This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Sweet and Sour Tofu Veggie Stir Fry is as simple and easy as it gets! The tofu is baked to crisp perfection with a perfect meaty texture and the sweet and sour Asian stir-fry sauce is so delicious! A quick vegan dinner that comes together in a cinch whenever that craving for takeout hits. 

overhead shot of a bowl with rice topped with sweet and sour tofu

Be prepared to convert tofu haters into lovers with this sweet and sour tofu stir fry! Crispy tofu coated in a sweet and sticky sauce along with crisp colorful veggies!

Oh yes, I love me a good tofu dish! Have you tried my Tofu Katsu Curry? A reader favorite! Tofu can be so delicious when prepared right. And in this quick sweet and sour stir-fry we really give it the treatment it deserves!

As with many tofu recipes, the trick for this dish is to rid the tofu of excess moisture. Because no one likes soggy tofu! Then we fry it up real nice or bake it in the oven.

overhead shot of a skillet with sweet and sour tofu

Once fried or baked crispy,  we toss the tofu cubes in a super irresistible sweet and sour sauce and some sauteed veggies. DONE! Serve it up on a fresh bed of rice like I did, on quinoa or mashed potatoes, or on top of some cooked veggies or cauliflower rice!

sweet and sour tofu stir-fry with rice served in a white bowl with a fork on the side

MORE DELICIOUS TOFU RECIPES FROM THE BLOG:

MORE BAKED TOFU

 PAN FRIED TOFU

Sweet and Sour Tofu Veggie Stir Fry

5 from 31 votes
By: Vegan Richa
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Sweet and Sour Tofu Veggie Stir Fry is as simple and easy as it gets! The tofu is baked to crisp perfection with a perfect meaty texture and the sweet and sour Asian stir-fry sauce is so delicious! A quick vegan dinner that comes together quickly whenever that craving for takeout hits. 
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients 
 

For the Tofu

  • 14 oz extra firm, or firm tofu, pressed for 15 minutes, then cubed
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp oil, or use sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp rice flour
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the Sauce

  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup sliced red or white onion, sliced into 3/4-1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup sliced red bell pepper, sliced into 3/4-1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper, also sliced into 3/4-1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1-2 tbsp sugar, optional, add if you like your sauce to be sweeter
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp cornstarch mixed in 1/2 cup of water

Instructions 

  • Add the pressed and cubed tofu to a bowl, add in the soy sauce and oil and mix well, and let it sit for a minute, then add in the corn starch, rice flour, and garlic powder, and toss well to coat. You can bake this tofu or pan fry it.
  • To bake, transfer the tofu to a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees F (200c) for 20-25 minutes.
  • To pan fry, transfer this tofu to a skillet over medium high heat, add in 2 tsp oil, and add in the tofu, and cook until crisp and golden on most of the edges, then set aside.

To make the sauce

  • Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat. When hot, add in the red pepper flakes, give it a quick stir, then add in the onion, bell peppers, and celery, and mix well. Continue to cook until the bell peppers start to get golden brown on the edges, then add the garlic and mix in. then add in the vinegar, maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, and ketchup, and mix well. Bring to a boil.
  • In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch into the water and add that mixture into the skillet, and bring to a boil.
  • Add in the baked or pan fried tofu, and toss well to coat. If the sauce hasn’t thickened to preference add in 1 tsp cornstarch mixed in 1 the water and bring to a boil. then take off heat.
  • Serve over rice, or cooked grains.

Video

Notes

  • In lieu of tofu, you could use seitan.
  • Use any veggies you like, corn, snow peas, green asparagus, zucchini, or carrots are all great additions. 
  • You can serve this on steamed rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice or use the stir-fry as a filling for lettuce wraps. 
  • the sugar added to the sauce is optional - the maple syrup and ketchup already add some sweetness. You could also swap. sugar for coconut sugar if you are not having any refined sugar. 

