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    Home » Recipes » Tofu

    Published: Apr 30, 2022 by Julia · This post may contain affiliate links · 24 Comments

    Honey Sesame Pan-Fried Tofu

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This honey sesame pan-fried tofu is an easy crunchy, sweet, and protein-heavy meal for a meatless Mondays.

    Jump to:
    • What type of tofu should I use?
    • How should I prepare my tofu?
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Other Asian tofu recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews
    honey sesame tofu

    Tofu is incredibly versatile. Unfortunately, it can get a bad reputation for tasting sponge-like or flavorless, which can be true if not prepped properly! While flavorless on its own, firm tofu takes up anything you impart on it.

    What type of tofu should I use?

    When pan-frying, deep-frying or baking tofu, it's important to use firm or extra firm tofu. Both firm or extra firm tofu has a lower moisture content and a denser texture. You cannot use soft tofu because these will break apart too easily when pan-frying.

    How should I prepare my tofu?

    The tofu preparation is critical to the final texture and flavor of the dish. Especially if you want the tofu to absorb the marinade, you will need to press the tofu. This means removing as much liquid content as possible.

    My favorite way of preparing tofu is by freezing the tofu block overnight. By freezing the tofu, the liquid becomes ice crystals, which makes the tofu more porous, allowing more of the marinade to be absorbed.

    The next steps is thawing. You can thaw the tofu in the fridge afterwards but this will take a much longer time. I let it sit in a bath of warm water or even briefly microwave the tofu for 30 seconds. Once defrosted, press the tofu between two heavy plates to remove the rest of the liquid.

    Is this necessary? No! If you don't have time to freeze and thaw tofu, simply press the tofu between two heavy plates for 15 minutes to remove as much liquid as possible. If you have tofu often, it might even make sense to get a tofu press.

    Ingredients

    honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili bean sauce as ingredients
    • Firm or extra firm tofu: You must use firm tofu and not soft or silken tofu.
    • Cornstarch: Use a couple tablespoons of cornstarch to coat the tofu so they are crispier when pan-fried and help the honey sesame sauce to better adhere to each cube of tofu.
    • Honey
    • Sesame oil
    • Soy sauce
    • Chili bean sauce: Called douban jiang (豆瓣酱), you should be able to find these at any Asian grocery store in the sauces aisle. This sauce will add a bit of a kick, but should be much milder when mixed with the honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
    • Garlic
    • White roasted sesame seeds
    • Scallions

    Instructions

    1. Prepare the firm tofu overnight if you can, which means freezing the tofu, defrosting, and then pressing for 15 minutes.
    2. Once pressed, slice the tofu into even 1 inch cubes.
    3. Toss the cubes in cornstarch.tofu covered in cornstarch
    4. Prepare the marinade by mixing honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and chili bean sauce in a bowl.
    5. Oil a pan, and once hot, toss in the tofu. Cook the tofu evenly on each side so they are all crispy over medium heat. This will usually take about 3 minutes per side.
    6. Pour the marinade over the tofu and gently stir-fry so each tofu piece is evenly covered.honey sesame marinade over tofu
    7. Add sesame seeds and chopped scallions, and stir for 30 seconds.
    8. Serve over rice.
    honey sesame pan-fried tofu

    Other Asian tofu recipes

    Fan of tofu and looking for more vegetarian friendly tofu recipes? Check out some of my other favorites below:

    • Cold Silken Tofu with Chili Soy Sauce
    • Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets (Vegan)
    • Tofu Katsu with Curry (Vegan)
    • Gochujang Baked Tofu (Vegan)
    honey sesame tofu with chopsticks

    📖 Recipe

    honey sesame tofu
    Print Pin
    5 from 62 votes

    Honey Sesame Pan-Fried Tofu

    This honey sesame pan-fried tofu is an easy crunchy, sweet, and protein-heavy meal for a meatless Mondays.
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine Chinese
    Diet Vegetarian
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 40 minutes
    Author Julia

    Ingredients

    • 14 oz firm tofu
    • 4 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 2 tablespoon neutral oil
    • 2 tablespoon honey
    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon chili bean sauce
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
    • 1 stalk scallion

    Instructions

    Prepare Tofu

    • Freeze tofu overnight. If not freezing overnight, skip to step 3 in the tofu preparation section.
    • Next day, defrost the tofu. Either let sit in a warm bath of water or microwave for 30 second intervals until fully defrosted.
    • Wrap tofu in a paper towels and press between two heavy plates to remove remaining liquid.
    • Once pressed, slice the tofu into even 1 inch cubes.

