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 as a main dish. It can be vegan as well with a substitution. Ready in 30 minutes or less!
What is Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu?
Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu is crispy fried tofu coated with a savory, garlicky soy-based sauce. It's packed with umami flavor and absolutely delicious! If you love tofu, then this is a recipe you must try. I especially love pairing this Chinese tofu dish with some steamed rice and veggies for a complete meal. Tofu is a great plant based protein and I often go to it when I don't feel like eating meat.
I'll also have you know that 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!
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- 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
How to make Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu
Dice Tofu into Cubes
Dice your tofu into equal cubes.
Create Sauce
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients as listed.
Generously Coat Tofu in Starch
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.
Fry Tofu until Golden & Crispy
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 Tofu from Pan
Remove crispy tofu from pan and set aside.
Simmer to Thicken Sauce
Back into the hot pan, pour in sauce and simmer to thicken.
Toss in Crispy Tofu
Once thickened, mix in tofu until coated.
Garnish
Optional: garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
This dish will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop in a pan on medium heat until hot.
Expert Tips
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
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!
- Air Fryer Sweet And Sour Tofu
- Chinese Braised Tofu
- Spicy Gochujang Sesame Tofu
- Japanese Sticky Teriyaki Tofu
- Silken Tofu With Onion And Garlic
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu
Ingredients
- 12.34 oz extra firm tofu strained of liquids
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ½ - ¾ cup cornstarch or as needed (or sub with potato starch)
- 1 green onion finely sliced, optional garnish
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional garnish
Sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce for vegan version
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or Dry Sherry wine
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup water cold
Instructions
- In a bowl combine sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- 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!
Bridget
Do I need to drain/dry out the tofu first?
Christie Lai
Yes, thanks for asking! I will clarify this in the instructions.
Leticia Evans
I just made it for dinner. It came out delicious and crispy. I loved it. Great recipe, easy to make.
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for the kind review, Leticia! Glad it worked out well!
Jd
I'll make your crispy garlic soytofu recipe, it lookss so delicious
K8
Loved it. Will make again soon. Looking to get more confident with tofu and this recipe was easy to understand and follow thru. Thank you! I doubled the sauce recipe and paired it with coconut rice and a veggie stir-fry, which I added a bit of the extra sauce to. It worked perfectly. Next time I might pour the sauce over the tofu the last second so it stays super crispy. Thanks again! Yum’
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving a positive review, K8! So glad you enjoyed it and that it worked out perfectly 🙂
Les
Delicious 🙂 Added some chili crisp oil and served it with bok choy ginger and rice 🙂 thanks for ur recipes 🙂
Christie Lai
Amazing! So happy to read this and glad it worked out well. I appreciate you making my recipe, Les!
Ands
I made this tonight for dinner. My first time making tofu. I added garlic paste, but otherwise followed the recipe (and suggestion to cut into larger rectangles!) and served with broccoli. Next time I’ll double the sauce!
Delicious recipe, easy to follow. Thanks so much for sharing! Also I very rarely leave a comment, but felt compelled today!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving a kind comment! I truly appreciate it and glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Jaime Favorite
I also made this recipe tonight and it was MY first time cooking tofu! I absolutely loved how it turned out! I agree with cutting the tofu in bigger rectangles; easier to turn in the pan.
I also added some fish sauce, harissa, and some chili, hot honey from Trader Joe's to my sauce.
I paired it with asparagus and green beans over a bed of green lentils.
What a protein-packed, yummy meal (with plenty of left overs for me!). Will make again!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I am so thrilled to hear about your positive experience with it and those additions sound fantastic 🙂
Samantha
Great recipe, this is my go to when I make tofu!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for your kind and positive feedback, Samantha! Happy you enjoy it so much!
Thomas
Thanks so much for sharing the receipt. Delicious! I added 2 shallots and some Piri-Piri. Glazed them together in 1 table spoon of walnut oil after removing the tofu and added the sauce at the end. Tastes a bit spicy. Next time I will add some minced ginger as well and substitute the sugar by maple syrup ... pretty sure it will taste great. Cheers from Germany 😉
Christie Lai
Hello from Canada! Thanks so much for making my recipe, Thomas! So happy to hear that the additions also worked out well 🙂
Linda Romero
Excellent! I’ll definitely make it again. And again. And again!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making it and sharing your positive review with me, Linda! I hope you enjoy it for many times to come 🙂
Amanda Keyser
Oh wow! Yum!! I followed everyone’s advise on ignoring the tofu while it got crispy and added some spice to my sauce! Absolutely delicious! Will make this again!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for the positive review, Amanda! So happy that you enjoyed this and glad it all worked out for you 🙂
Patty stone
Looks absolutely Delicious! Going to make it tonight and can’t wait for my family’s reaction !!! Thank you for all the great tips 👏👍🙏💐
christieathome
Thank you so much for your interest in making my recipe, Patty! I hope you enjoy my recipe with your family 🙂
Grace
So good! One of the best sauces we have ever had with tofu!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Grace! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 have a lovely day!