General Tao’s Tofu

I found this recipe for General Tao’s Tofu on VegWeb.com a couple years ago and have made it many times since with great success. It’s a great version of the General Tao’s chicken dish that is offered at many Chinese restaurants. The tofu has a nice crispy yet chewy texture. It’s a dish that you can serve to someone who doesn’t generally eat tofu, and they’ll love it. Really! Oh, and you may want to double the sauce because it’s so good!

General Tao’s Tofu - Vegan & Gluten-Free

I recommend that you cook your rice beforehand, especially if you’re using brown rice. From there, you have to work fairly quickly to prepare the veggies, tofu and sauce at the same time, but it’s definitely worth it in the end.  Be ready to serve/eat this right away as the sauce does make the tofu a bit soggy after a while. You want it to be drenched in sauce but still crisp to the bite. Oh, and the sauce isn’t very spicy, so you may want to add more chili if you like things really hot.

Yes, it’s fried… and it contains sugar. But it’s a great option when you feel like being a little bit naughty but not feeling like take-out. Oh, and if you serve it with brown rice, tons of veggies, it’s really isn’t that bad…

Recipe: General Tao’s Tofu


11 thoughts on “General Tao’s Tofu”

  1. Great recipe! This would be perfect to serve to my family on a night my mom gets home late, or I have my friend over, who is vegetarian. Your recipes sound delicious and healthy as well!

    Reply
    • Hi Debbie – Good question! I’ve always used regular firm but now that you bring it up, I’m thinking that silken firm would also be really great. Let me know if you try it! 🙂

      Reply
  2. general’s “chicken” has always been one of my fav’s. whole foods in the states carries a vegan version that is awesome, but it comes with a hefty price. i’m always wishing i could find or make a version. if you vouch for this, than its a def for me 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks Brian, let me know if you decide to make it. It’s a bit tricky to get everything ready at the same time (rice, veggies, tofu, sauce), but I think it’s definitely worth it!

      Reply
      • So I went out on a limb last night and made this. My 14 yr old daughter hates tofu and my hubby is not a huge fan also, but he is the unhealthiest vegetarian ever!!! When he was a meat-eater he was in great shape, ate lean, worked out and had a very muscular build. He’s been vegetarian for 1.5 yrs now and says he’s fatter than he’s ever been and is always tired. So two days ago he says “I think I’m going to start eating meat again, this just isn’t working for me”. My heart sank 🙁 So when I went to bed I prayed for guidance and the know-how to get my hubby back into shape and feeling great on a vegetarian diet. I vowed to start making high-protein vegan/vegetarian meals, hell-bent on stopping him from eating meat again! Lol So I googled “high protein vegan meals” and this recipe, along with a bunch more popped up. I picked this one because he LOVES General Tao sauce and it’s fried! Lol how can one go wrong with fried food??? Well let me tell you… between my tofu-hating 14 yr. old and unhealthy vegetarian husband this General Tao’s Tofu didn’t even make it out of the pan!!! I literally got 4 1″ cubes to myself and they inhaled the rest of the 14 oz. of it!!! So, I would have to say… THIS RECIPE IS THE BOMB AND DEFINITELY A KEEPER!!! =)

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