Featuring golden tofu cooked in a rich, savory sauce, this gochujang tofu will be your next favorite dish! A one-pan recipe that is simple to prepare and is ready in 20 minutes. The perfect weeknight dinner that everyone will love!
Gochujang paste is one of my favorite condiments to work with! It gives the recipe tons of flavors and heat and can be used in almost any dish. Some of my go-to gochujang recipes include gochujang fried rice, gochujang pasta, and this amazingly flavorful gochujang tofu!
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Fiery, delicious, and bold in flavors
- Easy to make and is ready in 20 minutes
- Versatile, and goes well with any Asian dishes
- A good source of plant-based protein
🤔What is gochujang
Gochujang is a thick and concentrated fermented red chili paste that is incredibly popular in Korean cooking.
Its taste can be described as pungent, spicy, and savory. This flavorful condiment is commonly used as a marinade for meat (like in bulgogi) and added to soups and stews. It can also be made into gochujang sauce, which is great for drizzling onto rice bowls, roasted vegetables, or even as a dipping for vegan kimbap.
Although gochujang and sambal oelek is made from grounded chilies, they are two completely different ingredients. Gochujang is much thicker when compared to sambal oelek due to the presence of glutinous rice, while sambal oelek has a more watery consistency.
Their flavor profiles are also quite different. As gochujang is fermented, it has a distinct pungent and umami flavor that most sambal oelek lack. The other thing to note is that gochujang is generally less spicy than sambal, as adding other ingredients dilutes some of its heat, while sambal oelek is made from purely ground chilies.
Gochujang is fairly spicy, but the spice level will vary from brand to brand. If you have a low spice tolerance, you can opt for milder gochujang.
Most of the gochujang paste available in the market is naturally vegan. However, it is still recommended to turn and read the ingredients label just to ensure that no animal products are added.
This Korean red chili paste can be found in most well-stocked groceries and is usually located in the international food aisle or in the condiment aisle. You can also find them at your local Korean or Asian markets.
Alternatively, gochujang can be purchased online through Amazon or other online retailers.
🌶What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Tofu - make sure to use extra firm tofu that has been drained and pressed beforehand, either using a tofu press or by stacking something heavy on top.
- Gochujang paste - Also known as Korean red chili paste, it is a fermented paste that is spicy, pungent, and umami in flavor.
- Soy sauce - can be substituted with tamari or shoyu. Use certified gluten-free ones, if needed.
🔪How to make
In a shallow container, place tofu cubes along with cornstarch and salt. Seal it, and toss the container until tofu cubes are well coated.
Mix all ingredients needed to make the gochujang sauce. Set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high. Once heated, place in tofu cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until most sides are browned. Set aside for later use.
Add another ½ tablespoon of oil to the same pan, and saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, about a minute.
Add gochujang sauce to the pan, and cook until it thickens. Then, add cooked tofu to the pan and toss until everything is well combined. Your gochujang tofu is ready to be served!
✔Helpful tips
- Feel free to adjust the amount of gochujang paste used to personal preference. I recommend starting with 1 tablespoon if you are sensitive to heat.
- Gently pat dry tofu cubes before coating them with cornstarch to yield the crispiest tofu.
- You can also bake your tofu or cook them in the air fryer.
- To bake, preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Spray on some cooking oil, and bake them for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- Alternatively, air fry them for 10-15 minutes at 180C/350F. To yield crispy tofu, it is recommended that you spray on some oil before cooking.
- Leftover gochujang tofu can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Add a splash of water if the mixture is too heat when reheating.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, opt for certified gluten-free gochujang paste.
🍚Serving suggestions
- Toppings - Some of my go-to toppings include chopped green onion, toasted sesame seeds, or nori flakes.
- Rice - The best to serve this gochujang tofu is with some freshly steamed white or brown rice. You can also opt for cauliflower or broccoli rice for a lower-carb option.
- Noodles - Any cooked noodles like soba, udon, or ramen pair great with this dish. Or, you could make some teriyaki soba noodles or vegan japchae.
- Vegetables - You could do steamed or roasted vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus. Fresh salads will also work, and I especially love serving gochujang tofu with my Japanese tofu salad.
🍽More vegan tofu recipes
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Korean Gochujang Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu drained, pressed and cubed (about 14oz/400g)
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
For gochujang sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon gochujang paste (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or another liquid sweetener (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a shallow container, place tofu cubes along with cornstarch and salt. Place the lid on and toss container until the tofu cubes are well coated.
- Mix all ingredients needed to make the gochujang sauce. Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high. Once heated, place in tofu cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until most sides are browned. Set aside for later use.
- Add another ½ tablespoon of oil to the same pan, and saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add gochujang sauce to the pan, and cook until it thickens. Then, add cooked tofu to the pan and toss until everything is well combined. Your gochujang tofu is ready to be served!
Notes
- Feel free to adjust the amount of gochujang paste used to personal preference. I recommend starting with 1 tablespoon if you are sensitive to heat.
- You can also bake your tofu or cook them in the air fryer.
- To bake, preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Spray on some cooking oil, and bake them for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- Alternatively, air fry them for 10-15 minutes at 180C/350F. To yield crispy tofu, it is recommended that you spray on some oil before cooking.
- Leftover gochujang tofu can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Add a splash of water if the mixture is too heat when reheating.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, opt for certified gluten-free gochujang paste.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Lini
Meesha, I have been looking for a tofu recipe that has really great flavor and I finally found it with this recipe!! I found the gochujang paste at my local Kroger! Thank you so much. I will try some of your other recipes as well.
Meesha
I am so happy to hear that!😁
Sherri Harber
Really delicious! I added cooked rice noodles and tender stem broccoli. Thanks!
Meesha
Really happy to hear that!😁
Holly
We really enjoyed this dish. We don't like very spicy food, and the gochujang paste was labeled "very hot", so I cut the gochujang paste back to 1/2 tsp. The tofu ended up very flavorful, but hardly spicy at all, so next time I will increase the amount.
Meesha
I am really happy that you like it!😊