Published: Sep 10, 2021 · Modified: Feb 7, 2023 by kaydimaggio

Easy Vegan Kung Pao Tofu

Name: Easy Vegan Kung Pao Tofu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Light Soy Sauce; 1/4 cup Dark Soy Sauce; 1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce; 3 tbs Balsamic Vinegar; 3 cloves Garlic; 1 tbs Ginger; 1 tbs Cornstarch; 1 tbs Coconut Sugar; 3 tbs Ketchup; 2 packages Firm Tofu; 1 Red Bell Pepper; 1 Green Bell Pepper; 1/2 cup Birds Eye Chilis; 1 medium zucchini; 1/2 cup peanuts; Rice (for serving)

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This Easy Vegan Kung Pao Tofu is so delicious! This recipe comes together in under an hour and is the perfect quick and easy dinner for a busy weeknight. Full of bold flavor, this healthy dinner is sure to be a quick family favorite!

This Kung Pao Tofu is easy and delicious. The flavors in this recipe are bold and rich. Michael and I love Asian food so much. When we first went plant-based, it was all we ate. We found it so much easier to adapt and not feel like we were cheating ourselves. A lot of people associate Kung Pao flavors with Westernized cuisine, however, the roots of the dish can still be traced back to China. This dish may not be the most authentic, however, it is still inspired by the original and full of delicious, bold flavor. We could eat this dinner every single night, it is so delicious.

For some other great Asian-inspired dishes, check out this Thai Pad Pak, this Asian Style Chopped Salad or this Easy Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
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Easy Vegan Kung Pao Tofu
Food safety

Ingredients

The ingredients in this recipe are commonly found except for dark soy sauce. You should be able to get that at any Asian market or online.

Tofu, peanuts, hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, zucchini, birds eye chilis, red and green bell pepper — Kung Pao Tofu Ingredients

For the Sauce

Light Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic
Ginger
Peanuts
Cornstarch
Coconut Sugar
Ketchup

For the Dish

Firm Tofu
Red Bell Pepper
Green Bell Pepper
Birds Eye Chilis
Zucchini
Rice, for serving

Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Drain the tofu and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Place the towel-wrapped tofu on a lined baking sheet and set a heavy pan on top. This is called pressing the tofu. Pressing the tofu releases the extra water content of the tofu and helps the tofu get extra crispy while cooking. Press the tofu for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and dice the tofu and toss with olive oil and cornstarch. Spread the tofu on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until the tofu gets crispy.

While the tofu is in the oven, mix the ingredients for the sauce. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside.

Dice the bell peppers, chilis, and zucchini and add to a hot skillet. Saute over medium heat until the bell peppers have softened, about 5 minutes.

Once the tofu is finished in the oven, add the tofu to the vegetables in the pan and pour the sauce over. Stir everything to combine and let simmer until the sauce is thickened about 5 minutes. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Tofu Bowls on white surface scattered with green onions and chilis — Easy Vegan Kung Pao Tofu

Hint: You can press the tofu with either a kitchen towel or use a tofu press. I like the tofu press because I feel like it gets the water out of the tofu the best. This is the press that I use.

Substitutions

Need to make this fit into a certain diet? Check out some of these substitutions below!

Gluten-Free - To make this recipe gluten-free, omit the dark soy sauce and use coconut aminos or tamari in place of it. Also, make sure to check that the hoisin sauce is gluten-free, most are but some are not.
Soy-Free - if you are unable to process soy, try making this with seitan and using coconut aminos or tamari in place of soy sauce.
Nightshade Free - If you have a nightshade allergy, feel free to leave out the bell pepper and ketchup and switch it up with a different vegetable!

Variations

Want to take this for a spin but try something a little different, check out some of these variations below!

Spicy - To make this extra spicy, add chili pepper flakes to your sauce to kick it up a notch.
Meat - This recipe is traditionally made with chicken. If you want to make this with meat, try subbing in chicken instead of tofu!
Kid-friendly - Reduce the level of heat coming from this dish by omitting the bird's eye chilis.

Check out this other Asian-inspired recipe here!

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. I cook everything in my cast iron skillet but you could easily use a wok as well!

Storage

Store the tofu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This is the perfect meal prep lunch recipe!

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Always make sure to press the tofu. I know it adds an extra 20 minutes but it is crucial to making sure that the tofu is crispy. Tofu holds a lot of water content and you don't want your dinner to be soggy!

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