Our kung pao tofu is an easy stir-fry recipe with a sweet and sour flavor and a perfectly chewy texture.
Make this Chinese-inspired dish in less than 30 minutes and get plenty of plant–based protein and fresh veggies. It’s best served with basmati rice or noodles.
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Hey all 😊
Enjoy a tasty and terrific tofu meal with this kung pao tofu!
We love that this recipe is easy and ready in about 30 minutes.
The sticky and sweet kung pao sauce is from the Szechuan cuisine and pairs well with tofu.
Forget about Asian takeaway; this is a tasty vegetarian dinner favorite that you and your family will love.
Nico & Louise ❤️
This easy tofu recipe is a great way to enjoy this wholesome ingredient.
The first time I served this to Louise, she said that it was as delicious as our tofu curry and fried tofu. A bold statement, as these are her favorite tofu recipes 😛.
Our recipe is designed to be simple so you can make it at home with pantry staples.
We use cubes of firm or extra firm tofu for the protein base.
Tofu has a neutral flavor and works great in a stir fry with bold sauces like this one. It’s similar to our tofu stir fry and braised tofu.
Also, tofu is protein-rich and a wonderful ingredient for a high-protein vegetarian meal.
Serve this kung pao tofu recipe with basmati rice and top it with fresh herbs; they are a great way to add color and flavor to any vegetarian weeknight dinner.
Oh, and you don’t need a wok to make this recipe. Instead, we stir-fry it in a non-stick pan.
Ingredients
- Tofu: Choose firm or extra firm tofu. Soft tofu and silken tofu won’t work in this recipe. We cut the tofu into 3/4 Inch cubes.
- Veggies: We like to use yellow or red bell peppers and white or brown mushrooms. They are crunchy and chewy, cook quickly, and fit the sauce perfectly. You can, however, use your favorite veggies such as zucchini, eggplant, celery, and carrots.
- Aromatics: Grated ginger and garlic are essential in kung pao tofu, and we strongly recommend using both. You can also add scallions, green onions, or spring onions.
- Dried chili: Traditionally, the original recipe calls for Chinese whole dried red chiles, but if you can’t find those, you can use red pepper flakes or any other type of dried chili peppers. The Chinese combine the chiles with Sichuan peppercorn to create a mouth-numbing spiciness called málà. However, we don’t use Sichuan peppercorns in this recipe.
- Peanuts: they are another key ingredient. We use toasted peanuts and gently fry them for a minute with sesame oil. You can substitute cashew nuts for peanuts.
Kung pao sauce
We make our sauce and tofu marinade with:
- Soy sauce: we recommend reduced sodium soy sauce. Substitute tamari or coco aminos for gluten-free.
- Rice vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Brown sugar: substitute hoisin sauce, honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup for sugar.
- Sesame oil: we use raw sesame oil (not toasted sesame oil) for stir-frying. If you don’t have that, use vegetable oil such as olive oil, canola oil or sunflower oil. Coconut oil also works.
- Corn starch
- Salt and black pepper
How to make kung pao tofu
Chop veggies
Kung pao tofu cooks fast, so you want to prepare all your ingredients before you start cooking.
Clean and chop the bell peppers into one-inch dice. Chop the mushrooms into chunks. Finely slice the green onions. Grate the garlic and ginger.
Make marinade
Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
Take the tofu out of its package, pat it dry with a kitchen towel, and cut it into 3/4-inch pieces.
Transfer the tofu to a large dish and pour in the marinade. Toss gently to cover each piece and set aside.
Stir fry
In a large non-stick pan, gently fry the peanuts with half a tablespoon of sesame oil for 1 minute on medium-low heat.
Transfer the peanuts onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
To the same pan, add one tablespoon of sesame oil, then take the tofu out of the marinade and add it to the pan (without the marinade).
Reserve the excess liquid of the marinade for later.
Fry the tofu on medium heat for about 10 minutes, flipping it every 2 minutes.
Add diced bell peppers, chopped mushrooms, and dried red chilies or red pepper flakes.
Stir-fry for 2 minutes on high heat, stirring often.
Pour in the leftover marinade and 1/4 cup of water. Stir-fry, moving the pan around and stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn the heat to low, and add grated ginger, grated garlic, and the white part of sliced scallions. Give it a stir, then add the peanuts and stir fry for a final minute.
Serve kung pao tofu on steamed or boiled rice. We like to sprinkle it with the green part of finely sliced green onions, chives, fresh basil, or sesame seeds.
Serving suggestions
Serve kung pao tofu with grains, such as basmati rice, brown rice, or noodles. Or pair with bread to sop up the sauce, for example:
Storage
- Fridge: Store kung pao tofu leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: let cool down to room temperature and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: in the microwave for two minutes or on a non-stick pan with a dash of water.
