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    Home » Recipes » Mains » Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    Last Modified: March 3, 2022 - Published by: christieathome - Comments: 20 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu. Crispy tofu pan fried in a garlicky, savoury umami based sauce. This tofu dish is so good it may convert the people in your life to enjoy it!  

    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    Ready in 30-35 minutes!

    It’s fantastic for dinner, lunch or for meal prep. It can be vegan as well with a substitution.

    Let’s get things straight

    I am very picky about my tofu. For me to genuinely enjoy it, it must be either crispy tofu smothered in a tasty sauce OR soft. So, you bet that this recipe will be good!

    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    Easy to make!

    This soy garlic tofu recipe is easy to make. It’s one of my tofu recipes that isn’t too fussy and if you have an Asian pantry, most or all of the ingredients should be at your finger tips!

    Basically

    You’re simply premixing your sauce ingredients. Then dicing your extra firm tofu and evenly coating it in cornstarch. Next, you’ll fry that tofu in oil until golden and crispy. Once crispy, you’ll remove it from the pan and pour your sauce in to thicken and reduce slightly. Toss back in your tofu and give it a mix. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, optional. That’s it!

    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    What you’ll Need

    For this soy garlic tofu recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

    • extra firm tofu
    • vegetable oil, or avocado oil
    • cornstarch
    • green onions, optional
    • sesame seeds, optional

    Soy garlic tofu sauce:

    • garlic
    • regular soy sauce, not light or dark!
    • dark soy sauce
    • oyster sauce, or vegetarian stir fry sauce (for vegan version)
    • Shaoxing wine, or dry Sherry wine
    • sugar
    • rice vinegar or white vinegar
    • cornstarch
    • water
    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    How to make Soy and Garlic Tofu

    Below are brief steps with visuals but please scroll down to recipe card for detailed instructions and measurements:

    Dice your tofu into equal cubes.

    Premix sauce ingredients.

    Place cornstarch on a plate and generously coat your tofu in the starch with gentle hands. Do this in a few batches. Once tofu is coated, set aside.

    In a hot non-stick pan set over medium heat, add oil followed by tofu. Fry tofu on top and bottom until golden and crispy (7-10 minutes per top or bottom, 14-20 mins in total).

    Remove crispy tofu from pan and set aside.

    Back into the hot pan, pour in sauce and simmer to thicken.

    Once thickened, mix in tofu until coated.

    Optional: garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    Cooking Tips

    Below are tips on making Asian garlic tofu:

    Dice tofu evenly

    This is important to ensure even cooking time for all pieces. I will first slice my tofu into long even strips first. Then slice those into halves and slices the halves into even pieces to ensure each piece is equal.

    Coat tofu generously in starch

    This is also important to achieve a crispy texture. I highly recommend placing the starch on a flat plate and then adding your tofu a few batches at a time to coat GENTLY with your hands.

    PLEASE do not just dump the tofu into a bowl and pour the starch over top using a utensil to mix. This will break apart your tofu cubes easily.

    Be patient in frying tofu to achieve crispy texture

    Patience is the key to achieving a crispy tofu. Frying on the top and bottom of the cubes will be sufficient for a crispy texture.

    But make sure you give the top and bottom sides each 7-10 minutes (14-20 minutes in total) to get crispy over medium heat. 7 minutes for crispy or 10 minutes for extra crispy.

    Ensure sauce comes to a simmer to thicken

    Once you remove your crispy tofu from the pan, be sure the pan is hot before adding in your sauce and let this come to a simmer so it can thicken and reduce. If you don’t let it simmer, it will not become thicker.

    FAQ for Crispy Garlic Soy Tofu

    Below are frequently asked questions about this Asian garlic tofu recipe:

    Can I use firm tofu?

    Yes, but extra firm is ideal and much easier to work with. Do not use medium or soft tofu or you will have a very hard time flipping it due to easy breakage.

    Can I make this vegan?

    Yes, you can sub the oyster sauce with vegetarian stir fry sauce be Lee Kum Kee. This is sauce is found at most Asian grocers in the sauce aisle.

