This Crispy Orange Tofu recipe (inspired by the American-Chinese classic, orange chicken) is ready to help you convert any tofu-haters out there! The orange sauce is made from fresh oranges and sweetened with honey, so it's quite a bit more wholesome than the classic takeout dish.
The trick to the extra crispy tofu is a generous coating of corn starch, which crisps up beautifully when pan fried (check out the progress photos). The tofu holds this crispy texture well after coating in sauce and serving. This is absolutely my new favorite way to make tofu!
If you're looking for an orange chicken recipe instead, check out my Easy Baked Orange Chicken that uses a very similar sauce!
Key Tips - Crispy Orange Tofu
Try to keep the tofu pieces all about the same size.
- Tofu pieces about the same side will cook more evenly, avoiding overcooked small pieces or undercooked big pieces.
Press the tofu to remove excess moisture
- You'll find this suggestion for almost all recipes that call for pan-frying extra firm tofu. Tofu is packaged with a lot of excess water, and removing it will help you get a crispy outer coating on your pieces.
- I've invested in this tofu press, and I highly recommend it if you're pressing tofu often! It's easy to use, more effective than just placing heavy objects on top, and produces less waste. I press my tofu for about 30 minutes.
- If you don't have a tofu press, wrap the tofu block in paper towels and place on a rimmed plate. Set a heavy object on top (such as a cast iron pan), and let sit for 30 minutes. Change the paper towels if they become completely saturated.
Check out my guide on freezing fresh garlic to save some time in the kitchen.
- If you're looking for the convenience of pre-minced garlic, but the flavor of fresh garlic, freezing your own minced garlic is a great way to save some time on busy nights! You'll be surprised to find that the flavor of frozen garlic is nearly as good as fresh, without the sticky prep and clean-up. Read more about it here: How to Freeze Garlic.
Buy pre-cut broccoli florets for easy prep.
- Picking up a bag of pre-washed, trimmed broccoli florets will help save some time as opposed to buying a whole head of broccoli. I don’t, however, recommend using frozen broccoli florets.
The sauce can be mixed ahead of time.
- If you’re looking to prep portions of the meal in advance, mixing the sauce ahead of time is an easy way to speed up the process when you go to make the meal.
For extra crispy tofu, use more oil.
- Obviously, adding more oil adds more calories, so use your own judgement, but the more oil you have in the pan the more likely you are to get super golden and crispy tofu pieces.
Juice and zest the oranges before you start other prep, or sub orange juice for a faster meal.
- This step may take longer than you think, so make sure you complete it before you start cooking the tofu.
- The recipe is definitely a little better with the fresh OJ and the orange zest, but subbing bottled orange juice makes this SO easy and quick.
Control the spice level with the sauce or with toppings.
- You can add sriracha directly to the sauce to give this dish some kick. I recommend ½ tablespoon for mild, 1 tablespoon for medium, and 1.5+ tablespoon for hot, but give the sauce a taste and adjust to your liking. Everyone can add crushed red pepper flakes to their portion after serving to dial in the spice to their preference.
Dietary Restrictions - Crispy Orange Tofu
This dish is naturally Dairy-Free.
This dish is naturally Gluten-Free
- Just make sure you're using gluten-free soy sauce, such as tamari.
This dish is naturally Vegetarian.
Make this dish Vegan:
- Just substitute the honey for date syrup, agave nectar, or a similar vegan sweetener.
A Note On Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. While this is listed as 4 servings, many people would prefer to have more than one serving. I typically serve this dish as 2-3 large dinner servings or 4 small lunch servings. Pictured here are two servings per bowl.
Crispy Orange Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu 14 - 16 oz, pressed to remove excess water
- 10-12 oz broccoli florets ~4 cups
- 3 green onions greens sliced thin, for topping
- ¼ cup corn starch
- roasted sesame seeds optional, for topping
- crushed red pepper flakes optional, for topping
- veggie oil
For Sauce:
- 2 navel oranges zest one orange, juice both oranges, or sub ⅔ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoon honey sub date syrup if vegan
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger or sub ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- sriracha sauce optional, (for mild - ½ tablespoon ; medium - 1 tablespoon ; hot - 1.5+ tbsp)
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into ~¾” cubes. In a large bowl, toss the cubes in the ¼ cup of corn starch until they have an even, thick coating.
- Combine the soy sauce and 2 tablespoon corn starch in a small saucepan and whisk until fully combined. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix well. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer until a thick sauce forms, about 5 minutes. Remove the completed sauce from heat. If you accidentally over-reduce the sauce, just add a splash of water and mix.
- As the sauce cooks, warm a generous swirl of veggie oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the tofu pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until they are golden and crispy on most sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to a large bowl.
- Add a little more oil to the pan if needed, and add the broccoli florets. Cook until they brighten in color and just begin to char, about 2 minutes.
- Pour the orange sauce over the tofu and toss to fully combine, then add the broccoli and toss further.
- Serve over a bed of rice (I use jasmine rice). Top with green onions and sesame seeds. Add crushed red pepper flakes for extra spice.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, you may also like...
If you like this recipe, you may also like my Garlic Eggplant & Crispy Tofu, Easy Baked Orange Chicken, Velvet Chicken, or Crispy Veggie Spring Rolls.
Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram, email me ([email protected]), or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!
Katie says
Just made this and its SOOO good. I don't have a tofu press so I did the makeshift method and I don't think it worked quite as well. Seems like a press is worth getting so I ordered one and will be trying it again soon!
Anonymous says
This was my first time cooking with tofu and WOW this came out so good. I'm trying to eat less meat and came across this recipe on reddit and it was the best looking tofu ive ever seen. I figured id finally give tofu a shot and it came out great, the progress photos were super helpful. thanks for sharing this!!