Sticky, saucy, sweet and savoury pan-fried Maple Garlic Tofu. Easy to make in about 20 minutes, packed with flavour, and so good served with rice and veggies for a quick dinner!
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Sticky Maple Garlic Tofu! This is one for the sweet and savoury fans amongst you. We're talking tofu dredged in seasoned flour, pan-fried into nice little buttery, chewy, crispy squares, then simmered in a quick, sticky-sweet, buttery, garlicky maple sauce.
It's sweet. It's savoury. It's caramelized. It's very garlicky. And it's up there on the same level as my Baked Tofu when it comes to fave tofu recipes I cannot get enough of. Because I mean...It's fried tofu in sauce. What's not to love?
Ingredients
Here is what you'll be needing to make this quick garlicky tofu recipe:
And a couple of ingredient notes:
- Tofu - This should be extra firm so it's nice and sturdy. I don't recommend pressing it for this recipe because we want it to stay perfectly intact, and we need some moisture for the seasonings to stick to.
- Flour - If you eat gluten-free use cornstarch instead. Don't use arrowroot powder.
- Vegan butter - Make sure it's a good tasting one as it's a major ingredient in the sauce. You can use olive oil instead if you prefer. Sorry oil-free folks. There is no oil-free alternative for this recipe.
- Vinegar - I used apple cider vinegar but you could use rice vinegar instead.
- Soy sauce - Coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce will work too if you're watching your sodium.
How To Make Garlic Maple Tofu
Let's make tofu magic happen! First up, cut the tofu into squares, season, and dredge it in flour.
Fry it in vegan butter until golden.
To the crispy tofu, add the garlic, then very shortly after the sauce-makers (maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce). Let it all caramelize, (while basting regularly) and serve when sticky, very golden, and delicious!
Serving Suggestions
Maple Garlic Tofu is just perfect with noodles, or served over a pile of hot, steaming coconut basmati rice (or coconut lime rice), with a green vegetable side. Broccoli (steamed, roasted, or air-fried) and green beans work very well. A scattering of sesame seeds, green onions, or chili flakes wouldn't go amiss.
It's also great with a simple stir-fry, Lemon Orzo Salad, crisp green salad, Peanut Noodles, or in a deliciously messy sandwich-type situation!
Recipe FAQs
To start it's important to use a good quality non-stick pan or a very well-seasoned cast iron pan. Tofu will stick if the pan isn't preheated well (make sure it's very hot), and if there isn't enough oil/vegan butter. This shouldn't be a problem with this recipe because quite a lot of butter is used. If you used less than the recipe calls for though that could be a contributing factor. Also once the tofu squares are in the pan, don't touch them for a few minutes. It's important to wait until a golden crust is formed. Then they will release much easier when it's time to flip.
Recipe
Sticky Maple Garlic Tofu
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 package (about 14 oz /400 grams) extra firm tofu , pack sizes vary. It doesn't have to be exact.
- a few pinches salt and pepper
- ¼ cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter , or 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar , or rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) pure maple syrup , NOT pancake syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
- Open the tofu. If it's packed in water drain it and shake off any excess liquid but don't completely dry it or press it. Cut the block of tofu into 4 evenly sized pieces. First, cut it in half horizontally then cut each of those rectangles into 2 to create 4 squares. This process is shown clearly in my video.
- Lay the tofu pieces on a plate in a single layer. Season with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper, then sprinkle flour generously over the surface, giving it a gentle rub in with your hand, then flip and do the same on the other side.
- Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once very hot, place the tofu in the skillet and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden. Turn and cook the other side for a few more minutes until golden.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low then add the chopped garlic around the tofu and let it cook for about a minute stirring a few times so it cooks evenly. Don't let it get brown or it will become bitter.
- To the pan add the vinegar, soy sauce, and maple syrup. Stir or shake the pan to combine then bring the sauce to a simmer. Tip the pan to one side, scoop up some sauce with a spoon, and baste the tofu with it regularly. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened, turning the tofu over about halfway so it browns evenly.
- Remove from the stove and serve immediately.