More tofu recipes
- Tofu with mushrooms: a wholesome quick dinner, ready in just 25 minutes!
- Crispy tofu salad with fresh veggies and a smooth tahini sauce.
- Tofu scramble served on toast and avocado.
- Marinated tofu on rice with a grilled and irresistible flavor.
- Tofu meatballs in a rich marinara sauce, perfect on pasta and in a sub.
- Fried tofu and air fryer tofu: a simple recipe to add to other dishes.
- Tofu soup: packed with vegetables and healthy plant-based protein.
- Easy tofu curry with cauliflower, an easy and whole everyday dinner.
- Orange tofu with a sticky and finger-licking good sauce.
Kung Pao Tofu
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons sesame oil
- 14 – 16 ounces tofu firm or extra firm
- 1 bell pepper
- 5 mushrooms
- 3 scallions
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 inch ginger grated
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- ½ cup peanuts
Kung Pao Sauce
- ⅓ cup soy sauce we use low-sodium
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 twists black pepper
Instructions
- PREP INGREDIENTS: Pat 14 – 16 ounces tofu dry with kitchen paper and cut it into ¾-inch dice.Chop 1 bell pepper into 1-inch dice and 5 mushrooms into chunks.Thinly slice 3 scallions, grate 3 cloves garlic and 1 inch ginger.
- MAKE MARINADE: In a small bowl, whisk ⅓ cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 twists black pepper.Transfer the tofu to a large dish and pour in the marinade. Toss gently to cover each piece and set aside.
- TOAST PEANUTS: In a large non-stick pan, gently fry ½ cup peanuts with ½ tablespoon sesame oil for 1 minute on medium heat.Transfer the peanuts onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- FRY TOFU: To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, then take the tofu out of the marinade and add it to the pan (without the marinade).Reserve the excess marinade for later.Fry the tofu on medium heat for 10 minutes, turning it every 2 minutes.ADD VEGETABLES: Add bell pepper, mushrooms, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes.Stir-fry for 2 minutes on high heat, stirring often.
- ADD MARINADE: Pour in the leftover marinade and ¼ cup of water. Stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes.Turn the heat to low, and add grated ginger, grated garlic, and the white part of sliced scallions.Give it a stir, then add the peanuts and stir fry for a final minute.
- SERVE: Serve kung pao tofu on steamed or boiled rice. We like to sprinkle it with the green part of finely sliced green onions, chives, fresh basil, or sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- Tofu: use firm or extra firm tofu.
- Bell peppers: substitute zucchini, eggplant, carrots, or baby corn.
- Mushrooms: substitute broccoli, celery. or cauliflower florets.
- Ginger: substitute ginger paste.
- Garlic: substitute garlic paste.
- Red pepper flakes: substitute Chinese whole dried chilies or generic dried chilies.
- Peanuts: substitute cashew nuts.
- Soy sauce: we recommend reduced sodium soy sauce. Substitute tamari or coconut aminos.
- Rice vinegar: substitute any other vinegar including apple cider or white wine vinegar.
- Sugar: substitute hoisin sauce, maple syrup, agave syrup or honey.
- Corn starch: substitute tapioca starch.
- Fridge: Store kung pao tofu leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: let cool down to room temperature and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: in the microwave for two minutes or on a non-stick pan with a dash of water.
This was really good! Definitely keeping this recipe to make again. 5 stars for recipe as written, but next time I will shroom it up to 8 oz of mushrooms
Hi Alexis, that’s awesome, you are cooking so much these days! 💪
Thank you so much for your comments, we really appreciate you. Kindest,
Louise
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe! 😋
We are not vegan but my daughter has decided she doesn’t love meat lately. This was so tasty! It was too salty for me, so I’d change that next time, but wow, it was so so good!
Hi Heather, I’m so delighted your family liked the Kung Pao, and that it could cater to different eaters 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here, we really appreciate it.
Kindest, Louise
Delicious! Easy, really does come together in 30 minutes. Thank you for this recipe.
Lynda
Hi Lynda, I’m super happy you liked the tofu!! Thanks for taking the time to comment after you made this. Have a great day. Cheers, Louise
I have made this recipe a couple of times now and both turned out delicious. A hit for my husband and 2 young kids. This has become a staple in my weekly menu. Thank you for sharing. I’m now trying the other recipes by The Plant-Based School.
Thanks
Very good recipes you have.
You should try adding Szechuan peppercorns and Juan Cheng.
Thanks, Rani! I will check it out 🙂 Have a great day! Nico