This Vegan Orange Tofu recipe is a vegan adaptation of the classic Chinese Orange Chicken. It’s made with crispy baked tofu pieces coated in a sweet, sticky, spiced orange sauce and served with jasmine rice. This dish brings your favorite takeaway home with a healthier twist!
I love making vegan-friendly versions of classic lunches and dinners, like my Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger, Szechuan Tofu, Tofu Scramble, or Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower. Tofu is such a great ingredient that can be used for both savory dishes like this or make delicious sweet treats like my Tofu Mousse.
Orange tofu is a Chinese-style vegan meal made of breaded firm tofu baked in the oven and coated in a sweet, sticky spiced orange sauce. It’s a plant-based version of the classic Chinese orange chicken recipe, also healthier as the authentic recipe deep fry the proteins.
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Vegan Orange Tofu
Ingredients
Tofu marinade
- 2 blocks Firm Tofu - 14 oz, 400g each
- 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 tablespoons Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 3 tablespoons Orange Zest - from 1 orange
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Orange sauce
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 3 Garlic Cloves - crushed or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger - or 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- ⅓ cup Soft Brown Sugar - up to 1/2 cup if you love it very sweet
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons Cold Water
To serve – per plate
- 1 ½ cup Quinoa
- 2 tablespoons Scallions - finely chopped
- 1 pinch Chili Flakes
Instructions
Prepare the tofu
- Wrap the tofu block with absorbent paper and place it between two chopping boards, adding a few books on top of the top board to add pressure. Set aside 30 minutes to release all the tofu moisture.
Marinate tofu
- Cut the tofu block into cubes of (about 0.4 inches/1cm) or roughly pull apart the tofu to create irregular pieces of tofu – this mimics chicken texture the best!
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients: olive oil, cornstarch, garlic powder, orange zest, and salt.
- Add the tofu chunks into the marinade and combine with a spoon.
- Lay the tofu pieces onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, make sure the tofu pieces don't touch each other or overlap.
- Bake on the center rack for 20-30 minutes, flipping them halfway. Meanwhile, prepare the curry sauce.
Orange sauce
- Heat a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Over medium heat, melt coconut oil, then stir in garlic, ginger, and cook over low heat to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook until fragrant for about 1 minute.
- Add orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Bring to a light simmer, occasionally stirring, until the sugar dissolves – about 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk water and cornstarch in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry into the hot orange sauce and keep simmering, occasionally stirring, until the sauce thickens – about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Toss the crispy hot tofu in the sauce until coated.
- Serve over cooked jasmine rice and garnish with scallions pieces or chili flakes to add a spicy touch.
Storage
- Store in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need are a few ingredients and a bit of patience to prepare the tofu and bake it.
- Firm Tofu Block – firm tofu is a must for this recipe, or the tofu will crumble apart in the dish.
- Cornstarch – or corn flour.
- Olive Oil or sesame oil or any oil you have on hand.
- Garlic Powder – Or fresh crushed garlic.
- Orange Zest – Gather the orange peel of the orange you use for the orange sauce and chop finely. This is optional but delicious.
The ingredients you need to make the orange tofu sauce are:
- Coconut Oil or Sesame Oil – I love sesame oil because it brings delicious flavors.
- Fresh Orange Juice – freshly squeezed is the best.
- Garlic – fresh or ground.
- Ginger – fresh or ground.
- Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar.
- Soy Sauce or tamari sauce if you need a gluten-free option.
- Brown Sugar – You can adjust the amount of sugar based on your palate. Start with 1/3 cup and increase by 2 tablespoons for a sweeter sauce.
- Cornstarch – To create a thicker sauce.
How To Make Orange Tofu (in Pictures)
Serving Suggestions
This easy orange tofu recipe is delicious with a side of:
- White rice like basmati rice or jasmine rice.
- Brown rice for more fiber.
- Quinoa for a boost of plant-based protein and fiber.
- Cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- Steamed broccoli – orange tofu and broccoli match well together! You can even stir the steamed broccoli in the sauce and serve on rice.
Also, add some of these flavorings on top of the tofu before serving:
- Finely chopped scallions,
- Roasted sesame seeds
- A pinch of chili flakes
More Vegan Meal Recipes
If you love cooking easy vegan meals, I have plenty more delicious recipes for you to try. Below I listed our favorite comforting vegan dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.
Hi! Can I use olive oil or vegan butter instead of coconut oil?
Yes, you can. The most flavorsome alternative is sesame oil.
Can you use something instead of soya sauce as me and my two very young children are allergic to soya.
If wheat is the problem, you can use Tamari sauce – it’s gluten-free.
Otherwise, you can try just adding a touch of salt.
I really loved this tofu recipe, but it didn’t give me that classic “orange chicken” taste or texture. Next time I’ll add more sugar and add something spicy. I served it with steamed broccoli and carrots and loved the pairing. I’m not sure where I went wrong but my tofu didn’t get very crispy even after 30 minutes in the oven at 400F after drying for 1 hr … next time I might experiment with the air fryer, a higher temp, or more cornstarch… any advice? Thanks for the recipe!
You can increase the oven temp to 420F, or turn to convection mode, which is similar to air frying tofu. I don’t think you need more cornstarch tho, it’s more the temperature that make it crisp. Also make sure your tofu is well drained if too moist it won’t crisp either. For spiciness, try a touch of sriracha or chili oil !
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Can u substitute the rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar ?
Absolutely, rice vinegar is a bit sweeter so maybe you need to add a touch of sugar to balance the flavor
I just saw this! This answers the question I just posted! I will make this tomorrow and let you know how it goes.
Texture is perfect, I used one block and it worked fine. I did reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup.
How long can I keep the tofu in the marinade? Can I marinade for like an hour or two ahead of time?
I am sure you can marinade up to 3 hours, store in the fridge in a sealed container
Excellent recipe. The only thing I changed was halving the tofu. One brick was perfect for me for the amount of sauce called for.
Hello, Made this today and it was great but I noticed in the ingredients list you state ¼ cup White Vinegar and once I was making the sauce I then noticed you asked for rice vinegar. Since I already had the white vinegar out I just rolled with it and added a touch of white sugar. Just wanted to know which it is best to use in your recipe. Thanks April
Oh thanks for spotting my mistake, I do prefer rice vinegar here.
Hello, can we substitute the sugar for maple syrup and still have the same taste and flavor?
It should work but yes, maple syrup may add a strong flavor.
Maple syrup may add a strong DELICIOUS flavor lol