Pan-fried tofu cooked in a sweet, spicy gochujang sauce with a hint of sesame! This flavorful, easy Korean gochujang tofu recipe uses minimal ingredients and is ready in 30 minutes! A budget-friendly, vegan main or side that's better-than-takeout and great for busy weeknights.
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Gochujang tofu features pan-fried tofu simmered in a sweet, spicy, and savory gochujang sauce with sesame seeds and green onions!
You'll find a variation of this tofu dish served at Korean restaurants and it is often paired with steamed rice and Korean side dishes (or 'banchan').
It's great for those looking for a spicy plant-based protein dish. You can also make this less spicy by referring to the instructions in the FAQ section below.
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a thick, tasty Korean red chili paste made of fermented chili flakes, glutinous rice, soybeans and salt. It's sweet, salty and spicy and varies in spice—from mild to hot!
This paste is available at Korean markets and it's usually packed in a red rectangular tub, commonly used in Korean cuisine to make tteokbokki and more! Once it's opened, store it in the fridge and it will last for months.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Extra-firm Tofu: Or use firm tofu but be gentle with it or it'll break apart. Avoid using soft or medium tofu as they're too fragile for this recipe.
- Green Onions
- Neutral Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low smoke point oil.
Sauce
- Gochujang: A thick, spicy, and sweet Korean red chili paste made of red chili flakes, fermented soybean paste, glutinous rice and salt. It ranges from mild to hot.
- Regular Soy Sauce: Or use low-sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Gochugaru: These are red, spicy, and seedless Korean red pepper flakes. Or use red pepper flakes.
- Sesame Oil
- Sesame Seeds
- Cornstarch: Or use potato starch or tapioca starch.
- White Granulated Sugar: Or use cane sugar, brown sugar, honey or maple syrup.
- Water: Cold or room temperature.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online, like on Amazon.
Variation
- Gluten-free version: Replace the gochujang with gluten-free gochujang, available online. Substitute the soy sauce with tamari sauce, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce.
Expert Tips
- Pat dry the tofu block to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
- Slice the tofu into ½-inch-thick pieces, but don't slice it too thinly or it will become too chewy.
- Fully dissolve the gochujang when mixing the sauce.
- Lower tofu slices away from you to prevent oil splashback.
- Fry the tofu in small batches so the tofu can crisp up.
- Let the tofu cook until golden brown before adding the sauce.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make gochujang tofu:
- Dry tofu block: Remove the tofu from the package and strain out excess water. Pat the tofu block dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Slice tofu: Slice tofu into ½-inch-thick rectangles and set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients as listed above until well combined and the gochujang has dissolved. Set aside.
- Fry tofu: Heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry tofu in small batches until golden brown on both sides, about 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Add sauce: Then add the sauce in a circular motion to cover the tofu and simmer until thickened, about 30 seconds. Then gently toss the tofu in the sauce until evenly coated.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve hot and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Gochujang tofu can last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
- I don't recommend freezing gochujang tofu as the freezing action can pull excess moisture out of the tofu and change the texture.
Pairing Suggestions
Gochujang tofu pairs well with:
- White rice, brown rice, fried rice or plain noodles.
- Kimchi
- Korean cucumber salad
- Beansprout salad
- Zucchini fritters
- Gamja jorim
- Korean spinach
- Japchae
- Gyeran mari
- Fish cake stir fry
- Korean Sausage Stir-Fry
- Chamchijeon (tuna pancakes)
FAQ
This dish can be made less spicy by reducing the amount of gochujang and gochugaru by half the instructed amount.
The tofu can be air fried: First dice the tofu instead of slicing it. Place the diced tofu in a single layer into the air fryer basket, giving each piece enough space. Lightly spray the tofu with oil and air fry at 400 F for 8-10 minutes until golden, flipping the tofu pieces halfway. Then toss the tofu into the simmered sauce.
The tofu can also be diced into ¾ inch cubes. Just make sure to brown them on all sides and cook them through.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Spicy Gochujang Tofu
Ingredients
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar / brown sugar / maple syrup / honey
- ½ teaspoon gochugaru
- ½ cup water cold or room temp
Instructions
- Remove the tofu from the package and strain out excess water. Pat the tofu block dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Slice tofu into ½-inch-thick rectangles and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients as listed above until well combined and the gochujang has dissolved. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry tofu in small batches until golden brown on both sides, about 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Then add the sauce in a circular motion to cover the tofu and simmer until thickened, about 30 seconds. Then gently toss the tofu in the sauce until evenly coated.
- Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve hot and enjoy!
Gill
This was a wonderful lunchtime meal. Light but so tasty.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making it and for this positive review!
Alex
Made this last night - incredibly delicious and came together so quickly. Already looking forward to making it again. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Christie Lai
Aw thanks so much Alex! So happy to read this and glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Cindy Mays
This is now my favorite tofu recipe. I have everything already and it didn’t take much time at all. I threw some micro greens on the top I have growing and it was so amazing!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad it's now your favourite!
Rashi
This turned out so well!! Thank you for an easy and quick recipe that’s so delicious!
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe and sharing this positive review, Rashi! Glad you enjoyed it and found it delicious!
Amanda
Very tasty! Not too spicy but full of flavor. However, how did you calculate the nutrition facts for this recipe? I put this into Cronometer and it was 412 kcal/serving. I would love to know what brand of ingredients you used that produced these macros!
Kathy
This was delicious and so easy to make. I used firm tofu.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Kathy! Appreciate the kind review 🙂
CG Kennedy
I’ve been trying to figure out how to properly cook tofu, and this was the perfect way to learn! Super simple and sooo delicious and crispy. Just the right balance of subtle spice and nuttiness. I didn’t end up needing a full 20 minutes on each side for my tofu to get crisp, but it probably depends on your stovetop. Will certainly be making this one regularly!
christieathome
Amazing, thanks so much for making my recipe CG and glad you enjoyed it! Also happy to read that it didn't take you the full 20 minutes 🙂 Definitely depends on each one's stove top and the heat intensity. Thanks for sharing this note with me!
Suzie D
New to tofu and this recipe sounded good … and it was delicious! Followed recipe exactly and the flavors were on target. My only problem was that I didn’t know what to serve with it.
christieathome
Amazing, thanks so much for making my recipe Suzie! This dish serves well with steamed rice or even noodles and any veggies of your choice!
Laura
Dear Christie, thanks for this and all of the other may recipes from your blog, so far I loved all of them!
Near my workspace we have a Korean restaurant and they sell the best Tofu I ever tasted (maybe with exception to the tofu I used to eat in Malaysia that is equally good) and unfortunately it is quickly sold out. So it is so nice for me to be able to cook this quite similar and as I feel even better tasting recipe.
Even my husband likes this even though usually he does not like tofu. So great compliments for this recipe and thanks for sharing it 🙂
Laura
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Near my workspace we have a Korean restaurant that has the best Tofu I had ever tasted before (maybe except for the one I ate j. Malaysia) and usually it's sold out quickly. By now I can make a similar tofu by myself and I feel that this tofu is even better, it has just the perfect taste and even my husband who usually doesn't like tofu, likes it 😉
So thanks Christie for this recipe and all the other recipes I love!
christieathome
Thank you Laura for this very kind comment! Reading this really warmed my heart and I'm so thankful for it. I am really glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe of mine along with my others! Also happy that your husband enjoyed it too!!!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
This really is such a fabulous quick and easy dinner recipe. I loved your idea to use the gochujang as the base!