    Why isn’t my tofu crispy?

    To make tofu crispy requires patience and time. You will need to fry it on the top and bottom, each for 7 minutes.

    Where can I buy oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce?

    Most Asian grocers will carry this item in the sauce aisle.

    Other Tofu recipes you may like!

    If you enjoyed this soy sauce garlic tofu, you may enjoy these other tofu recipes:

    AIR FRYER SWEET AND SOUR TOFU
    CHINESE BRAISED TOFU
    SPICY GOCHUJANG SESAME TOFU
    JAPANESE STICKY TERIYAKI TOFU
    GARLIC SHRIMP TOFU UDON NOODLES
    SILKEN TOFU WITH ONION AND GARLIC
    ASIAN BREADED TOFU NUGGETS
    SWEET AND STICKY TOFU
    CHINESE SALT & PEPPER TOFU

    Try it!

    Well, I hope you give my soy fried tofu recipe a try! It always excites me when you make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.

    Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed my recipe, please share it with your family and friends or on social media!

    Take a picture if you've made my garlic soy crispy tofu recipe and tag me on social media @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!

    Made this recipe and loved it?

    If you could leave a star rating for my recipe, I would appreciate it 🙂 Thanks so much!

    Take care,
    Christie

    *This post for my tofu with garlic soy sauce contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from qualifying purchases through additional affiliate programs

    Asian Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu

    christieathome
    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu. Crispy tofu pan fried in a garlicky, savoury, umami based sauce. This tofu dish is so good it may convert the people in your life to enjoy it! It’s fantastic for dinner, lunch or for meal prep. It can be vegan as well with a substitution.
    4.86 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course dinner, lunch
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 2 large servings
    Calories per serving 448 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 350 grams extra firm tofu cubed
    • 3 tbsp avocado oil (or sub with any neutral oil like vegetable oil)
    • ½ - ¾ cup cornstarch or as needed (or sub with potato starch)
    • 1 stalk green onion finely sliced, optional garnish
    • 1 tsp Sesame seeds optional garnish

    Sauce:

    • 2 tbsp garlic minced
    • 1 tbsp regular soy sauce not light or dark!
    • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce for vegan version
    • 1 tsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine or Dry Sherry wine
    • 1 tsp white granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
    • ½ tbsp cornstarch
    • ½ cup water

    Instructions
     

    • In a bowl combine sauce ingredients.
    • Dice your tofu into 1 inch by 0.5-inch cubes.
    • Place cornstarch on a plate and generously coat your tofu in the starch with gentle hands. Do this in a few batches. Once tofu is coated, set aside. Warning: Do not place tofu in a bowl and dump starch on top. This will make it difficult to coat tofu without breaking apart the tofu, even with your hands.
    • In a hot non-stick pan set over medium heat, add oil followed by tofu. Allow the tofu to fry on top and bottom until golden and crispy (7-10 minutes per top and bottom, 14-20 mins in total). Note: 7 minutes for crispy or 10 minutes for extra crispy. Remove crispy tofu from pan and set aside.
    • Into the hot pan, pour in sauce and let this bubble to thicken and reduce. Once thickened, mix in tofu until coated. Optional: garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
    Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
    Copyright PolicyPlease do not copy and paste my recipes or use my photos in your own site/blog or social media. If you use my recipe for adaptation, please provide a link back to my recipe and re-write in your own words. Thank you.

    Suggested Equipment & Products

    10-inch non stick pan
    Measuring Set
    Santoku Knife
    Cutting Board
    Mixing bowl
    Nutrition
    Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1374mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg
    Course dinner, lunch
    Cuisine Chinese
    Keyword asian garlic tofu, asian garlic tofu recipe, chinese five spice tofu recipes, crispy garlic soy tofu, crispy tofu, firm tofu recipes, garlic soy crispy tofu, garlic tofu recipe, soy and garlic tofu, soy fried tofu, soy garlic tofu recipe, soy sauce garlic tofu, tofu recipes chinese, tofu with garlic soy sauce
    « Chinese Spicy Garlic Eggplant
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jen

      April 02, 2022 at 2:44 pm

      4 stars
      Very easy and loved the pointers about making sure to allow the tofu to get crispy by allowing the time to get there. Turned out perfectly! I might prefer a more sweet n spicy sauce but overall great fast dish.

