I haven’t made tofu in a while but I can tell you one thing, I’m going to be making this Honey Sriracha Tofu recipe a lot from here on out. These tasty little honey sriracha tofu cubes are pan-fried until crispy on the outside and then drenched in a sweet and spicy sriracha glaze. It’s simple but so addictively good! They’re so delicious that I sat there eating the tofu right out of the pan, nearly polishing off the entire batch myself. 😬 Realistically, you’ll probably want to stretch this out to about four servings as part of a full meal, and I’ve got some great ideas for that below. 😉
Ingredients for Honey Sriracha Tofu
This super simple tofu recipe only requires a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this truly delicious honey sriracha tofu:
- Tofu: Look for firm or extra firm tofu. The extra firm works a little better, but if all you have available is firm, you can simply press it for a little longer to get the extra-firm texture.
- Sriracha: Sriracha is a one-stop shop for flavor. It adds heat, acidity, and salt to the glaze.
- Honey: The sweetness of the honey perfectly compliments the spicy heat of the sriracha.
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce adds saltiness and a little bit of umami flavor to the glaze.
- Crushed Red Pepper: For even more pops of spicy heat, we added a little crushed red pepper.
- Cooking Oil: The tofu is pan fried in a small amount of cooking oil, as opposed to deep frying in a large quantity of oil. This keeps it budget-friendly and easy while still creating a crisp texture.
- Cornstarch: Coating the tofu in cornstarch helps create a deliciously crispy layer on the surface of the tofu.
- Green Onions: A few sliced green onions provide the perfect fresh pop of flavor on top of the sweet and spicy glaze.
Can I Substitute the Sriracha?
Sriracha is the main flavor in this recipe and it provides several flavor elements to the sauce like heat, acidity, garlic, and salt. You could potentially substitute it with another chili sauce, like chili garlic sauce, sambal oelek, or maybe even gochujang. But if you’re looking for a non-spicy option, it will take several ingredients to replace all the flavors contained in the sriracha. I suggest using this recipe for Pan Fried Sesame Tofu as a non-spicy alternative.
Make it Vegan
To make this honey sriracha tofu vegan you only need to swap one ingredient—honey. Substitute the honey with either brown sugar or agave nectar. Brown sugar is my top choice because I love the deep flavors that the molasses in the brown sugar provides.
Tips for The Best Tofu
If you’re new to cooking with tofu, here are a few simple tips and tricks to make sure your tofu has the best flavor and texture:
- Press the tofu well. This removes the excess water which helps it crisp up and gives it a more firm texture and better mouthfeel. If there is too much water in the tofu the cornstarch coating will not crisp up as readily.
- Freeze your tofu. Freezing and then thawing tofu changes the texture, giving it a more meaty feeling and allowing water to be more easily pressed out. So, if you remember, freeze the tofu ahead of time and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for a day before making your recipe. I freeze it right in the package it comes in.
- Use non-stick cookware. Tofu can stick easily to other cookware and, because it’s fairly soft, it can tend to crumble. Using enough oil, a higher heat, and a non-stick surface will help the tofu fry up nice and crispy without sticking.
- Don’t stir too often. Stirring the tofu too often will prevent it from forming a crispy brown exterior. Let it cook until golden brown and crispy on the bottom before flipping.
How to Serve Honey Sriracha Tofu
Do as I say and don’t do as I do (almost eat the entire batch straight out of the skillet). Use this honey sriracha tofu to top salads, like Crunchy Cabbage Salad or Cold Peanut Noodle Salad. Make it into a bowl meal with rice (or coconut rice) and cooling cucumbers (as pictured) and maybe some Peanut Lime Dressing. Or add it to some noodles like these Sesame Noodles with Wilted Greens or Garlic Noodles. You could even stuff it into a big tortilla with Crunchy Cabbage Salad and make it a wrap!
Honey Sriracha Tofu
Servings 4Ingredients
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu ($1.79)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp honey ($0.24)
- 2 tsp soy sauce, divided ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.03)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.22)
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 30 minutes to remove the excess moisture. You can do this by either using a tofu press, or placing the block of tofu on a rimmed plate or tray, then topping with something flat like a cutting board and placing a heavy object on top (cast iron skillet or pot of water). After pressing for 30 minutes, pour off the extra liquid.
- While the tofu is pressing, make the honey sriracha sauce. In a small bowl, combine the sriracha, honey, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and the crushed red pepper. Set the sauce aside.
- Cut the pressed tofu into ½-inch cubes. Use a paper towel to lightly pat dry the tofu cubes.
- Add the cooking oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce to a large bowl. Lightly whisk the soy sauce into the oil. Add the cubed tofu and gently stir until the tofu is coated in oil and soy sauce.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon cornstarch over the cubed tofu and gently stir. Repeat two more times, or until 3 teaspoon (1 Tablespoon) cornstarch has been added to the tofu.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium. When the skillet is hot, add the prepared tofu. The tofu will fry in the oil that is coating the cubes. Cook the tofu, stirring only occasionally, until it is brown and crispy on all sides (about 10 minutes).
