Name: Sweet Chilli Tofu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 10 oz tofu (extra firm); 1 tbsp soy sauce; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 red pepper (pointed, thinly sliced); 2 tsp sesame oil ((optional)); 4 spring onions; 4 cloves garlic; 2 tsp chilli flakes / red pepper flakes ((see note)); ½ cup water; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; ¼ cup white sugar; 1 tsp stock powder or bouillon; 2 tsp cornstarch (+ 2 teaspoons water)

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Seasoned, crispy fried tofu in a delicious coating of sweet and spicy sauce. This Sweet Chilli Tofu has a nice and warming kick of heat to it that’s perfect for both warm and cool days. It’s easy to make, uses common ingredients and comes together in just 25 minutes!

A pair of chop sticks hold a triangular piece of fried tofu covered in a glossy sauce, above a bowl of noodles and more sauced tofu.

Finally, here’s another tofu recipe for a classic takeaway dish! We’ve been fans of sweet chilli sauce for all our lives, and this sweet chilli tofu just hits the spot!

The flavours of the sauce are well balanced to let the sweetness and peppery flavour take the center stage. The tofu is seasoned and fried crispy to complement the sauce with its savoury deliciousness. It’s so tasty, I’m getting hungry just writing about it!

The method to make this sweet chilli recipe is really simple. It’s quite similar to our popular Sticky Lemon Tofu, but the sauce is fiery and peppery instead of sour and lemony. For this dish we also cut the tofu into triangles rather than cubes for frying, but this part is very much up to you!

You can control the level of chilli heat with the type of chilli flakes you use. We chose a milder variety, so we can use more in the dish and get more peppery flavour without burning off our taste buds.

A nice thing about chilli is that it warms you on a cold day, but can also help cool you down when it’s hot! Which means, this recipe is the perfect meal for any day of the year.

Pieces of golden fried tofu in a glossy sauce with pieces of spring onion and thinly sliced red pepper.

Ingredient tips

Here’s everything you need to make this tasty sweet chilli tofu:

Tofu
Soy sauce, salt and pepper
Cornstarch also known as cornflour
Chilli flakes / red pepper flakes (US)
Pointed red pepper - also known as Red Romano Chile or Ramiro pepper.
Sugar
Vegetable oil and some optional sesame oil
Garlic and spring onions
Apple cider vinegar and vegetable bouillon

Extra firm tofu is always the best for frying because it can cope well with being handled without falling apart. We gently press it wrapped in a tea towel to remove some of its excess water.

We season the tofu with some soy sauce, salt and pepper before coating it in cornstarch so it gets more crispy when fried. This is our favourite way to make tofu taste and feel a bit like chicken.

The ingredients used in this recipe for tofu in a sweet chili sauce, laid out on a white surface.

And on the saucy side of things, the chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) deliver the chilli heat as well as that dried red pepper flavour, and the pointed pepper adds more flavour, some colour and texture. With the chilli flakes, watch out when you use a product or brand you haven’t tried before, as they can vary extremely in spiciness.

Granulated white sugar provides sweetness without putting itself in the foreground. For a more complex flavour, try light brown sugar or golden caster.

And to round off the flavours, we sauté some garlic and spring onion with the chilli flakes before deglazing with a bit of apple cider vinegar and vegetable bouillon. Then a bit more cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce.

You can add sesame oil when sautéing the aromatic ingredients to add an extra dimension, but it’s completely optional.

Step by step

You can find the detailed instructions for how to make the sweet chilli tofu in the recipe card at the end of the post, but here’s a visual guide.

Seasoned pieces of tofu are coated with cornstarch in a glass bowl.

Step 1 - Season the tofu and toss it in cornstarch to coat.

Triangular pieces of golden fried tofu in a frying pan.

Step 2 - Fry the tofu in vegetable oil until golden and crispy.

Sliced red pepper being fried in a frying pan.

Step 3 - Remove the tofu from the pan and fry the sliced pointed pepper.

A small pile of spring onions, finely chopped garlic and chilli flakes that have been added into a frying pan of fried red pepper slices.

Step 4 - Add spring onion, garlic and chilli flakes and briefly sauté on medium heat.

Sugar is tossed into a colourful sauce with red pepper in a frying pan.

Step 5 - Deglaze the pan by adding water and vinegar, then stir in and dissolve the sugar and stock powder.

A wooden spatula stirring a thick and glossy sauce with thin red pepper and spring onion slices.

Step 6 - Mix the cornstarch with a bit of water and stir it into the sauce over medium heat until it thickens.

Pieces of fried tofu in a frying pan full of a colourful sauce with pieces of red pepper and spring onions.

Step 7 - Place the tofu back in the pan with the sauce, add the spring onion greens and stir to coat.

Before the fried tofu goes back in the pan, you can stir in small amounts of water to adjust the quantity and consistency of the sauce.

We also like to save the greener parts of the chopped spring onions and sprinkle them on when mixing tofu and sauce.

Variations

Throw in some extra vegetables like carrots, green beans, mushrooms and extra peppers, to bulk up the dish or even replace the tofu. Chop them into chunks and fry them with the sliced pepper. You might want to double the sauce if you add extra veggies.

If you’re a fan of ginger, you can mince or grate some and add it in with the garlic and chilli flakes for sautéing.

Triangular pieces of fried tofu covered in a sticky and glossy sauce and thinly sliced red pepper and spring onion greens on a bed of noodles.

Substitutions

To make our sweet chilli tofu gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce to season the tofu. Also, if you serve it with noodles, use gluten-free noodles or simply serve with rice.

You can use red bell pepper instead of the pointy Romano.

Apple cider vinegar can be easily replaced with rice vinegar or lemon juice. If you want to use white or red wine vinegar, check the label to make sure it’s vegan. The wine it’s made from might not be vegan!

In place of cornstarch, it’s fine to use tapioca starch as 1:1 substitute. Arrowroot powder can be used too, but you might need to increase the amount to get the same thickening effect. Plain flour could be used but makes the sauce cloudy, so only use it as a last resort.

Two bowls of noodles and fried tofu in a colourful, glossy sauce, next to a frying pan, spring onions and a red pointed pepper.

Serving

Our favourite way to serve the Sweet Chilli Tofu is on noodles. Many store-bought noodles have egg in them, so check the ingredients label on the package. We’ve recently discovered wholewheat noodles and have become big fans!

Rice is another great side dish for this meal. If plain rice is too boring for you, try our Vegan Egg Fried Rice.

Stir fried or steamed green veggies such as pak choi or tatsoi also are a great addition to the bold flavours of the sauce and tofu. They also look great as a garnish.

Noodles topped with fried tofu pieces covered in sweet chilli sauce in a bowl with chopsticks.

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Here are more tofu recipes for you to try:

Sticky Orange Tofu

Breaded Tofu

Tofu Souvlaki Skewers

📖 Recipe

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