I made this Sticky Orange Tofu for a bookclub dinner party recently and the girls loved it! Marinating the tofu takes the flavor to the next level and the cornflour coating makes the tofu crispy and delicious.
I don't know about you but I absolutely love tofu. As a meat eater, I see tofu as another source of fantastic protein. I also find the texture so versatile and delicious. If you've landed on this page and you were actually looking for a meat-based sticky orange dish, check out my sticky orange chicken recipe! But when I tell you that the tofu version is just as good (or even better), you've got to believe me!!
For those of you who are also tofu lovers, here are three of my favorite extra firm tofu dishes:
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Why you'll love this recipe
Made by someone you can trust: for those of you who are new here, my name's Emily and I'm an ex-chef, turned food content creator/recipe developer. I adore testing and creating new recipes and sharing them with you. I don't use AI, I take inspiration from magazines, travel, restaurants, books, friends, and turn my thoughts into dishes that I think you'll love and want to make over and over again. So, I hope you love this dish, if so, then check out more of my recipes to make in the future!
Plant-based: although I eat this on the regular as a meat eater, it is naturally plant-based, so it's great if you're trying to reduce your meat consumption!
Easy: this recipe requires very little effort, just a bit of time (to marinate the tofu) and some frying!
Main ingredients
Tofu: I'm using extra firm tofu for this recipe. I wouldn't recommend using other types of tofu like silken tofu as this will not fry very well. If you're a lover of silken tofu, then definitely check out my 7 silken tofu recipes.
Orange: fresh oranges are essential for this sticky orange tofu recipe. We'll be using the zest too, so make sure to get good quality fresh oranges for the best flavor!
Ginger: once again, fresh ginger over dried ground ginger.
Garlic: you can use as many garlic cloves as you like, but we're using 1 garlic clove for the marinade and 2 for the sauce.
Soy sauce: light soy sauce is the variety we're going for in this recipe over dark soy sauce.
Cornstarch: to create that slightly crispy sticky tofu, we're using cornstarch. You can alternatively use tapioca starch.
For the full ingredients list with measurements and instructions, scroll down this blog to the recipe card.
How to prepare the tofu (cubed or torn)
You can either tear the extra firm tofu into ragged pieces like this in the photo, or you can slice the tofu into bitesized cubes. I've made both versions multiple times and I prefer the torn tofu because the sauce gets caught in the nooks of the extra firm tofu.
How to make sticky orange tofu (with step by step photos)
Step 1: First, let's make the marinade. In a large bowl, combine the orange zest, juice, grated garlic, grated ginger, and light soy sauce.
Step 2: Tear or slice the tofu into bitesized pieces and stir into the marinade. Leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours (minimum 15 minutes).
Step 3: Once the tofu has marinated to your liking (don't throw away the marinade sauce), toss in the cornflour mixture. The dust off any excess cornflour before frying.
Step 4: Place a large skillet / frying pan on medium heat and add in vegetable oil to cover the base of the pan. Once hot, transfer in the tofu and leave to fry on each side for 3 minutes until golden brown all over. Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel on a plate to soak up any excess oil.
Step 5: Meanwhile, we're going to make the sticky orange sauce. Place a saucepan on medium heat and drizzle with a touch of vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the chopped garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute until aromatic, then pour in the leftover tofu marinade, orange zest, juice, light soy sauce, gochugaru flakes, and MSG. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 3 minutes.
Step 6: Next up, pour in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for a further 3 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste the sauce and season according to your preferences. Then add in the crispy tofu and stir to combine and coat the tofu.
Step 7: Divide your rice between two bowls and top with the sticky orange tofu. Garnish with sesame seeds, chives, and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Sticky Orange Tofu
- Use extra-firm tofu. Extra-firm tofu contains less water, which makes it much easier to get crispy and golden when frying. If your tofu feels particularly wet, gently press it between kitchen paper or a clean tea towel before adding it to the marinade.
- Don’t skip the marinade. Marinating the tofu in fresh orange juice, zest, garlic, ginger and soy sauce gives the tofu flavour all the way through rather than relying entirely on the sticky orange sauce. Even 15 minutes makes a difference, but you can leave it marinating for up to 24 hours for a stronger flavor.
- Tear the tofu for extra crispy edges. You can cut the tofu into cubes (which is how I've done them for this post's final recipe photo), but I love roughly tearing it into bite-sized pieces. The uneven surface gives the cornflour more places to cling to, creating lots of crispy little edges once fried.
- Make sure the tofu is well coated in cornflour. The cornflour creates that golden, crispy exterior that works so well with the sticky orange sauce. Toss the marinated tofu thoroughly, then gently shake off any excess before frying so you don't end up with patches of uncooked cornflour.
- Get your oil hot before adding the tofu. If the oil isn't hot enough, the tofu will absorb more oil and can become soft rather than crispy. Heat the pan and oil first, then add the tofu once the oil is shimmering.
- Don't overcrowd the frying pan. Give each piece of tofu enough room to make contact with the hot pan. If they're packed too closely together, the tofu can steam rather than fry. Cook it in batches if necessary.