    Pan-Fry Tofu

    • Toss the cubes in cornstarch.
    • Prepare the marinade by mixing honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, water, minced garlic, and chili bean sauce in a bowl.
    • Oil pan, and once hot, toss in the tofu. Cook the tofu evenly on each side so they are all crispy over medium heat. This will usually take about 3 minutes per side. Don't toss the tofu but let each side crisp up before moving onto another side.
    • Pour the marinade over the tofu and gently stir-fry so each tofu piece is evenly covered. Let tofu simmer in the sauce for about 1 minute.
    • Add sesame seeds and chopped scallions, and stir for 30 seconds.
    • Serve over rice.
    honey sesame pan-fried tofu
    « Kimchi Mushroom Soft Tofu Stew (Vegetarian)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jerika says

      May 02, 2022 at 12:48 am

      5 stars
      This Honey Sesame Pan-Fried Tofu is perfect for my rice! Yum!:)

      Reply
    2. Lucas says

      May 02, 2022 at 2:11 am

      5 stars
      Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe!
      The instructions you made are easy to follow. I will make this for dinner tonight

      Reply
      • Jere Cassidy says

        May 05, 2022 at 8:39 pm

        5 stars
        Great recipe and your instructions are so easy to follow. I didn't know you could freeze tofu so that was a great tip.

        Reply
      • Cate Hall says

        January 20, 2023 at 3:46 pm

        5 stars
        Fantastic. Better than most Asian restaurants' tofu ii have tried. Permanently on my dinner rotation menu now. And my family, who dislike tofu on principal, also loved it. No leftovers. Thanks!

        Reply
    3. Nora says

      May 02, 2022 at 3:16 am

      5 stars
      It turned out perfectly! Everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
    4. Natalie says

      May 02, 2022 at 3:32 am

      5 stars
      This is a must try recipe! We enjoyed it, thanks.

      Reply
    5. Amanda says

      May 02, 2022 at 4:01 am

      5 stars
      So delicous and easy!

      Reply
    6. Peggy says

      May 02, 2022 at 6:11 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for this delicious recipe. My family loved it!

      Reply
    7. Rob says

      May 02, 2022 at 6:52 am

      5 stars
      This turned out delicious and both the vegetarian and non-vegetarians in my house loved it!

      Reply
    8. Pam says

      May 02, 2022 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      The only tofu recipe that my daughter will eat!

      Reply
    9. Agnieszka says

      May 02, 2022 at 7:57 pm

      5 stars
      I can't get enough of this tofu! It's so delicious and my whole family loves it.

      Reply
    10. Toni says

      May 03, 2022 at 5:10 am

      5 stars
      This is really good!!

      Reply
    11. Amy says

      May 05, 2022 at 8:02 pm

      5 stars
      I've been using tofu more these days. This recipe was delicious.

      Reply
    12. Swathi says

      May 05, 2022 at 8:15 pm

      5 stars
      Sesame pan fired tofu looks delicious. I need to try it.

      Reply
    13. Amy says

      May 05, 2022 at 8:38 pm

      5 stars
      Was great for a mid-week meal! Thanks

      Reply
    14. Jacqui | thesimplesprinkle.com says

      May 05, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      This tofu turns out to be just as described: crunchy, sweet and so wholesome! I used agave instead of honey and it worked out great. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe

      Reply
    15. Emily Flint says

      May 05, 2022 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      Loved the flavors!

      Reply
    16. Sue says

      May 06, 2022 at 3:14 am

      5 stars
      Tofu is so delicious when it has a crunchy coating like this!

      Reply
    17. Bernice says

      May 06, 2022 at 7:05 am

      5 stars
      Amazing! I just had to give this tofu recipe a try...and it was a huge hit!

      Reply
    18. Addie says

      May 07, 2022 at 8:34 pm

      5 stars
      So crispy and delicious!

      Reply
    19. Peter says

      May 24, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      I've read so much about douban jiang sauce and I finally tried it. It was the perfect amount of spice, and really made the honey sesame pop!

      Reply
    20. Jeannie says

      May 24, 2022 at 10:57 pm

      5 stars
      I did use maple syrup instead of honey and enjoyed the flavors. Lovr tofu and Im glad this is an easy recipe.0

      Reply
    21. Melinda says

      May 26, 2022 at 5:55 am

      5 stars
      This is now my go-to tofu recipe, freezing it is a good step, somehow that helps make it extra crispy on the outside. Love the flavor combination too!!

      Reply
    22. Genevieve says

      May 28, 2022 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      This honey sesame fried tofu looks amazing! Such a refreshing recipe!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm J! I'm a marketer by day, food photographer and recipe-tester by any other time available. The Floured Camera was born from my need to make quick, delicious, and (sometimes) healthy dishes for when I'm craving my favorite Asian childhood dishes!

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