      Reply
      • christieathome

        April 04, 2022 at 7:43 pm

        Thanks for making my recipe Jen! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and the tips!

        Reply
    2. Tayler

      July 12, 2022 at 1:02 am

      5 stars
      First time eating tofu as a main dish, definitely won’t be the last. Very easy to make and delicious thank you for sharing

      Reply
      • christieathome

        July 12, 2022 at 7:26 pm

        Thank you so much for making my recipe Tayler! I am so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    3. Maria

      September 02, 2022 at 8:42 am

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this recipe! Easy to follow and prepare. Thank you so much for sharing 🙏 I'm definitely going to make this again💕

      Reply
      • christieathome

        September 02, 2022 at 10:13 am

        Thanks so much for the kind review Maria! Glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    4. Hala

      September 02, 2022 at 6:46 pm

      How about rice flour instead of cornflour? Also, when I make this I’ll use coconut oil - I NEVER use vegetable oil in cooking.

      Reply
      • christieathome

        September 05, 2022 at 3:16 pm

        Yes rice flour will work and feel free to use coconut oil.

        Reply
      • Terry O' Riordan

        January 23, 2023 at 1:23 pm

        5 stars
        Come back to this recipe again and again, scrumptious! Thanks so much

        Reply
        • christieathome

          January 23, 2023 at 2:18 pm

          Awesome! Thanks so much for making it again and again Terry!

          Reply
    5. Julia

      September 24, 2022 at 8:59 pm

      5 stars
      This was a delicious meal!! I used two packages of tofu and doubled the sauce. Had it with rice and mustard greens. Do note the tofu takes some time to fry, like the recipe states. Not very labor intensive but somewhat time consuming. Thx for a great recipe!

      Reply
      • christieathome

        September 26, 2022 at 12:54 pm

        Thanks so much for making my recipe Julia! Glad you liked it and thanks for sharing your note! Have a lovely day!

        Reply
    6. Lexa

      November 30, 2022 at 9:52 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was SO delicious, and this was the first time I've ever been able to successfully make crispy tofu! I pretty much ignored the tofu while it cooked (10 mins each side) and it came out perfectly! I can't wait to make this again and again. 🙂

      Reply
      • christieathome

        December 01, 2022 at 5:42 pm

        Haha yes tofu needs to be ignored for maximum crispiness! Love that. Thank you so much for making my recipe Lexa! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
    7. John

      December 06, 2022 at 11:47 pm

      What brand of regular soy sauce is used for this recipe?

      Reply
      • christieathome

        December 07, 2022 at 4:47 pm

        I used the brand by Yamasa. But any regular all purpose soy sauce will work. As long as the label simply says 'Soy Sauce' without the words "dark", "light". You may use low-sodium soy sauce but please add to taste.

        Reply
    8. John D. Brown

      December 20, 2022 at 10:23 am

      Did you press the tofu or just dry? Thanks

      Reply
      • christieathome

        December 21, 2022 at 11:38 am

        Nope, just dried it with some paper towel. However, you can press if it you'd like.

        Reply
    9. Alexea

      February 02, 2023 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      I couldn’t find dark soy sauce at my grocery store so I swapped it with Worcestershire sauce and it was delicious.

      Reply
      • christieathome

        February 03, 2023 at 11:37 am

        Awesome! I am so glad it worked with Worcestershire sauce as well! Thanks for leaving a review!

        Reply

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    Christie

    Christie is an Asian Recipe Blogger sharing delicious recipes that you can make at home! Her goal is to make Asian cooking approachable and less intimidating. With a social media following of over 500k, she has been featured on Buzz Feed Tasty, Food52, The Kitchn and more! Christie's recipes have been made over and over again by her loyal readers.

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