This Soy Citrus Tofu is simple and bright, and a great way to celebrate winter oranges while still using the entire orange. The recipe itself is minimal, with only a few ingredients and steps, but served over steamed rice, it’s quite possibly the perfect dinner. It’s light, but filled with protein, and fully plant-based. Plus, an orange sauce is something that you can never go wrong with, especially one as easy as this tofu’s glaze!
Table of contents
The ingredients for this citrusy tofu recipe
These ingredients are easy to come by, but you might already have them in your kitchen! They’re staples that I typically have on hand, which is what makes this tofu dish a great go-to for weeknight dinner. It’s filling and satisfying, but so easy and takes minimal effort. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 (15-ounce) block of extra firm tofu, drained
- 1 large navel orange
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sambal oelek or Vietnamese chili garlic sauce, or gochujang, as similar alternatives
- Steamed white rice, for serving
- Scallions, thinly sliced, for serving
How to get the tofu crispy
Here’s the big question everyone asks me: how do you get your tofu so perfectly crispy? Well, it’s simpler than you might think!
I have an entire blog post dedicated to this one question, which you can find here if you’d like a more expansive read on this topic. For this post, I’ll give you the short and sweet version.
The first place you want to start is buying the correct type of tofu for crispy tofu. To get that outer layer of crunch, extra firm tofu is the way to go. This type of tofu is more compressed, meaning there’s less water content in the tofu, and this allows for more crispiness to develop.
Secondly, make sure to cut your tofu no more than 1 inch thick so the pressing process can do its thing. If you press your tofu after it’s cut, more moisture will be drawn out in a shorter amount of time.
The last tip I have for you is simple but the most important one… patience. When the tofu slices go in the pan with hot oil, do not touch them for at least 3-4 minutes on each side. If you mess with them too much, the crispiness won’t develop and you’ll be left wondering where you went wrong!
That’s about it! Following these tips will help you achieve golden, crispy tofu every time. <3
Bringing this soy citrus dish together
Once your tofu has some nice color and the sauce ingredients are prepped, it’s time to pull this dish together. I love this soy citrus sauce because it’s easy to throw together for any lazy weeknight meal. You can use it for more than just this tofu dish– it works with so many different proteins. I encourage you to get creative with this sauce because it makes everything so much better. Here’s how to finish this soy citrus tofu dish:
- Add the orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and sambal oelek to the pan. Stir to mix, and bring the heat back up to medium so that the sauce reaches a simmer.
- Add in the orange slices to the sauce, shake to get all the slices coated, and then let the sauce simmer until it is reduced by a third and thickened slightly.
- Add the tofu back to the pan. Give everything a mix so that the tofu is coated in the sauce.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Scoop the tofu and any excess sauce over bowls of white rice. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve!
FAQ
Yes! For best results, I suggest storing the crispy tofu, sauce and rice in separate containers in the fridge and then heating up the tofu and sauce in a pan before serving. This ensures that the tofu stays nice and crisp while stored. If you don’t have enough time or access to a pan and stove, store the sauce and tofu together, but be aware that the tofu will lose some of its texture.
This recipe is so versatile, you can use any protein that you please. Some ideas are tempeh, chickpeas or salmon (if you’re a pescatarian like me). Get creative with it!
There could be a couple of different things happening. First, you may not have pressed the tofu enough to get out excess moisture. But more likely, the pan you fried them in was not hot enough, or there was not enough oil. Make sure to get the pan hot enough to quickly evaporate water, and use enough oil to shallow fry your tofu slices. And remember, don’t touch them!
Looking for more tofu recipes?
I loveeeee tofu, as you can see!
And that’s everything for this Soy Citrus Tofu!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Soy Citrus Tofu
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 citrus juicer optional
- 1 large skillet or sauté pan
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) block of extra firm tofu drained
- 1 large navel orange
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sambal oelek or Vietnamese chili garlic sauce, or gochujang, as similar alternatives
- Steamed white rice for serving
- Scallions thinly sliced, for serving
Instructions
- Slice the tofu crosswise into 1 inch thick rectangles. Halve the rectangles to make two squares, then halve those squares to make triangular pieces. Lightly press out any excess moisture with a lint-free towel or a paper towel, and set aside.
- Halve the orange. Use a hand-held juicer to juice one half of the fruit (or just squeeze) until you yield around 1/2 cup of orange juice. Slice the other orange half into two wedges, then cut the wedges crosswise into paper-thin citrus pieces, peel and all. Set the pieces aside.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to the pan to coat the surface and let this heat up for a few minutes.
- Sear the tofu in batches, cooking each batch for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Set the fried tofu aside and reduce the heat on the pan to low.
