Better than take out!
I will admit, after a long day, sometimes I will order some Chinese take out. However, this vegan sticky lemon tofu just made it a lot easier to skip the take out. This sticky lemon tofu is not only pretty much as easy and as fast as ordering take out. It is much healthier and of course then you know it is totally plant based! Baked, crispy tofu cubes, tossed in a sticky, sweet and tangy Asian lemon sauce.
Serve this tofu with rice and/or veggies. It is so amazing, so addictive, I can’t stop eating it. It is also great for lunch the next day! This lemon sauce is nice and sweet, but refined sugar free. It is also not overly sweet as it is well balanced with lemon juice and soy sauce.
If you want your tofu to be even crispier, you can definitely toss the cubes in corn starch and fry them. However, I thought I would go a more oil free direction with this one and bake it until brown and crispy. If you bake the tofu long enough at a high temperature, it actually gets super crisp, brown and puffy! It is so good!
Then all you have to do it whip up the sauce in a wok or sauce pan, then toss with the tofu. Add some sides, and you have one totally amazing meal. With very little effort, and it is much cheaper than take out too! My whole family loves vegan sticky lemon tofu night!
Vegan Sticky Lemon Tofu
Ingredients
- 15 oz.( 1 block) Extra firm tofu
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- A few pinches of Salt and Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce or gluten free Tamari
- 1/3 Cup Agave syrup
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon Corn starch
- 1 Tablespoon Water
- Steamed rice or veggies for serving
Instructions
- Press the tofu before hand. I like to press it for a few hours, but press it for at least 15 minutes. When ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut the block of tofu into cubes, and toss in the olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Then place each tofu cube in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- Bake the tofu at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes, flipping half way through baking, until the tofu is nice and brown and crispy.
- While the tofu is baking, make the lemon sauce. You can wait about 10 minutes or so, because the sauce will only take a few minutes. I like to use a wok, so I can toss the tofu in the sauce.
- Heat a wok or sauce pan on medium high, then add the soy sauce, agave, lemon juice, and veggie broth. Whisk to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low. Then whisk the corn starch and water together in a small bowl. Then, add it to the sauce. Whisk to combine.
- Simmer on low for a minute or 2, continuing to whisk, until the sauce is nice and thick. Stir in the lemon zest. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a splash more soy sauce if it needs salt, or a bit more agave for sweetness, or a squeeze more lemon if needed. Keep hot on low until the tofu is done.
- Once the tofu is brown and crisp, add the tofu to the pan, and toss in the sauce, coating all the tofu.
- Serve immediately with rice and/or veggies.
Notes
I’m making it tonight, will let you know how it goes!
I love it! So easy and yummy! I hope you love it too!
Made this tonight. YUMMY!!
Lauren, you are unquestionably the Queen of Tofu. Seriously. All your tofu recipes look absolutely incredible. I don’t know how you do it!!
Thank you so much! I love tofu, and I want everyone to know how awesome it is!!
Hey! I just made this and absolutely loved it – will definitely be making it again! I just have two things to add:
Even though I already cut down on the agave syrup to about half the mentioned amount, it was still super sweet and even a tiny bit too sweet for me. Mixed with the rice it was perfect, but for the tofu on its own I’ll cut back even more next time. Are you American? Maybe it’s that infamous difference in perception of sweetness between Americans and everyone else haha 🙂 Still giving this recipe five stars as that is entirely subjective. I just wanted to point it out 🙂
And the other thing is that I had so much sauce, I was able to save more than half of it for the next time I make this (which is a good thing, but just thought I’d mention it).
So again, totally loved this and I’ll definitely be trying some of your other recipes out as well!
Haha..I am American. I actually cut down the amount of sweetness by half from a bunch of old Americanized Chinese recipes I checked out. We definitely like our food sweet. Thank you for the note! It is great to know what others think! I do also like a lot of sauce with Chinese food, to add to rice. I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you so much for the feedback!!