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 882mg, Potassium: 887mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 42g, Vitamin A: 2810IU, Vitamin C: 131mg, Calcium: 152mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Ingredients:

  • tofu – for this recipe we need extra firm, or firm tofu, pressed for 15 minutes, then cubed.
  • red pepper flakes and garlic up the heat flavor in this takeout-classic.
  • as for the veggies, I add in celery, onion, and bell peppers. Red and green look very attractive in this dish.
  • the stir-fry sauce is made using vinegar, maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, and ketchup to get that perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
  • The sauce is thickened using a classic cornstarch slurry but you could use arrowroot instead.

ingredients needed for making vegan sweet and sour tofu

 

Tips & Substitutions:

  • In lieu of tofu, you could use seitan.
  • Use any veggies you like, corn, snow peas, green asparagus, zucchini, or carrots are all great additions.
  • You can serve this on steamed rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice or use the stir-fry as a filling for lettuce wraps.
  • the sugar added to the sauce is optional – the maple syrup and ketchup already add some sweetness. You could also swap. sugar for coconut sugar if you are not having any refined sugar.
  • To make this vegan tofu stir-fry spicy, use sriracha instead of ketchup.

tofu cubes being tossed with soy sauce

Add the pressed and cubed tofu to a bowl, add in the soy sauce and oil and mix well, and let it sit for a minute, then add in the corn starch, rice flour, and garlic powder, and toss well to coat.

marinated tofu cubes being tossed with cornflour in a bowl

You can bake this tofu or pan fry it.

overhead shot of tofu cubes coated in cornstarch on a baking sheet

To bake, transfer the tofu to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees f for 20-25 minutes. To pan-fry, transfer this tofu to a skillet over medium high heat, add in 2 tsp oil, and add in the tofu, and cook until crisp and golden on most of the edges, then set aside.

garlic, mustard seeds and sliced celery in a frying pan

Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat. When hot, add in the red pepper flakes, give it a quick stir, then add in the onion, bell peppers, and celery, and mix well.

chopped onion and bell pepper in a frying pan

 

Continue to cook until the bell peppers start to get golden brown on the edges, then add in the vinegar, maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, and ketchup, and mix well. Bring to a boil.

overhead shot of a frying pan with with sauteed vegetables

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch into the water and add that mixture into the skillet, and bring to a boil.

stir-fry sauce being added to a frying pan with vegetables to make sweet and sour tofy

vegetables tossed in sweet and sour stir-fry sauce to make stir-fry

baked crispy tofu in being added to a frying pan

Add in the baked or pan-fried tofu, and toss well to coat, then take off the heat.

A sauteeing pan with sweet and sour tofu stir-fry

Serve over rice, or cooked grains.

a serving of vegan sweet and sour tofu stir fry served with rice

 

 

About Richa

Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options.

You May Also Like

5 from 31 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online and I love hearing from you all!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

69 Comments

  1. Daina Z. Green says:

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it came out just right. Thank you for this delicious recipe.

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      ❤️❤️

  2. Chris Voci-Nam says:

    5 stars
    Hi Richa – this was a HIT!!!! Both hubby and I loved it and ate the whole thing between the 2 of us! Incredibly satisfying!

    Thanks!
    Chris-

    1. Richa says:

      Yay!

  3. Eileen Nolan says:

    5 stars
    So much flavour, yet so easy to make! Thanks!

    1. Richa says:

      Yay

  4. Stef says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! For veggies I used red and yellow bell pepper, mushroom and edamame. Will definitely make again!

    1. Richa says:

      Awesome

  5. Simon says:

    5 stars
    Looks so amazing and delicious, curious about it’s taste.

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      let me know how you like it

  6. GiGi says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely fabulous! Had been looking for a way to begin using tofu and this was so tasty and filling. I didn’t even eat it over rice. Just needed a light supper. Thank you! As always spicing is perfect.

    1. Richa says:

      Awesome

  7. Stef says:

    Do you recommend a flour substitute for rice flour? Not driving after foot surgery and would love to make this with what I have on hand .
    Thanks ! Love your recipes !

    1. Richa says:

      Use a mix of regular flour and cornstarch. Or use just cornstarch

  8. Marina says:

    Love sweet and sour, but my husband doesn’t so I think I will do a small conversion and make it teriyaki sauce instead of sweet and sour. Hope it will turn out edible!

    1. Richa says:

      Use my teriyaki sauce from teriyaki fried. Rice recipe.

      1. Marina says:

        Thanks, your recipe looks good. I will give it a try this weekend.

  9. Cheryl says:

    5 stars
    Best sweet and sour I have ever had. Definitely doesn’t need the optional sugar.

  10. Tina says:

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and it tasted just like what you’d get in a restaurant!

    1. Richa says:

      Awesome !!