Vegan General Tso's Tofu

A vegan take on the beloved American-Chinese takeout classic, General Tso's Chicken.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 228kcal

Cost $3.01 recipe / $0.38 serving

Drain tofu for 30 minutes by setting it in a colander. Set a plate with a heavy can on top for extra weight to help it drain.
Marinate the tofu - In a large bowl, add the minced garlic, soy sauce, chili flakes, and beer.
Cut drained tofu into bite-sized cubes and gently mix it into the garlic sauce until tofu is completely coated. Sprinkle with ginger powder and gently stir. Cover and let rest in fridge for 1 hour.
General Tso's Tofu Sauce - In the meantime, make the sauce. Mix all the sauce ingredients together EXCEPT the cornstarch. Cover and let rest in fridge until you're ready to cook the tofu.
Bake the tofu - Heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit (200°C). Sprinkle 4 Tbsp cornstarch over the tofu and shake to coat evenly (or gently stir). Spread marinated tofu cubes onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Sauté the tofu - Heat 4 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu from the oven and stir to coat in the hot oil.
Add the sauce - Remove sauce from fridge and whisk in 2 tsp cornstarch. Pour into the skillet and stir gently until sauce is boiling, then turn off heat.
Serve & Enjoy - Garnish plated tofu with sesame seeds and serve with steamed veggies and rice.

Aji-No-Moto is MSG, which is sometimes added to recipes to add the flavor umami. It's what makes takeout so mouth-watering! If you prefer not to use it, just leave it out. The difference is subtle, but I always use it at home in this dish.
To make a low-sodium version, replace soy sauce with coconut aminos. You can buy it on Amazon here.
This is not a health foods recipe, it's a veganized version of American Chinese takeout. You are the expert when it comes to making substitutions based on your dietary needs! :)