Crispy Honey Garlic Tofu

Crispy Spicy Honey Garlic Tofu with broccoli that’s better-than-takeout! Cornstarch-coated tofu that’s pan-fried, tossed with steamed broccoli, and drizzled in the most delicious honey garlic sauce! So good, you won’t believe you made it!

This recipe is sponsored by Calphalon. We’re using Calphalon Premier™ Hard-Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set to prepare today’s recipe.

Crispy Honey Garlic Tofu is a recipe I ate all the time growing up.

Except, my mom made it with chicken. As an adult, I love taking my childhood favorites and swapping out the meat for tofu to see if I still love them just as much as I did with poultry. News flash: this is delicious with tofu or with chicken!

I love serving up honey garlic tofu over a bed of brown rice. The sauce – made with honey, soy sauce, and a few other ingredients mingles with this rice and coats it beautifully. Put that together with the crunchy broccoli and crispy tofu and you’ve got the perfect dish just bursting with so much flavor!

Ingredients for honey garlic tofu:

• Firm or Extra Firm tofu: I like to use extra firm tofu whenever I’m making a stir fry. You’ll want to press and drain any excess liquid from the tofu so that it fries up golden and crispy. Firm tofu will also work if you prefer using that.
• Cornstarch: We use cornstarch to toss the tofu cubes in before frying them. We’ll also use a teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken the sauce so that it clings to the broccoli and tofu.
• Seasonings: I use kosher salt, black pepper, and some garlic powder to toss the tofu in before pan-frying it. This gives the tofu a bit more flavor. I also add a generous teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the honey garlic sauce – it’s what adds a little kick to this whole thing. Feel free to use fewer red pepper flakes if you prefer this dish to be mild or if you’re cooking for little ones.
• Avocado Oil: We generally use avocado oil for cooking, feel free to use vegetable oil, canola, or other oils to prepare the fried tofu.
• Garlic: I use a ton of garlic for this recipe – it’s in the name after all! Freshly minced garlic is my go-to but if you’re in a hurry you could swap fresh garlic for the minced stuff in a jar.
• Broccoli: I steam the broccoli florets in the microwave before adding them to the stir fry. This ensures that they are perfectly al dente without being under or overcooked. If you wanted to avoid using the microwave, you could also steam it in a medium saucepan with a steamer basket placed on top.
• Soy sauce: Low sodium soy sauce works best for this recipe. I suggest avoiding regular soy sauce as that would make the stir fry quite salty.
• Honey: Use good quality honey for this recipe, it brings lots of flavor to the overall dish.
• Apple cider vinegar: Balances the salty and sweet flavors in the dish and gives this that can’t-stop-at-one-bite-taste. You can substitute rice vinegar here if you don’t have apple cider vinegar on hand.
• Sesame seeds or sesame oil: I like to finish this with a pinch of sesame seeds to garnish, but you could also do a small drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
• Rice or other grains for serving: I prefer this recipe with short or medium grain brown rice, but feel free to use quinoa, white rice, or other grains here if you’d like.

Honey Garlic Tofu recipe:

1. Press the tofu. Remove the tofu block from the packaging and press it to remove excess moisture. You can place the block between a kitchen towel and place that on a plate with another plate on top. Use a large can or a heavy skillet to place on top so that the tofu releases the excess liquid. Then dice the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
2. Toss it in corn starch. Add the cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a zip-top bag, zip, and shake the bag to combine. Add the tofu pieces and once again zip and toss the bag to coat the tofu. You could also do this in a bowl if you prefer not to see a zip-top bag. 
3. Mix the sauce. Add the soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of cornstarch, red pepper flakes, and a splash of water to a measuring cup. Stir it together until the honey dissolves into the remaining ingredients. Set it aside for now.
4. Crispy tofu. Start by heating your 3-quart Calphalon Premier​​​​™ Hard-Anodized Nonstick Saute pan over medium-high heat. I love using Calphalon Premier pans because they are 40% longer-lasting and are seriously nonstick (that tofu or that sticky honey sauce isn’t going to stick!) When the pan is hot, add the oil and the tofu in a single layer and cook evenly on all sides for 6-7 minutes. This pan set is a workhorse; you could even use metal utensils and it would still hold up to everyday use! 
5. Stir fry and serve! When the tofu is crispy, toss in the minced garlic and saute it for a quick 15 seconds or until it’s nice and fragrant. Add the broccoli and toss so that it also gets coated in the garlic. Stir and pour in the sauce and watch it bubble and sizzle (but not stick!) to the pan. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or a tiny drizzle of sesame oil and serve over rice.

FAQ’s about this recipe:

1. How would you use chicken instead of tofu? I suggest using boneless, skinless chicken for this recipe. You’ll want to then cut the chicken into small 1-inch pieces. Toss it in the cornstarch mixture the same way and pan-fry until the chicken cooks all the way through; about 7-9 minutes.
2. Can I use other veggies instead of broccoli? You could swap the broccoli for a 50:50 combination of green beans and carrots if you’d like.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Black Pepper Tofu Stir Fry
• Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
• Spicy Peanut Tofu Stir Fry
• 10-Minute Ginger Shrimp Snow Pea Stir Fry
• Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry

Thank you to our friends over at Calphalon for sponsoring today’s post!

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Yield: Serves 4

Crispy Honey Garlic Tofu

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Crispy Spicy Honey Garlic Tofu with broccoli that's better-than-takeout! Cornstarch-coated tofu that's pan-fried, tossed with steamed broccoli, and drizzled in the most delicious honey garlic sauce! So good, you won't believe you made it!

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Ingredients

Stir Fry:

• 1-16 ounce block firm/extra firm tofu
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon EACH: kosher salt AND black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2-3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-12 ounce bag broccoli florets, steamed
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• Prepared rice, for serving

Honey Garlic Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon EACH: apple cider vinegar AND cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use less for less heat)

Instructions

1. TOFU: Remove the tofu from the packaging and press to remove excess moisture with a tofu press or on a plate in-between a kitchen towel with a second plate on top, and cans as weights. Allow the tofu to release moisture for 15-20 minutes before using it in the recipe. Once dry, cube the tofu into 1-inch pieces.
2. TOSS: Add cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a zippable bag, zip, and toss to combine. Add the tofu, zip, and toss until the tofu is coated in the cornstarch mixture.
3. SAUCE: In a measuring cup, stir together the ingredients listed under the sauce section along with 1 tablespoon of water; set aside for now.
4. CRISPY TOFU: Heat a 3 quart nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat the pan. When hot, add the cubed tofu and let fry for 6-7 minutes; flip the tofu as needed to brown all sides evenly.
5. STIR FRY: If the pan is dry, add a drizzle of oil. Sauté the garlic in the oil toss it with the tofu, for 15 seconds. Add the steamed broccoli to the skillet and toss the ingredients together. Stir the sauce, then drizzle it over the tofu and broccoli and toss to combine. Let the sauce thicken for 30-60 seconds before sprinkling with sesame seeds. Serve warm with rice.

Notes

• Chicken instead of tofu: Use boneless, skinless chicken cut into small, 1-inch pieces. Toss it in the cornstarch mixture the same way and pan-fry until the chicken cooks all the way through; about 7-9 minutes.

Have you made this recipe?

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