This Vegan Orange Tofu Recipe is my take on a vegan version of Panda Express orange chicken! It’s so flavorful and perfect for a kid friendly weeknight dinner!
Remember that Healthy Orange Sauce Recipe I posted a few days ago? Well, we are putting it to use today! I combined it with my Crispy Tofu Recipe and am excited to share this Vegan Orange Tofu with you today!
When I was in college I’m embarrassed to admit how much orange chicken I consumed from Panda Express. But, now that I’m older, not eating meat and trying to eat healthier I decided to make a vegetarian version! It turned out great so I hope you enjoy it too 🙂
There Are Two Parts To This Vegan Orange Tofu Recipe
First you make the crispy tofu. I’ve been obsessed with this crispy tofu recipe ever since I started make it a few months ago. It’s really easy to make and you will be surprised at how crispy your tofu gets just by baking it in the oven. I usually use arrowroot powder when making my tofu since that’s what I have on hand, but I’ve read that if you’re mixing your crispy tofu with a sauce, it’s best to use cornstarch because it will make the tofu not feel slimy once combined.
The second part is making your orange sauce. You just combine all the sauce ingredients together and then thicken it up in a pan over medium heat. Once sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, you can add your crispy tofu and mix together. You just need to mix it until tofu is heated through, which shouldn’t be too long if you’ve just taken it out of the oven.
I enjoyed my vegan orange tofu on top of some white rice, but you could also use cauliflower rice, brown rice, quinoa or any other grain you like. I also added some sesame seeds and green onion.
This orange tofu recipe is great for a weeknight meal or you can use it for meal prep like I did with this recipe. It’s also super kid friendly! My son loves oranges and tofu so he is always excited when I make this for dinner.
Recipe Tips for Vegan Orange Tofu
- If you don’t want to take the time to crisp the tofu in the oven you can always just cook it in a pan instead. If doing this, you can add the orange sauce to the pan once tofu is almost finished cooking.
- If you don’t like tofu, you could sub tempeh or chickpeas.
- The tofu doesn’t stay super crispy as leftovers but I think it has a nice chew to it and I still enjoy it the next day. It’s best if you can heat it back up.
Vegan Orange Tofu
Prep Time: 15 mins- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner, Vegan
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Asian
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This Vegan Orange Tofu is perfect for an exciting weeknight dinner that is so easy to make!
Ingredients
CRISPY TOFU:
- 1 (14 oz) container extra firm tofu, patted dry and pressed for at least 15 minutes
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, or your favorite oil
- 1 teaspoon tamari, or soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot or corn starch
- Orange Sauce
- 1/2 cup orange juice, I like to use fresh squeezed
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Instructions
- re-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Â In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, tamari, garlic powder, maple syrup and vinegar.
- Cut the pressed tofu into bite sized pieces and place in the oil mixture.  Use a spoon or spatula to stir the tofu and make sure it’s completely coated.  Next, sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of the arrowroot powder and mix well until all the tofu is coated.  Then, sprinkle on the remaining teaspoon of arrowroot powder and give a gentle mix just until you can’t see the dry white powder anymore.
- Line a large baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper. Â Pour the tofu and and arrange it so that none of the pieces are touching each other. Â Bake tofu for about 25-30 minutes, until golden and crispy, stirring 2-3 times during the baking. Â Let tofu sit for a few minutes to crisp up even more.
- Add all orange sauce ingredients to a jar or bowl and whisk until combined. Â Heat a large skillet over medium heat and pour in orange sauce. Â Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Â Add crispy tofu and mix together. Â Enjoy over rice, if desired.
Ali says
July 25, 2019 at 4:07 pmMade this with both tofu and chickpeas, and doubled the sauce. Added some grated orange peel to it to give it even more orange flavour. It’s great! Thanks for the recipe!!
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Barb Hay says
July 26, 2019 at 6:56 pmHad this for dinner this evening, very good and very easy to make. I’m not a big tofu eater but liked the idea of making it crispy. At this with cauliflower rice as I cannot swallow regular rice. First time trying the cauliflower rice and it worked out well also. All in all a very satisfying meal.
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Barb Hay says
July 26, 2019 at 6:56 pmHad this for dinner this evening, very good and very easy to make. I’m not a big tofu eater but liked the idea of making it crispy. At this with cauliflower rice as I cannot swallow regular rice. First time trying the cauliflower rice and it worked out well also. All in all a very satisfying meal.
★★★★★
She Likes Food says
August 1, 2019 at 1:11 pmI’m so glad you hear you enjoyed it!
Bette says
September 8, 2019 at 1:08 pmFYI the ingredient list shows corn starch, but the instructions say arrowroot powder.
She Likes Food says
September 10, 2019 at 6:37 pmoops, thanks! I’ll fix it 🙂
kinsey van druten says
September 16, 2019 at 2:25 pmIs the calorie count per serving accurate? That seems like a ton for those ingredents!!
She Likes Food says
September 17, 2019 at 3:15 pmHmmm, that does seem like a ton! I just started using a new nutrition calculator so I will double check and let you know!
Suzy says
October 7, 2019 at 2:13 pmWhere is the recipe for the orange sauce?
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She Likes Food says
October 16, 2019 at 11:06 pmSorry about that, just fixed it!
Vincent Peluso says
October 11, 2019 at 1:47 amI was not able to find the sauce ingredients in the recipe. It appears that you posted the crispy tufu ingredients twice. Not sure if you were aware of this or not. The tofu turned out great regardless. Thanks for sharing the love!
She Likes Food says
October 16, 2019 at 11:04 pmThanks for letting me know! Not sure what happened but it’s fixed now and sauce ingredients are on there. Sorry about that!
Aleyshia Dent says
February 25, 2020 at 12:51 pmOH MY GOSH! I came across this and it looked AMAZING, so as a vegan and a massive Asian style food-lover, I had to try this! I doubled the sauce and added fresh orange at the end, as well as tossing steamed broccoli through with the tofu. Had it with my husband, and this satisfied a pregnancy craving as soon as I had the first mouthful. Best over white rice! I will definitely make this for friends and family, and I love that it is so versatile and can be easily adapted! Woohoo! Big win for me! Thanks for sharing this recipe 😄😄😄
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She Likes Food says
February 28, 2020 at 1:09 pmThat’s awesome!! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Lori says
April 23, 2020 at 8:30 amFirst time commenting on your site! I have made this recipe several times recently – I double the sauce and do one block tofu, one head cauli or broccoli to feed my three teenagers and two adults. So good! Also, many of your Mexican recipes are in regular rotation. Love your site. Thanks for cheering us up during this difficult time.
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