This sweet and sour tofu tastes as if it came from your favorite Chinese restaurant, yet it’s quick and easy to make yourself in less than 30 minutes.  Made with crispy fried tofu, colorful stir-fried veggies, pineapple, and an authentic tasting sweet and sour sauce, you won’t be able to get enough of this dish.

Sweet and sour tofu with pineapple, bell pepper, and broccoli over a bed of white rice.

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Sweet and sour tofu may sound a little intimidating, but just a few simple recipes (rice, stir-fry, fried tofu, and sweet and sour sauce) are put together to make an authentic-tasting dish.  If you want to use pre-made rice or store-bought sweet and sour sauce to make it simpler, you can.

Use crispy deep-fried tofu to make it tastes like authentic restaurant sweet and sour tofu or make it a little healthier and lower fat by just cooking the tofu in with the stir-fried vegetables.  Either way, it’s full of flavor and delicious!

If you’re looking for more recipes that taste just like they came from a restaurant, you totally need to check out this orange tofu, vegan fried rice, vegan thai red curry, and sticky tofu.

❤️ This recipe is

  • quick and easy to make.
  • vegan and easily made gluten-free.
  • just like getting takeout, yet made for a fraction of the price at home.
Veggies and tofu with sweet and sour sauce over white rice with chop sticks on the side.

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

  • Rice – to serve the sweet and sour over top. You can use brown rice, white rice, or even rice noodles if you wish.
  • Oil – for frying the veggies in. You can use canola oil, olive oil, or even sesame oil.
  • Veggies – You can use any vegetables that you have on hand. I like red onions, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and green onions.
  • Pineapple Chunks – you can use a canned pineapple or fresh. If you are using canned, save the pineapple juice for the sweet and sour sauce.
  • Tofu – firm tofu or extra firm tofu works best. I don’t recommend soft tofu or silken tofu for frying.
  • Cornstarch – for coating the tofu and making it extra crispy.
  • Oil – For frying the tofu. I recommend a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point like canola oil.

For the sweet and sour sauce

  • Apple cider vinegar – for the sourness and acidity. (You can also use white vinegar or rice vinegar.)
  • Brown sugar – for the sweet. You can sub for any type of sugar that you would like – coconut sugar and maple syrup also work well.
  • Ketchup – for flavor and that nice red color. You can swap this out for tomato paste for a sauce that is less sweet.
  • Soy Sauce – for flavor (Use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, Coconut Aminos, or Tamari for gluten-free.)
  • Water or Pineapple Juice – If you have pineapple juice on hand, it tastes great in this sauce, but if not, water works well too.
  • Garlic – for flavor. You can use fresh or garlic powder.
  • Corn Starch – to thicken the sauce. (You can swap this out for potato starch in equal amounts or double the amount if using arrowroot powder)

🥄 How to make sweet and sour tofu

Rice

Step 1 – Cook rice according to package directions or make my basmati rice recipe.

Sweet and sour sauce

Make the sauce

Step 2 – Make the sweet and sour sauce by adding apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, and corn starch to a small saucepan, and then heat until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil.  Turn off the sauce and set it aside.  (You can make this up to 5 days ahead and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.)

A small red sauce pan filled with vegan sweet and sour sauce.

Make the stir-fry

Step 5 – Wash and chop the veggies of your choice into bite-size pieces.

Step 6 – Saute the vegetables in oil for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat until they start to get bright in color.

Mixed vegetable in a large wok being stir-fried.

Step 7 – Toss in the cubed pineapple and saute for another 3-5 minutes until the veggies are tender, but not too soft, and turn off the heat.

Mixed veggies and cubed pineapple in a wok being cooked.

Step 8 – Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the stir-fry.

Fry the Tofu

Step 9 – Begin heating the frying oil while you prepare the tofu.

Step 10 – Press the block of tofu to get out any excess liquid and then cut it into small cubes. You can use a tofu press or press tofu by putting it between two cutting boards and placing heavy objects on top. Allow it to press for about 10 minutes to get out the excess water.

Step 11 – Place corn starch and salt in a medium-sized bowl and give it a stir. Then toss in the cubes of pressed tofu and shake the bowl until the tofu is coated with the corn starch.

Cubes of tofu tossed cornstarch in a blue bowl.

Step 12 – Deep fry the tofu at  370 degrees F (190 C) for about 4 minutes until crispy and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.  (Check out my post on how to make perfect crispy fried tofu for more detailed instructions if needed.)

