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This vegetarian recipe calls for crispy pan-fried tofu coated in a savory teriyaki sauce. Add some rice and vegetables, and you have a satisfying weeknight meal. This tofu teriyaki recipe is so delicious and easy, you’ll want to double the recipe to have some for lunch the next day. It’s so addicting!
Tofu is truly underrated. Sure, it’s popular amongst vegetarians as a meat substitute, but you can be a carnivore and still enjoy tofu. There are so many wonderful Asian dishes with tofu ranging from savory to sweet. You can stir it in soups, make tofu crumbles, eat it warm, eat it cold, deep-fry, pan-fry, bake…damn, tofu is there anything you can’t do??
For this tofu teriyaki recipe, I’ll show you how to pan-fry tofu so you’ll get a wonderfully crispy texture that pairs wonderfully with the savory and slightly sticky sauce. It’s such a wonderful combination of textures and flavors. I’m telling you, consider making a double batch of this stuff because it’s THAT good.
How To Fry Tofu
The key to getting this tofu crispy on the outside but soft on the inside is coating the tofu pieces in corn starch. I’ve tried tofu without any flour and regular all-purpose flour, and the corn starch wins for sure. As a bonus, coating the tofu helps keep it from splattering oil everywhere and making a mess all over your stove. Without any coating, the tofu gets hard and crunchy and not crispy and light. Pressing the tofu of any excess water beforehand also helps crisp up the tofu and aids the oil splatter factor. However, if you buy extra-firm tofu you can get away with skipping this step, but you might need to cook the tofu longer in order to get it crispy.
I choose to pan-fry this tofu instead of deep-frying it mostly because I don’t like wasting a lot of oil. You get great results either way, so if deep frying is your thing then do you, boo.
The Teriyaki Sauce
Sometimes you might have all the ingredients for something, know it’s super easy to make, and still use a store-bought bottled version. You just don’t feel like breaking out all the ingredients to make something from scratch sometimes, you know? And if that’s something you do, I’m not here to judge. I eat shredded cheese straight from the bag, who am I to judge you? So if you decide to use a premade teriyaki sauce here, I won’t tell anyone. However, what I do recommend is still adding the garlic and green onions if you do use a bottled sauce as the flavor from the fresh ingredients is worth the extra bit of work.
If you decide to make the teriyaki sauce homemade, be sure to watch the sauce carefully when you simmer and reduce. The corn starch will thicken it nicely, but it can go from thick to gloopy REAL quick. If this happens, just add some more water, and it will thin out again.
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Fried Tofu with Teriyaki Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 14 ounces firm tofu
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Take the tofu out of the package and drain excess water. Place the tofu between two plates and top with something heavy (I used a cast iron pan). Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Do this step near a sink so you don't spill water everywhere when you drain the tofu. Learn from my mistake.
- Prepare the teriyaki sauce. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and mirin. In another bowl, combine the water and corn starch. Set aside.
- Remove the plate from the tofu and drain any water that has pressed out. Cut the tofu into about one inch cubes.
- In a plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup of corn starch with the cubes of tofu. Close the top and shake the bag so the tofu is coated. Take out pieces of tofu and tap off any excess starch.
- In a pan, heat up frying oil over medium heat. Place the tofu into pan, making sure tofu pieces do not touch.
- Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. When the tofu pieces are fried, remove and turn heat to low.
- In the pan, toss in green onions and garlic. Fry for 30-60 seconds, making sure not to burn the garlic.
- Pour in the reserved teriyaki sauce. Let it simmer and reduce for 60 seconds. Add in the cornstarch mixture and simmer until desired thickness. If the sauce gets too thick, just add more water.
- Turn off the heat and add the fried tofu. Toss to coat in sauce. Plate and enjoy!
Notes
- This can be an appetizer or a main dish if you add rice and vegetables.
- The tofu makes great leftovers as the tofu really gets marinated by the sauce. It won’t taste as crispy the next day, but it’s still delicious!
I should not have looked at this while I am so hungry! Now I’m starving. Can’t wait to try this.
Ah, thank you, please let me know if you do!
Both my kids love Teriyaki. I will have to try this out for a dinner idea. Crispy tofu sounds delicous.
Yes, it’s very popular in my house, we can’t get enough!
This looks really yummy and healthy! I love to try new tofu recipes and I’m really happy I came across this blog. Thank you for sharing this x
Thank you for checking out my blog!
Damn, this looks so yummy. Love tofu and love teriyaki sauce so definitely would love to try this recipe
It’s super satisfying!