Bite size sticky tofu pieces in a tangy and sweet lemon sauce. This Chinese inspired lemon tofu is ready in less than 30 minutes and is plate licking good!
Our vegan lemon tofu is:
- An awesome plant-based version of Chinese lemon chicken
- Zingy, sweet and sticky
- A quick weeknight dinner that’s deliciously satisfying
- Easily made gluten free if you use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce
- AND better than takeout!
The tofu
Choose extra firm tofu for this recipe. You can use less firm tofu if you press it first to remove the excess water.
This tofu press is really handy if you haven't got one!
Silken tofu will not work - if you have some, we recommend using it for this gorgeous Vegan Tiramisu instead!
To make it more flavourful the tofu is first marinated in some soy sauce, then covered in a coating of cornflour seasoned with salt and pepper.
It's then shallow fried in a large frying pan to give it a golden, crispy crust.
We often make this recipe with homemade tofu, made with lemon juice as the coagulant. For even more lemony flavour!
The lemon sauce
Sweet, sour and umami flavours combine into a mouthwatering sauce that coats the tofu.
The sauce starts with garlic and ginger as a base, then adds lemon juice, zest, vegetable stock, soy sauce and sugar.
Cornflour mixed with a bit of water thickens it up into a sticky sauce which generously covers the tofu.
Step by step
- Cube the tofu and drizzle over the soy sauce
- Cover in cornstarch and season with salt and pepper
- Fry until golden brown
- Fry the finely chopped or minced garlic and ginger for a minute
- Add the lemon juice, zest, stock, soy sauce and sugar, then mix in the cornstarch and water
- Simmer and stir until the sauce has thickened to a sticky texture
Variations and substitutions
Don’t fancy tofu? This recipe also works great with diced mushrooms too!
Want a change from lemon? Try orange juice and zest instead, or use our Sticky Orange Tofu recipe. YUM!
No cornflour? Cornflour/cornstarch can be substituted with the same amount of arrowroot powder.
If you can’t get hold of either, then try plain flour as a coating for the tofu. If you use it in the sauce, use double the quantity flour, as it doesn’t have as much a thickening effect as cornflour.
Don’t want to fry the tofu? Bake until crisp in the oven at 200C for around 30 mins or air fry for 10-15mins.
Want a refined sugar free option? Just replace the sugar in the recipe with agave or maple syrup. Taste the sauce to get the level of sweetness that you prefer.
Serve it with
Our vegan lemon tofu goes great with plain white or brown rice, or noodles and some lightly cooked seasonal veggies.
Carrots and pak choy are our favourites. Some crispy sugar snap peas would also be yummy!
A sprinkle of sesame seeds and some chopped spring onions goes really well on top of the tofu.
It’s also amazing with our Vegan Egg Fried Rice!
Try these other vegan tofu recipes!
Vegan Tofu Bacon (it's super good)
Chickpea Flour Tofu (make your own soy-free tofu)
Easy Vegan Carbonara (ready in 15 minutes)
📖 Recipe
Sticky Lemon Tofu
Ingredients
For the crispy tofu
- 1 pack (300 g) extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the lemon sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 1 piece ginger 1 inch/3cm long, finely chopped or grated
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- ¼ tsp stock powder or bouillon
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and cut it into bite size cubes.1 pack (300 g) extra firm tofu
- Place the cubes in a mixing bowl, drizzle the soy sauce over them and stir gently.1 tbsp soy sauce
- Then add the cornstarch, season with salt and pepper, and stir until the tofu is coated evenly.¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, heat up the oil. When it's hot add the coated tofu cubes and fry until they are golden brown. Turn them over using tongs or a spatula to get the tofu evenly fried.2 tbsp vegetable oil
- When the tofu is cooked, transfer it to a plate so you can use the pan to make the sauce.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add more oil to the frying pan, followed by minced garlic and ginger. Fry for 1 minute.1 tbsp vegetable oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 piece ginger
- Then add the water, stock powder, lemon juice, zest, soy sauce and sugar and stir together.¼ cup (60 ml) water, ¼ tsp stock powder or bouillon, ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest, ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Finally mix the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water, and add this slurry to the pan while stirring. Simmer the sauce until it's thick and sticky. Stir frequently.2 tsp cornstarch
- Combine the tofu with the sauce and serve with rice, noodles or veggies of your choice. Garnish with spring onions or sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Kim C says
I will use all my fresh picked lemons for this recipe! lol! I absolutely love how it turned out! I did add extra lemon juice because.. well why not? lol! I did as one reader suggested and air fried the tofu. Great way to cook it up! Thank you!
Sophie and Paul says
Fresh picked picked lemons sounds amazing Kim! So glad you loved the recipe, and do absolutely feel free to adjust the lemon juice quantity. We've found from making this recipe countless times that lemons can really vary in how sour they are, so it's good to adjust to taste!