Cubed tofu that has been lightly breaded with cornstarch and fried.

Step 13 – Add the tofu to the stir-fry and mix together and serve over cooked rice.

A close up of sweet and sour tofu with veggies and pineapple in a white wok.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro tips

  • If you are making deep-fried tofu, add it just before serving to keep it crispy.  If it sits with sauce on it, it will start to get soggy.
  • You can adjust the amount of sugar in the sweet and sour sauce to suit your taste.  (This recipe is not as sweet as most store-bought brands, but still sweet enough to have a nice flavor that even kids will like.
  • Serve the sweet and sour tofu with some vegan egg drop soup for an authentic tasting Chinese meal to impress!

📖 Variation of sweet and sour tofu

Sweet and sour vegetables – simply make the veggies and sauce, but leave out the tofu.

Sweet and sour cauliflower – add deep-fried cauliflower instead of tofu.

Vegan sweet and sour chicken – add seitan chicken or Vegan Popcorn Chicken instead of the tofu or toss in any store-bought vegan chicken strips with the stir-fried veggies.

Stir-fried sweet and sour tofu – omit the tofu breading and pan-fry the tofu instead of deep-frying it.  You can also add Baked Tofu or pan-fried tofu instead of deep-fried tofu.

🍞 How to make gluten-free sweet and sour tofu

The only thing in this recipe that has gluten is the soy sauce, so all you will have to do is make sure to use Tamari or another gluten-free soy sauce alternative.

A plate of vegan sweet and sour tofu with mixed veggies with a piece of tofu held in chop sticks.

⬜ Baked tofu

If you want a lower-fat option, you can also bake the tofu instead of frying it.  This won’t give you quite the same crispy fried taste, but it’s still delicious!  You can check out my guide to baked tofu for complete instructions.

🌟 More recipes you’ll like

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!

📋 Sweet and sour tofu recipe

Sweet and sour tofu with veggies over rice on a white plate.
5 from 4 rating

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Yield: 8
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
Mixed veggies stir-fried and tossed with tofu in a sweet and sour sauce served over rice.
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Ingredients

Rice

  • 2 cups rice , cooked according to package directions (this will be about 4 cups cooked)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or Tamari
  • 1/4 cup water, or pineapple juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

Vegetable Stir-Fry

  • 2 tablespoon oil, any neutral-flavored oil will work.
  • 4 cup mixed vegetables, like bell peppers, broccoli, onions, carrots, etc
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups pineapple (cubed), (Fresh or canned)

Fried Tofu

  • 14 oz firm tofu, drained and pressed
  • 1/3 cup corn starch, (you can also use potato starch)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • oil for frying, in a deep fryer or deep enough to fill a pan about 2 inches to fully cover the tofu.

Instructions
 

Rice

  • Cook rice according to package directions.

Sweet and sour sauce

  • Make the sweet and sour sauce by adding apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, pineapple juice, and corn starch to a small saucepan and then heat until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil.  Turn off the sauce and set it aside.

Make the stir-fry

  • Wash and chop the veggies of choice into bite-size pieces.
  • Saute the vegetables in oil for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat until they start to get bright in color.
  • Toss in the cubed pineapple and sprinkle with salt, then saute for another 3-5 minutes until the veggies are tender, but not too soft, and turn off the heat.
  • Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the stir-fry.

Fry the Tofu

  • Begin heating the frying oil while you prepare the tofu
  • Press the tofu to get out any excess liquid and then cut into small cubes.
  • Place corn starch and salt in a medium-sized bowl and give it a stir.  Then toss in the cubes of tofu and shake the bowl until the tofu is coated with the corn starch.
  • Deep fry the tofu at  370 degrees F (190 C) for about 4 minutes until crispy and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.
    (Check out my post on how to make perfect crispy fried tofu for more detailed instructions if needed.)
  • Add the tofu to the stir-fry and mix together and serve over cooked rice.

Notes

  • If you are making deep-fried tofu, add it just before serving to keep it crispy.  If it sits with sauce on it, it will start to get soggy.
  • You can adjust the amount of sugar in the sweet and sour sauce to suit your taste.  (This recipe is not as sweet as most store-bought brands, but still sweet enough to have a nice flavor that even kids will like.
Serving: 12oz, Calories: 449kcal, Carbohydrates: 80g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 633mg, Potassium: 365mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 4694IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 120mg, Iron: 2mg
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