Name: General Tso Tofu (Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 350 grams extra firm tofu ((pressed if needed)); 2 tablespoons corn starch; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 1 ½ tablespoons ginger (, grated or finely minced); ¼ cup green onion (, diced); 3 tablespoons rice vinegar; 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 3 tablespoons ketchup; 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce ((low sodium)); ¼ cup brown sugar; ¼ cup water; chili flakes ((to taste; optional)); rice (, cooked); broccoli (, steamed)

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5 from 5 votes. Leave a review!

This General Tso tofu recipe creates an amazingly flavorful and easy vegan dinner that tastes better than take-out. The sauce is perfectly balanced with sweet, spicy, tangy and aromatic flavors that coat deliciously crisp tofu.

Serve with rice and broccoli (or your favorite veggies) for a balanced meal any night of the week! This is one of my favorite ways to prepare tofu and it’s all done in one pan.

Close up of a small white bowl filled with General Tso tofu cubes and garnished with white sesame seeds and sliced green onion. A second white bowl of tofu is blurred to the back left with a small black bowl of broccoli blurred to the back right. Even further back is a larger plate filled with a pile of rice topped with more tofu.

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Is General Tso Vegan?

General Tso, also called General Tao, is commonly prepared with chicken, meaning it’s not vegan. Non-vegan ingredients could also be used in the sauce, for example, chicken broth.

Creating a tasty vegan General Tso sauce is easy and is the perfect sauce for coating deliciously crisp tofu. This recipe was one of the first ways I ever enjoyed tofu, and it all comes down to how the tofu is prepped and the delicious sauce!

Top view of two small white bowls filled with General tao tofu (tofu cubes coated in brown-red sauce) garnished with green onion and white sesame seeds. A black bowl of broccoli sits to the center-right and a half-cropped out plate of rice topped with more tofu in top right. Decorated with chopsticks in bottom left and a few dry chili peppers.

Ingredients to Make General Tso Tofu

The ingredients for this recipe are things I typically keep on hand in my kitchen! You’ll need:

Tofu: Start with a block of extra firm tofu. The tofu I buy doesn’t release water when pressed; however, many brands of extra firm tofu need pressing (will release water when pressed). Start by pressing your tofu if needed for the best texture.
Corn starch: Corn starch is the perfect ingredient to create a delicious, crisp coating on the tofu and thicken the sauce.
Vegetable oil: For a crisp, golden brown tofu, pan-fry it before being cooking in sauce. Neutral-tasting vegetable oil is best for this step (I don’t recommend olive oil).
Sesame oil: To add delicious flavor we’re also using some sesame oil. This is by far my favorite oil because of its rich and unique flavor. You’ll use this to cook green onion and ginger together as the sauce’s base.
Ginger: I love cooking with ginger because its unique flavor enhances every dish. I like to grate ginger with the small grating side of a box grater and then freeze it in tablespoon-sized portions. This way, I always have easy-to-use prepared ginger on hand!
Green onion: To create a delicious flavor in the sauce, finely chop some green onions. I like to use the onion’s white/ light green bottom half in the sauce and save the green tops for garnish. However, you can use the full onion (whites and greens) in the sauce if you like.
Rice vinegar: To create a tart flavor and balance the sauce’s sweetness, rice vinegar is a great choice.
Hoisin sauce: This is a tasty sweet sauce that’s boosts flavor and is a great addition to many recipes.
Ketchup: This may sound like an odd ingredient, but it’s a tasty and convenient way to add some tomato flavor along with a bit of sweetness and tang.
Soy sauce: This adds saltiness to the sauce along with a delicious flavor.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar is a great choice to sweeten the sauce. You could use coconut sugar if you prefer, but the sauce won’t be as sweet and you may want to decrease your amount rice vinegar.
Chili flakes: Add chili flakes to the sauce for some spicy kick! You can use as much or as little as you like. A small pinch truly enhances the sauce’s flavor and I recommend it. Serve topped with extra chili flakes if you like it spicy.

Arrangement of ingredients in small glass bowls or jars on white-grey marble counter with a small wood board in top right corner. From top left: chopped green onion with grated ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, raw broccoli florets, block of tofu, sesame oil, ketchup, corn starch, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, water, chili flakes, cooked rice.

How to Make This General Tso Tofu Recipe

This recipe is quite simple to make and only requires one large pan. Just brown your tofu coated in corn starch, then prepare sauce in the same pan before adding the tofu back in.

Don’t forget to also prepare some rice and steamed broccoli (or other veggies) for serving. I typically cook brown rice which takes about 30 minutes, so start it at the same time as your tofu.

Step 1: Prep and Brown Tofu

If needed, press your block of extra firm tofu. I buy tofu that doesn’t require this step, so it’s not shown in my video.

Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes. They can be as large or small as you like.

Place these tofu cubes into a container along with corn starch, then secure the lid and shake until your tofu is well coated in starch. Then, add vegetable oil to the tofu and shake it again to coat the tofu.

Top view of a plastic container filled with tofu cubes and a pile of corn starch on top of the tofu. Container sits on a small wood board with a white-grey marble background.

Warm a large pan over medium-high heat and brown the tofu on all sides. You can keep it a light golden brown or cook to a darker, crispier golden brown. Lower the heat to medium if the tofu becomes dark brown or burns at all.

Top view of a pan with starch-covered tofu cubes spread out in it. A hand holding black tongs hovers over the top half of the pan.

Tofu, especially when covered in starch, tends to stick together. It’s easiest to work in 2 batches unless you have a very large pan.

When you’ve browned all the tofu, remove it from the pan and set aside.

Close up of lightly browned (pale yellow) tofu cubes in a pan.

