General Tso's Tofu

This General Tso's Tofu is everything you'd want in a vegetarian version of General Tso's Chicken. The tofu is crispy and the sauce is sweet, tangy, and spicy. Perfect with some egg fried rice or Chinese garlic green beans!

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Ingredient notes

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!

• Tofu - Either firm or soft tofu can be used for this tofu recipe. Firm tofu is more forgiving and can handle tosses and stirring, while soft tofu gives the dish better texture but can quite fragile to handle.

• Cornstarch - Unlike flour, cornstarch will make the tofu very crispy. If you don't have cornstarch, potato starch is a good substitute.
• Ketchup - This is the base of the General Tso's sauce that provides both the color and sweet and sour flavor.
• Water - For thinning out the sauce.
• Sugar and vinegar - Granulated sugar and white vinegar is added to the sauce to make the sweet and tangy flavor more intense.
• Soy sauce - A little bit of soy sauce helps to add the touch of needed savory note in the sauce and also make the red more intense. If you're looking for a gluten free substitute, tamari and a pinch of salt is a good option.
• Red pepper flakes - This is for adding some heat to the General Tso's sauce. Feel free to use more or less to your preference.
• Green onions and whole dry chilies - The green onion adds extra complexity to the sauce and also serves as garnish along with the dry chilies.
• Oil - Any neutral oil, for cooking.
• Sesame seeds (optional for garnish)

How to make General Tso's tofu

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!

1. Dry the tofu. Drain the tofu and pat it as dry as possible using clean towels.

🌟 Pro tip: To make the tofu as try as possible, use a tofu press or place a weight (like a plate) on top of the tofu and allow it to be pressed in the fridge overnight. This method extracts the most amount of moisture.

2. Prepare the sauce. Combine ketchup, water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Whisk until evenly combined and no clumps of cornstarch is visible. Set aside until needed.

3. Cut the tofu evenly into 1 inch cubes.

4. Coat the tofu with cornstarch on all sides. You can do this on a plate or in a gallon resealable bag. If using the bag method, be sure to shake gently to prevent the tofu from breaking.

🌟 Pro tip: Try to coat the tofu as close to when you are ready to fry. Cornstarch clumps up very easily when it comes into contact with moisture, and coating the tofu too early will likely cause the coating to become too wet.

5. Fry the tofu. Heat 1 to 2 inches of oil to 350°F. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu and fry until crispy and pale gold in color, about 5 minutes. Remove the tofu and allow it to drain on some paper towels. Fry in batches if needed.

6. Make the General Tso's sauce. In a large pan over medium heat, add a small amount of oil. When the oil is hot, add the whites of the green onions, pepper flakes, and whole dry peppers. Saute until fragrant.

Give the prepared sauce mixture a good stir and add to the pan. Allow the sauce to cook until bubbly, glossy, and thickened. Make sure to stir often.

7. Toss the tofu with sauce. Once the General Tso's sauce is ready, add the crispy fried tofu. Gently toss and stir until the tofu are evenly coated with sauce.

8. Enjoy! Serve the General Tso's tofu immediately with some white rice or egg fried rice and garnish with the greens of the green onion, if desired.

Recipe tips

• Use firm tofu easier handling. Firm tofu is more forgiving and will allow more tossing and mixing. However, the texture is a bit coarser.
• Use soft tofu for silky texture. Personally, we find that soft tofu gives the dish a better texture, however, it really is up to your preference. The challenge with soft tofu is that it tends to release more moisture and it is more fragile to work with.
• Dry the tofu as much as possible. Use paper towels to dry the tofu well. This prevent having an excessive amount of cornstarch coating and oil popping when frying.
• Coat with cornstarch as close to frying time as possible. Cornstarch tends to clump and become a slurry when it comes into contact with moisture. So try to coat the tofu with cornstarch when you're ready to fry.

Storage

General Tso's tofu is best enjoyed freshly made as the sauce will make the coating on the tofu soggy as it sits. If there are leftover General Tso's tofu, allow it to cool before covering and refrigerating. It will stay good for up to 3 to 4 days.

If you wish to mix together the ingredients for the General Tso's sauce ahead of time, it will stay good for up to 1 week in the fridge.

Reheating

The best way to reheat leftover General Tso's tofu is simply microwaving it. Make sure to cover and heat until warmed through. Do note that the coating on the tofu may peel off.

If the dish is not assembled, the fried tofu can be fried again at 350°F for about 3 to 5 minutes until crispy or air fried at 400°F until warmed through and crispy.

FAQ

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