This Vegan Kung Pao Tofu is super easy to make, full of flavour and packed with veggies. It’s the best quick plant-based dinner that tastes much better than takeout!
Why you’ll love this Vegan Kung Pao Tofu:
- it’s full of umami flavour
- it’s sweet and tangy
- it’s fragrant
- it’s bright and colourful
- it’s tender on the inside and crispy on the outside
- it’s naturally gluten-free
- it’s refined sugar free
- it’s easy to make
- the tofu is pan-fried instead of deep-fried, meaning it’s much healthier and not too greasy
- it’s ready in just 30 minutes!
How to make this Vegan Kung Pao Tofu
- Coat the tofu cubes in cornflour (cornstarch).
- Fry the tofu in a frying pan for a few minutes on each side, turning over halfway through.
Tip: It’s easiest to use chopsticks to turn over the pieces of tofu. Cook them until crispy and lightly browned, but be careful not to overcook them, otherwise the tofu will become tough.
- Transfer the cooked tofu onto a plate lined with kitchen paper (to drain away the excess oil).
For the sauce:
- Fry the spring onion, ginger and garlic in a frying pan – you can use the same frying pan you used to fry the tofu.
- Add the chopped peppers and fry for about 5 minutes.
- All all the other ingredients.
- Dissolve the cornflour (cornstarch) in a small bowl.
- Keep the pan on a low heat, carefully add the cornflour mixture, stirring continuously to avoid clumping.
- Add the cooked tofu and the roasted peanuts.
- Serve alongside cooked white or brown rice, if desired.
Tip: Be very careful with cornflour as it can easily turn clumpy. Dissolve it first in a tiny splash of water in a small bowl, until you get a small amount of white liquid (make sure it’s not too thick). Make sure it has dissolved completely. Add the cornflour mixture carefully a tiny bit at a time, stirring well to ensure it doesn’t clump. If the texture of the sauce looks too thick after you’ve added the cornflour, add extra water.
How long does this Vegan Kung Pao Tofu keep for?
It’s best enjoyed immediately, but leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for up to a few days, and can be reheated in a dry frying pan.
More flavourful tofu recipes:
- Tofu Satay Curry
- Tandoori Tofu
- Sweet and Sour Tofu
- Sesame Tofu
- Orange Tofu
- Tofu Satay Skewers
- Spicy Tofu
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Vegan Kung Pao Tofu (GF)
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 400 g (14 oz) firm tofu
- 6 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or rapeseed oil
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or rapeseed oil
- 2 spring onions , thinly sliced
- 1 cm (1/2 inch) ginger , peeled and minced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 green pepper , cored and roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper , cored and roughly chopped
- 1 yellow pepper , cored and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider, rice or white vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) water
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- Handful roasted peanuts
To serve (optional):
- Cooked brown or white rice
Instructions
For the tofu:
- Drain the tofu, pat dry with a paper towel, and cut into small cubes
- Place the cornflour in a large bowl, take a cube of tofu, coat it in the flour and place on a plate
- Repeat for the rest of the tofu, adding extra cornflour if necessary
- Heat up the oil in a frying pan until hot
- Once the oil is hot, keep it on a medium heat and add the cornflour-coated tofu
- Fry for a few minutes on each side, turning over halfway through (it's easiest to do this using chopsticks). Cook it until it’s crispy and lightly browned, but be careful not to overcook, otherwise it’ll become tough
- Transfer the cooked tofu onto a plate lined with kitchen paper (to drain away the excess oil)
For the sauce:
- Heat up the oil in a frying pan - you can use the same frying pan you used to fry the tofu, or you can start to cook the sauce in a separate frying pan whilst you cook the tofu
- Add the spring onion, ginger and garlic once hot and fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant
- Add the green pepper, red pepper and yellow pepper and fry for about 5 minutes until softened (more or less time depending on how soft or hard you like your vegetables to be)
- Add the tamari, vinegar, agave syrup and water
- Place the cornflour in a small bowl and dissolve in a tiny splash of water - make sure it has completely dissolved
- Keeping the pan on a low heat, carefully add the cornflour mixture, stirring regularly to avoid clumping
- Keep heating until the sauce is thickened - add an extra splash of water if it’s too thick
- Add the cooked tofu and roasted peanuts and mix well
- Best enjoyed immediately, but leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for up to a few days, and can be reheated in a frying pan
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Anonymous
I made this today and it was delicious. Served it with cauliflower rice. I will certainly be making it again!
Rhian Williams
Aw great, thank you so much! So glad you liked it!