- Add the orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and sambal oelek to the pan. Stir to mix, and bring the heat back up to medium so that the sauce reaches a simmer.
- Add in the orange slices to the sauce, shake to get all the slices coated, and then let the sauce simmer until it is reduced by a third and thickened slightly.
- Add the tofu back to the pan. Give everything a mix so that the tofu is coated in the sauce.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Scoop the tofu and any excess sauce over bowls of white rice. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve!
I saw this recipe on instagram this morning and it looked amazing! (I was already planning an Asian salad for dinner, needed a protein.) This was SO SO SO good and super easy, comes together really quickly and we had a hard time saving some for leftovers. Every Justine recipe I’ve tried has been absolutely delicious but don’t skip this one!
Wow you made it so quickly! And I’m so thrilled you liked it! I also inhaled it this past weekend with few leftovers to speak of haha
This was amazing, the best thing I’ve made this year. I didn’t have the right chili sauce but I threw in some gochujang miso sauce from Trader Joe’s and chili flakes. Simple and so good. The orange peel is wild.
I’m so SO happy you liked it! The orange peel is my favorite part, so I’m glad you were into it 🙂
Okay! I’ve been wanting to comment on a few of your recipes for months now.
As a person who cooks by memory and feel, I am not typically compelled by recipes, but every single one I’ve tried from this blog is amazing! What’s more, I’m learning new ways to use ingredients that are so simple but so effective and elevating. It’s super inspiring.
This was delicious! Made with Gochujang and reduced amount slightly because ours is super spicy.
WOW – this is the highest compliment. I like to think my recipes are made for the people just like you, cooks who don’t really need a recipe, but like to experiment. This comment made me feel like a true NYT Cooking article, and I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to write it!
Long time follower, first time reviewer! I love orange chicken(or whatever protein), but I have GOT to cut down the takeout budget, and uh…yeah I think this’ll do 😍 truly so easy and so delish <3
This comment made my DAY – I’m so glad you liked it!
Made this for dinner and it was great! I love your clear instructions and the FAQ (because yeah, my tofu wouldn’t have otherwise been crispy). I used gochujang as my spice of choice and needed just 2T to make it as hot as I like (clears the sinuses, and yet I can still taste other flavors).
Like one of the other commenters, I saw this recipe on Instagram and knew I wanted to “eat that,” so I just made it tonight. It was super clear and easy and delicious. The tofu turned out perfectly. Looovee the orange in it. I added snap peas for some more green, and I used brown jasmine rice, both of which worked really well with it. This is a keeper. Thank you!
Music to my ears! So happy you liked it!
Delicious!! Feels like a healthier version of a cheat meal and really checks the box. Will be making this over and over!
So glad you liked it!!
So good! I saw the video on youtube and couldn’t stop thinking about making this all day. I made it for dinner and was not disappointed!. I had it with some purple sweet potatoes and some cabbage for a green and have concluded that this is a winner meal. I’ll be making it again for sure. Thank you!!!
Ahh this is so kind! I’m so glad you made it and enjoyed it!
Very, very tasty! But quite literally the spiciest meal I’ve ever made – but that’s on me and my taste buds, not this recipe. I haven’t been warm since I’ve had this, it’s like my body now knows the hottest it could possibly feel and everything else pales in comparison. But the flavors were delicious! What I was most impressed by was the directions you linked on getting cripsy tofu. I’ve never ever made tofu and following your instructions made it super crispy and so yummy. I just want to mention one more time – it’s spicy! LOL
Hello Justine: First-time commenter here. I’ve been following you for the last little while on IG, (love your videos!) but this was the first recipe I’ve made from your collection. Loved the flavours and the dish, as I dip my toe into the world of tofu,:Illmkeepmthis in my rotation, Most surprising part of this dish – besides the brilliant orange slices – was that my guy, who is generally anti-tofu loved it – and even had seconds. Keep all your amazing recipes coming!
Oh my gosh this makes me so happy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and I’m glad that it helped your partner enjoy tofu 🙂 Getting people down with tofu is my life mission tbh
Have made this one twice already! it slappps!
I find I like frying the tofu in neutral oil over olive oil though. Less odor and less splatter!
Thanks, J!
Incredible! I made the other night when my brother came over and I’m in love. Came together really easily and was so delicious! I served it over rice with some roasted broccoli and it was perfect. Also I used cara cara oranges and it made the sauce the prettiest color!
Love this! I’m so glad you enjoyed it (and I hope your brother did, too!)
This was delicious! Perfect balance of sweet, bitter, and spicy. Thank you 🙂