This Crispy Tofu Stir Fry recipe is packed full of flavor and comes together in just one pan in about 30 minutes! The soy garlic stir fry sauce is simple to toss together and creates a beautiful glaze over the crispy tofu pieces. I love to throw together this easy, healthy meal on a busy weeknight!
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!
Key Tips - Soy Garlic Crispy Tofu Stir Fry
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 option! 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.
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.
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.
Add some spice with red pepper flakes.
- If you want to make the whole batch a little spicy, add some crushed red pepper flakes when you sauté the garlic. You can also add crushed red pepper flakes as a topping once the dish is plated, so everyone can choose their own spice level.
Dietary Restrictions - Soy Garlic Crispy Tofu Stir Fry
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
- Some oyster sauce contains gluten, make sure you're using gluten-free oyster sauce.
This dish is naturally Vegan/Vegetarian.
- Just make sure to use vegan oyster sauce.
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.
Soy Garlic Crispy Tofu Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu pressed to removed excess moisture, 12 oz package
- 10-12 oz fresh broccoli florets
- 3 green onions greens and whites separated and sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- ¼ cup corn starch (sometimes called cornflour, but NOT corn meal)
- veggie oil
- toasted sesame seeds for topping
- crushed red pepper flakes optional, for topping or adding to sauce
For Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce use tamari for GF
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce or sub vegan or GF oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce or sub 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce + 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon black vinegar or sub rice vinegar
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste or fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon MSG optional
Instructions
- Before beginning, press the tofu in a tofu press, or wrap in paper towels and place under a heavy object for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Cut the tofu into ~¾” cubes. Dust the tofu with about ¼ cup of cornstarch and toss to fully coat.
- Heat a generous swirl of veggie oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet. Add the cubed tofu pieces. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the tofu is golden and crispy on most sides, about 10 minutes. Once cooked, remove to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add a little bit more oil and the broccoli and cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli has brightened in color and is just starting to char, about 3 minutes. Remove the broccoli to a plate.
- Add a little more oil to the skillet if needed, then add the garlic and the whites of the green onion. If you want to add some spice, add a few crushed red pepper flakes now as well. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the sauce and mix everything together, let it come to a boil then remove the skillet from heat.
- Add the tofu pieces and toss until they're fully coated in the sauce. Then add the broccoli and toss further (the broccoli will not get covered in as much sauce as the tofu). Serve immediately over a bed of white rice (I use jasmine), and top with green onion greens, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
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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!
Anonymous says
Saw this and had all the ingredients so I made it today! Had to sub rice vinegar for the black vinegar but it still came out great. thanks for the recipe!
Sif says
This was a wonderful recipe, thank you!
Jenna says
Only change was adding some extra white onion (I love onion) it was great! Definitely going in the weekly rotation, didn’t even get any complaints from my picky kids!
Melissa says
Delicious and fairly simple to make, instructions were clear and easy to follow.
Sica says
Love this so much, had to comment to say thanks!! Going to try out some of your otherrs soon.