Crispy Hoisin Tofu
Posted Jul 11, 2016, Updated Jul 15, 2024
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This crispy hoisin tofu is a quick & easy protein source! Tofu is stir-fried in hoisin sauce making a flavorful dish with the perfect texture!
This crispy hoisin tofu is a quick and easy, high-protein meal that my entire family loves!
Seriously, everyone from my meat-and-potatoes husband to my sweet baby girl, loves this crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, hoisin sauce-crusted tofu.
Texture is everything to me which is why this tofu is one of my favorites. This tofu is perfectly crispy on all sides and crusted with the most delicious combination of spices and hoisin sauce. Serve it with your favorite stir-fried veggies and fried rice for a delicious dinner.
Crispy Hoisin Tofu: Ingredients & Substitutions
As always I recommend making this recipe exactly as written. But here are a few possible substitutions.
- Extra Firm Tofu: Choose your preferred firmness, just don’t use silken tofu.
- Spices: you can adjust these to suit your tastes.
- Peanut Oil: If you do not have peanut oil or have a peanut allergy in your family, you can substitute another mild-flavored oil (olive, avocado, canola, etc.), or additional sesame oil.
- Hoisin Sauce: Check labels to make sure your hoisin sauce is gluten free if necessary.
How to Make Hoisin Tofu
Let’s walk through how to make crispy hoisin tofu, and don’t forget to watch the video.
First, cut the tofu into ½” cubes.
Then, combine the spices in a small bowl.
Next, cook the tofu in a mixture of peanut & sesame oil until it’s golden brown on one side.
Once the tofu is sufficiently browned on one side, add the seasonings and cook some more, stirring to ensure it is evenly browned.
Then, add the hoisin sauce and cook until it’s nicely crusted and crunchy on the outside.
The sauce caramelizes and leaves you with sweet and salty, richly flavored, crispy bites of tofu that you will love so much you won’t want to share.
How to Keep it Crispy
Before you begin cooking the tofu, turn set your oven on to warm. Once the crispy tofu has finished cooking, transfer it to an oven-safe dish and put in the oven while you cook up your veggies.
Serve
This tofu is best when served with your favorite Asian recipes like stir fry vegetables, vegetable lo mein, fried rice, etc. and noodles or rice.
However, I recommend that you serve it separately (i.e. do not add it to the veggies you are stir-frying) to preserve the crispiness.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover tofu with hoisin sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop for the best texture and flavor.
Hoisin Tofu Recipe FAQs
It’s possible you didn’t let it brown long enough before adding the spices and sauce. Make usre it is golden brown.
Tofu is great when eaten in moderation. It’s a great vegetarian protein source.
It depends on which hoisin sauce you use however the key ingredient is fermented soybean paste.
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Crispy Hoisin Tofu
Ingredients
- 14 ounces extra-firm tofu (drained)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Place your tofu in a fine-mesh strainer or colander and rinse. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together garlic powder, powdered ginger, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cut the tofu into ½” cubes.
- Add peanut oil and sesame oil to a non-stick frying pan and heat over medium heat.
- Add cubed tofu pieces to the pan and stir to coat with oil.
- Cook tofu for 5 minutes or until browned on one side.
- Sprinkle with your seasoning mix and stir until coated.
- Continue cooking until all sides are light-medium brown. (about 10-15 minutes)
- Evenly pour hoisin sauce onto the browned tofu pieces and stir until all your cubes are evenly coated with sauce.
- Cook for 5 more minutes, or until the tofu becomes dark brown and crispy.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately over stir-fried veggies or your favorite rice/noodles!
Video
Notes
- Extra Firm Tofu: Choose your preferred firmness, just don’t use silken tofu.
- Spices: you can adjust these to suit your tastes.
- Peanut Oil: If you do not have peanut oil or have a peanut allergy in your family, you can substitute another mild-flavored oil (olive, avocado, canola, etc.), or additional sesame oil.
- Hoisin Sauce: Check labels to make sure your hoisin sauce is gluten free if necessary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious and so easy to make.
Really tasty and easy to make. Thanks!
Smelled, looked and tasted great! I had to turn up the pan to medium-high, to get it to really brown. My family of four gobbled it up.
Im making this and trying tofu for the first time. I love that its vegan as I’m trying to incorporate more veggies in my life. Pairing with stir fry veggies and jasmine rice. Thanks for sharing.
I can’t find gluten free Hoisin sauce. What brand are you using? All of the ones I’ve seen have wheat or a wheat product listed in the ingredients.
I recommend this one! https://amzn.to/2M5BnQ5
Is this recipe vegan or vegetarian? If vegan, I was told at an Asian restaurant that Hoisin sauce was not vegan. Is there a vegan hoisin sauce?
In all my research I have read that hoisin sauce is not made with any animal products! However I would recommend searching it out yourself if you are concerned about it!
This looks and sounds awesome! Do you press the tofu first?
I do drain and press the tofu first usually, but it’s not 100% necessary!
I just finished making this as written. It was very good, but for me, it wasn’t what I call ‘crispy’. As per the directions I cooked the first side to brown over medium heat, added the spices then cooked all sides to golden. Texture on the brown side was tough/chewy, not crisp compared to the golden sides which were firm. I guess I was looking for a crispy texture that would probably only be achieved with a coating of some kind. Now having said that, this was a tasty dish and I will use the method in the future for a firm tofu and will add toasted sesame seeds for added texture. Hoisin is a favorite sauce as is Kecap Manis. I used Hoisin for the dish and Kekap Manis for dipping sauce! Thank you for an excellent method for Tofu.