sugar you can use Agave, Maple syrup, Coconut sugar, or granulated monk fruit instead.
If you like tofu recipes then you are going to love my Crispy Air Fryer Tofu (which works well for this recipe too) or you can try my Sweet Potato & Tofu, Thai Curry Stew, for another meatless meal option.
Sweet and Sour Tofu
Vegan version of the traditional Asian dish Sweet and sour Chicken. Quick and easy to make and tastes delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra firm tofu
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 small yellow bell pepper
- 4 slices of pineapple (about ½ cup)
- 1 red onion
- 1 green onion
For the Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
To serve:
- steamed white rice
- sesame seeds
- sliced green onion
Instructions
- Chop onion and red bell peppers into bite-size pieces and sauté for 8-10 minutes in a large skillet or pan with oil.
- Once they’re tender but not too soft, add the white part of the green onion sliced and minced garlic cloves.
- Stir for two more minutes and remove from heat.
- Dice the tofu and remove excess water with a clean cloth. In a different skillet, add one tbsp of oil and sauté tofu until golden from every side. Set aside.
- Place all the sauce ingredients in a small pan, except cornstarch and water, and stir to combine.
- Bring it over the stove at medium heat; once it starts to bubble, add the cornstarch mixed with water, stir until the sauce thickens.
- Finally, combine the tofu with prepared veggies and the sweet and sour sauce.
- Serve warms with steamed rice, sesame seeds, and slices of green onion.
