We love orange chicken but we also love tofu so here’s a plant-based version of the classic orange chicken take-out, Orange Tofu! Quickly made and with only a handful of ingredients, you’ll love this crispy tofu coated in a delicious orange sauce.
This is the perfect weeknight meal since it doesn’t take long to put together. I love using tofu for last minute meals since it doesn’t require me to have been prepared by thawing ahead of time. There’s always a block or two in the fridge ready to go!
Something to keep in mind about this recipe, I use one block of tofu which serves two for us. The sauce is enough if you choose to fry up two blocks of tofu for if you want to cook up four servings of this crispy orange tofu!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- This crispy orange tofu is super easy to make. You simply press the tofu (if you’re in a rush, you can skip this step), cube it, coat it in cornstarch, and pan fry it while simmering the sauce to coat it with. Easy!
- This is a quick recipe. I usually press my tofu while I’m preparing other things in the kitchen and then pan frying the tofu takes 15 to 20 minutes.
- This orange tofu recipe is an easy and tasty plant-based recipe that is perfect if you’re trying to cut down on meat.
What You’ll Need
- extra firm tofu — you can see my process on how to press tofu without a tofu press.
- cornstarch — this will give the tofu the crispy exterior.
- olive oil — or your oil of choice.
- orange juice — make sure to use no pulp orange juice for this orange tofu recipe!
- brown sugar — light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- rice vinegar
- soy sauce — use low sodium soy sauce.
- oyster sauce — not sure what oyster sauce is? Check out this guide to oyster sauce I wrote! To keep this vegan, use vegetarian oyster sauce (Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce (Oyster Flavored Sauce).
- minced garlic — I like to use freshly minced garlic. I always have garlic frozen which is why the photo up above have the garlic as a square piece. Here’s how to freeze garlic.
How to Make Orange Tofu
- Press the tofu and then cut the tofu block into bite sized cubes.
- Coat the tofu with cornstarch.
- Heat a pan on medium heat with some olive oil and pan fry the tofu cubes for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are crispy all over.
- At the same time, add the orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and minced garlic to a sauce pan and bring it up to a boil before lowering the heat to simmer.
- After 5 minutes, make a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tbsp cold water with 1 tbsp cornstarch and add it to the orange sauce. Let it continue to simmer until thickened to your liking.
- Once the tofu is crispy and the orange sauce is done, coat the tofu in the sweet orange sauce before serving.
Tips and Notes
- Try not to move the tofu cubes until the side being fried has crisped up. Flipping them before they’re ready will make the process longer.
- Feel free to add some sriracha or red pepper flakes to the orange sauce to add some heat to it.
- I like to top my orange tofu with some scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
- Swap soy sauce for tamari to make this a gluten-free crispy orange tofu recipe.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: once cooled, store the cooked crispy orange tofu recipe in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. I pack mine with jasmine rice or brown rice as a meal prep but this goes well with coconut rice or purple rice as well!
- To reheat: simply microwave the tofu or add it to a skillet to warm through. If the sticky orange sauce is a little too thick, add a splash of water to the sauce when reheating.
Orange Tofu
We love orange chicken but we also love tofu so here’s a plant-based version of the classic orange chicken take-out, Orange Tofu! Quickly made and with only a handful of ingredients, you’ll love this crispy tofu coated in a delicious orange sauce.
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Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 350 gram extra firm tofu, (or double)
- 4 tbsp cornstarch, 3 for the tofu, 1 for the sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 30 minutes and then cut the tofu block into bite sized cubes.
- Coat the tofu with cornstarch.
- Heat a pan on medium heat with some olive oil and pan fry the tofu cubes for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are crispy all over.
- At the same time, add the orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and minced garlic to a sauce pan and bring it up to a boil before lowering the heat to simmer.
- After 5 minutes, make a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tbsp cold water with 1 tbsp cornstarch and add it to the orange sauce. Let it continue to simmer until thickened to your liking.
- Once the tofu is crispy and the orange sauce is done, coat the tofu in the sauce before serving.
Notes
- the sauce is enough for 2 blocks of tofu to turn this into 4 servings.
Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥
Nutrition Disclaimer
More Tofu Recipes to Try
- Crispy Teriyaki Tofu
- Korean Spicy Tofu Meal Prep
- Maple Soy Tofu
- Silken Tofu Recipe
- Tofu Stir Fry with Vegetables
- Braised Tofu
- Tofu Smoothie
Other places to connect with me
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