Name: Sticky Tofu Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 14 ounces firm tofu; 3 Tablespoons cornstarch; 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 1 teaspoon brown sugar; pinch red pepper flakes; 2 Tablespoons avocado oil (or another neutral flavoured oil); 1 clove garlic (crushed); 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger; Sesame seeds for garnish.

Servings

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Jump to Recipe

5 from 12 votes

Sticky Tofu is one of our go-to's for a quick, easy, and delicious weeknight recipe. Made with easy-to-find ingredients and done in a flash, it's a vegetarian dinner the whole family will love.

A ceramic bowl with sticky tofu sprinkled with sesame seeds and a bowl of cucumber slices in the background

Quick, easy, and tasty

If you're anything like me, you're always on the hunt for quick, easy, healthy, and tasty weeknight recipes. Bonus points if your kids will wolf them down without complaint, right?

This Sticky Tofu Recipe ticks all the boxes. First of all, it's FAST. It's 10-Minute Ramen fast, but with way less chopping involved. It's as fast as our Sriracha Tempeh Bowls, but since it's sweet instead of spicy it's something I can serve to the whole family. Let's just say this recipe is a proud member of our archive of Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes, ok?

In addition to being fast, it's also super easy and the taste is delicious. There's minimal chopping involved. The ingredients are easily found in your regular grocery store.

You can easily pull it off after a long day. All you need to do is cook up some rice, steam some broccoli or chop up some raw veggies to go with, and you're good to go. Dinner is served!

Tofu, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and chili flakes on a grey background

🧑🏻‍🍳 Notes from our test kitchen

This recipe doesn't have a lot of chopping involved, but it will make things way easier if you have the ginger and garlic minced and the sauce stirred together before you start cooking.

You do not need to press the tofu for this recipe, but you do need to pat the cubes dry so the cornstarch will stick. I gently press the cubes between a couple of layers of paper towels and that does the trick.

Let's make Sticky Tofu together!

You'll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post, but let's take a look at how this comes together.

Step 1: cube + coat your tofu

First up, cubes of tofu get tossed with cornstarch to evenly coat the cubes. Give the bowl a good shake and also gently stir the tofu with a spoon to make sure you get even coverage.

A bowl of cubed tofu being tossed with cornstarch

Step 2: sauté

Ginger and garlic go into a hot pan for a minute, just to take the raw edge off.

Garlic and ginger being cooked in a non-stick frying pan using a wooden spatula

Step 3: add the tofu

Tofu goes into the pan and gets stir-fried until it's golden and crispy. This takes about 4-5 minutes. Then your sauce goes in and coats the tofu to glorious, sticky perfection.

Photo collage with cubes of tofu being cooked in a non-stick pan and with sauce being added to the pan

Step 4: serve!

Serve your sticky tofu hot out of the pan. We love it over rice, with steamed broccoli or cucumber salad on the side.

I mean just look at this:

Close up photo of sticky tofu over a bowl of rice

a pair of chopsticks holding a cube of sticky tofu above a bowl of sticky tofu and rice

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5 from 12 votes

Sticky Tofu Recipe

Sticky Tofu is one of our go-to's for a quick, easy, and delicious weeknight recipe. Made with easy-to-find ingredients and done in a flash, it's a vegetarian dinner the whole family will love.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword Sticky Tofu

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 226kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

14 ounces firm tofu
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons avocado oil or another neutral flavoured oil
1 clove garlic crushed
1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Sesame seeds for garnish.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Slice the tofu into ½ inch cubes and spread onto a paper towel to dry slightly. Place another paper towel on top and gently press to dry the tofu.
14 ounces firm tofu
Put cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Add the dried tofu cubes, and toss to coat in the cornstarch.
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
In a small bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired.
¼ cup hoisin sauce, 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, pinch red pepper flakes
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic to the oil, and cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.
2 Tablespoons avocado oil, 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger, 1 clove garlic
Add the tofu cubes, and fry, stirring often, until they're crisp and golden.
Reduce the heat to low, and add the sauce. Stir until the tofu is well-coated.
Serve over rice with vegetables on the side, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Sesame seeds for garnish.

Notes

Nutrition values are an estimate only
This recipe is best served fresh - but luckily it's very fast to make!
You don't need to press the tofu, but you do need to dry the cubes of tofu so that the cornstarch will stick. I pat them dry between a couple of layers of paper towel.
Make sure all of the chopping and grating is done, and take a minute to stir the sauce together before you start cooking.

Nutrition

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Comments

5 from 12 votes (5 ratings without comment)

Sticky Tofu