Kung Pao Tofu, a delicious vegan alternative to the classic Asian Kung Pao chicken, made with minimal and easily available ingridents. This vegan kung pao recipe is a combination of gingery baked tofu tossed with stir-fried veggies and homemade kung pao sauce. It’s an easy Chinese-inspired vegan meal that’s definitely healthy and better than takeout and can be a quick weeknight dinner main dish.
I just love Asian cuisines, but I don’t like all the extra and free calories that come with takeouts. That’s why I love to take classic Chinese recipes and make them lighter and a bit healthier versions.
You should also try my Sticky sesame chickpeas, penne rosa, Spicy Chipotle Sofritas Bowl (copycat!) makeovers.
Kung pao tofu would awesome served with my 15 minutes instant pot al dente basmati rice. The best thing about cooking healthier versions of takeouts at home is, you can enjoy it whenever you want!
In this vegan version of Kung pao chicken, I am using the only protein that is TOFU, but shrimp and chicken would also taste great.
I wanted to create a recipe with easily availed and not very fancy ingridents but it should provide an authentic flavor, which I think I have done it really well.
Tofu is one of the most versatile vegetarian proteins, it takes on the favor of whatever curry base or sauce it’s cooked in.
And it tastes great in any stir fry recipes, so this homemade kung pao sauce is just made in heaven match for tofu.
It’s a quick and easy Chinese stir-fry recipe that would be a perfect weekday brunch or dinner recipe.
You just need to prep the veggies (you can also use frozen chopped veggies to save more time) and you can make the kung pao sauce ahead of time and store it.
And now, you have to roast the tofu and stir-fry the veggies, and it just takes 15 minutes! If you got some leftovers, it can be an easy side dish for next days’ lunch.
I prefer to serve this over basmati rice or quinoa.
You’ll Love this
- Vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and can be gluten-free
- Deliciously spicy and crispy on the outside with a chewy, tender interior
- Reminiscent of Kung Pao chicken // a meat-free alternative
- Baked in the oven rather than fried
- Made with no refined sugar
- The perfect easter snack and party appetizer!
- Packed with plant-based protein
- Easy to prepare a vegan main dish, ready in 30 minute
What Kind of Tofu is best for stir-fries?
Always go for extra firm tofu! Extra-firm tofu holds its shape really well, and it doesn’t fall apart at high temperatures.
Extra-firm tofu is best for stir-frying, baking, and grilling but firm tofu will also work.
How do you Stir-fry crispy tofu?
To get crispy stir-fried tofu, use extra-firm tofu. It is important to drain extra water from the tofu, which helps the tofu slab to maintain its shape.
You can press your tofu in 2 ways – the compression method or with a tofu press.
For the simple compression method, wrap the tofu slab in a few layers of kitchen towel or tea towel and place something heavy and flat on top, like a heavy pot or some books, and keep it for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Then, cut the tofu into cube-like pieces and coat them with seasonings and toss them into a wok or pan over medium heat.
Pan-fry the tofu for about 8 to 10 minutes, flipping the cubes until they’re uniformly browned and crispy on all sides.
Ingredients You’ll Need
In the vegan kung pao recipe, tofu is pan-fried and veggies and spices are stir-fried in a delicious homemade kung pao sauce, creating a deliciously spicy and tasty vegan stir fry recipe.
Here’s a quick overview of ingredients you’ll need to cook kung pao tofu. And some tips and ingridents substitutions.
- Tofu: Use extra-firm or firm. My favorite for this recipe is extra-firm high protein tofu with its ‘meaty’ texture. Plus, it doesn’t need to be pressed (save 20minutes) :-)
- All-purpose flour: You can use the traditional or certified gluten-free all-purpose flour for the batter.
- Salt and pepper: Adds a touch of flavor to the batter.
- Spices and seasoning: Specifically, we’ll use garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- Soy sauce: Use light soy sauce instead of dark(traditional) soy sauce. The dark one has a strong flavor. Try to use the low-sodium soy sauce or else the sauce will be too salty. For a gluten-free sauce recipe, use low-sodium tamari.
- Rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar): You can use seasoned or unseasoned, both works.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce. You can also use tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.
- Maple syrup: Honey (not vegan) or any sweetener of your choice eg: coconut sugar, brown sugar, etc.
- Smoked paprika (optional): To give a spicy hint to the kung pao sauce.
- Water: for the sauce
- Sesame oil: It gives an amazing sesame flavor to the sauce, without overpowering it. Do not skip this!
- Bell pepper: this recipe calls for red bell peppers, but you can also use a mix of green, red, and yellow.
- Onions: Sliced finely.
- Ginger and garlic: Finely chopped (or minced)
- Peanuts or cashews: use roasted cashews or peanuts. For some extra crunch!
How To Make Kung Pao Tofu Recipe
Step 1: Roast the Tofu and Bell peppers (or any veggies you prefer)
Preheat the oven to 450F. And start by seasoning the Tofu. In a large mixing bowl take all-purpose flour, corn starch and add the tofu and toss a few times. Pour in the ¼ cup water and toss again.
Arrange the tofu and bell pepper in a single layer on the baking tray and roast them for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned
Step 2: Make the Homemade Vegan Kung Pao sauce:
- Heat a skillet over medium flame and add sesame oil, add chopped ginger, peppers and saute them for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Take a small bowl and add maple syrup, soy sauce, and vinegar. Whisk them properly and add them to the skillet.
- Let it boil for a few minutes on medium flame and then turn the flame down and cook for a couple of more minutes and let it reduce slightly.
- In a bowl make the cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch and water and whisk them until smooth (without any lumps), then pour it on the pan and stir for about 2 to 3 minutes until thickens.
Step 3: Mix roasted tofu and bell pepper
And the final step is to add all the roasted veggies to the sauce and toss and mix until everything is coated with the sauce perfectly.
FaQs
What does Kung Pao taste like?
Kung pao sauce has a bold flavor that is sweet, sour, and savory and with a hint of heat from the pepper.
It’s delicious and glossy which is thickened with cornstarch/ tapioca starch, and because it has such a strong flavor, this Chinese stir fry has less sauce than other classic take-out recipes like sticky sesame cauliflower, general Tso’s tofu, and sticky sesame chickpeas.
Is Kung Pao vegan?
Kung pao tofu recipe is the vegan and vegetarian version of the kung pao chicken recipe. Usually, it is made with dried red chilies, but don’t be scared off even if you’re not a fan of hot food, you can totally make it mild too.
The homemade kung pao sauce is easy to prepare, so you can easily adjust the heat as per your taste preference.
What’s the difference between Kung Pao and Szechuan?
The major difference between Kung Pao and Szechuan is that Kung Pao is an Asian dish (traditional ingredient – chicken & Vegan version – cauliflower, tofu) whereas Szechuan is a cuisine style.
Kung pao has a strong, spicy, and sweet flavor, and it comes with a nutty flavor (from roasted peanuts or almonds) because it uses nuts in it, whereas Szechuan has a bold and stronger flavor.
What is the difference between kung pao Tofu and General Tso’s Tofu?
While kung pao and General Tso’s tofu are both delicious spicy and sweet Chinese stir-fries recipes, they are very different dishes.
General Tso’s chicken or vegan General Tso’s chicken is breaded and fried and does not contain vegetables.
Whereas Kung pao chicken or kung pao tofu is not breaded and is pan cooked with delicious veggies like bell peppers, onions, zucchinis, etc. Unlike General Tso’s tofu, kung pao also features peanuts for extra crunch on every bite.
Does kung pao sauce have sugar?
The homemade Kung pao sauce has two layers of flavor, one is from spices and the other one is from a balance via soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar (no refined sugar).
Firstly, we fry chopped garlic, ginger, and scallion with dried red pepper.
To get this unique taste, the dried chili pepper should be fried until dark red.
And finally, the second layer is a balanced sauce made from sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce with cornstarch. Cornstarch works as a thickener and helps the sauce sticking to the ingredient.