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Lois Pumfrey says
This Tofu is so very delicious and easy and quick. On my repeating list!
Susan says
I’ve made this numerous times - my family loves it! Great taste and texture with minimal effort. Perfect!
Kerrie says
Wow!!! Just wow….. my husband was falling over himself with love for this meal ♥️.
We had them with noodles and it was an awesome Saturday night meal. Thanks for this keeper of a recipe x
Melanie McDonald says
This makes me so happy Kerrie! Thank you for coming back to leave a review. It's much appreciated! I've got a new tofu recipe coming up soon that's cooked in a similar way so watch this space, (especially if you both like lemon and zucchini) ;O)
Ashantie says
this was absolutely amazing made this for dinner today
karyn hatt says
I made it and it was so easy and really flavourful!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is going on the roster.
Laurie Duquette says
Turns out perfect every time!
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you're enjoying it!
Lisa says
This was super delicious. The sauce didn't thicken much, but it was great over rice. We ate it with rice and some vegetables and got four servings out of it.
Kim says
This was super easy and delicious! Thank you for this great recipe.
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it, Kim!
Karan says
I made this last night for dinner, it was fantastic! maybe the best tofu I've ever made
thank you so much for this recipe. I didn't change a thing, it was easy and SO good!
Melanie McDonald says
Wow, thank you Karan! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!
Naomi Oliver says
Just made this. Really delicious, 😋 will definitely make again. I did add a birds eye chilli to the mix (I add chilli to just about everything 😊) and I added some mushrooms to the fry up. I used all the sauce on about 1/3 of the 500gns of tofu
Sharon L Ross says
Melanie, once again you've created an easy, delicious, vegan dish!! I made a little extra to bring for my lunch tomorrow!
Lucy says
Just made this with some leftover tofu which I didn't weigh, so I had to wing it a bit with the quantities, but I think I got the proportions about right. It was soooo good! The tofu was already pressed, but other than that it was maybe a bit dry so the flour didn't stick as much, it didn't seem to do any harm. In fact it's such a delicious glaze I imagine you could cook more or less anything in it, even cauliflower!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed the recipe Lucy and thank you for leaving a review. It's much appreciated! I can confirm that the sauce is great with cauliflower and tempeh. I've even cooked some canned chickpeas in it!
Gerry says
I too followed the recipe and it was fantastic. We've had it twice already. Thanks for this recipe, Mel.
Rachael says
Included the garlic, maple syrup and vegan butter and guess what? It was delicious! Thanks for another great recipe.
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha! It's amazing what a difference actually following the recipe makes!😆 So pleased you enjoyed it Rachael!
Alyson says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I’ve been wanting to try this for a while but needed maple syrup, so worth the wait. I didn’t add pepper as I don’t like it but everything else was to recipe. Definitely recommend. I loved it, had it with avocado, sweetcorn & pasta & it was so tasty & delicious.
Shona says
Maple syrup too expensive so we didn’t use it and we don’t like garlic. We are oil free so forget the vegan butter. unhealthy. Was pretty tasteless. Don’t think I’d make it again.
Cindy says
Is this a joke? Of course there wasn't any flavour, you omitted anything with flavour
Patty says
Finally got around to making this and wow is it good! My husband and I loved it. Super easy and just one pan. I followed the recipe exactly and it is so delicious. Served it with rice and asparagus. Definitely going in my regular rotation. Thanks for this!
Christine says
I just tried this and replaced the tofu with cauliflower and it was terrible. Just kidding. In all seriousness, I had some cauliflower that I needed to use and I remembered seeing this recipe on instagram and I thought I would give it a shot with cauliflower. It turned out super delicious - the sauce is so good. Definitely will be trying this again with tofu, as well! Also hopefully you do find this funny, it just reminded me of the cauliflower recipe debacle from a few months ago. Haha.
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha! You made me spit out my tea 🤣. So funny.
What a great idea though. I need to try it. I can just imagine how well it would work.
Judy says
I made this for lunch today. It was excellent. I will definitely be adding this to my regular rotation. Thanks