Featuring tofu simmered in a rich, umami sauce, this soy sauce tofu is delicious and brimming with flavor! Ready in 30 minutes with minimal prep, it is the perfect weeknight dinner recipe.
We love pairing it with rice, Thai vegetable fried rice, or congee, like our vegan congee.
Soy sauce chicken is a classic dish I used to enjoy growing up in a Chinese household, traditionally made by poaching a whole chicken in soy sauce, aromatics, and spices.
This recipe uses the same flavorful base sauce but swaps chicken with tofu to keep it fully plant-based. It is great served with rice, alongside side dishes including snow peas stir-fry, vegan wontons, and Chinese vegetable soup!
Jump to:
💚Why you will love this soy sauce tofu
- A flavorful and delicious tofu dish that even tofu skeptics will enjoy
- Versatile and can be served as a main, added to stir-fries, or to top salad bowls
- Great for meal prep and can be refrigerated for up to 5 days
- Simple to prepare, minimal ingredients, and ready in 30 minutes
🧅What you will need
- Tofu - I recommend using either extra-firm or firm tofu. Drain and press your tofu beforehand, either using a tofu press or stacking something heavy on top.
- Dark soy sauce - A thicker soy sauce with a nice, caramelized flavor and gives dishes a dark brown hue. Substitute it with more soy sauce in a pinch.
- Shaoxing wine - Traditional soy sauce chicken recipe calls for Chinese rose wine, but I am substituting it with the more accessible Shaoxing wine. You can use rose wine if you have it.
- Sugar - I am using coconut sugar, but any granulated sweetener (like brown or cane sugar) will also work.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
🔪How to make soy sauce tofu
Step 1: Fry green onion, ginger, and start anise until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
Step 2: Add water and the remaining seasonings to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add tofu cubes.
Step 3: Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, flipping tofu cubes every 5 minutes or so.
Step 4: For serving, you can optionally thicken some of the sauce by simmering ½ cup with a cornstarch slurry. Slice the tofu and serve with the thickened sauce.
✅Helpful tips
- Flip tofu cubes periodically while cooking - This ensures the sauce penetrates the tofu cubes thoroughly, since we are slicing them into fairly thick chunks.
- Customize this recipe - Although this recipe calls only for star anise, you could add other spices, such as cinnamon sticks, cloves, or bay leaves.
- Ways to use leftover sauce - Do not discard it; instead, add it to stir-fries or soups. Its deep, umami, and savory flavor will elevate any dish.
- Make tofu crispy - Drain the soy sauce tofu and slice it into cubes. Toss them in 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then spray with oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 200 °C (400 °F).
❄️Storing and meal prep suggestions
Storing - Soy sauce tofu is great for meal prep as it gets more flavorful the longer it sits in the marinade. You can refrigerate it for up to 5 days.
Reheating - Tofu can be reheated in the microwave in 30-second bursts, or simmer it with the sauce on the stovetop until hot. Alternatively, you can slice it up and add it to any dishes you are making.
Serve this versatile dish with rice or stir-fry noodles (like my bami goreng), add it to vegetable stir-fries, including tofu mushroom stir-fry, or use it as a filling for sandwiches, burritos, or vegan rice paper rolls.
📖 Recipe
Soy Sauce Tofu
Equipment
- cast iron skillet or non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 1 block extra-firm tofu drained and pressed
- 3 whole star anise
- 1 inch ginger sliced
- 1 stalk green onion cut into 2 inches pieces
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce use gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce *
- 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine or Chinese rose wine
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional
Instructions
- Slice the tofu into 4 large chunks.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a cast-iron skillet/non-stick pan. Fry star anise, ginger, and ginger for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.3 whole star anise, 1 inch ginger, 1 stalk green onion
- Add water and seasonings to the pan, then bring the mixture to a light simmer.½ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce , 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 cups water
- Gently slide in tofu cubes. Cook for 20 minutes, flipping tofu cubes over every 5 minutes to ensure that the flavors can properly infuse tofu.
- Thicken sauce for drizzling (optional) - Take ½ cup of sauce, and simmer it with cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water) until thick and glossy.1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Slice your soy sauce tofu, and serve it over rice or noodles. You can either drizzle the thickened sauce on the tofu or serve it on the side.
Notes
- Customize this recipe - Although this recipe calls only for star anise, you could add other spices, such as cinnamon sticks, cloves, or bay leaves.
- Ways to use leftover sauce - Do not discard it; instead, add it to stir-fries or soups. Its deep, umami, and savory flavor will elevate any dish.
- Make tofu crispy - Drain the tofu, then slice it into cubes. Toss them in 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then spray with oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 200 °C (400 °F).
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
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.
Join the discussion !