Easy Kung Pao Tofu Recipe | Front Range Fed (2024)

This Easy Kung Pao Tofu Recipe comes together in just 15 minutes and tastes fantastic. A little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, this vegetarian/vegan Kung Pao recipe is made with crispy tofu, dried red chiles, simple veggies, Sichuan peppercorns, and of course, peanuts. It’s the ultimate Chinese takeout meal made right at home.

Sometimes, you just get a craving, and often mine is for a spicy, oily Chinese takeout dish that I can wolf down on the couch watching reruns while watching reruns of the original Gossip Girl (YKWIM??). There’s something so comforting about Chinese takeout, especially during these colder months when all I want to do is stay inside and hibernate underneath a blanket.

This Kung Pao Tofu fits the bill. It’s super easy to prepare, takes less than 15 minutes (minus the tofu prep), and tastes fantastic. Plus, I’m sure it’s way healthier than the typical takeout I order from my favorite Chinese restaurant.

Why I love this recipe.

You all know I’m a sucker for spice, which is probably why I love this Kung Pao bowl. It’s one of my favorite things to order, whether I’m at a fancy Asian restaurant, or hitting up Panda Express or P.F. Changs. I love the spice, the peanuts, and the veggies. And I LOVE this version that uses tofu as the main protein. Here are a few more reasons why I love this Kung Pao tofu recipe:

• Crispy tofu. Tofu is great when it’s prepared well, and, well, not so great if it’s prepared poorly. I’ve had some successes and failures in the past when it comes to tofu, but I’ve finally learned how to make tofu extra crispy and flavorful (more on my method for cooking tofu below.)
• Cost-conscious. I’m sure you’ve all noticed the price of groceries lately. Poultry, beef, pork, and fish have gone through the roof so I’m thankful to have some recipes up my sleeve that use less expensive ingredients, like tofu.
• Kung Pao tofu is vegetarian and vegan. We’ve been trying to eat a little less meat lately, for a variety of reasons (the cost savings point above being one of them). Health is of course important, but I’ve also been reading a lot about the positive impact on the environment when you go plant-based for just one day a week. The benefits are eye-opening. I love that this Kung Pao tofu recipe helps me to achieve this goal.
• EASY and FAST! The longest part of this recipe is literally pressing the tofu, which involves pretty much no hands-on work from you. In fact, you could press the tofu in the fridge during the day and by evening it will be perfect to throw into this Kung Pao recipe. This is an easy meal to prep ahead of time (think slicing veggies, garlic, and ginger) since you can get everything ready to just toss into the pan.You won't believe how quickly this easy Kung Pao tofu dish comes together!
• Healthy. This recipe, which is loaded with great veggies, immune-boosting ginger and garlic, and low-fat, low-carb, and low-cholesterol tofu is fairly healthy. The one thing you need to watch a bit is the sodium, which can be high depending on what type of soy sauce you use. But the great thing about making your own meals is that you can control what goes in them, so pick up a low-sodium soy sauce if you’re on a low-salt diet and just watch your quantities closely.
  And go easy on the peanuts if you’re looking to keep the calories down. While they offer a nice protein burst and are generally healthy, they are a bit calorie dense so just be mindful of how much you’re tossing into the dish at the end.
• Tastes like my favorite Chinese takeout dish! This vegetarian Kung Pao Tofu really delivers on flavor!

What You’ll Need.

Kung Pao recipes typically have a few standard ingredients, but there are definitely ways you can customize the dish to make it your own. Here are the Kung Pao tofu ingredients for this easy Asian recipe:

• Tofu. While there are many versions of Kung Pao that I love, I wanted a vegetarian/vegan dish so used tofu as the protein. If you’re new to making tofu at home, don’t be intimidated. It's actually a super versatile ingredient since it soaks up whatever flavors you pair it with. And, once you learn how to make tofu so that it comes out nice and crispy, you’ll want to start adding it to all your dishes. It’s also way less expensive than meat so if you’re looking to save a few bucks at the grocery store (these days, who isn’t), tofu’s a great choice.
  
• Veggies. I used a combo of garlic, red bell pepper (you could throw in some green bell pepper for color if you wanted to), ginger, zucchini, and scallions as a topper. This is a super easy combo and always easy to find at the grocery store, but feel free to get fancy if you want. Try adding some bok choy, or other veggies you like to this dish to mix it up and make it interesting.

• Special Spices. Sichuan peppercorns and whole dried red chile peppers are staples of a good Kung Pao dish. Sichuan peppers are actually a really unique spice. They are a tiny bit spicy, but the beauty of them actually comes from how they feel when you eat them. They create almost a tingly, numbing sensation in your mouth that is really unique. If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns, you can sub in white pepper.

