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    Home » Recipes » Simple Vegan Recipes

    Easy General Tso's Tofu in the Oven or the Air Fryer

    May 26, 2023 by Becky Striepe
    Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Recipe Video Print

    This recipe is sponsored by EZ Tofu Press. All opinions are 100% my own.

    General Tso's Tofu is quick and easy to make in either the oven or the air fryer, and you can pile on the broccoli, unlike when you order delivery.

    overhead photo of General Tso's Tofu on a blue plate with rice and broccoli

    Y'all, I love General Tso's tofu. LOVE. It's my go-to takeout meal, but my big frustration is that restaurants don't seem to understand what I'm saying when I ask for extra broccoli.

    More Easy Tofu Recipes: Twice-Baked BBQ Tofu, The Best Baked Buffalo Tofu Bites

    I'm saying I want my meal to basically be 50% broccoli. I created this recipe for easy General Tso's Tofu, so I could have my favorite meal with the tofu-to-broccoli ratio I prefer.

    glass bowl of General Tso's Sauce with a spoon in it

    Lightened-Up General Tso's Sauce

    Any time you're making a "sticky" sauce, there's going to be sugar involved. I love sweet sauces, but I do try to avoid refined sugar when I can do it without giving up any of the flavor.

    In this recipe, I sweeten the sauce with orange juice and maple syrup instead of white sugar. The result is a sticky-sweet sauce that's refined-sugar free without sacrificing any of the deliciousness.

    Making the sauce takes less than 15 minutes on the stovetop. Just simmer a few ingredients, add a bit of cornstarch, and simmer some more.

    Once your General Tso's Sauce is ready, it's tofu time!

    Making the Tofu

    Making the tofu is easy, too.

    Start by pressing out the excess liquid. Pressing gets the excess liquid out, so your tofu gets that super firm, restaurant-style texture. And the EZ Tofu Press makes it quick and easy while maintaining the shape of your tofu block.

    Pressing Tofu in the EZ Tofu Press

    The EZ Tofu Press gets an average of ½ cup water out of a single block of tofu in 10-15 minutes!

    Press your tofu while the sauce simmers, so it will be ready to cube when you're ready to cook.

    Dice up the tofu into 1" cubes, then toss with cornstarch and bake or air fry. The cornstarch will give your tofu a crispy coating that the sticky General Tso's sauce clings to like a dream!

    While the tofu bakes, start making the rice and broccoli, so everything will be ready at the same time.

    After the first round of tofu cooking, toss the tofu cubes with some of the sauce, and bake or air fry again. After that round of cooking, you're ready to serve!

    spooning sauce onto tofu, broccoli, and rice on a blue plate

    Plate up your tofu with as much (or as little) broccoli as you like, and add a side of rice. Then, drizzle on some of the leftover sauce, and DEVOUR it!

    More tofu recipes

    • Bacon-Wrapped Tofu Appetizer
    • Baked Tofu and Vegetable Skewers
    • Tofu Banh Mi-Inspired Salad with Tofu
    overhead photo of General Tso's Tofu on a blue plate with rice and broccoli

    Easy General Tso's Tofu

    General Tso's Tofu is quick and easy to make in either the oven or the air fryer, and you can pile on the broccoli, unlike when you order delivery.
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Air Fryer, Vegan
    Keyword: general tso's tofu
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 475kcal

    Ingredients

    For the General Tso's Sauce

    • 1 cup orange juice
    • 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce - (or more, if you like things spicier)
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch - dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

    For the Tofu

    • 1 block extra firm tofu - pressed and cubed
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

    For the Bowl

    • 2 cups steamed broccoli
    • 4 cups cooked rice
    • chopped green onion - for garnish

    Instructions

    • If you're baking your tofu, preheat the oven to 400F.

    Make the General Tso's Sauce

    • Combine all of the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch mixture in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Add the cornstarch mixture and continue to simmer, stirring, until the cornstarch completely dissolves and the sauce reduces and becomes syrupy. Set the sauce aside.

    Make the Tofu in the Oven

    • In a large bowl, combine the tofu with the second tablespoon of cornstarch, and toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave the oven on.
    • Transfer the tofu to a bowl, and toss it with ¼ cup of the General Tso's Sauce. Transfer it back to the same lined baking sheet, and bake at 400F for 10 more minutes. Now you can turn off the oven.
    • Serve with the broccoli and rice, topped with extra sauce and green onions.

    OR! Make it in the Air Fryer

    • In a large bowl, combine the tofu with the second tablespoon of cornstarch, and toss to coat. Air fry at 370F for 15 minutes, shaking after 8 minutes to prevent sticking.
    • Toss the cooked tofu with ¼ cup of the General Tso's Sauce, and air fry again. This time, at 350F for 5 minutes, shaking once to prevent sticking.
    • Serve with the broccoli and rice, topped with extra sauce and green onions.

    Video

    Notes

    Estimated cooking time is for the air fryer. The cooking time increases from 30 minutes to 55 minutes, if you use the oven.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Easy General Tso's Tofu
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    475
    % Daily Value*
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Becky Striepe

    Headshot of Becky Striepe in front of a teal wall

    Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe (rhymes with sleepy), and I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here.

    Learn more about me >>>

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Liza

      February 13, 2022 at 12:12 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is perfect. Total comfort food for me, tastes exactly like the takeout of my youth. Thank you! :)

      Reply
    2. Tamara

      July 01, 2020 at 12:10 am

      5 stars
      Loved it. My air fryer arrived after dinnertime so I made this in the oven and it was great.

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        July 01, 2020 at 8:12 am

        Oh yay! I can't wait for you to make it again with the air fryer. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and rating, Tamara!

        Reply
    3. Tamara Packer

      June 25, 2020 at 5:38 pm

      I don't see the General Tso's Recipe, just your bio on top. Help! :)

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        June 26, 2020 at 9:08 am

        Can you try disabling your ad blocker? I've been seeing that happen recently with certain ad blocking software.

        Reply
        • Tamara Packer

          June 27, 2020 at 12:30 am

          Yes! Removing the ad blocker fixed the problem. Thank you! I can't wait to try this recipe!

          Reply
          • Becky Striepe

            June 28, 2020 at 4:31 pm

            Awesome! I've talked to the company who manages the recipe card about this, and we have no idea why ad blockers are seeing the recipe as an ad! They're working on it, though.

            Reply

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    About Me

    photo of Becky Striepe
    Hi! My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”). I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here. → READ MORE

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