There's not much I can say about this honey soy tofu, other than wow. This is undoubtedly the best tofu recipe I have ever made, ever. In fact, I'd go so far to say it's the best tofu I've ever eaten anywhere - whether at a restaurant or at home.
Huh, I guess I kind of just said that this recipe is better than Chinese food cooked by actual Chinese people.
Maybe I'm stretching here...
But either way, it was bloomin' delicious. I actually cooked it again about two days later because I was still dreaming about it.
Far from being the squishy, tasteless tofu that I'm sure we've all had at one point or another, this honey soy tofu is crispy, it's chewy, it's salty and sweet, it's sticky... it's all good things in one.
The trick is to fry the tofu until it's nice and crispy before adding your sauce. You want it golden brown all over. If I'm entirely honest, I barely even pressed the tofu beforehand on this occasion (purely out of laziness). I gave it a quick squeeze between two layers of towel, but I didn't leave it sat under heavy objects for half an hour like I usually do. It turned out just as good the lazy way, so maybe the whole 'pressing tofu' thing is just a con. Who knows. I'm very glad about it though, since it means I can shave half an hour off all my tofu recipes!
Once you've got beautifully crispy tofu, add the simple honey soy sauce, and let it bubble away for a bit to get nice and sticky. If you need your tofu to be vegan, just use a vegan alternative to the honey - the second time I made this, I used coconut nectar, which worked beautifully.
Then just serve it up! I topped it with some fresh coriander and chopped cashews, alongside some egg fried rice and stir-fried veggies - but you can serve it however you like.
However you serve your honey soy tofu, please just make sure you try it - you won't regret it!
📖 Printable Recipe
Honey soy tofu
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 200 g extra firm tofu (one thick slice measuring ~ 4 x 5 inches)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey (or vegan alternative)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- Black pepper
- Fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve
- Cashew nuts, chopped, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Drain the tofu, and squeeze it between two towels to remove any excess water. Cut it into 1cm dice.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the diced tofu. Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is golden brown and crispy all over.
- Meanwhile, in a small jug, combine the soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic and five spice, along with a good pinch of black pepper. Mix well.
- When the tofu is crispy, pour over the sauce, and mix to combine. Allow the mixture to bubble a little, until it has reduced by half, and is thick and sticky.
- Serve the honey soy tofu topped with fresh coriander and chopped cashew nuts.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.
Here's another yummy tofu dish I've shared recently - red Thai satay tofu (a cross between a Thai curry sauce and a peanutty satay!)
Daina says
Good flavors but way super salty.
Alisha says
It was a great recipe! I personally halved the soy and increased the honey by 1/2 tsp and it was a perfect flavour! I would recommend reducing the soy because 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce may get too overpowering for some people.
Thanks for the recipe!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Alisha! :)
Silvana says
So I made the soy and honey tofu according to your recipe and was very disappounted. Way too much soy sauce ! Did not like the taste one bit . Even the store bought honey & soy sauce tastes better than this.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
That's a shame! Perhaps your soy sauce was thicker or richer than mine. Next time I'd add more honey or a splash of water to dilute it a bit, rather than just continuing as written. Recipes are always up for interpretation :)
Jane Cohen says
Delicious. Even my sceptical meat eating husband enjoyed this
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much, that's great to hear! :)
Kirsty says
This was my first time cooking tofu. My hubby wants to be healthier so I cooked this and it was amazing. We both loved it. Really really pleased and I will definitely be cooking this again. Thank you
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Kirsty, that's so lovely to hear :)
Abby says
Hi Becca, can’t wait to try this-I have all the ingredients so I’m all set-but where’s your recipe for egg fried rice?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Abby, hope you enjoy it! :) The rice in these photos wasn't actually homemade, but there is an egg fried rice recipe in this post: https://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/teriyaki-mushroom-egg-fried-rice-bowls/
Kathy says
This was really very good! Hubby and I are trying to eat more vegetarian dishes and I've never had a lot if luck with tofu until now! We paired this still sauteed seasoned Napa cabbage.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Yay! Great to hear you had some tofu success, thanks for the feedback :)
yasi says
made this tonight, was so delish! Thanks :)
Andrew says
Really lovely, I think I added a bit too much spice (my own concoction of anise, fennel, cinnamon . . . I didn't have any cloves). Is this recipe really meant for only 200 g? I might try it with a full pack (500 g).
Thanks!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I only used 200g but you could definitely double the batch if you like it! :)
Laura says
This is absolutely the bomb! I loved it and so did my hubby. I am really enticed by your stir fry veggies. They look so good. Could you please share what is in them and how you cooked them? They look perfect.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Laura! For the veggies I think I just used a bag of stir fry veggie mix - peppers, leeks, cabbage, beansprouts, etc. Then just fried them off. Super simple :)