- Pour the honey sriracha sauce over the tofu and continue to stir and cook for 1-2 more minutes, or until the glaze is thick and sticky.
- Top the honey sriracha tofu with sliced green onions and serve.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Honey Sriracha Tofu – Step by Step Photos
Drain one 14oz. block of firm or extra-firm tofu. Press the tofu for 30 minutes using either a tofu press, or a homemade press like in the photo above. To make the homemade press, place the block of tofu on a plate or rimmed baking sheet, then top with a cutting board and a heavy object, like a cast-iron skillet or pot of water.
While the tofu is pressing, prepare the honey sriracha sauce. Stir together 2 Tablespoons sriracha, 2 Tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper.
You can see how much more liquid came out of the block of tofu after pressing for 30 minutes. Pour off the excess liquid.
Cut the block of tofu into ½-inch cubes and lightly pat dry with a paper towel.
Add 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil and one teaspoon soy sauce to a large bowl. Whisk until they are somewhat combined, then add the cubed tofu and gently stir until the tofu is coated.
Add one teaspoon cornstarch to the bowl with the tofu and gently stir again. Repeat two more times until you’ve added 3 teaspoons (or one tablespoon) cornstarch and the tofu is coated.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is very hot, add the tofu. The tofu is coated in oil, so there is no need to add extra oil to the skillet. Cook the tofu, stirring occasionally, until it is golden brown and crispy on all sides.
Pour the prepared honey sriracha sauce over the tofu.
Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes more or until the sauce is thick and sticky. Top with sliced green onions and serve!
Can this be made in the oven?
I’m not sure without testing it. You definitely need some direct heat to reduce the sauce, though.
What’s the serving size? How many pieces of tofu?
The number of pieces just depends on the size that you end up cutting your tofu pieces, it probably won’t be the same every time. I estimated one serving to be one quarter of the total recipe, but again, that will vary depending on your appetite. :)
Could one just eat most of the tofu by oneself 🤪🤣😋
I know I did! 😅
My daughter is vegetarian so when I was browsing your tofu recipes and came across this and knowing I had all the ingredients already I had to make it. It is REALLY GOOD!!! I love your recipes. Thank you for all you do!
I’ve made this a couple of times and the technique for getting crispy tofu is great! Just be sure not to stir too early (like I did the first time) or the tofu won’t have browned and will just stick to the pan. I gave mine a solid 4 minutes on the first side to crisp up and that works best.
I’ll also note that the sauce is flexible as long as you balance sweet+oil+hot sauce. I’ve had to swap a couple of times based on my pantry: maple syrup for honey and gochujang for sriracha. Both worked well although I’d recommend only doing 1.5 tbsp of the maple syrup..
Thanks, Beth! Delicious.
Made this for dinner tonight and will definitely be putting it in a regular rotation. So easy and really delicious!
LOVE it!! Yes, it was spicy, but I was craving something hot and this fit the bill. I would definitely cut the sriracha and chili flakes if I were to make this for my non-spice loving family members. I’ve made this twice before. Once with your garlic noodles (which I probably could have eaten the entire batch by itself, it was so good) and once with white rice. I found it paired best with a plain rice, the garlic noodles were overpowered by the heat of the honey sriracha but with plain rice it was perfect!! Also definitely don’t skimp on the corn starch! Thank you for sharing this!
Very good recipe! Just painfully too spicy for me. I will not add the chili flakes next time but do you have any recommendations for cutting the spice even more than that? Thanks :)
The only other option is to reduce the sriracha. :)
Great recipe. This was my first time cooking with tofu. I used extra firm. Came out great. I found that equal parts Sriracha and Honey was too spicy so I ended up using more honey.
I made this tonight. Spicy! but delicious. The whole family liked it. I left out the crushed red pepper because I’ve been cooking from Budget Bytes long enough to know Beth likes it SPICY. ;-) I wish I had cooked the tofu a little longer and moved it around in the pan more. Not all the cubes got brown and crispy on all sides. I was afraid to stir too much and break them up. Next time I’ll make sure they’re all browned. I served it with plain brown rice and stir fried bok choy, peppers and mushrooms.
This has become my favorite tofu recipe. Perfect as written, I wouldn’t change a thing!!!
Loved the flavors in the sauce. Pan frying the tofu didn’t work out for me. Hit mess. We ordered pizza. Tomorrow’s another day…
This is REAL spicy but delicious. I like the method of adding the oil to the tofu first, so it doesn’t get sucked up too quickly by the first side in the pan. I served with cucumber and rice just like the photos, the cucumber was a nice cool compliment!
I substituted one tablespoon of miso and a sprinkle of garlic powder for one of the tablespoons of sriracha and it was the perfect heat level for me! Just enough to be intriguingly warm but not ‘spicy’. The cooking method for the tofu worked perfectly and I suspect there’s more tofu in my future as well!
Is 2 tbsp of sriracha correct? I found this so spicy as to be basically inedible.
Yes, that is how much I used. Your taste buds must just be much more sensitive to heat than mine. :)
This is Best recipe For Low Budget Thanks!