Honey garlic cashew tofu recipe! A flavorful, vegetarian honey garlic tofu stir fry perfect for a weeknight dinner or meatless monday.
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Hello, Rhubarbarians! Here's a delicious vegetarian weeknight dinner that you'll definitely want to add to your recipe rotation: honey garlic cashew tofu!
This cashew tofu stir fry is so delicious, family friendly, and is easy enough for a weeknight meal. Oh yeah!
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Why you'll love this
The crispy tofu, the stir fried veggies, the cashews, and the sticky sweet yet savory sauce. It's just so delicious!
The flavor is a wow thanks to the sticky honey chili sauce. It's fabulous over the crispy tofu and veggies.
This is my take on a vegetarian cashew chicken, and my family likes it just as much as take out!
Stir fry it up, serve it over rice, and then enjoy the flavorful leftovers the next day. Weeknight dinner perfection.
Ingredients and equipment
Here's everything you need to make this at home! Full ingredients and instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
Ingredients:
- Tofu. Try to find super firm tofu (my favorite is from Trader Joe's).
- Honey.
- Sweet chili sauce.
- Soy sauce
- Water.
- Flour.
- Vegetable oil.
- Onion, red bell pepper, and snow peas.
- Fresh ginger and garlic.
- Cashews.
- Salt and pepper.
- Cooked rice and green onion for serving.
Equipment:
- If you need to press your tofu, you'll need a tofu press or something heavy to press it like a heavy skillet.
- Small mixing bowl or mason jar for making the sauce.
- Measuring spoons.
- Small whisk or fork for whisking the sauce.
- Medium sized bowl for marinating the tofu.
- Chef's knife and cutting board for cutting and slicing the ingredients.
- Measuring cups.
- Stove top or cook top.
- Large non-stick skillet.
- Stirring utensil like a wooden spoon or spoonula.
- Serving bowls or plates along with utensils.
Step by step instructions
Here are detailed step by step instructions with photos so that you can make cashew tofu stir fry perfectly at home. Full ingredients and instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article.
- Make sure your tofu is very firm. If you can't find super firm tofu, go ahead and press your tofu for about 15 minutes before starting. Here's how to press tofu without a tofu press if you need it!
- If you don't have cooked rice, go ahead and start some so that it's ready when the cashew tofu is done.
- Make your sauce: whisk together the honey, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and water in a small bowl or mason jar.
- Tear the tofu into bite sized pieces with your hands and place in a medium sized bowl.
Why tear tofu instead of cube it? Torn tofu creates uneven edges, which results in more browning than cubes. This makes for the the crispiest tofu!
- Pour ¼ cup of the sauce over the tofu.
- Gently toss to combine and then let marinate for 15 minutes.
- While the tofu is marinating, prep all of the other ingredients. The cooking goes quickly once you get started.
- Sprinkle the flour over the marinated tofu and gently toss to coat.
- It should resemble the photo below.
- Now, start stir frying.
- Heat some vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet.
- Add the tofu and cook until the tofu is browned and crispy. Don't stir too often or the tofu won't brown!
- Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
- Add more oil to the pan and start cooking the sliced onion.
- When the onion has softened just a bit, add the red bell pepper and the snow peas.
- When the veggies are softened, add the ginger, garlic, and cashews.
- When the mixture is fragrant, add the tofu back to the pan.
- When the tofu is heated, add the sauce into the pan.
- Stir in the sauce and let it thicken slightly.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over cooked rice and top with thinly sliced green onion.
- Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
This is one of my favorite things to serve for a weeknight family dinner or meatless monday meal.
My favorite way to serve it is over steamed white rice, but you could also serve it over stir fry noodles, fried rice, cauliflower rice, or just eat it as is.
Recipe tips and substitutions
- I think this recipe is best with torn tofu, but you can cube the tofu if you'd like.
- If you can't find super firm tofu, use firm tofu and press it for 15 minutes.
- The flour can be swapped for arrowroot powder or constarch.
- If you don't like tofu, swap for tempeh or more veggies.
- You can swap the honey for agave for a vegan option, although I haven't tested the recipe this way.
- Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos for a gluten free option.
- If you can't find snow peas, look for snap peas.
- Let the tofu get brown and crispy before removing from the pan.
- Make the veggies are sliced thinly, so they cook evenly.
Prep ahead, storing, and freezing
Prep ahead: You can make the sauce ahead of time and even marinate the tofu the day before and store it in the refrigerator until ready to cook. All the veggies can be prepped ahead of time as well.
Storing: Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Heat in the microwave or in a non-stick skillet on the stove top.
Freezing: I recommend freezing the components prepped, but not cooked. Marinate the tofu and freeze the tofu, sauce, and prepped veggies separately. If frozen this way, this will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can stir fry everything from frozen, though it will take longer to cook and brown. I recommend defrosting everything in the refrigerator the night before and cooking that way.
FAQs
Swap the honey for agave. The taste will be different as honey is a key ingredient in the sauce.
Swap the flour for arrowroot powder or gluten free flour. Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
Swap the flour for arrowroot powder or constarch.
Vegetarian dinner recipes you'll love:
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
Honey garlic cashew tofu
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 7 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 6 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 8 Tablespoons water
For the tofu
- 16 ounces super firm tofu
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the stir fry
- 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and then thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups snow peas or snap peas
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 cup roasted cashews
- salt and pepper
- cooked rice and thinly sliced green onion for serving
Instructions
- First, make sure your tofu is super firm. If you can't find super firm tofu (I like Trader Joe's brand), then press a block of firm tofu for about 15 minutes.
- Get your rice cooking if you're serving over rice.
Make the sauce
- Make the sauce by whisking together the honey, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and water until well combined.7 Tablespoons honey, 2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce, 6 Tablespoons soy sauce, 8 Tablespoons water
Marinate the tofu
- Pat the tofu dry and tear it into bite sized chunks. About 1" pieces.16 ounces super firm tofu
- Place the tofu in a bowl and pour ¼ cup of the sauce over it. Gently stir together and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes, gently stirring occasionally to evenly marinate the tofu.
Make the stir fry
- While the tofu is marinating, prep all of your vegetables, as cooking goes quickly once you start.
- Sprinkle the flour over the tofu and then gently toss to coat.2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a non-stick skillet. Add the tofu and let it cook for 2 minutes without stirring, or until it starts to brown. Give the tofu a stir and then let it sit without stirring again for another 2 minutes. Continue this process until the tofu is browned, about 12 minutes total. Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil to the hot skillet. Add the onion slices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring just enough to prevent burning.4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- Add the red pepper and snow peas and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened.1 medium red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and then thinly sliced, 1 ½ cups snow peas or snap peas
- Add the ginger, garlic, and cashews and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes.1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger, 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic, 1 cup roasted cashews
- Add the tofu and cook for 1 minute to heat.
- Stir in the sauce and cook until it has thickened slightly, about 1 minute.
- Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper as needed.salt and pepper
- Serve over cooked rice and top with thinly sliced green onion. Enjoy!cooked rice and thinly sliced green onion for serving
Notes
- I think this recipe is best with torn tofu, but you can cube the tofu if you'd like.
- If you can't find super firm tofu, use firm tofu and press it for 15 minutes.
- The flour can be swapped for arrowroot powder or constarch.
- If you don't like tofu, swap for tempeh or more veggies.
- You can swap the honey for agave for a vegan option, although I haven't tested the recipe this way.
- Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos for a gluten free option.
- If you can't find snow peas, look for snap peas.
- Let the tofu get brown and crispy before removing from the pan.
- Make the veggies are sliced thinly, so they cook evenly.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians
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