- Leave the tofu alone while it fries. It can be tempting to keep moving everything around, but leaving each side to fry undisturbed for a few minutes is what gives you that deep golden crust. Once a side is properly crisp, the tofu should release from the pan much more easily.
- Use both orange juice and orange zest. The juice provides sweetness and acidity, while the zest gives the sticky orange tofu a much stronger fresh orange flavour. Make sure you zest the orange before juicing it; it's much easier!
- If your orange sauce is too thin, keep simmering it. The sauce will thicken as the cornstarch cooks. If it's still too runny after a few minutes, you can add a small amount of additional cornstarch slurry rather than adding dry cornstarch directly to the pan.
- If your orange sauce gets too thick, add a splash of water or orange juice. The sticky orange sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools, so don't reduce it too far. A splash of liquid will quickly bring it back to a glossy, pourable consistency.
- Only add the crispy tofu to the sauce at the very end. Once the tofu is coated in sauce, the crispy exterior will gradually soften. Tossing everything together immediately before serving gives you the best combination of crispy tofu and sticky orange glaze.
- Taste the sauce before adding the tofu. Oranges vary enormously in sweetness and acidity. Taste your sticky orange sauce once it has reduced and adjust with a little extra soy sauce for saltiness, orange juice for sweetness and acidity, or gochugaru if you'd like more heat.
- Serve the sticky orange tofu straight away. This dish is at its best fresh from the pan, while the tofu is still crispy and the orange sauce is hot, glossy and sticky. I love serving it over steamed rice with sesame seeds and chopped chives or spring onions.
Recipe FAQs
Sticky orange tofu is crispy tofu coated in a sweet, savoury and slightly spicy orange sauce made with fresh orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. The tofu is coated in cornflour and fried until golden before being tossed through the glossy orange sauce.
For really crispy tofu, use firm or extra-firm tofu, remove as much excess moisture as possible and coat the pieces in cornflour before frying. Make sure your oil is hot before adding the tofu and avoid overcrowding the pan, as this can cause the tofu to steam rather than crisp up.
The cornstarch slurry needs to simmer for a few minutes before it fully thickens the orange sauce. Make sure you mix the cornstarch with cold water before adding it to the pan. If the sauce is still too thin, add another small amount of cornstarch slurry and continue simmering.
Cornflour is ideal because it helps both crisp the tofu and thicken the orange sauce. If you don't have it, tapioca starch is a good alternative for coating the tofu. Arrowroot can also be used to thicken the sauce, although the final consistency may be slightly different.
Yes. You can bake or air fry the cornflour-coated tofu instead. Cook it until crisp and golden, then toss it through the sticky orange sauce immediately before serving. The texture will be slightly different from pan-fried tofu but still delicious.
You can substitute gochugaru with chilli flakes, although they can be hotter, so start with a smaller amount. Alternatively, leave the chilli out completely if you want a sweet and savoury sticky orange tofu without any heat.
Sticky orange tofu is perfect with steamed jasmine rice, sticky rice or brown rice. You could also serve it with noodles and vegetables such as broccoli, pak choi, green beans or stir-fried peppers. Finish with sesame seeds, chives or spring onions.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The tofu will lose some of its crispiness once refrigerated, but the flavour will still be delicious.
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Sticky Orange Tofu (better than takeout!!)
Ingredients
For the tofu + marinade
- 280 g extra firm tofu torn into bitesized pieces
- 1 orange zest and juice
- 1 garlic clove grated
- ½ inch ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 20 g cornstarch season with salt and pepper
For the sticky orange sauce
- 2 oranges zest and juice
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- ½ inch ginger grated
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon gochugaru flakes or ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon MSG optional
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Other elements
- 2 portions cooked jasmine rice
- 10 g chives finely sliced
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- First, let's make the tofu marinade. In a large bowl, combine the orange zest, juice, grated garlic, grated ginger, and light soy sauce (from the tofu marinade section in the ingredients section).
- Tear or slice the tofu into bitesized pieces and stir into the marinade. Leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours (minimum 15 minutes).
- Once the tofu has marinated to your liking (don't throw away the tofu marinade), toss in the cornflour mixture. Then dust off any excess cornflour before frying.
- Place a large skillet / frying pan on medium heat and add in vegetable oil to cover the base of the pan. Once hot, transfer in the tofu and leave to fry on each side for 3 minutes until golden brown all over. Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel on a plate to soak up any excess oil.
- Meanwhile, we're going to make the sticky orange sauce. Place a saucepan on medium heat and drizzle with a touch of vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the chopped garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute until aromatic, then pour in the leftover tofu marinade, orange zest, juice, light soy sauce, gochugaru flakes, and MSG. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for three minutes.
- Next up, pour in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for a further 3 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste the sauce and season according to your preferences. Then add in the crispy tofu and stir to combine and coat the tofu.
- Divide your rice between two bowls and top with the sticky orange tofu. Garnish with sesame seeds, chives, and enjoy!
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