Interesting, for me it was not sweet enough (and too sour, but I was using a huge lemon…) so I added some extra sugar..I also didn’t have agave on hand and used rice syrup instead, maybe this is less sweet? Anyway, I really liked this recipe and next time I will try it out with orange juice and zests instead! 🙂
This looks fantastic! I’ve never had sticky lemon anything but, wow, it sells itself!
Just one questions before I try it. I never have agave around and have no issues with refined sugar. Is there a substitute that would work best for this?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers.
Maple syrup should work as an alternative for sweetness! Or brown sugar!
This Was Amazing!!!! I have one of those copper pans for oven “frying,” and tofu without oil cooked up wonderfully. Make-your own rice bowls with the lemon tofu, dry fried string beans, roasted cauliflower, stewed bok choi. I topped the non-lemon-tofu bits in my bowl with hot sauce (blended with soaked nuts) and the whole thing with sesame seeds.
Lauren – I love your recipes …of all the foodie instas I follow yours are the only ones I click all the way through and make 🙂 And when I make a recipe for the first time I always read the comment sections to see if anyone came across any tips/etc (for example I cut the agave in half the first time around and it was perfect!). So I’m only leaving this for a future reader, less as feedback FOR you, I hope that makes sense! I’m a newbie when it comes to tofu – I had to google what exactly it meant to “press” it – and I cubed the tofu too small for this cooking time/temp which made it – euphemistically speaking – REALLY, really crispy. 40 min was too long for my smaller cubes (I had cut the block in half and then cubed each half). So learn from me and either cut pieces double the size or stick to the 30 min time frame! Served it with plain riced cauliflower and lots of broccoli and broccolini – the sauce was good on all it! Bon Appetit!
Made this tonight and just as nice as it was the 1st time 😍😍
Easy to make and tastes amazing so highly recommended to all!!
Thanks for this amazing recipe Lauren and will checking more out to do as a result!!
Love it! I enjoyed with brown rice and toasted sesame seeds.
This is the first recipe I have made off your site it and was a real winner! I have made similar recipes before, but found the taste of your lemon sauce to far exceed the orange and general tso’s style sauces I have made before. It was very easy to put together, and felt healthier (less sugary) than other recipes I have made, as well. I will be back for more from your site — thank you!
I made this the other night and it was fantastic!! I bet it would be really good with orange instead of lemon too. There was more than enough sauce to cover the tofu and the broccoli I cooked with it. Thank you for the great recipe!
Hello, this is about the fifth receipe I have tried of yours but the first time leaving feedback. I have loved every one of them! I too love plenty of sauce for the rice. Simple to make and tastes awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
This makes me so happy! Thank you for leaving feedback! It means a lot to me, and I’m so glad you have loved every recipe you have tried!
This was so so good. I use tofu a lot but wouldn’t say I really know what I’m doing with it. This made it so easy for a beginner to feel like a rockstar! Quick, easy, and incredibly tasty! Thank you! I made mine with half of an onion and two green peppers and put it all over rice. Best dish I’ve had in a while… and I’ve got leftovers!
WOW! I loved it so much! I am new to cooking and the vegan life, and I was able to do all of this.
After making the sauce, I heated up fresh broccoli in it. After placing the broccoli, tofu and sauce mixture onto a bed of rice, I sprinkled chopped green onions on top! So good!!
I don’t use oil, so what would you suggest for the tofu? Would you toss in cornstarch and then bake? I just found your site and am already a huge fan. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Yes, I think that would work! Just tossing in cornstarch and baking should get it nice and crispy! I’m so glad you found me! I hope you enjoy!!
Omgosh this is so delicious!! I am enjoying it right now and it will be a recipe I will come back to you again, thanks for sharing!
This was fantastic. Thank you for sharing! Definitely nailed an old craving of mine.
This got ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from our family tonight! The only thing I would do differently, is DOUBLE IT! My family of four devoured it. Thank you for sharing!
Can you use veg stock instead of broth at all?
Yup, you can use stock instead of broth!
Made this for tea and it was super easy and tasty. Will definitly make again.Thank you Lauren for sharing. x
Made this for tonight and it was super easy and so tast! Will definitly make again.Thank you Lauren for sharing. x
Love it! Yes! Than you!
