A vacation from boring tofu.
Sweetness, saltiness, and soooo much garlic. This vegan Hawaiian garlic tofu is so damn yummy. It is really quick, you can bake it, or fry it, serve it with rice and veggies or what ever you want. 10 ingredients are all you need to make this crispy tofu perfection.
This is one of the best ways to eat tofu. You can dredge in flour and corn starch, then fry. Or you can just toss in some oil and bake until really crispy. Toss in this super tasty Hawaiian garlic sauce. Then serve. That is it. Here is the thing though. This also totally needs crispy jalapeno slices as well. I dredge mine in the corn starch and flour mixture as well, then fry with the tofu.
The crisp jalapeno slices gives it a spicy element that balances the sweetness so well. This vegan crispy Hawaiian garlic tofu has it all. Sweet, spicy, salty, crispy, so easy, yet still pretty healthy and refined sugar free.
The Hawaiian garlic sauce is so delicious. Just soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger and water. Thickened with corn starch. Toss the crispy tofu with this sauce and prepare to be amazed! I love to toss mine with steamed rice, and you can always serve with any kind of veggies you want.
Vegan crispy Hawaiian garlic tofu will be on regular rotation in your house once you give it a try. Easy to find ingredients, quick, and so dang good.
Love crispy tofu? Why not try my Vegan Garlic Sriracha Tofu Yakisoba or Vegan Korean “Fried” Tofu Tacos!
Crispy tofu and jalapenos tossed in a sweet and salty Hawaiian garlic sauce.
- 1 Block Extra firm tofu, pressed
- 1 Fresh jalapeno, sliced
- 1/4 C. All purpose flour
- 1/2 C. +1 tsp. Corn starch
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 C. Soy sauce
- 1/2 C. Pineapple juice
- 2 Tbsp. Agave syrup
- 3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. Water
- 3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. Ginger, grated
- Oil for frying
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Make sure you prep your tofu, by pressing it first, either in a tofu press, or by placing the tofu on some paper towels and placing something heavy on top. Press for at least 15 minutes, but the longer the better, and you can even do it the day before or the morning of.
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When ready to make the tofu, start with the sauce. In a small sauce pan, whisk together the soy sauce, pineapple juice, agave, 3 Tbsp. of water, chopped garlic and grated ginger. Heat on low.
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Bring to a simmer, then in a small bowl, whisk together 1 tsp. of corn starch and 1 tsp. of water. Until the corn starch has dissolved in the water. Add that to the sauce. Whisk to combine and continue to simmer for a minute until the sauce thickens. Once the sauce is nice and thick, turn off the heat. Try to keep it warm by covering it.
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While the sauce is simmering you can start making the tofu and jalapenos.
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Now in medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 c. corn starch and salt. Stir to combine. Then cut the pressed tofu into cubes and toss all of the tofu into the corn starch/flour mixture to coat, then toss the jalapeno slices into the mixture as well.
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Then heat about 1/2 an inch of light oil in a skillet on medium high. Once the oil is hot, shake the excess flour/corn starch off of the tofu, then fry the tofu and jalapenos on each side until the tofu is brown and very crispy on all sides, this will take a few minutes on each side. Remove the tofu and jalapenos from the oil once they are crispy.
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Now, toss the tofu and jalapenos into the sauce, heating the sauce back up on low if needed. Serve immediately with rice and/or veggies.
You can bake the tofu and jalapenos at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, flipping half way through baking. You can skip tossing them in corn starch and flour, and just toss them in olive oil, sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake until really nice and brown and crisp. Then you can make the sauce while the tofu is baking and toss together when finished.
This was really delicious…so simple and so tasty! Thank you!
Hello, just to confirm – when you say ‘C’ do you mean cup?
Yup! C. is Cup.
OMG….this was delicious. U have the best vegan receipes. Easy to make and sooooo good. Just love briwsing thru them and trying new. Also my hubby not only loves the taste but loves that I am actually cooking ….bcuz I wanna try ur reciepes.
I actually havent made this get, but my mom is allergic to ginger, she has trouble breathing just by smelling it. Would it be Ok without ginger?
I think it would still be delicious without the ginger!
This was amazing!!! I can’t even begin to describe how delicious this is! I’ve only stopped eating meat 6 months ago and this somehow satisfied my craving for sesame chicken. Love, love the 2 recipes of yours I’ve tried so far!
This was not only absolutely delicious, but quick and easy!!! The only thing I added was freshly chopped green onion when I plated for color as well as added flavor. This will be a frequent for my meal planning. Thank you for this recipe.
This was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Pro tip: buy a 20 oz can of pineapple chunks, add all of liquid per this recipe, and toss the pineapple chunks in the dry ingredients and fry just like the tofu. So good!
Could you make the tofu and jalapeños in the air frier and if you did would you still dredge them in the flower and corn starch?
I so very much love this!!! I’ve made it so many times, some times I put different seasonings in the flour mixture to change it up a bit, because I make it A LOT! Also add pineapple pieces to it! Sometimes the flour mixture stays on the tofu, but sometimes a lot of it comes off and really messes up the oil….maybe it’s those seasonings! Thank you for the GREAT recipe!!!
What are the black specks in the photo?
Sesame seeds