fHere’s a simple tofu recipe that hits all the notes: crispy, sweet, and spicy. Serve over rice for a simple and affordable weeknight meal that’s as good as takeout.

I love Chinese takeout. 

But to save money, I like to make some of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes at home.

This spicy honey tofu is similar the sesame tofu I get at my go-to Chinese restaurant. 

It’s a crispy, pan-fried tofu with a sweet/spicy sauce. The sauce contains honey and sriracha sauce. It’s topped with sesame seeds and green onions. Served with rice, it’s a complete meal. 

Voila. Delicious Chinese takeout at home.

How To Make Crispy Tofu

The key to making crispy pan-fried tofu, suitable for this dish, is to remove as much water from the tofu as possible. Here’s the process:

• Cut the extra firm block of tofu in half the long way.
• Place the tofu on top of a layer of paper towels on a baking sheet (to catch water that is released).
• Top with another layer of paper towels and a heavy object, like a cast iron skillet.

• Let the tofu sit for at least 20 minutes.
• Remove heavy object. Blot with paper towels to remove any surface water.
• Cut into bite-sized pieces and proceed with the recipe below.

By removing a lot of the moisture out of the tofu using the process described above, it’s easier to fry up really crispy pieces of tofu. 

And you don’t have to use a ton of oil or deep fry it – just a bit of oil in a frying pan will do.

More Chinese Takeout Recipes

• Crockpot sesame chicken
• Kung pao cauliflower (vegetarian)
• Spicy green bean appetizer (vegetarian)
• Chinese chicken salad
• Peanut ramen salad

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Spicy Honey Tofu

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

You can make the sauce ahead of time and heat right before combining with tofu.

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Ingredients

• 16-ounce package extra firm tofu
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• Sesame seeds and green onion, for topping
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Spicy honey glaze

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Instructions

1. Prepare tofu: Remove tofu from water. Slice tofu block in half the long way. Place each slice on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Top with another layer of paper towels. Place a heavy object on top of tofu (like a cast iron skillet) and let sit for 30 minutes or longer to remove water.
2. Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. Blot away any remaining water with a paper towel. Toss in cornstarch and shake off any excess.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place about half of the tofu pieces in the oil. Cook on each side to brown. This will take about 5 minutes. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined surface to remove excess oil.
4. Make spicy honey sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until sauce thickens.
5. Toss fried tofu with warm sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve on top of rice with top with chopped green onions.

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