• Kung Pao Sauce Ingredients. The simple sauce for this Kung Pao tofu uses soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, water, cornstarch, and a splash of sherry to make a slightly sweet Asian sauce. This sauce goes great with the spiciness of the peppers in this meal but is also a great sauce for other Asian dishes too.

How To Make Tofu Crispy

Before we get into how to make this dish, let’s talk about the tofu a bit. As I said above, I love using tofu, but it can be a bit tricky to master. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why my tofu was always soggy. Of course, you could always deep fry the tofu, but who has the time and hassle for that? Plus, the extra calories from frying sort of takes away from some of the calories I’m usually looking to save when making tofu. Here are my tricks for making tofu extra crispy:

1. Use Extra-Firm tofu. I find extra-firm the easiest to work with and always produces great results for me.
2. Press the tofu to remove as much moisture as possible. You can actually buy a tofu press to do this for you, but if you don’t have one, no sweat - it’s an easy process. I slice the tofu in half down the center lengthwise so that I have two flat rectangles. Next, place a couple of paper towels on a sheet pan, and place the tofu on top of them. Cover the tofu rectangles with a couple more paper towels, then place another sheet pan, and something heavy (I’ve used a cast iron skillet) on top to gently press the tofu and squeeze out the extra liquid. I typically let this just sit for about 15 minutes while I prepare my other ingredients. Once the tofu is pressed, chop it into cubes.
   
3. Cornstarch is the key. After tossing the pressed tofu with a little soy sauce for flavor, dredge them in cornstarch. This single ingredient makes the tofu super crispy on the outside.
   
4. Pan-fry the tofu. There are lots of different methods for cooking tofu - baked, air-fried, deep-fried - but I prefer the pan-fried method. I find that baked and air-fried tofu tends to yield a dryer, chewier bite. And deep fried, while delicious, is too tedious and messy when I just want a simple meal. Pan-fried tofu gives me a quick, crispy tofu exterior every time while still keeping the interior pieces moist and creamy. Of course, it depends on your preference, and the dish, but this method is my favorite and the one I use most of the time. Simply add a tiny bit of oil to a large pan, place the dredged tofu in the pan in an even layer (you want all the tofu to be touching the pan to ensure the sides crisp up) then flip occasionally as the tofu starts browning until all sides of the tofu are crispy.

How To Make Kung Pao Tofu.

Ok, now that we have our tofu out of the way, the rest of this tofu recipe comes together super easily. Here’s how to do it.

1. Prepare the tofu as directed above, then transfer it to a separate plate.
2. Saute the veggies. In the same pan you used for the tofu, add a little bit of sesame oil, then your chopped bell peppers and zucchini, and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the peppers, garlic and ginger. Toss in the Sichuan peppercorns and whole dried red chile peppers and cook for one minute more. Then add the garlic, and ginger and cook for an additional 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
4. Add the tofu and sauce. Add the tofu back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the sauce and stir to combine everything, then remove from heat.
5. Garnish and serve! Top with sliced scallions and peanuts, and serve over rice or noodles.

Variations

Obviously, there are lots of other proteins and veggies you can use besides tofu

to make this Kung Pao recipe. Here are some common variations that all work well with the veggie, spice, and sauce combo:

• Kung Pao chicken
• Kung Pao shrimp
• Kung Pao beef
• Kung Pao pork
• Use a veggie as the main ingredient and make Kung Pao cauliflower, Kung Pao brussels sprouts, or Kung Pao broccoli.
• Swap out the rice and make Kung Pao noodles instead

Helpful Tips

• Use cornstarch to make your tofu crispy. Even if you stray away from the pan-fry method, dredging the tofu in the cornstarch is a great tip for making the edges super crispy.
• Use real Sichuan peppercorns. This is truly an authentic ingredient in a Kung Pao dish, and for good reason. It may be a tiny bit of extra work to find them - you likely don’t have them hanging out in your pantry unless you do a lot of Asian cooking. And yes, you have to grind them well with a mortar and pestle. But the taste and feel of these little guys can’t be replicated. Using ground white pepper will do in a pinch, but it won’t have the same effect.
• Omit the dried chile peppers if you’re not a huge fan of spice. Honestly, they don’t add that much spice when you use them whole, and you don’t actually eat them in the dish, but if you don’t like the spice and are looking for more of a sweet Kung Pao dish, feel free to just omit them and add a small sprinkling of crushed red chile spice as a substitute.
• If you want EXTRA spice, slice a few of the dried chile peppers open. This will add a ton of spicy flavor to the dish so only do it if you’re able to handle the heat! (Not recommended if serving this Kung Pao tofu to kids.)

If you make this Easy Kung Pao Tofu Recipe, let me know what you think in the comments! And don’t forget to tag me @frontrangefed on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations!

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