Cant wait to try this — anyone use garlic in their versions?
I just love the lemon flavour in any of my dish.. and its tofu.. will surely try it
I loved this dish! I had never had this time of flavor-profile before (of zesty lemon and sweet and spice), but it worked great. I followed someone else’s suggestion and added baked broccoli to the dish as well as there was plenty of sauce (I love when the florets of broccoli soak up yummy sauces). I used coconut sugar instead of agave as that’s what I had on hand, but I think agave would’ve been a bit better. Also used liquid aminos instead of soy, but it needed the salt from the soy. Once I added salt, I felt it was a balancing game between tart, sweet and savory. When done right, it was ON THE MONEY.
Love this recipe!! I might have used small lemons, but I ended up using 2! Its delicious and tangy. Thank you for another great recipe, tofu queen👑
Made this last night, SO good. I added extra juice from half a lemon cause it was a little too sweet, and some red pepper flakes. I wonder if I can make it again with orange instead and make like an orange chicken style sauce ☺️
This is amazing! It’s on the sweeter side but that makes it taste even more like classic takeout. This is definitely going on the regular list! Thanks Lauren 🙂
Love this sauce so much. I never bake tofu as it goes dry so always mix with cornstarch and fry. Quick question. Can I freeze the sauce? Thank you for the yummy recipe.
Another delicious tofu dish! My husband said “this is sooo good” multiple times! I served this over fresh rice and added in roasted broccoli. I topped it with chopped green onions. We loved having the extra sauce the recipe yielded.
Your recipes make me seem like I have some sort of talent beyond just following instructions! I have turned into the tofu master of the house. Thank you!
Love this. Thank you!
Since lemons vary in size, about how much lemon juice is used? Thanks.
Amazing & simple! Thank you very much!
I am learning to like tofu as we are just transitioning to plant based. I am a good cook but this new lifestyle is requiring some rethinking of my usual menus. We love,love, loved this dish. A couple of questions. Why agave? I have read reviews of agave and it doesn’t get good reviews. I usually use monkfruit and will try this next time. Also, my sauce was very dark, the color of the soy sauce. What did you use that made it so light in color. We also did our tofu in the air fryer and it was gorgeous. New to your website but I will definitely be back. Thanks for a recipe that is better than the restaurants.
Just made this! I agree with some of the other reviewers who say it’s very sweet. A bit like putting lemon meringue on your tofu. I threw in some habanero sauce, which helped a bit. That said, this is one of those recipes that will be fun and easy to play with and adjust to my own tastes. I’ll keep it in my arsenal.
This came out great! Best method I’ve ever used for making tofu crisp and chewy For us, the sauce was perfect as is. I used a large lemon and the tart lemon flavor was prominent, with a slight sweetness that was excellent. My husband loves tofu and said it was fantastic
THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! It’s really hard to make sweet/sour sauce that isn’t too sweet; This is just perfect! I subbed 1/4 c maple syrup for 1/3 cup agave (cuz I was nervous about the sweetness; I think my ratio was good). Otherwise I can’t believe that with so few ingredients, the flavor is so intense and perfect. No onion! No garlic! It was enough sauce to completely cover three crowns of chopped, steamed broccoli as well. The only thing I would change is to saute the tofu instead of baking. I only baked for 30 minutes and like every other time I’ve baked tofu, it came out like hard cardboard. I might even throw the tofu into the sauce totally raw next time, and just let it steam. Anyway, the sauce is PERFECTION
No onion no garlic is my motto! My gut is strongly sensitive to this! And I was going to substitute for maple syrup as I have it in the fridge as I am Canadian 🇨🇦 ! I think 1/4 cup or even a bit less should be fine. I don’t like too sweet taste either! I will watch out the baking time too! But overall this looks like a KILLER RECIPE! I am trying this tonight having friends over!
I made this for a meat lovin 9 year old & he LOVES it. It even packs in lunch well thank you!
Delicious !I swapped the agave for half chilli infused honey and half maple syrup.
Every time I’m under the weather I make this and feel so much better. Thank you so much for making this recipe 🙂