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Orange tofu is a plant-based take on the popular Chinese-American chicken dish. My version features chewy tofu with slightly crispy edges, coated in a thick, sticky sauce that’s packed with orange flavor. Savory, sweet, and sour!
I’m a huge tofu lover for two reasons. First, it’s cheap. Second, thanks to its mild flavor, it’s a great vehicle for flavor, meaning it can be used in hundreds of different dishes.
Today’s recipe was inspired by the fact that we had a lot of oranges sitting on the counter. What better way to use them than to make a plant-based twist on the popular Chinese-American dish, orange chicken!
If you’ve tried my General Tso’s tofu, you will feel right at home with this recipe, as it uses a very similar process, just with different ingredients. It’s more zesty with a sweet-and-sour vibe. The twist? A secret ingredient that makes the orange flavor pop even more. And you might already have it on hand if you make cocktails regularly!
This orange tofu is the kind of dish you can whip up quickly and have on the table in just about an hour. Let’s do it!
⭐️ Tried, Tested, and Loved. Here’s Why!
- A sauce that’s rich in orange flavor. The sauce is definitely where all the magic happens, so I made sure it’s well-balanced. You’ve got a bright zestiness from both orange juice and zest, a hint of sourness from a squeeze of lime, and just enough sweetness from maple syrup.
- Slightly crispy, super chewy tofu. The tofu is baked until it develops a crisp, golden-brown crust and a chewy texture reminiscent of fried chicken. All of that without any deep-frying!
🍊 What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you will need to prepare this tofu:
- Tofu – Use firm tofu and just lightly press it with kitchen paper towels. No need to press the tofu for a long time.
- Cornstarch – To coat the tofu before baking, giving it a slightly crispy texture.
- Oranges – You will need fresh oranges for their juice and zest. My oranges were small, so I had to use four to get around 3/4 cup of juice.
- Cointreau – Not a common ingredient in orange tofu, but it adds complex flavors and gives the sauce something special. It enhances the overall orange flavor.
– What’s Cointreau? It’s an orange liqueur that is infused with bitter orange peels. It has a rich orange flavor with bright, slightly bitter notes. If you don’t want any bitterness or don’t like to use alcohol, simply omit it. - Lime and orange zest – For extra citrusy flavor.
- Maple syrup – To balance the sourness of the orange and lime juice. I went with maple syrup to keep the recipe refined sugar-free.
– Substitute: Use granulated white sugar or light brown sugar if you prefer. - Garlic and ginger – Ensure your ginger is as fresh as possible, and don’t replace it with ground ginger, as you will miss that zesty flavor.
- Red pepper flakes – Just a pinch, for a kick of heat. Note: I’ve also tried replacing the red pepper flakes with 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce with great results.
🥣 How to Make It
- Prepare the tofu. Crumble the tofu into 1 ¼ inch (3 cm) pieces and toss it with salt and oil.
- Toss with cornstarch. Then, add the cornstarch and toss again.
- Transfer to a baking sheet. Arrange the tofu pieces on a baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the tofu halfway through.
- Sauté the aromatics. Sauté the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes.
- Add the sauce. Pour in the sauce ingredients.
- Add the tofu. Add the golden-brown tofu pieces to the sauce.
- Toss to coat. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly until the sauce has thickened.
🍚 What to Serve It With
Just like most saucy tofu dishes, this one is best served over a bowl of rice. We like Jasmine rice, but brown rice, quinoa, or even farro would work well too. Oh, and I’m pretty sure you could even stuff bao buns with this orange tofu!
📔 Vân’s Tips
About the sweetness. Orange tofu is supposed to be sweet, sour, and salty. While some recipes may call for up to 1/2 cup of sugar, I use only 3 tablespoons of maple syrup here. We found it to be the right balance of sweet, salty, and sour. Only two tablespoons made the sauce slightly too sour for our taste, and more was too sweet. You can obviously adjust that to your liking.
Dice or crumble the tofu! Nothing is set in stone. I like to crumble the tofu into chunks so it becomes even crispier during baking, but feel free to dice it into cubes if you prefer. Just make sure your cubes/crumbles are not too small. Aim for about 1 ¼-inch (3 cm) pieces.
Serve immediately. Seriously, if you want your tofu sticky, saucy, and with crispy edges, you’d better serve it right after cooking. After a while, the tofu will absorb the sauce and lose its crispiness.
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: You can store the tofu in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To freeze: Unfortunately, this dish cannot be frozen. It would completely deteriorate the tofu’s texture.
- To reheat: Transfer the tofu to a nonstick skillet, add a splash of water, and reheat over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
💬 FAQs
You can, but the sauce won’t taste as fresh.
First, don’t skip the cornstarch. It’s what helps the sauce thicken and become sticky. Second, simmer the tofu in the sauce for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
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Sticky Orange Tofu
Ingredients
Tofu
- 14 ounces (400 g) firm tofu
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 1/4 cup (40 g) cornstarch
Orange Sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) fresh orange juice
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice (or vinegar)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Cointreau (optional)
- 1 tbsp chopped orange zest
- 1 tsp chopped lime zest
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp (10 g) cornstarch diluted in 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to
355 °F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil the parchment paper. - Prepare the tofu. Rinse the tofu under cold water and pat it dry. Slightly press it using kitchen paper towels to remove some of the moisture. Next, crumble it into 1 ¼-inch (3 cm) pieces and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and oil and toss to coat.
- Toss with cornstarch. Then add the cornstarch and toss again until each piece is coated. Transfer to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer, leaving at least 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) between each piece.
- Bake. Bake the tofu for 30 minutes, flipping it halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Once hot, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Pour in the orange juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, lime juice, Cointreau (if using), orange and lime zest, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine. Cook for another minute or until the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Add the tofu. Finally, add the golden-brown tofu pieces to the sauce and simmer for another 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve immediately over white rice, and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions!
- You can store the tofu in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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