This Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu recipe is quick and easy to make. A healthy dinner, this is a recipe the family is sure to love! Full of bold flavors, this sweet and sour tofu tastes exactly like the takeout that you grew up on. This recipe comes together quickly and is the perfect easy weeknight dinner.
This Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu is a delicious dish that is a play on the Sweet and Sour Pork dishes that you often see at Chinese restaurants across the United States. Sweet and sour is a generic term that originated from Chinese cuisine and encompasses many different styles of sauce, cuisine, and cooking methods. This is the perfect recipe to make on a busy weeknight as it is quick, easy to make, and full of flavor that the whole family will enjoy
I have a lot of Asian inspired recipes here on my site like this Thai Pad Pak, this Gluten-Free Pad Thai and this Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad
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Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe are easy and most of them you might have right in your pantry at home.
- Firm Tofu
- Red Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Green Bell Pepper
- Diced Pineapple
- Pineapple Juice
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Coconut Sugar
- Vinegar
- Vegan Worcestershire
- Tamari
- Ketchup
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, dice the bell peppers, onion, and pineapple. I like this dish to have a lot of texture so I give them a rough dice and keep them bite-size but fairly large. Add the pineapple and vegetables to a skillet and sauté on medium heat until the bell peppers and onion are starting to soften. About 10 minutes.
To make the sauce, combine all of the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and stir to combine.
When the tofu is finished in the oven, add it into the pan with the pineapple and vegetables and pour in the sauce. Stir everything together until the sauce coats the tofu and vegetables and the sauce starts to thicken, around 3 minutes.
Serve the sweet and sour tofu over a bowl of rice and enjoy!
Hint: When it comes time to do dishes, never use soap on your cast iron pan. Let the cast iron cool completely and then use a cleaning brush and run under warm water to get clean.
Substitutions
If you are following a certain diet and need some substitutions, check them out below!
- Gluten-Free - This recipe uses tamari instead of soy sauce and this dinner is naturally gluten-free.
- Soy-Free - Instead of tofu, use seitan for a soy-free vegan dinner.
- Keto - To make this dish keto-friendly, toss the tofu in xantham gum instead of cornstarch and serve over cauliflower rice. Make sure to use organic, sugar-free ketchup.
Variations
Want some fun variations on this dish, check below!
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
- Deluxe - instead of baking the tofu, deep fry it to give it that true, crispy crunch!
- Nightshade-Free - If you cannot eat nightshades or aren't a fan, switch up the vegetables and omit the ketchup in the sauce!
Check out another fun recipe on my website here!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. I love to use stainless steel baking sheets and line them with parchment paper as well as cook all the vegetables in my cast iron pan. I find that cast iron is so reliable and makes for such an easy cleanup!
Storage
This recipe is a great meal prep recipe, store the recipe in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
The key to making this dish taste like your favorite takeout is to really make sure the tofu is crispy. I have tried making this tofu on the stove as well as the oven and I found that I could get the crispiest tofu in the oven.
Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 blocks firm tofu
- 1 red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 16 oz can diced pineapple
- 1 cup pineapple juice from can
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire
- 2 tbs tamari
- ¼ cup ketchup
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, dice the bell peppers, onion, and pineapple. I like this dish to have a lot of texture so I give them a rough dice and keep them bite-size but fairly large. Add the pineapple and vegetables to a skillet and sauté on medium heat until the bell peppers and onion are starting to soften. About 10 minutes.
- To make the sauce, combine all of the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and stir to combine.
- When the tofu is finished in the oven, add it into the pan with the pineapple and vegetables and pour in the sauce. Stir everything together until the sauce coats the tofu and vegetables and the sauce starts to thicken, around 3 minutes.
- Serve the sweet and sour tofu over a bowl of rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten-Free - This recipe uses tamari instead of soy sauce and this dinner is naturally gluten-free.
- Soy-Free - Instead of tofu, use seitan for a soy-free vegan dinner.
- Keto - To make this dish keto-friendly, toss the tofu in xantham gum instead of cornstarch and serve over cauliflower rice. Make sure to use organic, sugar-free ketchup.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Jere Cassidy says
This looks better than takeout. Love the veggies and pineapple in this recipe for great color.
kaydimaggio says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Freya says
I love sweet and sour sauce and this recipe tastes just you get from the takeaway but much fresher!
kaydimaggio says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Kristina says
My daughter loves tofu and really enjoyed this. We aren't a fan of tamari sauce so we subbed with soy sauce and it was great.
kaydimaggio says
Glad you enjoyed! Soy sauce is the perfect substitute!
Ashok says
The recipe is excellent, and your photos are phenomenal. I'm blown away by all the bright, pretty colors. Thank you for sharing this!
kaydimaggio says
That is so sweet, thank you so much!
Julia says
I loved this. I always fried the tofu in recipes like this before, this was a much better way. The flavour was much better. It was good to have an excuse to use vegan Worcestershire sauce too. Love those flavours.
kaydimaggio says
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Nora says
So far I haven’t often dared to use tofu in cooking, but your recipe looks so delicious, I’ll have to try it!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you! It isn't too bad! I am not a fan of the flavor of soy so I always try to hide it in the recipes that I make!
Anaiah says
Yesss, this was absolutely delicious and satisfied my craving for a sweet and sour dish. Definitely making this for dinner more often!
kaydimaggio says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Luca - Ruoka on valmis says
My friends always wonder how to use tofu in a tasty way. I can recommend this recipe without any doubt!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you for recommending it!
Cindy Mom, the Lunch Lady says
This looks like such a delicious tofu recipe. I'm always looking for new ways to prepare tofu in hopes that my kids will finally love it. This may be the recipe that changes their minds!
kaydimaggio says
This one is sure to work! It doesn't even taste like tofu!
Addie says
Huge fan of the sweet and sour sauce!!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Sue says
I love sweet and sour but never imagined using tofu - this looks fantastic! Must try!!
kaydimaggio says
It is the perfect meatless Monday option!
Jeannie says
I love making this recipe, there’s so much flavor and adding pineapple juice gives this recipe extra taste.
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Gina Abernathy says
I've never tried tofu but your recipe makes it look so good. I like all of the vegetables used for this dish. I will have to try this recipe soon.
kaydimaggio says
I hope you enjoy!
Genevieve says
This recipe is so colorful and perfect for when I have no clue what to cook!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you! It is so easy to throw together! The perfect weeknight dinner!
Lucy says
I love you've created a healthy version of a classic takeaway, I'll never be having the takeaway version again. It's packed full of flavour and such a quick and easy meal for busy weeknights!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you Lucy! I hope you enjoy!