Tender tofu coated in a delicious sweet and sticky sauce made with simple ingredients! This quick and easy sweet and sticky tofu is ready in 30 minutes. A great main dish for dinner or lunch for the family!
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Sweet and sticky tofu features tofu coated in starch, pan fried and tossed in a sweet sticky sauce. The sauce is a blend of regular soy sauce, ketchup, honey, cold water and cornstarch.
This has become my favorite way to enjoy tofu! It's easy, fast and made with minimal ingredients compared to other sticky tofu recipes. A great busy weeknight recipe.
I love serving these sticky tofu bites with steamed rice and Asian leafy greens, like bok choy, yu choy or gai-lan.
What makes my version sticky is the blend of cornstarch and water for that thick sauce that will coat the tofu so it won't slide off.
I created this Asian-inspired tofu dish for my husband because he enjoys plant-based foods, especially tofu. I hope you enjoy it as much as he does!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Extra Firm Tofu: I don't recommend substituting with firm or medium firm tofu because it may fall apart in the pan when flipping over.
- Cornstarch or Potato starch: to coat the tofu and to thicken the sauce.
- Salt
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Honey: or substitute with maple syrup for a vegan option.
- Sesame oil: for a nutty flavor. If you're allergic, omit completely.
- Cold water
- Ketchup
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
- Sesame seeds: optional garnish
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Be gentle in working with tofu even if it's extra-firm.
- Try to remove as much excess moisture from the tofu so the starch can sit and the tofu can become crispy.
- Use a non-stick pan for easy cooking and cleanup!
- Be patient when browning the tofu on all sides.
- Prepare the sauce in advance so it's ready to pour into the pan.
- Let the sauce thicken before tossing with the fried tofu. Be gentle when tossing.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make sweet and sticky tofu:
- Slice extra-firm tofu into long rectangular pieces, about 2-inches long and 1-inch thick. Pat them dry with a paper towel to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoon of cornstarch (reserving 1 tablespoon for later) and salt. Evenly coat tofu pieces in the cornstarch mixture ensuring no bald spots for a crispier tofu.
- In a small bowl, combine regular soy sauce, ketchup, honey, cold water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan set on medium heat. Pan-fry tofu until crispy and golden brown on all sides, about 12-15 minutes in total.
- Reduce to low heat and pour in sauce. Let it thicken and then gently toss with tofu. Once each tofu piece is coated in the thickened sauce, remove and transfer to a serving plate.
- Garnish tofu with sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing this dish as the freezer will negatively change the texture of the tofu.
Pairing Suggestions
Sweet and sticky tofu serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
FAQ
Sweet and sticky tofu can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Other recipes you may like
- Chinese Salt & Pepper Tofu
- Tofu Katsu
- Malaysian Curry Tofu
- Kimchi Tofu Stew
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Sweet and Sticky Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-firm tofu strained of liquids
- ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup for a vegan option
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup water cold
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Instructions
- Slice extra-firm tofu into long rectangular pieces, about 2-inches long and 1-inch thick. Pat them dry with a paper towel to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoon of cornstarch (reserving 1 tablespoon for later) and salt. Evenly coat tofu pieces in the cornstarch mixture ensuring no bald spots for a crispier tofu.
- In a small bowl, combine regular soy sauce, ketchup, honey, cold water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan set on medium heat. Pan-fry tofu until crispy and golden brown on all sides, about 12-15 minutes in total.
- Reduce to low heat and pour in sauce. Let it thicken and then gently toss with tofu. Once each tofu piece is coated in the thickened sauce, remove and transfer to a serving plate.
- Garnish tofu with sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Aleksandra
quick question, do i have to use sesame oil or can i skip it?
Christie Lai
You can omit it but just note that it offers a wonderful flavor and aroma.
Lynn
This was absolutely delicious! My husband was not a big tofu fan and he asked me to make this again. I added steamed veggies. I left out the oil and served with jasmine rice.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Lynn! I appreciate it and your kind comment. Glad it was well enjoyed by your husband 🙂
Johanna
I'm trying to cook more tofu but am not it's biggest fan. This recipe however is totally delicious and now my go to tofu dinner. I love it. And, it's super easy to prepare and cook which makes it even better! Thank you so much.
christieathome
Happy to read this kind review and glad I could make tofu taste delicious for you! Thanks for making my recipe!
Diane K
Well this was just delicious! I had leftover tofu from dinner the night before, so I just reheated that in a pan till crispy and hot. I did swap the honey for maple syrup to keep it vegan. I may never eat tofu without this sauce again.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe Diane, so glad you enjoyed it!
Lauren
OMG this was so good - I followed your recipe exactly but added a little chili garlic sauce for heat. Delicious. Will be a go to recipe for now on.
christieathome
Awww that makes me so happy to read. Thank you so much for making my recipe Lauren! I'm glad you enjoyed it and that chili garlic sauce is a great idea.
Martin E
Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! The hardest part was frying the tofu. The sauce was super easy. I’m not sure if it did anything to change the intended taste but I used olive oil instead of avocado.
christieathome
Thank you so much Martin! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I found it was easiest to cook the medium firm tofu on a non-stick pan so it flips over without getting stuck to the pan. But feel free to use extra firm tofu to make it easier 🙂
Martin E.
Just to explain my comment above, when I said "the hardest thing was frying the tofu," I meant that the recipe is super easy! 🙂 The frying part was totally easy. I just wish I had more stove space so I could have more than one pan going so I could get to the eating part faster LOL. I did use extra firm tofu, so yeah, it was easy to work with. Also, I am making this again tonight because this recipe was that good! 😛
christieathome
Ahhh gotcha! So glad you liked it! I find that's always the hardest part too - controlling myself from wanting to eat the food as it's cooking LOL! I hope you enjoy having it again tonight. Thanks Martin!
Sue
Made this tonight. Family liked it. I did double the sauce. Glad the prep was short and sweet (and yummy)!
christieathome
So glad you and the family enjoyed it Sue! Thanks for making my recipe! 🙂
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
This homemade sticky sauce looks so mouthwatering!! I love tofu and know I will just devour this!! Thanks for another great recipe Christie!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love your tasty good homemade honey soy sauce... and that crunchy texture is so perfect. Using a quality tofu really makes all the difference. Yum!!
Leanne
I’m always looking for new ways to try tofu and this sweet and sticky version sounds like just the recipe I need to make next! Thanks for the inspo Christie!
Sherri
As a huge tofu lover, I am definitely going to have to give this a try! I can literally eat tofu for breakfast, lunch and dinner lol! Love this recipe! 🙂