This vegan orange tofu recipes comes together in less than 30 minutes, which makes it a perfect contender for your week night dinners. These extra firm tofu chunks are coated in a sweet tangy orange sauce, and it pairs perfectly with rice or stir fried vegetables.
I served my orange tofu with a mixture of jasmine rice and cauliflower rice to increase my vegetable intake and lower the carb content! This is my preferred way of eating rice because I swear you cannot tell that there is cauliflower rice mixed in.
Where did orange chicken originate?
Now orange chicken (tofu) is not an authentic Chinese recipe, in fact it was invented in the United States. It is a popular dish in many Chinese-American chains like Panda Express and PF Changs. Even though it’s not an authentic Asian recipe, it has all the flavor components of one, and it is delicious!
Key ingredients for this vegan orange tofu recipe:
- Orange juice
- Yes orange tofu has actual orange juice in it! It adds a nice tangy and sweet flavor. I used fresh squeezed orange juice but you can also use the bottled stuff.
- Garlic, ginger, green onion
- There are the three G’s for any Chinese sauce. Don’t question it just add them.
- Coconut sugar
- This adds more sweetness to the dish! You can leave this out if you don’t want to add any additional sugar.
- Soy sauce
- Soy sauce brings a nice savory, salty flavor to balance the sweetness of the orange juice and coconut sugar. I recommend using a low sodium version so you can control the saltiness!
- Rice vinegar
- This adds a more sour flavor to the sauce to make it sort of like a sweet and sour flavor!
- White pepper
- White pepper is my favorite seasoning when it comes to Asian cooking. A lot of recipes don’t call for white pepper, but I think it adds such a unique flavor!
- Tofu
- I used extra firm tofu and that made it super easy to to tear into chunks! You can also cut the tofu into cubes but I kind of like the obscure shapes!
- Corn starch
- I used corn starch to make a batter to coat the tofu in, and also to thicken up the sauce. A cornstarch batter makes the crispiest coating!
Orange Tofu
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 tbsp orange juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ inch ginger to grate
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- ¼ tsp white pepper
Tofu
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
Others
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- Green onion
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Start by tearing the tofu in to bite sized chunks.
- Make the batter by mixing together the corn starch, white pepper, salt, and water. You might have to add more water to get a batter like consistency. Then coat the tofu in the batter.
- Make the sauce by combining everything under the sauce ingredient group.
- Heat up the avocado oil in a large frying pan. Once the oil in hot place the tofu in, but make sure not to crowd the pan. You may have to do two batches depending on the size of your pan.
- Pan fry the tofu for 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy.
- Remove the tofu onto a plate lines with paper towels.
- Heat up another skillet and pour in the sauce. Stir until it thickens. Then add the tofu and coat the tofu with the sauce.
- Top with sesame seeds and green onions!