Step 2: Prep and Cook Sauce

Cook your sauce in the same pan you cooked the tofu. However, the pan needs to cool to a medium or medium-low heat before adding the ginger and green onion. It’s best to remove the pan from the heat while you prep the sauce ingredients.

To prep the sauce, finely grate or mince the ginger and chop or finely mince some green onion. Whisk the sauce ingredients until well-combined.

Top view of a glass measuring cup filled with General Tso sauce (brown-red color) is being whisk with a fork from a hand on the left side of the image. A second hand holds the handle of the measuring cup which hovers over a pan.

Warm your sesame oil to medium heat, add the ginger and green onion, and cook for 1-2 minutes until soft.

Top view of a pan that has a pile of grated ginger and chopped green onion cooking in it. The edge of a large red spoon is visible on the left side of the image.

Then, add the sauce and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Large red spoon stirring General Tso sauce in a pan. The sauce is a redish-brown color with many flecks of chopped green onion and ginger throughout.

Next, add the browned tofu back into your pan and coat with sauce. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is thick.

Top view of a pan of tofu cubes coated in a thick General Tso sauce. Some of the bottom of the pan is visible and a large red spoon hovers over the pan in the top center of image.

Step 3: Assemble and Serve

Serve your prepared General Tso tofu hot alongside some cooked rice and steamed broccoli!

Top view of two plates of General Tso tofu; the bottom plate has the tofu piled over a bed of rice and the top plate has the tofu on a third of the plate with a third rice and a third broccoli. Wood chopsticks rest to the left of the bottom plate, on a white-grey marble background. Small wood bowl of green onion between the plates to the right.

How to Create a Balanced Vegan Meal

To create a balanced meal, I look for a good source of plant-based protein, carbohydrates, fats and veggies (or fruit).

Tofu offers plant-based protein and some healthy fats. The sauce provides fats (from vegetable and sesame oils) as well as carbohydrates (from sugar and other sauces).

To balance this delicious tofu recipe, pair alongside some steamed broccoli or any other veggies you like! For extra complex carbohydrates, it’s also great to serve with some cooked rice; I like to use brown rice.

This is a very saucy recipe by design; there’s plenty of sauce to coat your rice and/ or broccoli along with the tofu!

Plate of General Tso tofu garnished with white sesame seeds fills a third of the plate with a third filled with cooked rice topped with black sesame seeds and the other third with cooked broccoli. Second plate of tofu over rice blurred in back right with a small wood dish of chopped green onion between the plates to the left.

How to Store Leftover General Tso Tofu

Leftover tofu (and rice and broccoli) should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. This recipe is a great for meal prep if you’re making food for one person (or double if you need to feed two people a few meals!).

Two small white bowls filled with tofu cubes cooked in brown-red sauce and garnished with white sesame seeds and green onion with a set of chopsticks resting crossing to the left in front of the bowls. A small black bowl of broccoli behind the bowl s to the right with a plate of tofu over a pile of rice blurred in the back of image.

If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!

📖 Recipe

Square cropped close up image of a small white bowl filled with General Tso tofu cubes and garnished with white sesame seeds and sliced green onion. A second white bowl of tofu is blurred to the back left with a small black bowl of broccoli blurred to the back right. Even further back is a larger plate filled with a pile of rice topped with more tofu.

General Tso Tofu (Vegan)

This easy vegan General Tso tofu recipe is a delicious, nutritious weeknight dinner for when you want take-out at home! The sauce is perfectly balanced with salty, sweet and spicy flavor.

5 from 5 votes. Leave a review!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings Servings

Calories 342 kcal

Cuisine Chinese-inspired, Vegan

Equipment

Ingredients

350 grams extra firm tofu (pressed if needed)
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoons ginger , grated or finely minced
¼ cup green onion , diced

Sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
chili flakes (to taste; optional)

To Serve

rice , cooked
broccoli , steamed

Instructions

Step 1: Prep and Brown Tofu

The tofu I buy doesn’t need pressing, but if yours does (if water comes out when pressed) start by pressing the tofu.
350 grams extra firm tofu
Next, cut your tofu into bite-sized cubes.
Add cut tofu to a container or plastic bag along with corn starch and toss to coat (shake the bag or place lid on container to shake).
2 tablespoons corn starch
It’s best to brown the tofu in 2 batches. Warm a large pan over medium-high heat and add cooking/ vegetable oil. Brown the first half of the tofu on all sides.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Then, heat the remaining vegetable oil and brown your second batch of tofu; if it browns very quickly or becomes dark brown rather than golden brown, turn down the heat.
Set aside the browned tofu.

Step 2: Prep and Cook Sauce

Finely mince or grate ginger.
1 ½ tablespoons ginger
Dice green onion (you can use the green and white parts).
¼ cup green onion
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together all the sauce ingredients: rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, water and chili flakes to taste.
3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup water, chili flakes
In the pan used to brown your tofu, warm sesame oil over medium heat. Add ginger and green onion and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Next, add your sauce and cook for about 1 minute before adding the browned tofu to the pan.
Simmer the tofu in sauce, tossing regularly, until your sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Assemble and Serve

Serve the saucy tofu alongside steamed broccoli and cooked rice.
rice, broccoli

Video

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition information reflects only the sauce and tofu; rice, broccoli and anything else consumed with the recipe not included.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Serving (¼ of recipe)Calories: 342 kcalCarbohydrates: 41 gProtein: 13 gFat: 16 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5 gMonounsaturated Fat: 7 gSodium: 688 mgPotassium: 358 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 32 gVitamin A: 373 IUVitamin C: 5 mgCalcium: 346 mgIron: 3 mg

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