Honey Garlic Tofu
This Honey Garlic Tofu recipe is ready in less than 20 minutes, made with just a handful of ingredients, and tastes absolutely incredible. If you're a tofu skeptic, this is 100% the one that will change that!
We've got tofu coated in cornflour and a few seasonings, then cooked in the air fryer until beautifully crispy. Then, we toss the tofu cubes in that magical honey garlic sauce until it's sticky and crunchy and glorious. Serve over rice with scallions and sesame seeds for a dinner that's stupidly easy and delicious!
Other tofu recipes I'm loving recently are these buffalo tofu wraps and this spicy gochujang tofu recipe. This crispy tofu Thai red curry is also a lovely dinner that really packs a punch.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This might just be my favorite ever method to cook tofu. Sweet, sticky, punchy honey garlic tofu with absolutely heaps of flavor. This recipe takes literally 20 minutes to cook, maximum, from start to finish, and is an absolutely delicious way to enjoy a protein-packed vegetarian dinner.
When I first went vegetarian, I, like many people, wasn't sold on tofu. I kept dabbling here and there and always kind of had this disappointing feeling of…oh, is this it for me now? However, if you ever try tofu - even just once - please let it be in this honey garlic tofu recipe.
When I first perfected the recipe, I'm not joking when I say I made it three times in one week because it's such a good meal. Plus, it's quick and easy and high in protein - perfect for when you want a dinner that's big on flavors but low in effort.
Ingredient Notes
Here are all the ingredients you'll need. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the exact quantities I use.
- Tofu: Use firm tofu (or extra firm) for this recipe - it holds its shape best, so it will get those lovely crispy edges that make this recipe so special.
- Cornstarch (also known as cornflour): coats the tofu along with a few seasonings (garlic powder, a little cumin powder, salt, and pepper) and is a key ingredient to getting crispy golden tofu cubes. Don't skip it.
- Garlic: Can't have honey garlic tofu without the garlic! Use fresh garlic for this recipe.
- Soy sauce: I use light soy sauce in this recipe, but if dark is all you have, then that will work too.
- White rice wine vinegar: That touch of acidity that adds a lovely tang to the crispy tofu - a squeeze of lemon also works.
- Honey: The honey gives the tofu that gorgeous sticky, sweet glaze. Use maple syrup if you want to make this recipe vegan-friendly.
How To Make The Honey Garlic Tofu
Step 1: Prepare the Tofu
Unpack your tofu and pat it dry with a clean paper towel or cloth. Gently squeeze the tofu with your cloth to remove as much water as possible. Dry tofu = crispy tofu!
Cube the tofu and add to a bowl, then sprinkle over the corn starch and seasonings. Gently shake to coat the tofu fully.
Place the tofu in your air fryer and spray with a little cooking oil, then cook for 15 minutes until golden and crispy.
Step 2: Make Your Honey Garlic Sauce
Heat your oil in a pan, then add the minced garlic. Take care not to let it burn - simply cook for a minute or two until it turns fragrant.
Add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, followed by the honey.
Note - things will get pretty hot and bubbly at this point, so take care when adding the liquids to your pan! Turn down the heat if you need to.
Step 3) Add the Tofu to the Sauce
Add the tofu to the honey garlic sauce and use your spatula to fully coat it. The sauce should be thick enough that it basically clings to the crispy tofu cubes!
Serve with your rice, sesame seeds, and sliced scallions.
How to Serve Your Honey Garlic Tofu
Personally, I think this recipe is best served simple, with fluffy white rice and thinly sliced scallions and sesame seeds on top. However, it could also be great as:
- A sandwich filling, with mayo, crispy lettuce, and fresh tomatoes
- In a salad
- Over noodles (like these tofu noodles, for example)
- As a protein-packed accompaniment to any of your favorite Asian-inspired meals
- As a flavoursome topping for a noodle soup
Storing This Recipe
This recipe is best served immediately, but also reheats great. Just store your honey garlic tofu in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days and reheat it either by popping in the microwave or in the oven.
If you've made your honey garlic tofu and have leftovers to enjoy, you could reheat it either by baking in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, popping in the air fryer for 10 minutes, or reheating it in a saucepan on the hob.
I like reheating my honey garlic tofu in the air fryer as it's so quick and easy!
FAQs
Coating your tofu in cornflour is an absolute must for super crispy tofu. That's what we do in this recipe, and it creates a wonderful batter/crispy coating to absorb the honey garlic sauce and pack all that flavor in.
The second time I tested this recipe, I cooked the tofu in the air fryer. I did the same steps of slicing the tofu and coating it in the corn flour batter, then sprayed each slice with oil and placed it in the air fryer at 200 °C for 15 minutes.
Then, I made the honey garlic sauce in a pan on the hob and tossed the crispy cooked tofu in it once done. Now, that's the main way I make this recipe.
Make sure you use a firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe - if you're from the UK, I always use the Tofoo brand as you don't need to press it!
Smoked tofu also adds a really lovely almost nutty flavour to this honey garlic recipe. Make sure you avoid soft tofu like silken tofu as it will simply fall apart when fried!
Honey Garlic Tofu
Ingredients
- 220 g block of firm tofu
- 3 tablespoon corn starch
- 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 0.5 tsp cumin powder
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Press your tofu (if required) and pat dry - use a clean paper towel to gently squeeze out as much moisture as possible.220 g block of firm tofu
- Cut the tofu into evenly-sized cubes.
- Add the tofu to a container and coat with the corn starch, garlic powder, cumin powder, and salt. Shake gently to make sure all the tofu is coated in the corn starch mixture.3 tablespoon corn starch, 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder, 0.5 teaspoon cumin powder, Pinch of salt
- Add the tofu to your air fryer basket and spray with a little cooking oil. Cook in the air fryer at 200C for 15 minutes, shaking half way through.
- Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in your pan and add the minced garlic. Saute for a minute or two, taking care not to let the garlic burn.4 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- Add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, stir, then add the honey. Let it cook until bubbling all over.3 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoon honey
- Tip the crispy tofu into the honey garlic sauce and toss to ensure it's fully coated in the sauce - the sauce should cling to the tofu.
Nutrition
Notes
2026 Recipe Update
When this recipe was first published in 2023, I kept the tofu in slices rather than cubes. Then, I battered the slices in cornflour, tossed them in the honey garlic sauce, and thinly sliced the coated tofu - see the photos below. I love this version of the recipe - and there is nothing wrong with making yours this way! However, in 2026, I've updated the recipe to cubed tofu. This way, you get far more crispy, sticky bits of tofu, which is really the main event of this whole recipe.
Very nice, my 1st venture using tofu, I have learnt a lot by cooking this, so I will use this recipe again and try some others. My husband is the big, I don't like tofu, hevtried it and enjoyed it as well.